Coach Huu Thang: 'SLNA is still a monument but we cannot forever look back to the past'

PV:Hello Mr. Huu Thang, after a while, you returned to football as the president of Ho Chi Minh City Club. Why did you choose this team to stick with and did you return to football because you missed the field?

Coach Huu Thang:After a work cycle, a quiet period in my life, I do not let myself be idle for too long. I am lucky to return to work in the football environment, bringing me new challenges in the management role. At Ho Chi Minh City Club, I have been given very good conditions and working environment.

PV:From a former player, many years in the coaching role at V.League, the previous years of working must have brought you valuable experiences?

Former coach Nguyen Huu Thang is currently the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Club. Photo: Duc Anh

Coach Huu Thang:After a break, from the role of national team head coach to the role of managing a football team, two very different roles. Of course, it is the same field of football, but in management there is a difference, it is not simply going to the field to coach, the manager requires a lot of knowledge and skills to operate a better team.

Besides, in such a new environment, there are many things for me to learn, to reflect on and the two roles can complement each other better. Of course, I have also experienced the life of a player, coaching experience and then returning to become a manager. That is also an advantage for me.

My job involves contacting many investors and businesses because of passion and social responsibility. They contribute to the country's football with financial resources, but they do not understand much about football. I am an experienced person, helping them in understanding and investing in a purposeful and effective way.

Coach Huu Thang when he was still playing. Photo: Quang Minh

Another advantage is that I used to be a coach, starting from a player, so I am closer, without any distance from the players, understanding their thoughts and feelings. From there, I listen and share with the players and help them a lot in their work.

PV:Ho Chi Minh City FC is currently led by a Korean coach. In your opinion, what is the mark of coach Chung Hae-seong as well as the unique characteristics of the team?

Coach Huu Thang:He is a very professional person, paying attention to the smallest details to build the team. From daily activities to training and competition, he directs the team in a professional direction. For example, Ho Chi Minh City Club is not currently managed centrally, players with families can go home. They practice and take a lunch break at the club, but in the evening they can go home to their families and on the day of the match, they come early for activities and team meetings.

This is completely different from the old days, when clubs managed for years by having centralized accommodation, taking attendance and many other things. He wanted to create a comfortable playing environment for the players. Besides that, there was a balance between family and career. Therefore, the players' mindset was very comfortable and they felt respected, from which they were more aware of their profession, trying to find an official position.

Chairman Nguyen Huu Thang and head coach of Ho Chi Minh City Club. Photo: Huu Thanh

PV:Is that also a model and management method that many clubs in Vietnam should learn from? Sir, last year, Ho Chi Minh City Club seemed to be out of breath compared to Hanoi Club in the championship race. So this year, what is the team's goal in V.League 2020?

Coach Huu Thang:There is luck in sports, but it certainly cannot go a long way. In a certain match, a certain period, luck may come along, but if it only depends on luck, a team will not go anywhere. Building a team is like building a house, there must be a solid foundation for the team to develop steadily.

Of course, when competing in any competition, the biggest goal is to stand on the podium. However, there are many factors to create the top results. In particular, we determined that we must have an attractive, beautiful and effective playing style. From there, attract more spectators to the stadium after the effect from the team. I think in terms of achievements, we strive to achieve the highest results in every tournament.

Cong Phuong debuted for Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Club

PV:Before V.League 2020, the team brought in many prominent names in Vietnamese football such as Cong Phuong, Tien Dung, Huy Toan... as well as quality foreign players. How do you evaluate these investments?

Coach Huu Thang:When we learned that AFC decided to let Ho Chi Minh City FC replace Hanoi to compete in the continental tournament, it was a great honor. Playing in such an arena is very good for Vietnamese football to learn, collide, and rub against each other, which is necessary to reach a larger level. Based on the wishes of the City leaders, the club has been looking for new factors to play well on all fronts. Therefore, at the end of the season, the team has been actively searching and adding players to have a thickness and depth of force.

With new players like Cong Phuong and Tien Dung, the first sign is that the interest and following of fans for Ho Chi Minh City Club has increased dramatically. Ho Chi Minh City football has not had such a large number of fans for a long time.

PV:Returning to the national team level, when witnessing your students in the national team such as Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Tien Dung, Van Toan... growing up day by day and achieving many successes with a new coach. And you are also the one who has worked hard to guide them, how do you feel about that?

Coach Huu Thang:Although there were times when I and those players did not achieve good results for Vietnamese football, but that is a direction that Vietnamese football is heading towards. I am honored to be a part of that journey.

Players like Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Tien Dung... are those who have reached the peak of their careers and it is natural that they have achieved success. The team's performance is good, the FIFA ranking has improved and that is something that I feel very happy and proud of.

PV:Returning to the hometown team SLNA. It is sad that although the national team still has the Nghe An spirit, but the team's achievements go up, SLNA goes down. As a former player and former head coach, you must still have many thoughts about SLNA?

Coach Huu Thang:Nghe An football has recently been through many changes. Firstly, Nghe An is a poor province, with very few businesses investing in football. Only Ms. Thai Huong of Bac A Bank has been with SLNA for more than 10 years. She is a person who also works for her homeland, doing something for football, for the people of her province. However, Bac A Bank alone is not enough to revive Nghe An football like in the past.

Besides, insufficient financial resources have caused SLNA’s achievements and playing style to decline a lot. Because of the departure of the players, I still feel sad when I mention it. Why did SLNA let its force “bleed” and say goodbye to many talented players, because SLNA did not have the money to keep them. Their departure is a great loss for the team, but we also have to sympathize with the players because their career is very short.

After coach Huu Thang left, SLNA faced many difficulties. Photo: Duc Anh

However, when players leave and earn a decent amount of money to take care of their life after retirement, it is a happy thing for them. However, I feel more sad. Sad because with the same investment, but the current direction in terms of finance, financial management, calling for contributions and better operating mechanisms for SLNA has not existed for many years. In general, a football team that wants to develop needs the cooperation of more than one business.

In youth training, SLNA is still a monument, a training center in the top of Vietnamese football. SLNA is still a place that has provided many good players for the national team. However, the fact that no SLNA player was in the U23 Vietnam team or participated in the recent SEA Games is also something that needs to be looked back at. We cannot keep looking back to the past!

PV:Entering the new year and new season, what do you wish for Vietnamese football after the recent successes, especially in our V.League, which is the backbone of a football industry?

Coach Huu Thang:Vietnamese football has made great strides in recent times. I really hope we can achieve greater success. However, to achieve that, the national championship must develop well first. I hope that the V.League and the First Division will have good quality, be transparent and professional, then football will naturally develop. I have also long wished to have a football academy in Nghe An - Ha Tinh to promote the strengths of human resources, thereby developing better.

I also visited clubs in Thailand and watched their National Championship. If we talk about professional football, the Thais are ahead of us. We have to see that clearly. I will only give an example of training facilities.

Former coach Nguyen Huu Thang talks with Nghe An Newspaper reporter. Photo: Duc Anh

I joined Muangthon United, their football field is a real football field, the stands and the grass are very beautiful. Their training center has 8 training fields to serve all levels. Looking back, we wonder how many centers and clubs have that many training fields. Currently, we have PVF and Viettel, which are big football centers, but in Thailand, every team is like that.

PV:Yes, back to your story, having to work away from home, how did you and your family manage to share the burden? It seems like your son has also played football, I wonder if he wants to follow in his father's footsteps?

Coach Huu Thang:My having to go to Ho Chi Minh City to work is also an obstacle for the family, the family has to split into two directions. My eldest child and I live there, while my mother and the youngest child live in Vinh City. Sometimes on weekends, the family flies back and forth to reunite. Although busy, I still try to spend more time with my wife and children. My sons are really talented, have potential but unfortunately do not love their father's job.

PV:Yes, thank you for sharing. Wishing you and your family a successful new year!

Huu Thang, Huy Hoang and SLNA captains through the ages

(Baonghean.vn) - In the past, the captain's armband of Song Lam Nghe An has been given to the icons of Nghe An football. And center back Hoang Van Khanh is the latest person to be chosen to inherit this noble responsibility.