Who can save Song Lam Nghe An?

Diagnosis

The news that Song Lam Nghe An head coach Pham Anh Tuan has just submitted his resignation and was accepted to leave his position on November 11, 2024 may surprise many people, but in fact this is a reasonable development, very difficult to avoid after what Thanh Vinh team has shown since the beginning of the season until now.

At home, the team led by Mr. Pham Anh Tuan only managed to draw 3 matches and most recently lost 0-1 to their neighbor Thanh Hoa, along with 2 away losses, bringing the team to an undesirable 14/14 position on the rankings.

Right from the end of last season, the team led by Mr. Tuan only escaped the play-off position thanks to a surprise victory over The Cong to continue to stay in V.League. However, experts have predicted that there is no guarantee that Mr. Tuan will keep his position if the team is not properly invested compared to other V.League teams.

In fact, all predictions and concerns of fans and experts were correct and early. The leaders of the Vinh team then announced that they would "continue to use the self-trained young players", and at the same time allow players who have expired contracts to leave, such as Van Viet, Sy Hoang, Van Lam... It is even more obvious that there is no necessary investment to strengthen the force from domestic to foreign players. This means that the team will face countless difficulties and it will be very difficult to dream of a high ranking, if not to say that they will be stuck in the relegation battle.

Recently, when talking to a local leader about the poor performance of Song Lam Nghe An, the author of this article mentioned "Is it possible to change the sponsor, to a stronger sponsor for the team?" and received the answer: "No, it is impossible!". Football is a very expensive investment; not every business is willing to pursue it to the end. The previous sponsor invested for more than 10 years, which was a very commendable effort. Now the new sponsor, when the economy is difficult, is having to implement the policy of "using young resources, paying low salaries, allowing the mature generation to leave to reinvest".

In fact, the story of stable and long-term investment in professional football teams is not only a problem for Song Lam Nghe An. Khanh Hoa, playing in V-League 2, is a specific example after what fans know about the investors' unpaid salaries and bonuses to players, about strikes and training absences.

Even the neighbor Thanh Hoa, with its powerful squad and extremely flashy foreign player purchases, has also had stories of "empty promises" and unpaid salaries and bonuses. This shows that professional football is a story of making ends meet and being in debt for poor teams like Song Lam Nghe An, Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Dong Thap. Investors also depend on business results to invest long-term or withdraw early.

Looking forward to the "three horses" Thuat, Vinh, Quyen?

Returning to Song Lam Nghe An, they are currently at the bottom of the table and coaches Quang Truong, Huy Hoang, Nhu Thuat and Pham Anh Tuan have all "left the ring" one after another.

According to information from the team, this time, the team's coaching staff will include Nhu Thuat returning as head coach, with assistants including Cong Vinh and Van Quyen.

Will this group of former stars join forces to bring the team out of the rock bottom as expected? Only time will tell. Everyone knows that without “powder” there can be no “glue”! A group of potential youngsters in the U19, U21, U23 groups, but having to be promoted to the first team too early and facing experienced seniors and strong foreign players, it will be very difficult to turn defeat into victory.

Quang Vinh has just played in the national U19 tournament and is trusted as one of the remarkable young "pillars". But not all young players can stay.

While seniors who have played a lot in V.League such as Xuan Tien, Van Cuong, Van Bach… have encountered many problems from injuries to penalties, preventing them from fully demonstrating their abilities. This season’s foreign players seemed to be doing better, but after 7 rounds they have only scored 3 goals - a very small number.

We must praise Mr. Pham Anh Tuan for his bravery in difficult times and for helping the team stay in the league. But when he leaves, his colleagues in other teams such as Hong Linh Ha Tinh are having better results, so they should sympathize with this decision to part ways. The responsibility now lies with the team's leadership and the new coaching staff, to stabilize the upcoming rounds.

If the team is not “inferior to its younger brothers and sisters”, then changing the coach can change its fortunes. But at present, with low-quality players, poor foreign players, and limited salary and bonus policies, it is very difficult to revive the team as required. If the leadership still sticks to the old direction, then relegation and starting over are inevitable.

Song Lam Nghe An is famous for its will to overcome difficulties. But now, talking about will has become a luxury, unrealistic. Even a good coach will find it difficult to help the team escape the bottom of the table and stay in the V.League without new moves from the sponsor and team leadership.