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The story
With Thespa Gunma sitting at the bottom of J3 with a record of 1 win and 4 losses, club president Hajime Hosogai released a statement to fans and supporters on the 11th via the club’s official website, saying the club “takes this extremely seriously.” Hosogai is a former Japan national team midfielder who played for Kashiwa Reysol, Urawa Reds, and clubs in Germany, but on 5channel forum threads, the conversation went well beyond blunt criticism of the team’s results — spinning off into the reading and origin of his name “Moe,” leftover traces of the club’s old “Thespakusatsu Gunma” days, and tangents ranging from comparisons to baseball players to random trivia.
Gekisaka, 9/11 10:33
Thespa Gunma president Hajime Hosogai released a statement via the club’s official website on the 11th.
Gunma currently sits at the bottom of J3 with a record of 1 win and 4 losses. President Hosogai said, “As a club, we take it very seriously that we have not been able to deliver results that live up to your expectations this season. We are deeply grateful to the fans and supporters who keep pushing the team forward and fighting alongside us no matter the circumstances.”
Source: web.gekisaka.jp / Original article here
What people said
he's the weakest shellfish of the bunch.
His career's the best of all of them, though.
Kanō's "Nice Guy" (comedian Eikō Kanō's catchphrase — also rhymes on the "-gai" sound)
Uh, he's a full-blown former national team player though…
Let's rename them Arte Takasaki.
Jealous that his wife is Meika Nakamura (pro badminton player).
Well, it'd be a waste of time and pointless anyway, so I think saying so upfront is fine.
So this is where he ended up.
Actually didn't even know how many teams are in J right now.
Don't care about anyone except Mitoma.
Not a big-name club at all.
It's the club people said there was "no point" in "Mikicchi" (nickname for a Japanese pro footballer) joining.
Poor Kusatsu.
and Gunma's losing at a pace that keeps right up with them.
Like, ace striker at some no-name high school?
The strong teams are decently strong — good enough that players even transfer in from J1.
The weak teams are just weak…
That's probably more like the JFL or a regional league below that.
J3's level is a lot higher — it's actually surprising once you watch it.
JFL's gotten noticeably better lately too, so Japanese football still has plenty of room to keep getting stronger.
By the way, 萌 is written "moe" but actually read "Hajime."
Ah, so it's not actually a flashy "kira-kira" baby name after all.
Though his parents might've been holding their heads in their hands once the Densha Otoko boom hit and "moe" took on a whole new meaning lol
I'm from that generation too — had a female classmate named Moe as well. Kind of a shame the word ended up meaning something totally different from what was intended.
Originally it's a name meant to carry wishes like a plant sprouting a bud — "the start of something new," "vigorous, healthy growth," and "hope for a bright future."
Same as being told the results of an NPB team's third-string farm games — I don't know how I'm supposed to react to that.
Your take there is worse than the late Harimoto's (Isao Harimoto, ex-baseball star turned TV commentator notorious for out-of-touch opinions).
There is somewhere lower — that's exactly the problem.
Pretty sure Morishima did the same thing, didn't he?
Because a recognizable face makes it easier to do sales and PR.
Back in the day it'd be some suit parachuted in from the parent company with zero interest in football, getting yelled at by supporters through a megaphone to "take responsibility" or "resign."
Put a former player in as president, though, and it's a lot harder for supporters to string him up.
At small clubs the president ends up handling sales too,
so being famous is a real advantage there.
The hot spring's tourist numbers stay steady regardless of Thespa,
and the club was never really getting much synergy just from riding on Kusatsu Onsen's name recognition anyway.
Background and Key Points of This Story
Thespa Gunma is a regional club that traces its roots to the former Thespakusatsu Gunma, and J3 is generally regarded as the J.League tier with the least name recognition and financial muscle. President Hajime Hosogai is a former Japan national team midfielder who played for Kashiwa Reysol, Urawa Reds, and clubs in Germany, making him one of several former players who have moved into club management after retiring. The thread featured blunt criticism of the team’s poor form this season, but also plenty of comments recognizing Hosogai’s playing career, plus more casual tangents about the era when the name “Moe” became common and the story behind “Kusatsu” being dropped from the old team name — so the discussion wasn’t uniformly critical of the president. It’s also worth keeping in mind the structural difficulty J3 clubs face in balancing sound management with on-field results, which forms part of the backdrop here.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “J3: Gunma Sits Bottom of the Table at 1-4, President Hajime Hosogai Issues Statement — “I Want to Change How We Communicate”.”
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