HAGL and the 20-Year Question: Persistence or Stubbornness?

When the entire commentary room talks about a HAGL sinking deep in a relegation battle, I heard a whisper of a question much bigger than the result of a single match: Is nearly 20 years of persistence with Bau Duc's youth development philosophy still meaningful, or has it become an expensive stubbornness? The context of the 2026/27 LPBank V-League season paints a starkly contrasting picture. HAGL possesses the youngest squad in the league with an average age of just 22.8, a figure any academy would be proud of. But that pride is being eroded by the harsh reality of the standings. Newly promoted teams like Dong Nai and Bac Ninh, clubs with limited financial resources, are performing notably better than the team once dubbed 'Pho Nui'. Looking back, HAGL was a special phenomenon in Vietnamese football. They were not just a club, but a school, a forge that produced the generation of Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Van Toan, Van Thanh – names that changed how the whole country viewed young players. They proved that a team doesn't need massive spending to create quality products for the national game. But times have changed. HAGL's contribution to the national team is increasingly faint. The national team lacked HAGL faces in the U17 World Cup squad, and at the ASEAN Cup, the imprint of players from 'Pho Nui' was almost a complete zero. Meanwhile, Bau Duc's team has repeatedly struggled to avoid relegation in recent seasons, and this season is assessed by experts as even weaker than the newly promoted sides. HAGL's story is not just a club's story; it's the story of the entire Vietnamese youth football development system. When a leading 'talent factory' begins to stall, it raises questions about a sustainable development model for the entire football landscape. Bau Duc has invested for nearly 20 years, and that persistence is something Vietnamese football needs more of – people who dare to think and dare to act. But from another perspective, if this model no longer produces results, loyalty to an old philosophy could become a barrier to progress. I could be wrong, but hear me out. The pressure of relegation with two direct spots each season is a tangible threat. Should HAGL be relegated, the brand value of this 'training cradle' will be severely damaged, and attracting the best young talents will become even harder. Does Bau Duc have the patience to continue investing when his 'spiritual children' no longer shine on the international stage? I still believe in the illusion many call romanticism in football. But at 55, I also understand that this romanticism needs to be built on a foundation of reality. HAGL needs a restructuring, not just in personnel but also in strategy. They need someone who dares to think differently, to break the old mold and find a new direction. The old tapes of past glories are still there, but I've put on my glasses and see a future that needs change, before it's too late.