11 Sep 2006(Mon)

September 9, 2006: The tale of Sota Hirayama is a strange one; or we might say a “tall” one.

The Athens Olympics centre forward left Heracles last week under a cloud. The club said he had gained weight in the close-season and was not in good condition, and therefore released him.

This was only his second season in Holland, and it was believed he was going to return to Japan and look for a J.League club.

That seems a smart move by the youngster, who, in my opinion, made a bad move when leaving Kunimi High School and going to Tsukuba University. He should, of course, have joined a J.League club at that time if his goal was to be a success as a professional footballer.

Now, though, Hirayama has to start again. If he does join a J.League team, and I am sure there will be many offers, he will find the pace of the game very fast, probably more so than in Holland.

Just because he became a media celebrity in the run-up to Athens, and beyond, this does not mean he is going to set the J.League alight instantly. He will have to be fit and he will have to be mature as a player and focused to make the grade, otherwise his professional career could be over before it has virtually started.

The news from Holland last week surprised me because I thought he had settled well at Heracles.

He scored some good goals last season and he looked to be much more coordinated in his play than in his Olympic qualifying days, when I always thought he was a bit clumsy, handling the ball too often and being caught offside too much. In short, he was starting to look like a footballer.

But he was only young after all, and with good coaching and more experience this could be changed.

His biggest asset is his height, but this alone is not good enough to make you a success.

I hope now that Hirayama will return to Japan, find a club in the J.League and start his career afresh. If he wants to catch the eye of Osim there is only one place to be, and it’s not on the bench in Holland.

ends