Song Lam Nghe An and the story of the shining stars on the field and in the stands

For example, a fan born and raised in Vinh will definitely be a die-hard fan ofVinh home team - SLNA. But it doesn't stop there, this person will definitely love the Vietnam National Team with all his heart, not even missing a single match of the yellow-green team of Brazil or the Catalan team with the charming tiki-taka style of play of Barcelona...

Why does football have such an endless appeal, causing such boundless love from fans? The answer lies in the appeal of the round ball, of the races that never stop, of the vast sky always lit up by big and small stars, by the involvement of the media that makes football stories always attract the minds of viewers and readers. And happily, even the fan base also has many famous "stars" in the stands, thereby shining countless interesting, attractive and appealing images to fans near and far.

SLNA is the only football team, an “only child”, raised and “pampered” by poor “parents” throughout their growing up years. Photo: Duc Anh

The development of football depends on the quality of the tournaments, including the gathering of stars, good coaches and the attention of fans around the world. For example, the English Premier League is ranked as the most attractive and quality tournament in the world, because each match, each pair of matches is always attracted by many "destinations" of the club, each player, fan, song about the club...

There will be information about which match, what is the draw-win-loss ratio; which match is each player's number, which goal is this striker's number; what details and events are worth mentioning in the past; which stars will everyone stop to remember, pay tribute to, invite stars in which fields to open the match, which stars will sing... Countless things attract the attention and follow-up of the audience from a match, which shows the "quality" of the tournament!

The technical area of ​​the Premier League has long been a place to showcase the talents of the world's top strategists, such as Ferguson (Scotland), Scolari (Brazil), Ancelotti, Conte, Sari, Raniari.. (Italy), Klopp and Tuchel (Germany), Benites, Pep Guardiola (Spain), Hiddink, Van Gaal (Netherlands), Mourinho (Portugal)... They have brought Man U, Man City, Leverpool, Chelsea... to the top of the Premier League, to the top of Europe, but in that dizzying race, no one can sit still and enjoy the results because they are always caught up with, predicted and surpassed by their opponents, whether it is Ferguson or Mourinho, Klopp or Pep. The third season syndrome and Mourinho's story with Chelsea are typical examples... All say that the Premier League is a quality league and constantly developing. Every record will be immediately surpassed. Every technique and tactic that is suitable and perfect today will be outdated and discarded next season...

But there are still things that do not change, or only change for the better. That is the love of fans for their beloved "favorite" team. Fans buy season tickets, are ready to go to the stadium with the team when they are playing well, as well as when they are facing difficulties in terms of personnel, or even relegation. They are ready to support the club if ticket prices increase, follow the club abroad to cheer, do everything to cheer for the club or vice versa, will oppose to the end if the "boss" does something against the tradition and strengths of the club. That means they "live and die" with their beloved team, nothing can make them change, even if there is a name change, change of ownership or anything else.

It is to return to the story of SLNA fans and the inevitable ups and downs of a team born and raised in a poor hometown. Due to its own circumstances, SLNA is the only team, the “only child” (although there was a season when there was also a Military Region 4 team), raised and “pampered” by, in fact, poor “parents” throughout the years of growing up and maturing. In Vinh, there are not many inter-city derbies, if there are, they are only Thanh-Nghe or Nghe-Tinh derbies and the opponents are on the same level, with little ambition, so the quality is limited, making it difficult to attract spectators. There is still only a part of the loyal audience that follows the team every match. Borrowing a car is fun, otherwise, they spend their own money to cheer…

I just hope that, with the tide rising, SLNA will be strengthened in all aspects, playing well in all aspects. From there, the fan base will be good in all aspects, as fans everywhere show. I really hope, one day not far away, one season not far away...