Saying goodbye to the monk
After nearly 3 seasons working for Dong A Thanh Hoa club, coach Velizar Popov has proven many things. Under the hands of the Bulgarian coach, a series of players have been upgraded and are present in the national team such as Doan Ngoc Tan, Nguyen Thai Son, Lam Ti Phong or Trinh Xuan Hoang.
In terms of titles, the Thanh team won 2 National Cup championships and 1 National Super Cup. They do not have the chance, potential and expertise to reach the top in the V.League, but that is still history for Thanh Hoa football.
In terms of expertise, Doan Ngoc Tan and his teammates performed scientific, modern, and entertaining football. The Central region representative ran tirelessly, played proactively and always tried to control the ball. At many times, Thanh Hoa has caused the entire V.League to explode because of what they have done in the past seasons.
Remember in the 2023-2024 National Cup final, tens of thousands of Thanh Hoa fans burst into tears at the news that coach Velizar Popov had extended his contract with Thanh Hoa. Previously, this strategist had been targeted by Hanoi Police, Binh Duong and Hanoi FC clubs many times.
Mr. Popov is the most valuable " good" in the transfer market that Thanh Hoa owns. However, keeping such a "treasure" is not easy. Every coach has ambitions in terms of title, expertise and money. In particular, foreign experts come to Vietnam to make money, they are willing to leave when they have better options and this is normal in football.
Preparing for the future
Mr. Cao Hoang Duc - CEO of Thanh Hoa club - said: "Coach Velizar Popov is the most successful person in the history of Thanh Hoa football. It is not easy to repeat this achievement once again.
At the right time, coaching changes still have to happen. However, the replacement for Mr. Popov will face pressure and expectations from fans. We have set standards for work results for new coach Tomislav Steinbruckner. Of course, Thanh Hoa understands the strengths and weaknesses of the team. We will have a plan to support the new captain.
In fact, Thanh Hoa football is entering the most sensitive period. They need to ensure that their performance does not fall too far behind the previous period, but also need to consider the plan to prepare personnel for the upcoming season and many years to come.
Coach Tomislav Steinbruckner is responsible for discovering, developing and bringing many more young players to the field. Thanh Hoa Club is willing to spend more time for the Croatian strategist to build the team in his own way. In the next few months, Thanh Hoa will change a lot and may surprise fans.
Coach Velizar Popov wrote the most beautiful chapters in the book of ethics about Thanh Hoa football. But that strong man has stepped out of the team's door and is looking for a new horizon. Thanh Hoa also has to choose its own path to develop. A new chapter began and Thanh Hoa club began building a " dynasty" named Tomislav Steinbruckner.
The new head coach of Thanh Hoa club - Tomislav Steinbruckner has worked for a long time for NK Osijek - a famous team in Croatia, coaching the U17, U19 teams, interimly holding the role of captain.
After that, Mr. Tomislav moved to Malaysia to work for Terengganu FC, helping the team achieve good results when in the top 3 and go deep in the cup competitions. However, they have not been able to overcome the two "superpowers" of Malaysian football, Johor Darul Ta'zim and Selangor. In October 2024, the 1966-born strategist parted ways with Terengganu.
