“But I think I got 80 points.”
Kim Jeong-yong, manager of the Gimcheon Standing Committee, who led the military team’s all-time best performance, said in a statement. Kim’s 2024 season was spectacular. He was the only team to be promoted to Hana Bank’s K League 1 2024. Until the season’s opening, the team had been ranked as the first team to be demoted. It opened the lid. Kim garnered Daegu FC in its first game, signaling a sensation. Even during the “transitional period” when its players join the military and are discharged from the military, the team maintained stable power and maintained its pace. Gimcheon ranked third with 18 wins, 9 draws and 11 losses (63 points). It had the best performance in the history of the military team. It also had the pleasure of producing A representative players including Park Seung-wook and Kim Bong-soo.
Chung finished the season successfully and was nominated as a coach. However, he was nowhere to be seen since the end of the season. “I didn’t feel well, maybe due to stress. I rested. Fortunately, I recovered and am preparing for the new season,” Chung said.
2024 was also a “challenge year” for Chung. He led the K-League 1 for the first time in the manager’s career. “I had only experienced K-League 2 (division 2). I thought K-League 1 would be difficult in many aspects, however. Definitely, “levelling-up” seems to be the right answer in terms of tactics, individual players’ skills, and ability of foreign players.”
“I was wondering if we could be competitive. It was possible because the players were more competitive than I thought,” he said. “When I first enter a stadium, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the opponent. Our players overcame it well in that regard. Against Ulsan HD, Jeonbuk Hyundai, and Gangwon FC, I thought, “Will it be possible?” But they showed good performance. “When I see them like that, I think they have confidence.”
Chung offered compliments to players throughout the interview with Sports Chosun. However, Chung gave a harsh evaluation of himself.
He said, “From a big perspective, I think we have achieved all the goals we want. Thank you. The players set the direction well. There were some difficulties in the organization when the players were discharged from the military and joined the army, but we were able to finish without leakage. It was a good season. I had a lot to learn as a leader in many ways.” 스포츠토토
“Having directly encountered with the K-League 1, I felt that I lacked capability, experience, and coping skills during matches as a coach. As our players have good abilities, I was never pushed back in the competition with the opponent team. They showed improvement. I need to do better next year,” Chung said, adding to his voice. “I think I got 80 points out of 100 when asked to rate myself in 2024.
Chung and Kim will run again. Chung will go on a winter training trip to Vietnam on Tuesday. “I personally hope next year is better than this year. I have nothing for sure, but I have set my goal,” Chung said with a smile.