9 Aug 2007(Thu)

August 7, 2007: JFA president Saburo Kawabuchi does have a good point in the Osim debate; that he thinks the coach should watch the penalty shoot-out and not waddle off down the tunnel.

I have to say I agree with the Captain on this one -- Kawabuchi, I mean, not Kawaguchi.

Even though it was always on the cards that he would head for the dressing room before the shoot-out with the Socceroos, given his track record with JEF United, I was still surprised he refused to watch the Korea climax.

After the Aussie game he said he didn't want to die of a heart attack on duty with Japan, so the only thing I can think of for the Korea game was that he didn't want to die of boredom.

If ever there was a time for Osim to change course and stay to watch the shoot-out, this was it. After all, it couldn't get any worse, unless Shunsuke had tripped over his boot laces on his run-up, fallen head first and headed the ball into the arms of the Korean keeper; or Endo had actually crossed it from the penalty spot.

With Japan having lost the shoot-out, Osim now has no excuse that he is a jinx for his own team -- so next time (in South Africa 2010 of course), please stick it out with the boys.

Apart from watching Osim disappear down the tunnel, another amusing sight was seeing him join in the team huddle. As big as two Hanyus, possibly three, he didn't exactly look comfortable performing this rather namby-pamby bonding exercise.

Whatever happened to the old, stiff-upper-lip style of Alf Ramsey, with his Churchillian address before extra time in the England-West Germany World Cup final of 1966.

"You've beaten them once, chaps. Now go and do it again," Ramsey told his players (although I am not sure he actually said "chaps" -- but he should have done.)

By the way, did anyone try counting all the Japanese players and staff in the team huddle? There were hundreds of them! Who were they all? Agents? Hairdressers? Manicurists?

No wonder the JFA needs all these friendlies.

ends