SINGAPORE – Walking into the Lions’ den can be intimidating for any coach, much less a new appointee whose native language is not English and whose audience is a roomful of local media fatigued by insipid showings from both senior and age-group national teams.

The sight of journalists leaning forward in their seats amid the crescendo of camera clicks made for an initially tense atmosphere, as Tsutomu Ogura entered the boardroom of the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) Jalan Besar headquarters on Feb 1.

The nerves certainly got to the 57-year-old, who was being unveiled as the new director for both Singapore’s senior and Under-22 men’s teams.

Voice quivering as he spoke his first words, the bespectacled Osaka native said: “Hello. My name is Ogura. Today (is) the first time to be doing an English press conference.

“Also this kind of thing is the first time (so) it’s a challenge... I’ll try to do my best please.”

Slowly but surely, Ogura, the Lions’ third consecutive Japanese head coach, then found his confidence, holding court as he fielded questions during the 55-minute media conference.

The Straits Times understands that he had insisted in speaking in English, despite the FAS offering a translator.

While it was not easy to understand him at times, his sincerity did shine through. By the end, he had the room laughing and warming up to him.

Ogura, who is here on a two-year contract, replaces former national coach Takayuki Nishigaya, who was fired on Jan 29. Nishigaya’s predecessor Tatsuma Yoshida quit the post in December 2021.

His charm offensive on his first day in office differed largely to that of his compatriots.

Yoshida failed to assert his personality initially, but eventually won over the fans shortly before quitting the post, while Nishigaya was never able to connect with fans or the media.

Tellingly, none of the Lions have said farewell to him on social media since his sacking.

Besides coaching the Lions, Ogura will also oversee the Under-22 team, which was one of the recommendations from the review of the Young Lions’ disastrous 2023 SEA Games campaign.

FAS president Bernard Tan said that Ogura’s diverse career will help towards improving not just the national team, but also the entire football ecosystem.

Tan added: “He might not be known to local fans as some of the other candidates, but I am confident that he will soon win over both the players and fans, as well as the larger football fraternity.”

When asked to describe his playing philosophy, Ogura kept his cards close to his chest. When pressed further, he said he prefers to have a conversation with his players before deciding.

Calling the job a “big challenge”, he said results are definitely the most important thing, adding: “We must fight for the fans and the country and show our passion.

“I want our fans to feel the urge to go and watch the team play or even watch the team train or perhaps even travel and watch the team playing away. We want to give fans this feeling.”

Ogura was most recently assistant coach of Tokyo Verdy, who gained promotion to the Japanese top tier last season.

He holds an Asian Football Confederation professional diploma, the highest level of coaching accreditation issued by the continent’s governing body.

ST reported last December that he was the front runner to replace Nishigaya, after the FAS executive council had spoken to several candidates.

They included Albirex Niigata’s Kazuaki Yoshinaga, a four-time Singapore Premier League (SPL) Coach of the Year, and Englishman Alex Weaver, who won the 2014 domestic league title with Warriors FC.

Ogura’s first assignment will be the World Cup qualifiers against China – at home on March 21 and away on March 26.

But the litmus test will be the next edition of the AFF Championship, which is expected to run from late November to December in a home-and-away format.

While those matches are still about 10 months away, as far as his first-day showing goes, Ogura had passed the first examination and left a positive impression. 

Midway through the media conference, when asked what kind of football the Lions will play under him, he responded cheekily: “Do you have an idea for me? Maybe we can speak in private”, as laughter broke out in the room.