In a post-match press conference at the Sept. 8 J. League game between the Urawa Reds and Vegalta Sendai at Saitama Stadium 2002, a seemingly irritated local reporter voiced an opinion to Reds manager Hans Ooft.

"I didn't see any communication among your players when dealing with set pieces. They seemed to play without any strategy."

Ooft said in reply, "When you start building a team, the team has weak points and strong points. If you start hammering all of your weak points all the time, you hammer down your own players. I don't like it."

The reporter, who regularly attends Reds games, appeared to be frustrated with "his" team despite the fact that the team won 1-0.

Perhaps the reporter was out of order but his reaction could be seen as a reflection of the feelings of those who support the Reds.

Reds fans seem to have forgotten their team's struggles over previous seasons. Last season, in particular, the Reds had a management change halfway through the season and were threatened with relegation to Division Two before recovering to finish 10th in the overall standings.

Since the beginning of this season, the Reds have been guided by Ooft, who formerly managed Japan and Jubilo Iwata.

After the arrival of the new boss, the Urawa fans may have been expecting too drastic an improvement to the fortunes of their team.

They would do well to realize that building a team tends to take two to three years and success is only likely to be forthcoming thereafter. The Reds front office actually hired the Dutch manager with a three-year plan in mind.

Ooft is taking the steps he needs to reconstruct his team. He has assessed his players over the first few months while improving some of their performances.

The improvements to the side may have appeared slow to some however. Urawa finished 11th in the first stage but is currently in second place after upsetting Jubilo 2-1 on Saturday.

Some players have shown improvement so far this season -- such as young defender Keisuke Tsuboi, midfielder Tadaaki Hirakawa and Brazilian forward Emerson. Midfielder Keita Suzuki and forward Tatsuya Tanaka have been called up to the Japan U-21 Asian Games squad. Veteran forward/midfielder Masahiro Fukuda has also had some good games.

What could be a burden to the Reds and make Ooft's work a little harder is the illusion that the fans seem to have about the Reds. They seem to believe that the Reds are a big club.

It is a fact that the Reds are one of the most popular clubs in Japan and are well known for their enthusiastic fans. Its home stadium in Komaba is almost always full of supporters clad in the red color of the home team. The club is also well-supported by local companies.

But that doesn't mean the team qualifies as a big club. The team hasn't yet established itself on the pitch in terms of winning trophies.

Ooft has said earlier that he hopes to make the Reds play in their own style and to add stability to the team. But the 55-year-old boss also noted that it takes time to change a playing style as it requires the players to change their way of thinking in a game. Even at Jubilo, he had to wait until the second season before seeing changes in his players.

Ooft is aiming to make his team among the top four or five in the division in three year's time.

"But that doesn't mean you are a champion. When I say a top club, you are always among the top positions in the standings. Barcelona is a top club but is it always a champion of the Spanish League? AC Milan? Juventus? No. But they have established themselves as clubs who always challenge for the title."

That's what Ooft and the Reds are working to achieve.