SLNA: Why?

(Baonghean.vn) - SLNA is known as the most successful football team in Vietnam since the National Championship officially entered the professional path. However, at present, the Nghe An team is facing a crisis in both performance and fan confidence.

Glorious past!

The Vietnam National Championship has officially entered the professional path for nearly 16 years. This is not a very long time for a top national football tournament, but it is enough to paint a picture with all the colors of the clubs participating in the V-League arena. During that time, SLNA has always been proud of its achievement as the only team that has never known the feeling of relegation and is considered a historical witness of the highest tournament in Vietnam. Besides, despite facing many difficulties due to financial constraints. However, with its strength, SLNA also made its opponents and fans mention it when it stepped onto the podium of glory twice in 2001 and 2011. That proves that SLNA deserves to be considered a "veteran" team of the highest tournament in Vietnam up to the present time.

Fierce playing style is the characteristic that made SLNA's glorious past.

Being a famous locality with a tradition of loving football and owning a "training furnace" known as the number 1 in Vietnam, it is easy to understand that SLNA is the birthplace of talented football players of the country. That is Nguyen Huu Thang, the best central defender in the history of Vietnamese football and considered the symbol of Nghe An football in the 90s. Next are generations of other famous talents such as Van Quyen, Cong Vinh, Trong Hoang, Hoang Thinh, Van Hoan, Nguyen Manh, Ngoc Hai, Phi Son, Dinh Hoang... are indispensable factors in the composition of the national team as well as affirming their brand at the club level. All of them have created the identity and brand of SLNA in the V-League playground, a team that, although not strong in financial potential, still has quality "homegrown" products. The children of the Nghe An football team have "worked together" to overcome difficulties to bring success to their hometown football.

In the past, when mentioning Nghe An football team, it was referring to a team of players who were trained at SLNA, they entered the field with a spirit of dedication and a passionate team play. Therefore, for a long time, SLNA has always received respect and been the fear of teams participating in the arena considered the most fierce in Vietnam.

It would be remiss not to mention the enthusiasm of the fans from the localities of the province who traveled hundreds of kilometers, "overcoming the sun and rain" to cheer for the Nghe An warriors to compete. That is also the reason why Vinh Stadium in the past was often compared to "Vinh City's Fire Pan" when the enthusiastic fans created a fiery atmosphere in the stands to fuel the yellow-shirted boys to show off their best on the field.

Harsh reality

Since the championship after 10 years of waiting under the leadership of coach Nguyen Huu Thang. The Nghe An team seems to no longer be interested in competing for the championship title. Perhaps the goal that the team's management set is only to finish in the Top 3 or Top 5. That is why SLNA lacks determination and motivation to compete and is gradually losing the identity that has become its brand.

There is a very cruel reality that after each passing season, SLNA has to face the problem of "talent loss" when a series of pillars follow each other to new horizons. The previously announced disputes have invisibly created a huge void in the hearts of Nghe An fans.

SLNA V-league 2016 season is playing without passion and gradually losing its identity.

While the wounds of the “red separations” have not yet healed, this season the Nghe An team is rubbing salt into the wound of their fans by showing a weak and lifeless performance.

It has been a long time since people have seen a SLNA as fragile as this moment. It is not an exaggeration to say that Coach Ngo Quang Truong's team in V-League 2016 is like a "point bank" for football teams. They easily lost to Hanoi T&T, a team that had never known victory when the two teams met before, lost to mid-level teams such as XSKT Can Tho, S. Khanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Than Quang Ninh, Saigon FC, and now the Nghe An team is stuck in 11th place on the rankings after 17 matches. A position that perhaps few people could have imagined before the season officially started. That is the sadness for a team known to have the richest tradition in Vietnam. So even though they have a glorious past, it is not enough to cover up the harsh reality.

Cao Anh