Duong Hong Son and the story of 'guarding the citadel' of Song Lam

Let me add, first of all, although SLNA still produces talented goalkeepers, with resounding achievements, rare in both SLNA and the Vietnam national team such as Duong Hong Son, or at different levels with Xuan Thuy, Vo Van Hanh, Nguyen The Anh, Nguyen Manh..., in general, this is not the "cradle" of goalkeeper training for Vietnamese football. That title probably belongs to a rather modest academy, but in terms of goalkeeper training, it is difficult for anyone to compare. That is Binh Dinh with famous national goalkeepers such as Duong Ngoc Hung, Nguyen Van Cuong, Tran Minh Quang...

Because SLNA, since the days when they were struggling to get promoted and avoid relegation, had to borrow goalkeepers from other provinces like Tran Quoc Trung (from CN Ha Nam Ninh), then after being firmly in the top group, they still had to "call" Huynh Quoc Cuong (from Long An), Nguyen The Anh, Tran Duc Cuong (from Military Zone 4), Phan Dinh Vu Hai (from Hai Phong), or most recently Van Hoang (from Saigon FC), not to mention the 2 times using foreign players M. Shihavy and G.Brasnic...

That said, training the goalkeeper position in general or goalkeeper talent in SLNA is always a headache for the club's leaders and managers. That's why Nguyen Manh, who started out as a striker, eventually matured into a goalkeeper, while the famous defender Que Ngoc Hai, when needed, can still put on his gloves and stand in front of the penalty spot... It's not uncommon for young goalkeepers from SLNA to be very good-looking in terms of physique and fitness, playing well in youth tournaments, but when they get to the first team, they encounter countless difficulties, and eventually fall away...

Is the problem that SLNA has lacked a truly talented goalkeeper coach for many years?

Goalkeeper Nguyen Manh has always been a reliable choice of SLNA's coaching staff over the years. Photo: VPF

It is not easy to answer because in reality, if he had not joined SLNA, would Vo Van Hanh never have won the national championship, national cup, or been the goalkeeper of the Vietnam national team? Or could an average striker like Nguyen Manh have "transformed" to become a mainstay goalkeeper of SLNA and been called up to the national team many times, playing as the main goalkeeper for the national team? Surely that credit must belong to the "teacher" named...SLNA!

The most vivid example is Duong Hong Son. In addition to his inherent qualities, Duong Hong Son, with his will and determination, learned from his teachers, predecessors and teammates the "lessons" and "tricks" to grow up remarkably.

Coach Duong Hong Son used to be an excellent goalkeeper of SLNA. Photo: Zing

To be honest, there is no real teacher like Duong Ngoc Hung, but every day, every hour from SLNA, he has been trained and gradually absorbed the requirements and demands of the goalkeeper position in a big team, constantly competing with many other strong teams at home and abroad. That is the answer to why in the AFF Cup 2008, Coach H. Calisto had full confidence in goalkeeper Duong Hong Son and the SLNA goalkeeper was "half of the team" of Vietnam, winning the championship of regional football for the first time, where the Thais have long been "making waves"!

Remember recently, when commenting on a talented young goalkeeper who shone brightly at a continental youth tournament after a thrilling chase on lucky penalty kicks, but that same person, just 2 years later, failed without justification, a football expert said something like: the main thing is that this guy lacks fundamentals! Then reality showed that the trust in this goalkeeper was increasingly depleted, every time he entered the field, he caused a "disaster" for his team.

It is also to say that, that “half of the team” is always a difficult story, not everything you want is possible, everything you hope for is possible! The story of SLNA’s “keeper” is the same, after Duong Hong Son is still a difficult question, even though normally people still quietly “if you can’t afford it, then… buy it”!

Chau Phu