Interview with the weekend gatekeeper about Song Lam Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - For the people of Nghe An, football has become an indispensable weekend dish. SLNA's top matches are always considered "the festival of all festivals", at peak times, 30,000 people gather in the sun and rain to Vinh stadium to cheer for the players. On February 28, 2016, SLNA Club will turn 37 years old.

There is a loyal spectator for nearly 4 decades, witnessing all the joys and sorrows of the team, that is Mr. Cong Chot, the man standing tall next to Vinh stadium. Let's go back in time with this historical witness to understand more about the beloved team.

PV:As a living witness, could you briefly talk about the SLNA football team over the past 37 years?

Gate Bolt:Up to now, it is the only team that has not been relegated in Vietnamese football. With 3 national championships, 4 times winning the Vietnamese Super Cup and 2 National Cups and countless youth championships. In terms of national championship achievements, it is behind The Cong (5 times), CSG and Becamex Binh Duong (4 times), equal to SHB.DN (both 3 times)...

Gate - Vinh Citadel.

PV:A very surprising record?

Gate Bolt:Objectively speaking, the development process of SLNA also encountered many difficulties. The club's predecessor was a group of football players belonging to the Nghe An Provincial Military Command, established in 1973. In 1979, when the national football tournament was established on February 28, 1979, the football team was officially transferred by the Nghe Tinh Provincial Military Command to the Nghe Tinh Provincial People's Committee for management and decided to change its name to Song Lam Football Team.

In the early years of establishment, the competition was quite difficult. In the 8th National A1 Football Tournament or the 1989 National A1 Football Tournament, along with QN-DN, SLNT team was specially promoted to the strong team (because in the second phase they were busy competing in Laos).

In the 1990 championship season, 4 teams CNXD Ha Noi, Song Lam Nghe Tinh, Tien Giang and Det Nam Dinh were relegated to A1. However, after the tournament, the Vietnam Football Federation still decided that all 4 teams would remain in the strong teams league, while Det Nam Dinh was relegated and banned from playing for 1 year due to chasing and beating referee Nguyen Thu in the match against SLNT.

In the 1991 Vietnam National Football Championship, SLNT had to play in the reverse final against Long An and was lucky to stay in the league thanks to winning in the penalty shootout. After this period, the team gradually began to improve and became a force in Vietnamese football as it is today.

PV:Which SLNA players impressed you the most?

Gate Bolt:Midfielder Phan Thanh Tuan, center back Huu Thang and striker Van Quyen. They are truly players with natural talent, reaching national level and it has been a long time since a few people like them have appeared on the Vietnamese football field.

PV:What about foreign soldiers?

Gate Bolt:Midfielder Iddi Batambuze (14-SLNA). Not only from the club’s perspective, but in my opinion, he is one of the modern midfielders that Vietnamese football is lucky to have. He is a complete attacker and defender, plays with both feet, moves around the field tirelessly, and in addition to his ball handling skills, he also has the ability to score goals. His style of play is extremely passionate, very suitable for SLNA…

PV:What about as a coach?

Gate(laughs): It's none other than veteran coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh. His starting point wasn't as favorable as others, but with his self-study ability, he made Nghe An football famous.

PV:So on the occasion of the team's 37th birthday, let's try to come up with the best lineup of SLNA?

Gate Bolt:A good idea, in my opinion, goalkeeper Vo Van Hanh, the defenders will be Dinh Nghia, Huy Hoang, Huu Thang, Van Si Son, the midfielders will include Phan Thanh Tuan, Phi Hung, Iddi Batambuze, the strikers will include Enock Kyembe, Van Quyen and Nguyen Van Dung. The reason I chose the 4-3-1-2 formation is because I want people to mention a striker from Nam Dinh who holds the records of being the top scorer for the most times: 4 times (1984, 1985, 1986, 1998); the oldest top scorer (35 years old in 1998) to have worn boots on Vinh field (1991). Besides the goalkeeper position, you should remember that very few players from other provinces can integrate with Nghe An players, but Van Dung is a true senior player.

In fact, there will be names like Le Van Luu, Van Si Hung, Quoc Vuong or Cong Vinh who are completely worthy of being mentioned, but the starting lineup only consists of 11 people.

PV:The current young generation might be a bit surprised when you mention Dinh Nghia, a right-back?

Gate Bolt:This is former referee Nguyen Dinh Nghia, currently the club’s Deputy Executive Director. He is a rather eccentric defender, although he still leans towards strength. I remember CSG players like Tu Le, Thon, Tha… small, with excellent individual skills, often sneaking around fullbacks, but when facing Dinh Nghia, he was shy.

Speaking of him, I also wonder why Nghe An produces so many footballers but when they retire, very few become referees? It seems that they understand too much about the irony of the football field and partly because they do not have a sponsor to enter the profession. This is also a disadvantage for SLNA Club…

PV:What do you regret most when talking about SLNA's development process?

Gate Bolt:Not only me but many people still regret the U16 generation of coach Thinh "Bac" including many SLNA players who participated in the 2000 Asian Finals in Da Nang, such as Van Quyen, Nhu Thuat, Lam Tan. In my opinion, in terms of talent, this generation of players is even rated much higher than the generation of Cong Phuong and Van Toan of HAGL. Up to now, the Thai people highly rate the 3 players Hong Son, Huu Thang, Van Quyen, while the Nghe An training center has 2. But that still does not ease the pain of having no one to guide and guide a talented generation of Nghe An football, and then...

PV:In the 21 times the Vietnam Golden Ball award has been held, SLNA is the leading team when the players from Nghe An training center have won this title 5 times, more than any other team?

Gate Bolt:If I remember correctly, it was goalkeeper Van Hanh (in 2002), striker Van Quyen (in 2003) and striker Le Cong Vinh (2004, 2006, 2007). But the story I want to tell today, no one lives on the past and pride can only be achieved when the next generation further promotes the values ​​that the previous generation has created.

+ Thank you for this conversation, we will have more opportunities to discuss issues related to the field.

N@T