8 May 2006(Mon)

Tokyo, May 6, 2006 -- What would the J.League be without the Urawa Reds?

Every game, home and away, they bring a special atmosphere to the J.League, and, who knows, their participation in next season's Asian Champions League might just spark some interest in the continent's premier club competition in Japan.

At the recent Saitama derby, for example, it was truly a magnificent spectacle when the Reds "end" came alive with a colourful combination of red, black and white flags flying in the sunshine.

And then, at Fukuda Denshi Arena for the away match with JEF United, a wall of noise boomed out from the away "end" to urge the team on.

Home or away, then, the Reds fans -- young and old, male and female -- are a mobile advertisement for the J.League. They have proved their loyalty, even when they were relegated to J2, and will continue to do so.

This is why I was a little surprised, therefore, at the reaction of the Reds fans on the final whistle at Chiba. Although their team had lost 2-0, I thought the Reds supporters were a little harsh, booing and jeering them as the JEF fans at the other end greeted their heroes as if they had won the championship.

I've said before that if a team doesn't try and loses, then fans, by all means, give them a piece of your own mind. After all, you pay the money!

But if they try and are beaten by a better team, then either show your mooted appreciation for their efforts, or, better still, just leave the stadium in silence and disappointment.

I thought this was the case at Chiba. Reds huffed and puffed but were beaten by a better team on the day, a much better team, in fact. JEF's collective energy and drive -- from the excellent Stoyanov at the back through the combative Abe in midfield to the dangerous Maki up front -- made Reds look like a collection of star names, with little cohesion or rhythm.

How many times did Ponte, for example, give the ball away with a careless back-heel? His team-mates were just not on the same page this day, as JEF harried and hassled and never allowed them to settle.

So give JEF credit, Reds fans. They played you off the park and thoroughly deserved their victory.

One downside to the fanatical support and expectations may be that Reds players are finding it difficult to control themselves...Keita in the home game against Omiya, Washington at Chiba.

I thought Keita was fortunate not to get a straight red card for his wild foul on Sakurai in the first half. He was clearly angry he had not been given a free kick deep in his own box during a rare spell of Omiya pressure, and took out his frustration on Sakurai.

And Washington completely lost the plot at Chiba, screaming at the referee when he did not give a penalty late on for a Maki challenge on Tulio.

Washington scores a lot of goals, and could probably score more if he channelled all his energy into playing rather than complaining.

Just because Reds have great fans does not mean the players can run the games. That's the ref's job.

ends