Gearing up for the World Cup, Ji-Sung Park fan site launches its online forum

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Robert BrookesThe largest fan site of the famous South Korean footballer, Ji-Sung Park, has launched an online forum to deal with its many thousand of daily visitors- with the excitement of the World Cup building all the time- at an alarming space. The South Korean football world is growing close to a frenzy and their hopes rely on Ji-Sung Park even moreAlready a hugely popular fan site (the no.1 site in Google, Yahoo and MSN for any Park-related enquiry one could imagine)- with over 3,000 visitors per day, http://www.ji-sungpark.com has had to think of ways to cater to the large percentage of its visitors who are from South Korea. Apart from integrating an online South Korean translator, site owner Robert Brookes is constantly thinking of new ways to keep his site visitors. Recent additions and events have included: an online quiz for a Ji-Sung Park t-shirt, a comprehensive article inventory and a preview of the World Cup in Germany, focusing on South Korea, some uniquely design Ji-Sung Park wallpapers available for free download, live video feeds and perhaps most exciting of all- a charitable auction for a hand-signed Ji-Sung Park no.13 Manchester United shirt.But where could the site communicate and interact with its huge following- being the only true and comprehensive presence of Ji-Sung Park online? Simple: start up a forum. And that is exactly what site owner and lifelong Man Utd. fan, Robert Brookes has done: http://www.ji-sungpark.com/forum/As Brookes says: ‘I want our South Korean guests to feel welcome and comfortable and not be inhibited by English that isn’t perfect. Mine isn’t either!! The point is to chat about Park and his remarkable achievements- not just in a footballing sense- but also in his attitude and life story, one of courage, determination and single-mindedness against the odds.”Ji-Sung Park himself is already talking up South Korea’s chances at the imminent World Cup in Germany this coming June. Quoted in the Korean press recently, he said: I am certain we can go even beyond the round of 16. We’re all determined to prove to the world that what happened in 2002 was not the product of luck and home advantage.”The new forum at http://www.ji-sungpark.com/forum/ is taking bets….But what of the player himself? So famous that he has had a road named after him in his native town of Suwon and now playing for the most famous club in the world….Park bench? This was the nickname that was mooted for Ji-Sung Park when he went to England and Manchester United last summer. Fans of the more cynical persuasion — and football fans are not known for lacking that trait — felt that the signing of the Korean was as much due to his ability to sell shirts than what he could do on the field.United’s season is now nearly over and with the team on a great run, finally putting some pressure on Chelsea, it seems a good time to look at how the “new engine,” as he has been named in the Korean media, is doing in the northwest of England.The verdict has to be pretty good. The 24-year-old should be satisfied with his performance since the season started last August. A look at the amount of playing time that the player has enjoyed suggests that Park is a valuable part of the squad, but not yet an automatic starter.Reporters talk of “first names that the coach writes on the team sheet” and while Park isn’t one of those at United- yet, that title doesn’t belong to many of his teammates either. Perhaps only goalkeeper Van Der Sar, defenders Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand and striker Wayne Rooney can be secure in the knowledge that unless they are being rested for a forthcoming game, they will be starting on the pitch. Even the prolific Ruud Van Nistelrooy discovered to his apparent amazement that he cannot assume first team selection every match.Park lies in between that select group and the backup players. He always plays some part in the game but is never quite sure of how many minutes he will spend sitting on the bench (one that is heated at United!) or on the other, more active, side of the white line.Out of the Red Devils first 34 games this season, the Korean star has been available for selection for all but two, due to a knee injury. He has seen action in 29 matches, a surprising statistic for those, including Guus Hiddink, who said that his former protege would be wasting his time at Old Trafford.”Park will be a waste of time at Manchester,” said the PSV coach when “Ji,” as he his known by his new teammates, signed for the two-time European champions.”He will spend most of his time on the bench; it was not a wise decision for him to go. The Brazilian midfielder Kleberson is a good example for Park, he went to United and was a failure. Park should have stayed with PSV for another year.”Those comments are beginning to sound less and less like the wisdom Koreans expect to come from the Dutchman’s mouth and more like sour grapes as the season has progressed.Although Park is not yet an automatic starter for the club, for those who have followed his career there is an expectation of better to come. After a slow start at PSV, his progression was almost meteoric. It is now the United players whose can be heard singing the praises of their hard-working teammate. And this most of all after his winning goal against Arsenal recently!Despite the language barrier, Park has demonstrated a wicked sense of humour:”I may not be as handsome as Beckham but I feel I could be just as good as he is,” he said last month. “I understand the pressure of coming to Manchester United and the expectation of the fans over here. I want to show my value to United in terms of my ability, not for some marketing strategy in Asia.”He has already shown that he has more to offer than providing an “in” to the Asian market. It remains to be seen if he can take the next step; making himself an indispensable part of the Manchester United team and rise again to such dizzy heights in this year’s World Cup in Germany.Perhaps this partly explains the unfathomable success of http://www.ji-sungpark.com and it’s new forum http://www.ji-sungpark.com/forum/ ……Robert Brookes is a lifelong Manchester United fan and has created the unofficial fan site, http://www.ji-sungpark.com and it’s new forum http://www.ji-sungpark.com/forum/ as a way of bridging the massive support Manchester United receives in South East Asia into the online English market. He also owns the top Man United blog, http://www.manchesterunited-blog.com

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