Yoon Jung-hwan, freshly minted as head coach of the football club Ulsan Hyundai, said Wednesday he will try to reshape the underachieving team into a “feared” one next season.
Yoon was named as the new bench boss for the K League Classic side on Monday, replacing Jo Min-gook. Ulsan finished second in the league in 2013 but fell to sixth place in Jo’s lone season. They managed just two victories in their final 12 matches.
Yoon, who previously coached Sagan Tosu in Japan’s top-flight J. League, said it was “difficult to describe in words” how honored he was to take over Ulsan, and he will get to work right away.
Yoon Jung-hwan, the new head coach of the Ulsan Hyundai soccer club, speaks during his inaugural press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
“I know there will be some difficult times down the road, but we have to get ready for next season,” Yoon said at his inaugural press conference in Seoul. “When your team is struggling, you just have to train that much harder.”
Though Yoon, 41, will be one of the youngest head coaches in the league next year, he brings solid coaching credentials. He took over Sagan Tosu in 2011 while they were still in the second division, and the club earned their first-ever promotion to the top-flight J. League in Yoon’s first season on the bench.
Sagan Tosu finished fifth among 18 J. League clubs in 2012 and 12th in 2013. They reached the semifinals of the Emperor’s Cup in 2013.
Yoon was a crafty midfielder in his playing days, known more for his finesse than brute strength. As a coach, however, Yoon said he will emphasize the latter over the former.
“I was known as a technician as a player, but modern football requires more than techniques,” he said. “You need to be strong, fast and quick on your feet. You also need to develop cohesion with teammates. Above all, I want to build a resilient team that never gives up.”
Yoon said his young age may actually be an advantage because he has “nothing to fear.”
Yoon left Sagan Tosu under disputed circumstances. With the team in first place in August, he was dismissed amid media speculation that the management wasn’t pleased with his coaching style.
Yoon sidestepped questions regarding his abrupt departure, only saying the team told him that it was the right time for him to leave.
“Let’s put it this way: a company can fire its employee at any moment,” Yoon quipped. “If you have further questions, you should ask Sagan Tosu.”
As a player, Yoon represented South Korea at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. Yoon was also on South Korea’s 2002 World Cup squad that reached the semifinals, but he didn’t appear in any of the team’s seven games. (Yonhap)
