Impressive season!

(Baonghean.vn) - If asked, which SLNA season will you never forget? I will not hesitate to answer that it is 2009 under coach Nguyen Van Thinh. That season, the Nghe An team played without a sponsor and still finished in 3rd place overall...

Perhaps one of the reasons why that season left the most memories in me was because at that time, I first joined the SLNA Fan Club and received the welcome and guidance of the members of the Club. That was the season when I truly felt the Song Lam spirit most strongly.

Nghe An players at that time always entered the field with great determination.

When the sponsor got bored with football and handed the team over to the Provincial Party Committee, SLNA once again fell into a state of turmoil and all directions of operation were only focused on the budget. When the coffers were empty, there was a time when SLNA had to "borrow" money from sponsors to compete.

Even had to reduce the number of troops to save the maximum cost of travel, accommodation... Thanks to the timely attention and encouragement of the provincial leaders, SLNA still ensured the minimum financial resources to participate in V.League 2009. That season, left a clear mark of "Khong Minh of Nghe An - Nguyen Hong Thanh" and especially the talent of commanding troops of coach Nguyen Van Thinh....

Van Quyen took souvenir photos with Nghe An fans.

The highlight of the 2009 season was the excellent performance of young players such as Trong Hoang, Dinh Dong, Dac Khanh, Van Binh, Au Hoan, Cong Minh... Besides that was the excellence and bravery of captain Nguyen Huy Hoang. The amazing hooks, the obvious saves and the way he entered the game with the highest spirit made fans extremely happy with SLNA's steel center back.

In particular, the 2009 season also made me anxiously wait for each match because of the return of the prodigy Pham Van Quyen. Under the guidance of coach Nguyen Van Thinh, Van Quyen quickly found himself with the best form. And the first goals that the number 10 striker scored in the period of his return to the field were all extremely beautiful and full of technique. One of them was the curling shot into the net of Military Zone 4 and the "falling yellow leaf" goal into the net of HAGL at Vinh stadium.

There are no sponsors, salaries are low and almost the only motivation for the players is to fight with all their might for the fans, for the identity and for the future of the team. A team like no other but from young players to veterans like Huy Hoang, they all combine to form an elite army.

Not only that, Coach Nguyen Van Thinh - who is considered a coach with the ability to read the game keenly and know how to maximize the strengths of each player - has done his role very well. He is one of the coaches who has worked in youth training for many years and has been very successful, so under the hands of Coach Nguyen Van Thinh, all the players play football like they are possessed. The clearest proof is defender Tran Dinh Dong, who was only 22 years old that year but showed his solidity on the left wing and scored 4 goals that season.

Despite having to stand under the scorching heat, fans still enthusiastically cheered for their team.

Every weekend when there is football, I cannot take a nap, traveling 50km to set foot in Vinh stadium, I feel extremely nervous and excited. Before the match starts, the song “Song Lam Chien Thang” composed by Mr. Hoang Xuan Luong makes everyone excited and enthusiastic. The matches usually start at 4pm under the scorching sun of Vinh City, but the fans are still very excited, not discouraged at all.

And then SLNA ended a season that could not have been more wonderful with 3rd place. A position that no one dared to dream of at the beginning of the season, thinking that the departure of Cong Vinh and Minh Duc would weaken both the defense and the attack. But then SLNA affirmed its brand as the number 1 training ground in Vietnam. "Old bamboo shoots grow", a series of talented young players have proven their mettle. Young players and leaders like Huy Hoang, Xuan Thang, Nhu Thuat have created an extremely tenacious SLNA with a style of play that makes many opponents tremble.

In V.League 2009, SLNA was the team that conceded the fewest goals (28 goals), lost the fewest (5 matches), was undefeated at home (the whole season), and won the most consecutive home matches (10 matches). In addition, SLNA set a record at Vinh Stadium when they won 7 consecutive matches against Thanh Hoa.

Now, most of the “warriors” of that year have retired or joined another team, but I still like the sharp defensive counter-attacking style that coach Nguyen Van Thinh worked hard to build for SLNA. Until SLNA won the 2011 V.League, the belief returned. SLNA is no longer as miserable as before, but I hope that the Nghe quality of those years will be promoted by the young players. If time could turn back, I would still hope to relive those moments…

TW

(Do Thanh, Yen Thanh)