Coach Huy Hoang and the changes from SLNA

At over 40 years old, SLNA coach Huy Hoang is not a young coach in V.League, but in terms of career age alone, the former national team center-back is still too young. Initially, Huy Hoang seemed to only be assigned the task of preventing relegation for SLNA in the 2021 V.League season and then consider the next step, but Covid-19 has turned everything upside down. SLNA's "fate" is still hanging in the balance, waiting for the Organizing Committee to issue a document, but the task of the Nghe An coach has changed.

Times, times

It seems that Tan Long, the new sponsor of SLNA, has put all his trust in the young general, who has not had much combat experience, along with the support of senior Van Sy Hung and a team of "pure Nghe" experts. This is completely new because after the championship 10 years ago, the appointment of the head coach of the Nghe An team was often secret and in a unique way. In fact, when there is no clear goal of the season, anyone sitting in the hot seat of a professional football club is fine, as long as they have enough qualifications.

Initially, Huy Hoang was chosen as temporary manager when he met 4 criteria: Understanding the team's internal situation, being approved by the Board of Coaches and playersSLNAcredibility; qualified as required by AFC, native of Nghe An and finally, this is the best possible option in the transition. But when V.League 2021 ends, all calculations are different and Huy Hoang is well appreciated in the role of coach.

Young players practice with SLNA team 1. Photo: Duc Anh

First of all, Huy Hoang is making his mark in inviting former SLNA players to return home. Certainly, in addition to salary, the prestige of the head coach is the condition for national players who have long made a living on other football fields to return to Vinh Stadium. They see the ability, prestige and real power that Huy Hoang has to feel secure in returning to SLNA to play in the final years of their football career.

The preparation for the new season of the new coach of SLNA also has many new points. Surely SLNA will end the confusing model of recruiting foreign players that only encounters "athletes" on the grass. The performance of scoring goals is far lower than the domestic players of SLNA, but in the end the collective is responsible, the "lost money, suffered" style of many seasons.

Initial impression

Since becoming SLNA's head coach, Huy Hoang has called up nearly 20 players to the first team. This is unprecedented in the history of the team's establishment, over 40 years. It is not necessary to say what results this approach will achieve, but at least it creates a public, healthy competition between players. For many seasons, young players have played successfully and become champions of U15, U17, U19 but have not been able to develop when they are promoted to the first team.

There will be many big changes for SLNA Club in the new season. Photo: Duc Anh

For a long time, SLNA has not introduced any outstanding young faces like the Hanoi FC, Viettel…, partly due to the way they do things. For a long time, the Nghe An team has not trained a central midfielder capable of competing in the V.League like Hoang Duc.

Many young national champions from SLNA were loaned out or became famous at other clubs or disappeared from the map of Vietnamese football without anyone knowing. The story of "mentoring" young players in the first team and trading players at SLNA is a weakness, wasting a lot of budget money. Every year, the budget orders SLNA for youth training work of about 20 billion VND and is paid in medals, which is a remarkable achievement. But after winning the Cup, what will they contribute to the first team of SLNA and how they will be bought, sold, and transferred are things that have not been paid attention to.

At this time, SLNA has promoted many highly skilled players from youth teams to help them get acquainted, learn, and accumulate experience so that they will be the pillars of the club in the future. Photo: Duc Anh

With the support of sponsor Tan Long,Coach Huy Hoangis making his initial personal mark in coaching. It is too early to say that Huy Hoang will achieve success, bringing SLNA back on track as the Tan Long bosses have hoped. But it must be acknowledged that Huy Hoang has done something different, a way of preparing for the season that makes it difficult every year to achieve the goal of staying in the league. We know that the goal is heavy, the coach is young, but at least the fans still have something to look forward to, to hope for.