by Stuart Crowther

Date: 21st May 2002

It has all been leading to this for Ulises Hibs were always going to play second-fiddle to the big show FROM THE MOMENT HIBERNIAN signed Ulises de la Cruz, the talk was of just how superb a player he was, and to underline this Hibs fans were fed a constant diet of Ulises's performances for his country, an ever-present in their drive to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in their history. There is no denying that it was a fantastic achievement for Ecuador, and De La Cruz has shown when playing for his country that he could really be one of the stars of the big show in Korea and Japan in a couple of weeks time.  The waiting then is almost over for Ulises, and in a great many ways it is also over for the Hibs support as one way or another we will know just what we have, or don't have, in Ulises de la Cruz. For an entire season this player has been the root of more pub arguments around the environs of Easter Road than any single Hibs player.  He is either a genius or a numptie, depending on which side of the De La Cruz fence you have chosen to stand.  These are the extremities of the argument, the truth probably is somewhere in the middle.  Ulises de la Cruz has shown in brief flashes just how good a player he is, but brief flashes is simply not good enough in football, certainly not good enough for most football fans, and it is for that reason more than any which has led to the number of fans who criticise De La Cruz increasing almost weekly as the season went by. The different signals being sent out by the player himself does not help much either.  As the season came to a close, two interviews with De La Cruz left Hibs fans baffled.  One, given in South America, indicated that the player had no intentions of returning to Edinburgh after the World Cup, the Ecuador defender saying that he would prefer a move to Spain or indeed the English Premiership rather than turn out again for Hibernian.  And then another interview in the Edinburgh Evening News painted quite a different story, as De La Cruz insisted he was looking forward to returning to Hibs next season with the World Cup behind him, the experience of his first season in the SPL leaving him much wiser as to what was expected of him in future. A happier moment last term for Ulises (sns) It is though what was expected of Ulises that has perhaps been the biggest problem.  Hibs fans swallowed the initial media hype that a record transfer fee had been paid for the player, something that was later denied by Alex McLeish.  Expectations were high, perhaps too high, and as the season went from one crisis to another so De La Cruz looked increasingly isolated and confused.  Early promises to learn English never materialised, although the player did find some relief in the form of Paco Luna who was ready to translate when required.  It was though the communication difficulties on the field that was a clear problem for De La Cruz.  Time and again he would be seen being berated by his team-mates for being out of position, or for other perceived or real wrongs.  Tactical awareness is a very important part of the game, and no matter how talented a footballer if you are unaware of your role in the team, then you are not going to perform.  One wonders if Ulises de la Cruz was every aware of exactly what he should have been doing on the field of play. Indeed the Ecuadorian admitted as much, when commenting on the brief spell Franck Sauzee had in charge, Ulises said that he rarely if ever knew exactly what his role was supposed to be.  While it would be easy to lay the blame for all of this on the player's own inability to speak the language of his adopted nation, you have to also point a finger or two at the club for allowing such a situation to drag on as it did.  Bobby Williamson certainly seemed to recognise the problems from the moment he arrived, making it clear that certain players either had to learn the lingo or be prepared to ship out.  Lillian Martin chose the latter, what Ulises chooses to do will be known after the World Cup! One thing is absolutely certain.  Hibs fans will all tune in to every Ecuador game in the World Cup, and they will be willing Ulises de la Cruz to succeed.  Not because they would like him to do well and thus net a big transfer value for the club; no, Hibs fans will be backing Ulises because when all is said and done, the only thing that really matters is - he is one of ours.  So from every Hibs fan around the world, good luck to you Ulises, and Haste ye Back!