Michael Fitzgerald (Albirex Niigata | Japan)

It meant to be lion dragon. Thats his name as if spoken in japanese.

Was on a page i read back 

I see Fitzgerald's team Albirex is due to play Lucas Neil's team Omiya Ardijah tomorrow. Will be interesting to see if he gets another start.

Should do... his team is winning and it always hard to change a winning team.

MetalLegNZ said:

Should do... his team is winning and it always hard to change a winning team.

Actually his team lost to Urawa Reds 1-0 when he played  a full game. But I see that they won last night against Lucas Neil's team Omiya Ardijah and Fitzgerald played a full game. 

He needs to be in AW

Siggy will be suspended for October, he might get his chance (if he has made himself available).

For those of us, me included, who thought a year or two back that Wynton was peddling rubbish, I'm glad Michael's come good and proven me well wrong. 

Should be picked well ahead of Boxall and Sigmund now based on current form for club.

7th game for Fitzgerald. His 6th start and 5th full game. His team played Hiroshima and lost 2-0 so not a good day's work.

Hiroshima are currently 3rd and Niigata are 12th.

I find youtube link for My Lion James - Michael James. He Japan - speak very good Japanese. Nice play, nice interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNvdox4jvZY

Doesn't say too much

It talked about his history at Nagasaki and tht he a 24year old kiwi. He himself said that he was happy he finally made it to the frat team and that he just wants to keep improving and becomes a better player.   The coach said e was great in defense and at marking people. Also the coach said he had a calm head on too I his shoulders 

Made 10th J League appearance for the year against FC Tokyo. They lost 0-2. Full 90. 

His team dropped from 9th to 11th. 10 appearances and I think 8 of them have been full games, that's very good, hope he keeps progressing. 

11th appearance. Full 90. 3-2 win for his team. 

Cant believe he is not in the team for the mexico games...madness

Ha, ha, ha. Should've posted an ad, RH recruiting - Only ASB premiership need apply for any new AW defensive roles! 

haha Lochead is clearly playing at a higher level at the moment and currently has bitter match fitness then Michael. 

Michael play again yesterday - Albirex win 3-1.

Nice TV interview of Michael - showing him many years in Japan. Intreview say he good defender and show good play in games. He show his family. Some ads at start but interview start at 1:40min.

Hahaha you say Lochhead fitter and play higher than Michael? J-League very high standard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adS6Bmvi-b0

Who has said that?

Lochhead is very fit and has played MLS but that was also in a different time. You find someone saying Lochhead is fitter and plays a higher level or admit your foolish lies.

Also Lochhead is a LB and Fitzgerald is playing CB. Not a great comparison to make.

He should have been the next in line when Reid got hurt but at the risk of opening this can of worms yet again, we just don't know if he is available to play.

Steady on. It was in the post above his JV, was posted sarcastically but Keikojap didnt get it

Ah yeah wrong forum. Its a banter phrase that is widely used in another forum I partake in (admit your foolish lies that is).

Correct. It's best to be plain and to the point (and polite), and avoid sarcasm, replying to someone who is clearly a non-native English speaker at a lower level of fluency. Simple courtesy which also helps to avoid further misunderstanding.

And Keikojap is actually correct. The J-League has improved because of their deep soul-searching after the Kaiserslautern 2006 debacle. They put money into junior development since then and recruited well at senior levels since then. Having money helped too. Japanese national team is certainly the top of the rank in Asia at present (I think), and it may be the same story with the local league (feel free to correct me if I am wrong).
Ten years ago K-league was arguably better than the J-league (second-hand opinion from SBS TV pundits) but today it may be a very different story.

I apologize for any confusion on my lochhead comment. 

J league is a very high standard and most teams would play a league teams of the park. Especially if it was a Japanese ref. if Australian might be close because our teams are more physical. But sadly my team ( gamba osaka). Is inconsistent as hell and put me through great pain. Last season most goals in league and got relegated...... That's right

Keiko do you know him personally or are you just a fan

No I am fan of Michael. Nagano my team. We want Michael come to Nagano but he go to Nagasaki.

When we fight for promotion in 2012, I see Michael at games. Michael is good player, he make JFL top 11 and I follow when he go back to Albirex.

 

Watched the highlights that were part of the interview, the move which started with Fitzgerald at their 18yd box and resulted in his cross for a goal was very impressive. It shows his attacking ability from the back, good composure and great passing ability - note 2 of the passes he made in the move were left footed, incl the cross for the goal. 

I asked my Japanese colleague to interpret the interview - very interesting:

·  Fitzgerald was very excited and happy when the top division J-League club signed him at 19. In his first season he thought that eventually he would get a chance to debut but it never happened and he started to lose confidence. He tried to be the player the coach wanted him to be but that made him play worse, and he ended up forgetting what his strength was.

He thinks playing at the JFL clubs helped his development, especially when he played the defensive midfield role before he went back to  Niigata. It helped him be more comfortable on the ball and built his confidence to play out as a central defender. 

His time in the lower division clubs made him hungrier as a footballer. When he got the opportunity to go back to Niigata he was so excited. Now he is keen to show his appreciation to the club for believing in him and waiting for him to develop and progress. 

He says he doesn’t like losing the ball. He tries to play the ball out to the midfield rather than just clearing it.  He believes if they don’t give away the ball, then they aren’t back on defence straight away. He is very confident playing out from the back and believes that it is one of his strengths.

He’s not perfect and still makes mistakes but he is continuing to learn with each game. He is keen to keep his position and play as many games as possible. He hopes to contribute to Niigata finishing in the higher ranks of the J-League table at the end of the season. 

·  The Head coach said they appreciated his calmness in both defence and attack. They needed someone calm to bring calmness to their game as that had been their problem.

·  The TV commentator said He is not an old style central defender who is just big and strong and can win the ball. He is a smart player. He is very much a modern central defender. 

·  His central defender partner Ohi said, technically he is very good and has great ability to play out from defence. Ohi is confident giving him the ball as he knows he won’t panic and lose it or give it away.

Argggggh why isnt he in the team!

Yea they fell
Quick and fast. We just guaranteed promotion but again our defense has been poor

Wow...Fitzgerald got trashed by the NZ  media when we lost to mexico last time. Wonder who they blame this time

He also played left back in a back four of centre backs. Ricki played him as a wing back against China. He's neither of these. Kid has fought his way back and is a starter in the J League. To be ignored like this is criminal

Yeah they are 8th. Wow...moved up quite a bit