Emergency is ready! Incheon, K League 1 Coach of the Year Yoon Jung-hwan has been confirmed to be promoted to the first division
Dec 22, 2024
|
Incheon appointed Yoon Jeong-hwan, who won the 'Coach of the Year' award for leading Gangwon to the runner-up in the K League in the '2024 season', as the 13th head coachDirector Yoon Jung-hwan's game model is space, location, and change. He is a resourceful man who uses flexible tactics to suit the situation in modern soccer with many variables. At the same time, he is a leader who is well-received by fans for his aggressive defense based on forward pressure. Through communication with CEO Shim Chan-gu, Yoon Jung-hwan said, 'I accepted Incheon's manager position on the 22nd.
When he was a player, Yoon showed good performances in both the K-League and the J-League. He stepped on the professional stage in 1995 at merit and became the team's ace with the nickname of the greatest technician, 'Kködori'. He immediately succeeded in entering Japan. Wearing Cerezo Osaka uniform, he also improved the status of Korean soccer in the J-League and played a key role. After going through Seongnam and Jeonbuk, he announced his retirement after spending two seasons with Sagan Dos.
He immediately began his leadership career. After coaching the Sagan Dos youth team, he became the coach of Sagan Dos in 2011. In the K-League, he first took charge of Ulsan in 2015. He returned to the J-League in 2017 while taking the helm of Cerezo Osaka, and won the League Cup and won the J-League Coach Award. After that, he took a break after playing for Thailand's Muangtong United and J League 2 Jeff United.
The team that called manager Yoon, who returned to the Korean soccer community as a commentator for the K-League, was Gangwon FC. Gangwon appointed Yoon to the vacant manager position after breaking up with Choi Yong-soo in June during the season at the time. He was appointed in the middle of the 2023 season and led to a dramatic stay despite the difficulties of going to the promotion and playoffs. In the 2024 season, Yang Min-hyuk, Hwang Moon-ki, and Lee Sang-heon succeeded in second place in the K League 1. He won the Coach of the Year Award and became the first Korean to win the J-League and K-League Coach Awards.
It was the best, best choice. Incheon ended the season in 12th place in the 2024 season, facing a crisis of relegation for the first time in the club's history. Fans were disappointed, and CEO Jeon Hae-soo stepped down taking responsibility. He immediately went into an emergency system for team maintenance. Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok launched the Emergency Innovation Committee. It was a plan to catch Incheon's mid- to long-term future and appointment of a coach at the same time.
An outstanding director was needed to lead the project proposed by the Emergency Innovation Committee. We had to move forward with the goal of the project '1-2-3', namely promotion within a year, top split within two years, and advance to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)-hosted club competition within three years. Looking for a coach who can take care of the team's future and achieve promotion in the short term. Coach Yoon, whose contract with Gangwon was canceled, was nominated, and the appointment was confirmed after heated persuasion by interim CEO Shim Chan-gu.
|
This is a profile that was desperately needed in Incheon. Coach Yoon has already performed the miracle of promotion at Sagan Dos, which was the beginning of his coaching career. He won the runner-up prize in J2 (second division) and proved his DNA for promotion as the first promotion in the club's history in his first year as a manager. In the 2023 season, he also showed a side of a match-winner to stay in the relegation-threatened Gangwon in the promotion playoff. He is a person who can present the direction of promotion to Incheon, which has no previous experience in relegation.
It is also in line with Incheon's plan, which aimed to strengthen the youth system and harmonize the old and new as the main focus of innovation. Yang Min-hyuk (18) was discovered and actively used in Gangwon Province. Yang Min-hyuk grew fast enough to wear Tottenham's uniform immediately and was selected as the K League 1 Young Player of the Year. This is why manager Yoon Jung-hwan's ability to discover rookies is also expected in Incheon.
Director Yoon said, `I will definitely achieve promotion to the first division of Incheon, which has passionate citizens and fans. Incheon has endless potential. I will motivate the team and put on a competitive game model to win the game," he said, expressing his feelings on the appointment.
Coach Yoon will enter the K League 2 stage for the first time in his managerial career. The arduous journey is just beginning. Incheon will start preparing for promotion from the time of returning to the team on the 26th under coach Yoon. From January 2, we will have a hot winter training in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
digh1229@sportschosun.com
