Kim Pan-gon has taken the helm of professional soccer’s Ulsan HD and vowed to lift two trophies with an aggressive attack and a proactive defense.
“I left Ulsan 28 years ago with a heavy heart and regret, but I am honored and happy to return as a coach, and of course, the responsibility is considerable,” Kim said at his inaugural press conference held at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 5th. “I have been a coach in many places, but I have always been hungry. I will be a good coach and be recognized and respected by the players,” he said.
“As a leader, I had a hunger and thirst for the K League, and I waited for the right time, and when the request came, I responded. My capabilities and character as a leader are still lacking, 토토사이트 순위 but I will strive to become a good coach,” he added.
Ulsan signed Kim Pan-gon, who coached the Malaysia national team, to replace Hong Myung-bo, who was named A team coach last month.
This marks the 28th time Kim has returned to Ulsan as head coach after playing for the club from 1992 to 1996, when he was part of the team’s first championship.
Prior to taking the helm of Ulsan, Kim served as head coach at Busan I-Park and Gyeongnam FC, and was the head coach of the Hong Kong and Malaysia national teams. He also served as the chairman of the Korea Football Association’s national coach selection committee for four years starting in 2018.
Kim, who has a lot of experience as a coach and administrator, says, “I used to be fascinated by the soccer of former Manchester United (England) manager Sir Alex Ferguson. I was impressed by Ferguson’s winning formula and incorporated it into my game model. I was also impressed with his tactics and how he managed the club,” said Kim.
For his first head coaching job in the K League, Kim has specific goals: “I want to win the regular league and Korea Cup, and challenge for a spot in the 2024-25 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League final.”
“We have practiced four times so far. I felt that the squad is of high quality, and the team atmosphere and player composition are stable,” Kim said, adding, “We will now induce competition within the team through rotation. I don’t have a favorite. I will look for the good things in the players rather than their negatives. We want to create a hopeful and dynamic team,” he said, explaining that they will achieve their goals through competition between players.
“We will dominate, control, and win for 90 minutes with an active attack and proactive defense. “I like to play aggressive defense rather than passive or negative defense,” he said, adding, “We will continue to play the kind of proactive football that my predecessor Hong Myung-bo played. We will play aggressive and positive football to force the opponent to make mistakes rather than passive or negative defense.”
Kim will make his K-League debut on May 10 in a home match against Daegu FC in Ulsan.
“In the K League, there is not much difference in power from the first to the 12th place. “Every match will be tough and suffocating,” he said, “so we will overcome it with more preparation and hard work. We also plan to make the team stronger by giving special roles to players with leadership qualities.
