▲ After putting the team through their paces in training. Photo by Darren Southcott

When Park Kyung Hoon arrived for the start of the 2010 season, Jeju United had just finished 14th in the K-League. The team were so lowly he said he just came to “rebuild the team [and] build trust.” Now in his fourth season at the Seogwipo World Cup Stadium, his team is established in the top half of the K-League Classic, regularly pushing for playoff and Asian Champions League places.

Park is no stranger to success on the football pitch: he represented Korea at both the 1986 and 1990 World Cups; won three league titles with POSCO Atoms (now Pohang Steelers, where he spent his whole career); was voted the K-League’s Most Valuable Player in 1988; and even appeared in the English FA Cup for Yeading F.C. during a year in London to learn English.

▲ Photo by Darren Southcott

Park then began coaching in 1994 at Chunnam Dragons, before stints at Busan I’con (now Busan IPark), and both South Korea under-17s and under-23s. He took over at Jeju United to begin the 2010 season.

His first season was phenomenal; Jeju finished runners-up and qualified for the Asian Champions League for the first time. The team was led by an inspired Koo Ja-cheol and although Jeju suffered after he left in 2011 for Wolfsburg, finishes of 9th in 2011 and 6th in 2012 still represent progress for a team of Jeju’s size.

The team continue to impress after 14 games in 2013 and sit fourth in the K-League Classic. A recent seven-game unbeaten streak was only stopped by a home defeat against league-leaders Pohang, a difficult-to-swallow pill for the coach: “I was so disappointed I couldn’t sleep.”

▲ Players taking a breather in training. Photo by Darren Southcott

The frenetic game ended 3-2 to the Steelers, taking to seven the number of goals United had conceded in just two games; prior to that United had the best defense in the league. Park says lady luck was not on his side and the team just need to “work hard to improve in training.

Park put the result down to fatigue, it following six days after a pulsating 4-4 draw against Seoul FC which saw Jeju take a 4-3 lead on 91 minutes, only to concede in the 94th. Park recognizes it’s an area that needs to be worked on.

“The players had not yet recovered from the Seoul match and we didn’t show our best,” he said. “I think the players need to be stronger, both physically and mentally.”

▲ Where Park barks his orders from. Photo by Darren Southcott

The defeat did not take away from the positives Park has witnessed so far this season, however.

“Right now we are on course for the goal of the top four, but I want to surpass it and close the gap on the top two. The players have been highly motivated this year, which has really satisfied me.”

Park’s passion for the game is reflected in the “rattlesnake football” he likes his teams to play - “one strike, one kill” - but some fans feel his rattlesnake isn’t as lethal as it could be. Park doesn’t shy away from this, and says he is putting the team through high intensity training to toughen them up.

“I shout at them so much that I have been warned by my doctor” - but it is essential, he says, to instill togetherness and a strong work ethic.

▲ Photo by Darren Southcott

The work ethic is exemplified up front, in Pedro Bispo Moreira Júnior. Nine of United’s 23 goals this term have come from the Brazilian, yet some charge that the team are over-dependent on the attacker. His removal with twenty minutes left on the clock against Pohang left United bereft of ideas going forward. Park says he is impressed with Pedro, but counters the charge of over-dependence.

“We are a team that tries to play a passing game through the middle of the field with strong organization; compared to other teams we don’t rely on one player, but have strong team spirit. In training we work on these areas,” he said. “Pedro is very important to the team, but I work to make sure that everyone works together as a team so we don’t rely too much on him.”

Park clearly enjoys managing his team on the pitch, but there is a job off of it, too. Although they are located on Korea’s honeymoon island, players don’t necessarily enjoy a lot of romance at the World Cup Stadium. The distance from Seoul and a lack of nightlife make some players yearn for big city attractions.

▲ Top scorer Pedro. Photo by Darren Southcott

“Although what the coach teaches [in training] is important, [he] also has to understand the players minds and take care of any problems they have. The players sometimes feel stuck here...so the young players sometimes go to Seoul to visit girlfriends and socialise...I have heard of many cases of players breaking up with girlfriends...living on Jeju affects their physical and mental condition.”

As the conversation moves away from the training pitch, Park shows another side to his character. He speaks from the heart as he voices of his concern about the young players in the squad, who need his due “attention and care” and must be treated “like family.” This fatherly role is apparent when Park is asked who the joker is in the team, which Park translates as “분위기 (bunwigi/atmosphere) maker.”

“The bunwigi-maker? Coach Park is the biggest bunwigi-maker on the team,” joked Park.

Making a welcoming “bunwigi” is even more important for the foreign, mostly Brazilian, players - despite, he says, “cultural similarities” between Korea and Brazil - as they are far from home and bring skills that Koreans lack.

▲ The author and the Silver-haired Fox. Photo courtesy Darren Southcott

He often travels out to the South American nation himself to monitor players, but bringing a player to Jeju is only part of the battle. United, despite being owned by SK, lack the financial clout to compete with the big boys. The corporation run a tight ship, limiting the wages Park can offer. Over the years this means the best often quickly move on - Koo, Santos and Jair have all done so in recent years - but Park is pragmatic.

“Professional players seek money and I accept the fact that players will sometimes leave. It is one of the hardest parts of the job,” he said. “SK run the club as a business to be efficient, so compared to Seoul, Suwon, Ulsan, less is spent on the team. It means there is less pressure on results, but it means we can’t compete financially.”

Results are important, too. Despite Park’s strong rapport with the fans, he concedes he could move on if “results are not good” on the pitch, despite being contracted until 2015. That will come as a blow to the fans, who have developed a strong rapport with the “Silver-haired Fox.”

▲ Photo by Darren Southcott

Park fully intends to stay, however, and his mind is firmly fixed on the trip to Seongnam, where he hopes United can move another step closer to the top two. In the meantime, he says he welcomes anyone who wants to join his United “family.”

“After a game, please come in to the clubhouse and meet the players. We are really grateful for everyone’s support.”

Quickfire questions

Q. Best Jeju goal this year?

A. Seo Dong-hyeon to go 4-3 up against Seoul F.C.

Q. Will Pedro be at United next year?
A. I am confident he will stay.

Q. Who is the hardest worker in training?

A. Bae Il-hwan.

Q. Who is the team’s unsung hero?

A. Oh Seung-Beom.

Q. Who is the best player in the K-League?

A. Dejan Damjanović (Seoul FC)

Q. If you could play any team in the world, which would you play?

A. Seoul F.C. We have never beaten them, so I want to do it.

Q. Who will be the next big star of Korean football?

A. Lee Chong-yong.

Q. Should he leave Bolton?

A. Yes, he has good technique so maybe Arsenal.

Q. ?$*!

A. Ah! Ok, Tottenham!

Q. You marked both me and Maradona: who was more difficult to play against?

A. You, of course.