The simple happiness of Truong 'buffalo'

(Baonghean.vn) - Although coach Ngo Quang Truong's 2 years of experience leading the SLNA team to compete in the V.League were not as expected, he accumulated a lot of experience in his career as a coach. When he returned to youth training, like "a fish returning to water", the former coach thought that SLNA had truly found his joy again...

In his youth, Ngo Quang Truong, along with Nguyen Huu Thang, Thanh Tuan, Sy Son, Sy Hung, Van Luu... made waves in SLNA's jersey at the highest level of Vietnamese football in the late 90s. Besides the championship titles, there was also the record of 6 consecutive years of undefeated at Thanh Vinh from 1996 to 2001. In the position of midfielder, Truong "buffalo" left a deep impression in the hearts of Nghe An fans not only thanks to his technique, but also his aggressive playing style, not afraid of collision like a real warrior on the field.

After a successful football career with SLNA and HAGL, Quang Truong returned to SLNA as a youth coach. The first glory came to the coach born in 1972 when he and U17 SLNA lifted the Championship Cup in Thua Thien Hue in 2012.

Coach Ngo Quang Truong has not had any luck with the head coach position of SLNA. Photo: Trung Kien

When taking over the position of SLNA head coach to replace his predecessor Nguyen Huu Thang in early 2015, Nghe An audiences expected Quang Truong to inspire his students in a completely new position. After a few difficult matches at the beginning, Coach Quang Truong also left quite a lot of impressions when he and SLNA finished the first leg of V.League 2016 with 5th place. However, to achieve that, Truong "buffalo" had to face the "arrogance" of a few newly emerging "stars". At the same time, he accepted to use backup plans with more professional style and attitude.

It can be said that the coaching career of Coach Ngo in the V.League arena has encountered too many obstacles. From the quality of foreign players to non-professional issues. Two years leading the SLNA team with a winning rate of only 36.5%, the memories left in Coach Quang Truong are mostly just draws and painful defeats that are not necessarily the fault of the coach. Faced with pressure from all sides, many times the former SLNA warriors "laid down their guns", facing the situation of being broken up halfway. However, for the first time leading SLNA, Coach Quang Truong still received sympathy and encouragement from the leaders, students and fans to go all the way to the end of V.League 2016.

Two years have passed quickly like a dream, now SLNA has a new captain, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang, and Quang Truong has also been given the opportunity by the club's leadership to return to lead the youth team. This time, the smile has returned when he took over the SLNA U15 team. In terms of qualifications, Ngo Quang Truong is one of the few SLNA coaches to have an A certificate from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The fact that Quang Truong is only in charge of the youth team can be considered a waste, but this is his wish, what he hopes for.

As the coach with the best qualifications at the club, Coach Ngo Quang Truong is capable of leading the SLNA U15 team well. Photo: Trung Kien

“Currently, I am studying for the AFC Pro certificate and have completed 2/4 of the semesters. Continuously improving my skills helps me a lot in training. Returning to lead U15 SLNA, I feel much more energetic and working with young players also brings me my own joy,” Coach Ngo Quang Truong shared.

Regarding family life, the tailor shop that his wife has opened for many years has brought in a stable income. Coach Quang Truong has the motivation to wholeheartedly pursue his career passion from the support of his family, from the woman who has been with him through many hardships. Especially in the period when he first started working in youth training.

Perhaps the 1972-born coach has not had the chance to become SLNA's head coach. However, the fact that the Nghe An team has a dedicated, qualified and professional teacher like Ngo Quang Truong in youth training is also a blessing. People often say: "Success is not a destination but a journey." And the teachers who are helping dreams fly at SLNA like Quang Truong and Huy Hoang are happy people because they simply get to do the work they love and are passionate about. More importantly, behind them are wonderful women, always a solid support to help them live their passion to the fullest.

Trung Kien