Football

Chu Đình Nghiêm (left) receives the Best Coach award of November. He is also the best coach of the season. Photos courtesy of VPF

Hải Phòng FC were three points short of taking the 2022 season's top position for the first time in history, and only finished second in the ranking, but their coach, Chu Đinh Nghiêm, was recognised as best coach of the year.

Nghiêm is a man on a mission, and has just received the award for the second time and is ready for next season, which he thinks will be even harder.

"I am not surprised with the award. It is not like my first time in 2016. I am proud because people know what I did and recognised my effort and contribution to my club," Nghiêm told reporters in an interview after the award` ceremony on December 1 in Hà Nội.

Brilliant career

Born in 1972 in Thanh Hóa Province, Nghiêm's career as a player lasted 17 years. He played for Thanh Hóa Police's youth team for four years, from 1988 to 1992. He was picked to the senior team two years later before moving to Nam Đinh FC for seven years. His next homes were LG.ACB in 2001-03 and Hòa Phát Hà Nội in 2003-05.

Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm reacts during a V.League 1 match. The 50-year-old is the most successful of the national football leagues. — Photo courtesy of VPF

When he had not yet made his name, Nghiêm decided to hang up his boots to become a coach.

He first worked for Hà Nội T&T (now Hà Nội FC) in 2006 as an assistant coach. Ten years later, he took charge of the team as the head coach.

He made headlines when he helped Hà Nội win the V.League title in his debut season. It ended the club's three-year winning drought and marked their first step to becoming one of the most successful in Việt Nam.

Hà Nội, under his reign, produced many talented players who are currently vital members of the national teams, such as defenders Nguyễn Thành Chung, Đỗ Duy Mạnh and Đoàn Văn Hậu, captain Đỗ Hùng Dũng, midfielders Phạm Đức Huy and Nguyễn Quang Hải.

In five years from 2016 to 2021, Nghiêm won three V.League 1 titles, two National Cup trophies and three Super National Cups.

Internationally, Nghiêm guided Hà Nội to the 2019 AFC Cup Interzonal final, which was the best result of a Vietnamese club in continental competition.

He has become the most successful coach of Hà Nội and Việt Nam's leagues.

However, the coach also has many detractors due to his hot-tempered personality, a trait shared by many of the world's great managers.

In the 2014 season, he was banned for two matches after he ran to the field to shout at a Thanh Hóa player after he failed his players.

Four years later, he angrily reacted against a referee's red card decision in a match between Hà Nội and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai. He was sent off before continuing to get into an argument drama with another man on the way to the locker room.

He suffered two other bans in 2019 and 2020 because of the same problem.

"Yes, I am a hot-tempered person. All of my reactions are spontaneous. It's actually my nature," Nghiêm said .

Chu Đình Nghiêm of Hải Phòng (left) shakes hand with coach Kiatisuk Senamuang of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai after their V.League match. — Photo courtesy of VPF

"My angry actions and occasional bad words are part of my way to protect my players when they are illegally faulted or suffer incorrect bookings. I was a player; I wanted fairness. If they were wrong, they should be fined, but if they were not, I will save them. People watching TV may see my actions were unsuitable because they did not see in person what was happening on the field. I don't blame them."

Nghiêm can be philosophical too and does not seek to absolve himself from blame.

"Of course, you can't avoid mistakes in life. I constantly review the games and myself. There are some actions that I regret," he said. "However, I have gradually changed and will change more to be better. I should not cause any problems because of my anger."

New challenge

Nghiêm ended a brilliant chapter with Hà Nội at the end of 2021 and signed a contract with Hải Phòng with the task of rescuing the struggling club.

“Hải Phòng leaders' points of view and philosophy persuaded me. They want to build a new team with a typical playing style and big targets for each season," Nghiêm said.

"I chose Hải Phòng among many offers because I want a tough job and to challenge myself too."

Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm (right) will have to find new players for his team the following season as his best scorer of the year, Rimario Allando Gordon (left), decides to leave the team. — Photo courtesy of VPF

One year at the new club, Nghiêm guided a team who struggled to avoid relegation in 2021 to finish second this year, though they played with many on-loan contract players.

Their beautiful style helped the team have better results and lure supporters back to the stands.

"I want a team who play in attack and with dedication. In every match, players should do their best for their individual and club pride," he said.

The 2023 season will begin in early February, and Nghiêm has a load of work to do as Hải Phòng are targeting winning their first-ever V.League 1 title.

"We will play competitively to serve our royal supporters and earn a good result in 2023. However, I have to look for quality players for the team as five on-loan players will return to their parent clubs while two foreign players will not extend their contracts with us," he said.

The 50-year-old coach will go 'shopping' over the next two months when the transfer market opens, and his current players have been practising since December 10.

Nghiêm's tenacity means the players will have no choice but to put in the work, and few would bet against them. VNS