“You think it came up easily, but it came up really hard with blood, tears and sweat.”
It was the appeal of manager Lee Jung-hyo (48), who led Gwangju FC’s promotion to the K-League 1 (first division) with overwhelming results last season. As Gwangju promoted last season with 86 points (25 wins, 11 draws, 4 losses), the most points ever in the K League 2, it was regrettable that the efforts of the players were less spotlighted.
Coach Lee Jung-hyo attended the 2023 K-League Winter Field Training Media Camp held at the Barev Hotel in Jeju on the 8th and said, “Citizens also think that it came up easily even in the city, but that part is unfortunate.” “It came up really hard with blood, tears and sweat. It’s a pity that those parts have faded. I want you to know once again. It’s the result of the promotion by putting all the players’ passion on the playground.”
Amid the promotion achieved through blood, sweat and tears, coach Lee emphasized, “I will challenge myself with courage.” He said, “Of course, K League 2 and K League 1 are different, but Gwangju has a direction to go. No matter what team I play in the future, I will continue to take my color.” Even if I score 2 goals, I will continue to work hard to score 2 or 3 goals.”
He said, “Last year at K League 2 Media Day, I felt bad because I felt ignored. I think I was stingy with praise. Even now, there are many people who are jealous of me and wish me not to do well.
Coach Lee said, “During winter training, the players change every day. I can’t express it. Even though I’m getting better, I don’t like the word satisfaction.” Athletes go to the Asian Games and the national team a lot. We will share our team goals with the players.”
The following is a Q&A from director Lee Jung-hyo.
– How do you feel about preparing for the new season?
▶ I worked hard with the players and did well. The preparation is not going as well as I thought, but I think it will improve a lot because the players understand it well. The players have enough motivation, but they don’t understand it well. It’s my fault for not understanding. Unfortunately, there are still 3 weeks left. play from today I think it will get better and better as we play.
– Re-promoted after 1 year. What kind of football would you like to showcase?
▶Gwangju citizens and Gwangju City think that it came up easily. It came up really hard with blood, tears and sweat. I put my passion on the field and pulled out everything the players had. It’s a pity that those parts have faded. I want you to know that I came up with blood, sweat and effort once again. Of course, K League 2 and K League 1 are different. However, the direction Gwangju FC will go has been decided. No matter what team I take on in the future, I will continue to take my color. No matter what difficulties there are, I want to pursue the aggressive soccer that I did in K-League 2. Even if I score 1 goal, I will keep trying to score 2 goals, to score 3 goals. That part is the direction that Gwangju FC continues to pursue, but it is also my color.
– At the opening Media Day last year, you said you play dirty soccer. How would you describe football this season?
▶ He said to challenge with courage. I said I would take responsibility for the fear of failure. I think the players will courageously challenge themselves.
– Experienced promotion as a coach, but continued to fail in Part 1. Any lessons learned from this process?
▶I was promoted twice with coach Nam Ki-il. I think I didn’t try too hard to protect it after being promoted. always imagined I thought that if I became a manager, it would be the K-League 2 in terms of Korean sentiment. I have no intention of defending in the K-League 1. I will attack with courage. Even if it is reckless, I have no intention of protecting it even for the growth of the players. I guess that part is different. I think I will feel worse if the results are not good by defending against Ulsan, Jeonbuk, Jeju, Seoul, and Suwon. The color you have doesn’t seem to change. I always tell the players, ‘We’ll be aggressive, I want to attack, but if you guys try to defend it, what am I going to be?’ The reason I’m telling you first is because I don’t want to lie, so I don’t want to embarrass the players. The players are well aware of it and will probably do it aggressively.
– Is the new season squad well prepared?
▶Fortunately, I kept the players I was trying to protect, and the players I was trying to recruit also joined. I feel relieved that I can operate it in rotation. I think 2 more people should come in. I wonder if that will give me more time to run the season. Then I think I can try other things more boldly and replace them.
– During Media Day last year, you said that you felt like you were being ignored. How is it now?
▶When I went to Media Day, I felt ignored. I felt pretty bad. I don’t mind being ignored, but it’s because the players worked hard. I ignored the team itself because a manager I had never heard of was doing it. Now it is called the test bed. It seems that Korea is stingy with praise. So I praise the players a lot. There are many people in our country who are jealous and want to do well. So I try to do better.
– If you are in a situation where you are in danger of relegation at the end of the season, will you keep attacking football even then?
▶I don’t want to compromise with reality. Gwangju has many young players. There are many players with potential. I think it’s right to send as many of these players as possible to the Asian Games, the Olympics, and the national team in the future.
– What is your goal this season?
▶Four new players came yesterday. During our meeting, we decided to talk about our goals for today. Acquaintances say, ‘Aren’t you recklessly confident?’ It’s not because I’m confident, it’s because I believe in the players. I grew a lot while winning the K-League 2. I grew while training in the winter. It’s fun to see how it changes every day. But I don’t like the word satisfaction. More pressing and pressing. I am looking forward to how much more I will go to a higher place in the K-League 1. I just want to let you feel how much I’ve grown. My goal is for players to go to the Asian Games and the national team a lot. I will only share my goals in the K-League 1 with the players.
– I heard that Kim Jong-woo, who moved to Pohang, cried.
▶I’m very sorry. I expected quite a lot. He understood why he had to change and started to change. He’s definitely a good player. Since he is a good player카지노사이트, many clubs would have offered him a transfer fee. I think the vacancy will be big. Still, I think it is the fate that Gwangju has. It’s unfortunate because many players are growing, but they are replacing them enough.
– Do you have a motto?
▶ It is said to be a thousand stones, and it is said that small efforts bear great results. There is also a saying that you need to listen a lot to get your mind. The word ‘Eumdeok yield’ is engraved. It means that if I give, I will come back later. These three things are living by reviewing them once in a while.
– Among the directors of this media camp, you were virtually the only one wearing a suit.
▶I have to keep doing well. It’s a personal thought, but it seems that the sentiment in Korea is that Seoul National University students should be taught by Seoul National University professors. i regret that A competent person can teach. Neither do I. Players are also told to dream big. If you don’t have confidence in yourself, you can’t dream big. I should wear it comfortably. However, if you are comfortable, you will never be the best at anything. I would appreciate it if you could think of it as such.
– Gwangju has never been stable in the first division so far. what should be improved
▶The environment itself in Gwangju is a problem. There are not many playgrounds where players can train. I always travel by bus, and I can’t even use the playground for more than 2 hours. There were times when I was kicked out of the playground. The environment itself must change. I think it is most urgent to provide a playground where players can exercise freely. Fortunately, the owner, the mayor, is making the playground bigger. If such areas are improved one by one, I wonder if it will be the basis for Gwangju to settle in the K-League 1.
– In what areas did you identify the potential of the players?
▶ I think I have potential first (laughs). If you look at the players, there is a talent aspect. I wonder if I could become a better player if I could understand them better and spend more time meticulously and in detail. For those players to grow, they have to be greedy for the national team.
– Last year, you gave gifts to your fans as a promise to win. Do you have any plans for this year?
▶This time, on the contrary, if we get good results, I think you should do it for us. I can’t. The players and I showed it once, so I hope the club and fans do it this time. I don’t know what he’ll do, but I’m tired of making promises now. On the contrary, it would be nice if the fans would give presents to our players at the last home game, or pick out numbers for the staff and present them with something good.