Nghe An audience was unfair to Song Lam Nghe An?

In the match of round 19 at Vinh stadium, SLNA won 2-1 against Quang Nam in a fierce naval battle. The audience at the stadium was only about 3,000 - a sad number when looking at SLNA's record of 7 consecutive wins.

At the beginning of the season, although the Nghe An team had poor results in the V.League, their playing style and performance were still worth watching, and the players played with all their might. Luck was not with SLNA in the first leg of the 2018 V.League. Along with that, the burden of the AFC Cup and the achievement of reaching the semi-finals of the National Cup also severely affected SLNA's performance in the V.League.

A few Nghe An fans braved the sun and rain to cheer for SLNA in the 2018 World Cup season. Photo: Xuan Thuy

Yet, during the 13 matches of the first leg, only a few Nghe An fans accompanied and cheered for SLNA during the most difficult times when the team needed them the most. Statistics show that Vinh Stadium is one of the venues that welcomed the least spectators in V.League 2018.

In the first 3 matches of the season, Vinh Stadium welcomed a large number of spectators: the match against S.Khanh Hoa BVN in round 2 (10,000 spectators), the match against Than Quang Ninh in round 3 (8,000 spectators), the match against Hanoi in round 10 (8,000 spectators). In the past 19 rounds, there were times when Vinh Stadium had only 2,500 spectators, such as the match against Nam Dinh - the match where hundreds of away fans came to riot in the D stand after the home team's 5 losses.

It is true that it was not until the Hai Phong match that SLNA won at Vinh Stadium and pleased the fans. However, even when luck returned to SLNA, Vinh Stadium was still sparsely attended during the World Cup season. The home stadium suddenly became cold, more or less, causing the players to lose some of their motivation to compete.

SLNA has overcome the crisis but behind them there are too few enthusiastic fans. Photo: Xuan Thuy

Before the Vinh Stadium B stand was installed with seats, Nghe An audiences dreamed of the day they would have clean seats. But when their wishes came true, the 6,000 seats were only filled for a few matches, the rest were exposed to the sun and rain.

Even though SLNA has many players, especially the two stars Phan Van Duc and Pham Xuan Manh, Vinh Stadium still lacks the vitality, sounds, and dances of the old days. In the last round, Hang Day Stadium witnessed thousands of Nam Dinh fans cheering on coach Nguyen Van Sy and his team in the rain. They are the source of motivation and strength for Nam Dinh, who almost created a shock in the V.League.

When SLNA was in a bad situation, many SLNA fans criticized coach Duc Thang and some players, even the club's leaders. Now, SLNA is facing the opportunity to compete for medals at V.League 2018, where are they?

An old man lost in the stands of the match against Quang Nam. Photo: Xuan Thuy

Nghe An audiences used to have to enter the stadium at 1pm, amidst the scorching Lao wind and pouring rain for fear of running out of seats. Now, is it possible that the roads from home to Vinh Stadium have suddenly become longer, and they are also afraid of the rain to show their love for football, to show their love for the “pride” of SLNA?

Among those sad things, not many people know that coach Duc Thang has prepared a separate, covered area for the disabled. In this area, there is always fan Nguyen Ba Ky lying in a wheelchair watching SLNA players during the most difficult and miserable periods.

Supporter Nguyen Ba Ky is no stranger to Nghe An football fans. To be present at Vinh Stadium on the opening day of V.League, Mr. Ky had to travel by wheelchair from Nghi Loc to Vinh City. Photo: Archive

That image makes the more well-off fans look back at themselves. Real gold is not afraid of fire, SLNA has proven its strength in V.League. The Nghe An team has overcome the crisis, but it is unfair for them when their home field has turned into an away field many times!

The upcoming match in round 20, when SLNA welcomes its fateful opponent HAGL and the World Cup season is over, is not only an opportunity for the Nghe An team to enter the Top 3, but also a measure of the true love of SLNA fans for their favorite team that they have "neglected" for so long.

In football, the audience is an extremely important factor, the fire is transmitted from the field, but also the fire from the stands is needed for football parties. It is truly admirable that football fans always stand by their hometown team in the most difficult times./.

Looking at the "fire pan of Hang Day", do Nghe An fans feel sad?

(Baonghean.vn) - The “Fire Pan of Vinh City” of yesteryear has cooled down. SLNA has no shortage of stars to attract fans, but Vinh Stadium in recent seasons has become a shame if you look at Hang Day Stadium.