Hong Myung-bo, who changed his words as the head coach of the national team, laid the foundation, and Kim Pan-gon, the head coach of Ulsan HD, completed the “dynasties.” It has stood tall in history 96 days since head coach Kim first met with the K-League as a leader.
Kim made his professional debut with Ulsan in 1992 when he was an active player, and spent five seasons until 1996. He was thrilled to win the title in 1996, but he was just that kind of player. He played in only 53 games in total in the K-League. The coach drew a different picture. He first became prominent when he was serving as the head coach of the Hong Kong national team. He became an administrator and served as the chairman of the Korean Football Association’s national team coach committee. He worked to recruit Paulo Bento. He returned to the ground in 2021 by joining hands with Malaysian soccer, and after waiting for a long time, he became the first K-League coach.
His first ascent to the helm of Ulsan on July 28 was “It took 27 years.” Hong served as the coach until the 22nd round before stepping down. It had 11 wins, six draws and five losses. When Kim was appointed as the head coach after serving as an acting coach, Ulsan was in fourth place. However, the gap between the two teams was four points. Kim’s first achievement was Ulsan’s third consecutive win. He became the fifth player-turned-manager in the K-League’s history to win the title. He also became the first player-turned-manager to win the title as both a player and a coach.
“Personally, I am honored. I started in the 10th basement level after 26 years as a leader. I have always tried to take such opportunities. I am grateful that Ulsan called me. It is an honor to be able to work with good players. I felt that I had to win the title. I felt a lot of pressure because I won the title twice and wanted to win the title for the third consecutive year. I am so happy and thankful to the players, coaching, support staff and the club,” he said.
Kim led 11 K-League matches and forgot his loss. His performance was eight wins, two draws and one loss. However, the road was not easy. Combining the Asian Champions League elite with the Korea Cup was a challenge. Ulsan reached the final round in the Korea Cup, but lost all three games in the ACLE. “There were a lot of cases like this when I tried to change opportunities for 27 years. I joined the team as a firefighter. I brought a lot of confidence. I was grateful when I woke up in the morning. But I worked 13 hours from the morning. The amount of work was too much. For the past month, I once regretted making the wrong and difficult decision. There was not much I could do. I had to win on my own, and crying didn’t work. It was a great help that the players trusted and followed the coach.”
Kim sent clear messages to the players, saying, “We are kings.” He succeeded in taking control of the team through careful leadership. Tactically, he led the team to the top by controlling and controlling through aggressive defense and strong pressure. “The manager’s appointment was a big driving force. He stabilized the team in a short period of time. His performance at the top of the league has given him great confidence in his performance thus far,” Lee said.
Coach Kim said, “When I came here for the first time, the former coach made the team well. The players had good character and excellent team spirit. There was no shaking. 토토사이트 There was nothing to touch,” but added, “I was worried about whether I should go with this or with my own color. I thought I couldn’t do it, so I made a decision to go with what I thought, but it was hard. The players must have been confused in the process. The approach to the game was different. The players also started from doubts. As time passed, I felt confident and interested.”
Kim’s challenge is just beginning. He aims for a double (two consecutive wins) in the Korea Cup final against Pohang on Thursday. ACLE is also dreaming of a turnaround. The FIFA Club World Cup is waiting for him next year.