- The Rising Sun News: March 23, 2007

March 23, 2008

Riding the Tiger

There once was a woman from Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger -

OK, that may seem a slightly strange way to start our report on the weekend's Nabisco Cup (and J2) matches. However,this week an issue surfaced during one of the Nabisco Cup matches on Thursday which has potentially dramatic implications, not only for the club involved, but for the J.League as a whole. Therefore, it is worth taking some time to examine the issue and its implications in detail.

After the team started off its season with two straight losses in league action, the Urawa Reds fired coach Holger Osieck and replaced him with assistant coach Gert Engels. As we noted in our report last week, we do not necessarily view this as an over-reaction, or an indication of panic. FOr one thing, Osieck was already standing on thin ice even before the season began. Fans, players and management alike were dissatisfied with his performance last season, and though he did lead the team to the ACL title, that trophy was probably the only reason why the team did not let him go at the end of last year. Osieck's strategy was viewed as overly cautious, and he had public "differences of opinion" with top players, including Washington and Shinji Ono (who both left the club at the end of last season, leaving no doubt about the fact that their inability to get along with the coach was a contributing factor). The loss against Nagoya Grampus on March 15 may have been only the second of the season, but when you extend the string back to last year, the Reds had won only once in their last ten outings, and the last time they scored a goal against a J.League opponent was November 11, 2007. After 10 1/2 hours of football without a single goal scored, you can see that the team was facing more than just a "temporary slump".

Furthermore, Osieck's replacement, Gert Engels, is a highly regarded coach who has a strong rapport with players and speaks very good Japanese. Considering his resume (he led both the Yokohama Flugels and Kyoto Purple Sanga to Emperor's Cup titles, despite the meagrest of resources), a lot of observers wondered why he didnt get the head coaching position at the end of 2006, when Guido Buchwald stepped down. In any event, there is no reason to assume that the Reds will need much time to make a "transition" to the new coach. Engels already knows more about the team and the league than Osieck did, and the players clearly trust him more than they did the previous coach.

But even though the swift action might have been justified, there were some other rumours and hints drifting around southeastern Saitama that generated some clouds of concern, and these coalesced on Thursday afternoon. Just prior to the kickoff, the Reds supporters behind goal unveiled a large banner, which was left hanging in the stadium even after the fans finally departed, in disgust, at what the newspapers indicate was around 8:00 or 8:30 (that is to say, more than two hours after the match ended). By this time the team had extended its streak of scorelessness to 12 hours and dropped their first Nabisco Cup match -- at home to Vissel Kobe -- by a 1-0 score line. The banner read as follows (rough translation):

"The GM and front office are doing nothing but cover their own useless asses. Do you think you can just fire the coach and everything will be fine? What you need to do now is not simply win, but play football that supporters can enjoy watching. If you dont, the fans will leave."

Quite a statement, isnt it!? Anyone who pays attention to the extreme organization and activist participation of the Reds fan contingent will recognise that this message represents the carefully considered and painstakingly distilled essence of what the Saitama Red Army is thinking, and not simply the angry words of a few hotheads. Normally, the fan clubs orchestrate some impressive visual display to express their support and encourage the team, but this time the banner unveiling was pretty much the only pre-match activity that they had organised. Though there is surely a range of opinions among individual fans, you can be fairly certain that this message was discussed and approved by a fairly large section of the "core fans".

Nor can we view this incident in isolation. Prior to the late-night board meeting at Reds headquarters, and the decision to fire Osieck, there had been a lot of chatter on Internet message boards operated by some of the main fan clubs, which debated the possibility of boycotting the next Reds match if Osieck were not fired. It is impossible to say how much this "threat" affected the top management of the club, and as we have already noted, the arguments for terminating coach Osieck were already more than sufficient. However, it seems very likely to this writer that talk of a fan boycott was at least one consideration in calling the meeting so quickly after the defeat on March 15.

Personally, this writer is torn between two reactions.

First, it is amusing -- and in some ways a source of pride for those who love Japanese football -- to see fans pushing the management around. How many threats of a fan boycott in the UK have been laughed off by heartless owners and management as they stuff wads of money in their ears to drown out the sound of the protests. Isnt it nice to see the shoe on the opposite foot, for once? Furthermore, the fans are absolutely right; the team hasnt played attractive football since the years when they were one of the weakest teams in the league. And their "goal-scoring statistics" (is it accurate to use that term, when there hasnt been any goal-scoring at all?) surely prove the point.

The role of the fan in Japanese football is so critical that readers who do not actually live here, to see how strong the "grassroots supporters" really are, will have a difficult time truly appreciating this characteristic of the J.League. No doubt, this arises in large part because the fans are the life blood of football in this country. In England, for example, a large club can snub the fans at will, because nearly all of their revenues come from either television contracts or prize money / participation money from the tournaments in which they participate. A fan boycott, even if 100% successful, wouldnt have more than a 5%-10% impact on the revenues of a team like Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United. But in Japan, the ticket sales at home matches contribute anywhere from, 40% to 80% of a team's overall income. TV revenues and advertising sponsorships help cover fixed costs, but if a team wants to have enough money to sign good players, and achieve strong results, then they need a solid fan base.

And money is hardly the only factor. The influence of fan organizations over team decisions is hard to overstate, even if it did take many years for this influence to override that of corporate sponsors. However, as Yokohama Flugels fans demonstrated when they "invaded" the lobby of ANA's corporate offices in 1998, and effectively held company management hostage for 8 hours, fans in Japan are not prepared to just take stupid team decisions lying down. When the Reds fans remained at Saitama stadium late into the evening on Thursday they were following an established precedent, which has been used to express displeasure over player dismissals (JEF United, last season), a loss of faith in management (Kashiwa Reysol in 2006) and anger over poor performances (several teams, in recent years). Since teams do not own their own stadia, the club must pay expenses to the stadium operators for keeping the lights on and stadium employees on duty until the last fan has left the building. But there is no way to "force" the fans to leave until they are good and ready to do so. By staging a "sit-in" for 2 hours or so, the fans can cost a team something in the neighbourhood of 1-2 million yen. To a big team in Europe that might sound a pittance, but for most J.League clubs, that is one less squad player that the team can carry on the reserves, next season. Furthermore, it has a negative impact on public relations, which are extremely important in Japanese society.

The question here is whether the fans are choosing to use their influence in a legitimate, and healthy (for the team) way. From our perspective, if fans are truly willing to maintain the same level of loyalty they showed back in the "old days" --when thousands of fans stayed late after the final match of the 1999 season chanting "We are Reds", to display their unfailing loyalty despite the fact that the team had just been relegated -- then they should be commended. That sort of loyalty cant be bought, and it deserves to be recognised and respected.

However, the second reaction that we have to the fans' "message" on Thursday is a bit less generous. At one time the Reds did indeed have the finest, most loyal bunch of supporters that any football team could ask for. But that was many long years ago. The fan base has changed dramatically since the spine-tingling era of yore, and though there is still a core group who have been with the team through thick and thin, our impression is that a large percentage of the current crowd are glory-hunters and bandwagon-jumpers, who care less about "beautiful football" than they do about associating themselves with a popular, successful and high-profile team. Are 60,000 fans really going to stick around Saitama Stadium week after week, even as the team struggles to finish fourth or fifth -- so long as they play beautiful football? To put it mildly, we have our doubts. And if the fans are threatening to walk away from the team just because it isnt able to win every match, and satisfy their hunger for "glory", well then, they dont really deserve to be shown the respect and consideration that TRUE fans have earned.

The strong impression we receive from the past week's events is that the Urawa Reds team management has been riding the proverbial tiger. Although the vast revenue stream generated by the Saitama Red Army may have carried the team to wealth and glory, now management is suddenly facing the prospect of having to feed an insatiable beast. Once they proved unable to satisfy the ravenous appetite for championship glory, and constant victory, it comes as no surprise that they are being devoured. One can only hope that coach Engels is able to put the team back on a steadyu course before too much damage has been done. Then again, if this year's underperformance prompts the fair-weather fans to depart, and the glory seekers to go off in serach of another bandwagon to jump upon, perhaps the Reds will be better off in the long run.

Pool A

Before the season started, most people would have expected Urawa to sail through this pool round easily. But in addition to Urawa's surprisingly poor performance, Vissel Kobe and Nagoya Grampus have gotten off to strong starts ,while Kyoto Sanga is looking far more competitive than initially expected. In fact, after two matches Kyoto is leading the group!

It will be interesting to see how Reds fans react to their team's performance on Sunday afternoon, since the response will give us a good indication of whether or not the talk about "beautiful football" was heartfelt, or just a bunch of talk. After playing a fairly good second half against Vissel, on Tursday, the Reds came out and played the most aggressive, upbeat, positive and attractive football we have seen from them in nearly two years. Edmilson bagged a hat trick in the first half, shattering the long spell of scorelessness and showing what this team can do when they push more than two or three players into the attack at a given time.

However, the combination of a depleted roster (in addition to all the injuries, Yuki Abe, Keita Suzuki and Naohiro Takahara were absent due to National Team commitments) and a very hard-working and fired-up opponent allowed Sanga to turn the tables and fight back to parity in the second half. There is no question that this was the most exciting and watchable match of the entire afternoon, so if the grumbling from the Saitam Red Army grows louder, you can ignore any sentiments they might have expressed about wanting to see "attractive football".

Kyoto Sanga are definitely playing some enjoyable football as well. Coach Kato seems to have lifted a page from Takashi Oki's playbook and adopted a hard-running, field-compressing brand of football which has been surprisingly effective. With the powerful and perceptive veteran Sidiclei marshalling the defence, Kyoto is able to throw large numbers of players into attack and not leave TOO much space at the back (though they did concede three goals, so clearly the defence could still use some improvement). What impressed us the most was the hard work of every player on the pitch to contribute on both offence and defence. Atsushi Yanagisawa and Takaaki Tokushige were constantly chasing back to harrass the Reds on defence, while wingbacks Daigo Watanabe and Takashi Hirajima made major contributions to the attack (indeed, it was Watanabe who produced the equaliser, early in the second half.

Though it is only natural to feel a bit disappointed when you fail to claim three points from such a hard-fought contest, we thought that both teams could be proud of the performance on Thursday. Urawa seems to have turned the corner at last, and they can only get better as missing players return to action. Sanga, on the other hand, have taken the most important step needed to avoid another relegation struggle -- they have convinced themselves that they are a J1-quality team. So long as they can maintain this confidence factor, they should have the personnel required to hold onto their spot in the top-flight division

The Grampus-Vissel matchup at Kobe Wing Stadium was as closely matched and as fiercely contested as we thought it would be, though both teams focused a great deal more on the defensive side of the game than either Reds or Sanga. Although there was a great deal of attacking pressure at both ends, the absence of key players at the point of attack (Yoshito Okubo for Vissel and Frode Johnsen for Grampus) left both teams struggling to finish off their plays. It wasnt until five minutes from full time that Grampus finally broke the deadlock, with Shohei Abe looping a cross onto the head of Yuki Maki (Seiichiro's little brother), who nodded the ball home for his first J.League goal.

Date

Home

Away

Venue

20 Mar

Nagoya Grampus

0-1

Kyoto Sanga

Mizuho Stadium

20 Mar

Urawa Reds

0-1

Vissel Kobe

Saitama Stadium

23 Mar

Vissel Kobe

0-1

Nagoya Grampus

Kobe Wing Stadium

23 Mar

Kyoto Sanga

3-3

Urawa Reds

Nishikyogoku Stadium

Team	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	Dif.
Kyoto Sanga	4	1	1	0	4	3	+1
Nagoya Grampus	3	1	0	1	1	1	0
Vissel Kobe	3	1	0	1	1	1	0
Urawa Reds	1	0	1	1	3	4	-1

Pool B

Although Pool B features both Tokyo-based teams and both teams from Shizuoka, none of the matches that took place this week was a "derby" -- those matchups will take place later in the qualification round, when they are likely to have much higher stakes, and thus attract even bigger crowds. All four teams in the pool are rather closely matched in terms of general competitiveness, and as we expected, the chase is still very close. Verdy might be feeling a bit apprehensive, since they played both of this week's contests at home yet emerged with only a single point. Still, there is plenty of time to rebound and the score lines of the four matches seems to reflect the high degree of parity.

One very important subplot unfolded this week (well . . . important for FC Tokyo, at least), as the ongoing saga of Sota Hirayama took another turn for the worse. Those who have been following his career are aware that Hirayama burst onto the scene as an 18-year old, scoring twice at the U-20 World Cup and then shattering scoring records in the Nationwide High School Tournament. Two years later he again appeared at the U-20 championships in Holland, and impressed local viewers enough to earn a contract with Heracles Almelo, in the Dutch Eredivisie. In his first match, he came on as a late substitute and scored twice, carrying the team to a stunning comeback victory. It seemed almost like a fairy tale.

But by all indications, this is one fairy tale in which nobody lives happily ever after. Just 12 months after his impressive debut, Hirayama was dropped by Heracles due to what were described as "attitude problems". A move to FC Tokyo in mid-2006 provided Japanese fans with a more detailed analysis of what those "attitude problems" are. Coaches describe Hirayama as "a big child", apparently referring to his lack of emotional maturity and the ability to focus on his role in the team. The description seems to be quite literal -- despite his size and age, Hirayama does indeed come off in interviews like a little kid. That might have been somewhat endearing when he was 18, but at age 22 it is starting to annoy coaches and teammates alike.

Earlier this week, Hirayama was dropped from the U-23 national team by coach Sorimachi, who has apparently run out of patience with the youngster. Hirayama's lack of "hustle" and failure to contribute on the defensive end were cited as reasons, though these seem to be more symptoms of the problem than a problem in themselves. On Sunday, Hirayama found himself dropped from the FC Tokyo lineup as well. And to add insult to injury, his replacement -- Shingo Akamine -- scored a brace to lead FC Tokyo to victory over Jubilo Iwata. THough Hirayama is still young, and has not been written off completely (. . . yet), his career is alreasy starting to sound like a sad, cautionary tale for talented youngsters with too much ego and too little ambition. Leading superstar at 18 -- late substitute at 22. Lets hope that there is still another chapter or two, and perhaps another plot twist, before this tale ends altogether.

While FC Tokyo was triumphing over Jubilo, in Shizuoka, back in Tokyo Verdy and S-Pulse were slogging out a scoreless draw. This was a very dull match, made all the more disappointing by the fact that both teams were at full strength. S-Pulse seemed to have the better scoring chances, but Verdy played a very conservative match and withstood the pressure, though they seemed to lack the energy, or perhaps the ambition, to do much at the offensive end themselves. The draw takes S-Pulse to the top of the group, on four points

Date

Home

Away

Venue

20 Mar

Tokyo Verdy

0-2

Jubilo Iwata

Ajinomoto Stadium

20 Mar

Shimizu S-Pulse

3-1

FC Tokyo

Nihondaira Stadium

23 Mar

Jubilo Iwata

0-2

FC Tokyo

Iwata "Yamaha" Stadium

23 Mar

Tokyo Verdy

0-0

Shimizu S-Pulse

Ajinomoto Stadium

Team	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	Dif.
Shimizu S-Pulse	4	1	1	0	3	1	+2
Jubilo Iwata	3	1	0	1	3	3	0
FC Tokyo	3	1	0	1	2	2	0
Tokyo Verdy	1	0	1	1	0	2	-2

Pool C

In Pool C, Kawasaki Frontale continues to flounder, and if the string of hapless performances continues much longer, coach Sekizuka could be joining Holger Osieck in the unemployment line before long. In our view, the problem with the team can be summed up in just one word -- Juninho. The veteran striker has been a one-man disaster over the first four matches of this season, and yet coach Sekizuka has kept him in the lineup for every single minute of every single match. It isnt so much that Juninho is "incapable", or that he is playing with any lack of skill or initiative. The problem is that he seems to think that everyone else on the field is only there to set him up for shots. TIme after time he has made a fine run into the opposing team's penalty area, only to ignore two or even three wide-open teammates and instead, try to score by himself, from an impossible angle, through double or even triple coverage.

Considering the wealth of offensive talent that Frontale has in their roster, the last thing that the team needs is a ball hog. Of course, some of the other players have also been playing as if they were trying to compete against the other members of their own team, rather than against the opposing team. But Juninho is clearly the "role model" for all the other ball hogs on the team. Coach Sekizuka needs to sit him down and explain that he has to start creating assists, or else he wont be seeing much action this season. Otherwise, it wont matter how much potential the Blue Dolphins may have -- they arent going to achieve any meaningful results.

Meanwhile, Consadole Sapporo seems to be doing everything right that Kawasaki is doing wrong. A lot of hard running and teamwork have allowed the Hokkaido Snow Owls to put up strong performances despite a relatively mediocre roster. Frontale snatched the early lead in their contest at Sapporo Dome, on a set play headed home by defender Shuhei Terada, and held the narrow edge until late in the second half. But Chong Young Dae claimed the equaliser, and with five minutes remaining, Hiroyuki Nishijima headed home a corner kick to give Consadole the win.

Also on Sunday, JEF United played host to Kashiwa Reysol in the Chiba derby match. As we expected, it was a very hard-fought contest, marred by a sending-off early in the second half which reduced JEF to ten men and erased what little fluidity the match had featured up to that point. However, shortly after Mirko Hrgovic received his marching orders, Reysol seemed to get a bit too ambitious, and were caught out by a sudden counterattack which produced one of JEF's few shots on goal of this entire contest. One thing we have seen from the Chiba Dogs this year is that they tend to make efficient use of their opportunities, and this time was no different. Daisuke Saito finished off the charge with an equaliser, and the home team was able to hang on the rest of the way to claim a share of the spoils.

Date

Home

Away

Venue

20 Mar

Kawasaki Frontale

0-2

JEF United

Todoroki Stadium

20 Mar

Kashiwa Reysol

1-1

Consadole Sapporo

Kashiwanoha Stadium

23 Mar

Consadole Sapporo

2-1

Kawasaki Frontale

Muroran Stadium

23 Mar

JEF United

1-1

Kashiwa Reysol

Chiba "Fukuari" Stadium

Team	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	Dif.
JEF United	4	1	1	0	3	1	+2
Consadole Sapporo	4	1	1	0	3	2	+1
Kashiwa Reysol	2	0	2	0	2	2	0
Kawasaki Frontale	0	0	0	2	1	4	-3

Pool D

Last but not least, Pool D featured one fairly decisive contest, as Oita Trinita crushed visiting Albirex Niigata, maintaining their perfect record in matches at "Big Eye" Stadium, this year. However, their record on the road is not as good, as the Trinitans fell to Yokohama Marinos host at Mitsuzawa Stadium, on Thursday.

On Sunday, however, the Marinos were unable to make any headway against hosts Omiya Ardija, and were held to a scoreless draw. On Thursday Ardija also claimed a draw against the Mighty Swans, putting Albirex at the bottom of the group with one point.

Date

Home

Away

Venue

20 Mar

Yokohama Marinos

1-0

Oita Trinita

Mitsuzawa Stadium

20 Mar

Albirex Niigata

2-2