North Central Derby: Looking at each other makes me crave!

(Baonghean.vn) - Thanh Hoa and Nghe An football are like the sun and the moon. They have many similarities, but their development paths are different. When one country's representative rises, the other country's representative falls, the abundance of one country's representative over the other makes one envious.

After Thanh Hoa CA team was relegated and dissolved in 1994, Thanh Hoa football was absent from the highest tournament of Vietnamese football for more than a decade. It was not until 2007 that Thanh Hoa had a representative to play in V. League, Halida Thanh Hoa. However, they only lasted 2 seasons and then had to return to the first division. Thanh Hoa fans turned their eyes to their "neighbor" SLNA with desire and longing.

Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, in 2009, thanks to the dissolution of The Cong Viettel, the leaders of Thanh Hoa province decided to take over this team to compete in the V. League 2010 under the new name Lam Son Thanh Hoa. Although the decision of the provincial leaders saved Thanh Hoa football from the prospect of playing in the first division, it still made Thanh Hoa fans feel sad because of the existence of the so-called "Truong Ba's soul, butcher's skin" in Lam Son Thanh Hoa (named Thanh Hoa but the core is Viettel).

SLNA is the most successful team in Vietnamese football. Photo: Internet.

Looking at SLNA over the past two decades, Thanh Hoa football fans cannot help but feel sad and envious. From year to year, in the face of complicated changes in the country's football, the Nghe An team still stands tall and proud.

It is the strong vitality of SLNA that is the pride of Vietnamese football. After all, building a team that has both titles and sustainability is too difficult in an era where people like to "make quick money", see the team as an opportunity to profit, calculate for themselves or "group interests".

Meanwhile, SLNA has become one of the most successful football teams in Vietnam with 3 V. League championships, along with many other titles in the National Cup, National Super Cup, Youth Championships... Thanh Hoa football has only enjoyed the joy of the throne twice with the National Super Cup 2010 (thanks to The Cong Viettel's quota) and the National Children's Championship 2016. Comparing titles, it is truly a world of difference.

After winning the 2011 V. League championship, SLNA no longer has great ambitions in recent tournaments due to financial difficulties. Poverty still surrounds the headquarters of the Nghe An football team.

On the contrary, Thanh Hoa emerged as a “young master” with deep pockets from Lam Son Group and now FLC Group. However, that does not stop Thanh Hoa fans from being “jealous” and even admiring their neighbor SLNA.

With a lot of money, Thanh Hoa Stadium has become a “promised land” for domestic stars and high-quality foreign players. In recent years, Thanh Hoa fans cannot remember how many players have come to wear the shirt of their favorite team, and how many strategists have come and gone in disappointment on the coaching bench.

SLNA has 100% domestic players who are self-trained. Photo: Internet.

Of course, a team with great ambitions always needs a good coach and many top stars. But it has a negative side effect, which is that it reduces the chance for local players to shine. Although Vietnamese football is developing in a professional direction, it is quite normal for a team to have many players from other regions and countries.

Whatever you say, teams with strong local character like SLNA, Thanh Hoa... still find it hard to accept that. Moreover, just look at the changes in the development plans of HN. T&T, B. Binh Duong this season. The two big money giants in Vietnamese football are showing a real revolution with the goal of "prioritizing the use of homegrown players", enough to see how important "local character" is.

Currently, most of the key positions at FLC Thanh Hoa belong to the “mercenary army”. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Thanh Hoa team is having to “breathe” thanks to lungs from other places. The “Thanh Hoa quality” is quite diluted under strategist Le Thuy Hai, and continues to be diluted under new coach Petrovic.

In addition to the names that have proven their abilities in the last season such as Van Bakel, Tran Dinh Dong, Ngo Hoang Thinh, Hoang Van Binh, Omar..., the new contracts such as Nguyen Trong Hoang, Dinh Tien Thanh, Uche are likely to also occupy an official position in the starting lineup. Roughly calculated, there are also 7-8 pillars who are not local.

Looking at that situation, Thanh Hoa fans are not sad. In the past and present, Thanh Hoa has always been proud to be the birthplace of many talented players, the number of players hired to play for other teams is also countless. However, the only representative of the province's football falls into the situation of "home team is secondary, while away team is the main force". Looking at SLNA, it is even sadder.

Lineup in a match of FLC Thanh Hoa at V. League 2016. Photo: Internet.

The Nghe An football team has always been loyal to “homegrown talent”. No matter the circumstances, local talents are always highly valued. SLNA has never taken lightly the opportunity to give opportunities to the players it has trained.

Typically in the 2015-2016 season, SLNA’s squad had 100% local players and 2 Westerners. This is clearly something that not only Thanh Hoa fans, but all of Vietnamese football must desire.

Knowing that "each tree has its own flower, each house has its own situation", Nghe An fans or Thanh Hoa fans have reasons to feel sad and jealous when looking at each other, but above all, there is still great pride in their beloved team.

This North Central derby, hopefully, will be a festival of beautiful football, something that true fans always look forward to.

Tram Uyen