Related News
Wu named Shenhua coach as Poyet resigns
Print Edition
Gus Poyet resigned as Shanghai Greenland Shenhua head coach yesterday following the team’s fourth successive league defeat on Sunday.
The Chinese Super League side announced that former Shenhua head coach Wu Jingui — currently the technical director at the club — will take over from the Uruguayan, who failed to complete the club’s goals set at the beginning of the season, which was to advance from the qualifiers of this year’s AFC Champions League, and to win a spot in next year’s Asian league with a top-tier finish in the CSL.
Shenhua is currently 12th in the 16-team standings on 24 points after 23 rounds, and is just eight points above the relegation zone.
“Mr Poyet formally offered his resignation to Shanghai Shenhua today,” Shenhua said in an official statement yesterday afternoon. “After considering the decision, the club has agreed to accept Mr Poyet’s resignation.”
“The club is grateful to Mr Poyet and his team for one year of hard work despite all the unfavorable conditions. The club is now in a very difficult period. We hope that under Wu Jingui’s coaching, all coaches and players will adjust their form and attitude as soon as possible to rebuild the spirit of the team and turn around the situation.”
Wu’s earlier stint as Shenhua manager was in 2002, when he replaced veteran coach Xu Genbao. In 2003, Wu guided Shenhua to its first league title in eight years when it won the Chinese Jia-A League. This will be the fourth time that the 56-year-old Shanghai native will take charge of Shenhua.
“This is a sudden decision,” Wu told local media at Shenhua’s training base in Pudong New Area. “The team is in a difficult period, but the fans and officials still have expectations from the team. As a technical team member, I know the team well, and I feel the responsibility and determination to rebuild the team’s spirit. We are confident of making the players give full play to their skills again.
“(Despite the present circumstances) we will still try to achieve the goal the club set for the season (to win a spot in next year’s AFC Champions League).”
Shenhua’s next match will be the season’s second league derby against SIPG at Shanghai Stadium on Saturday.
Shenhua has reached the semifinals of the CFA Cup, holding a 1-0 edge after the first leg of the last four against second-tier Shanghai Shenxin. If it advances into the final, Shenhua will take on either city rival SIPG or CSL leader Guangzhou Evergrande in the fight for the cup title. The CFA Cup winner also advances to next year’s Asian league.
The 49-year-old Poyet was appointed head coach last November, replacing Spaniard Gregorio Manzano, the current manager of another CSL team Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng.
Unlike SIPG, which allows head coach Andre Villas-Boas to decide on the purchase of foreign players, Shenhua has kept the right of buying foreign players with the club’s Chinese officials. However, the club’s purchase of Carlos Tevez this year has proved to be a failure, with the Argentina striker struggling to adapt and scoring only two goals — one a penalty — in 12 appearances for Shenhua.
Shenhua lost 1-2 to Henan Jianye at Hongkou Football Stadium on Sunday. Tevez came on as a substitute in the 53rd minute with the score tied at 1-1.
Poyet said at the post-match press conference he had no qualms about the technical arrangements for the match, including the 2-week pre-match training.
The Uruguayan said a month ago, following Shenhua’s 0-3 home loss to Guizhou, that he has reached “his limit”, though club president Wu Xiaohui then expressed the club’s support for Poyet.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
