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

Farewell to the past

2009 marked an important milestone for V.League, Hanoi FC was promoted to V.League and a year later, the capital team was crowned champion of the highest tournament of Vietnamese football.

After three years of promotion, all the success came to Hanoi FC too quickly, but contrary to common sense, this team won the V.League 2010 championship in loneliness and the coldness of Hanoians. Hang Day Stadium was as empty as a temple, each match only welcomed 1,000 - 2,000 spectators.

At that time, people understood that the memories of Hanoi Police and The Cong were so deep that the path to conquering the audience of Mr. Hien and Hanoi Club became more arduous than ever.

Therefore, the news that a group of Hanoi fans were given tickets and allowances to cheer for the capital's football team was considered by fans as a farce of the V.League.

However, at the time when Hanoi FC was looking for a way to conquer the audience, SLNA received the strong trust of home fans, when SLNA won the V.League for the third time in the boundless pride of Nghe An fans.

A match at Hang Day at this time. Photo: Internet

But Vinh Stadium only really became a fear for the visiting team in 2013. The season when coach Huu Thang and his team used SLNA's star players at their peak to compete for the championship.

It is a common occurrence for fans to climb trees, climb ladders, and buy tickets at exorbitant prices, 5 or 10 times higher, to enter the stadium to watch Cong Vinh and his idols compete. The cheers and drum beats really inspire the enthusiasm of the hometown players.

Talking about identity in V.League at this time, no one can compete with SLNA with nearly 40 years of tradition, never once knowing the taste of relegation. Looking at the most powerful and enthusiastic fan base in V.League, any football boss who relies on money must be envious.

Even Hang Day stadium has been dyed yellow many times by SLNA fans. Photo: document

However, if we look at the present, the situation has changed 180 degrees, Vinh stadium is no longer a hot pot, when each home match only welcomes a sparse 5000 spectators; while Hanoi has shown that they are truly the favorite team of the people of the capital, even Nghe An fans are coming to Hang Day stadium every time the capital team plays with the excitement to enjoy.

"Gold" is more expensive than "Turmeric"?

There is a reality at Hang Day Stadium in the first years of Hanoi's promotion, SLNA fans always turned the away field into their home field with the number of Nghe An people coming to the stadium always reaching tens of thousands. "Thanh Vinh fire pot in the heart of Hanoi" are the banners that Nghe An fans brought here.

At that time, people believed that Mr. Hien, with his way of doing football, could buy good players and then titles, but could never buy the love of fans. This was only true before the 2017 and 2018 seasons started.

Hang Day Stadium now has a more beautiful grass surface, the stands are equipped with seats, the average audience is about 10,000 - 15,000 people per match. The fans are enthusiastic, cheering in a civilized and methodical manner, each match is truly a party on the field. In the lineup of Hanoi Club, there are a series of U23 Vietnam stars such as Dinh Trong, Duy Manh, Quang Hai, Duc Huy.... They have attracted the audience to the stadium after the effect of the U23 Asian Cup.

Vinh Stadium is no longer a "hot spot". In the photo: The match between SLNA and B.Binh Duong on April 22, 2018. Photo: Duc Anh

Speaking of Vinh Stadium, where the home team was once the darling of Nghe An fans, since coach Huu Thang left, his successors, Ngo Quang Truong and Nguyen Duc Thang, have fulfilled their roles, the highlight being the 2017 National Cup championship. That championship seemed to awaken a sense of pride, an indispensable spiritual food for Nghe An people and a stronger investment.

But no, football now is the era of “strong because of rice, bold because of money”. SLNA is struggling at the bottom of the rankings, while Hanoi is now proudly at the top.

SLNA's playing style is still the same, still fiery and passionate but softer and more refined. There are still stars like Que Ngoc Hai, Phan Van Duc, Pham Xuan Manh or Ho Tuan Tai in the squad. Vinh Stadium also installed seats, put on new colors as many fans wished, then exposed to rain and sun, fading over time.

The number of home fans coming to the stadium to cheer for SLNA is also proportional to the achievements and scores in the V.League. In many matches, there are 7,000 - 8,000 people, in average matches, there are less than 5,000 people, most of them are invitations and tickets.

SLNA cannot play football the way Hanoi or HAGL do, because Vietnamese football only has one Mr. Hien and one Mr. Duc. The only thing SLNA has is identity, tradition and quality domestic players.

Actually, this is a difficult time when the team needs the most loyal fans, the 12th players. The players need the audience to inspire them to play football, but Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates did not have that at Vinh stadium even though they are still trying.

Times are changing, SLNA is facing many difficulties in terms of finance and personnel, and still has defeats with their heads held high. Football inherently has wins and losses, sometimes strong and sometimes weak. But looking at Hanoi FC, they will bow their heads in sadness. But in the end, the poor performance they are having in V.League has somewhat cooled down the "fire pot of Vinh stadium" of the past.

V.League 2018: When will Song Lam Nghe An win at home?

(Baonghean.vn) - Up to round 6 of V.League, only SLNA and Nam Dinh are the two rare teams that have not enjoyed the joy of victory at home. If the rookie Nam Dinh has encountered many difficulties in terms of personnel, the Nghe An team's poor start is a chronic disease.