Tan Cheng Hoe, Nelo Vingada, Safiq Rahim, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Asian Cup qualiferGoal

Tan Cheng Hoe promoted to Malaysia national team head coach role

2017 ended on a sour note for the national team after twice being thrashed by DPR Korea in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, one which ultimately led to Vingada to resign from the position of head coach on Wednesday.

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Just a day later, the identity of the replacement for the Portuguese has been identified and it is none other than Tan. Having been approached by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) last year to be Vingada's assistant, it didn't take long for Tan to sit on the head coach seat.

At the time of his move from Kedah to the national team, many were questioning why Tan was willing to accept an assistant role despite being the one in charge at Kedah. That has now become a moot point in less than one year later.

With his Kedah team, Tan guided the team from the Premier League to the Super League as well as landing the coveted Malaysia Cup in 2016 after finishing as runners-up in the oldest cup competition in Malaysia in 2015.

Observers and fans also praised the work Tan had put in for Kedah, with their vibrant and collective style of play that focused a lot on short passing and movement. 

In the short space of time that Tan spent under the tutelage of Vingada, the 48-year-old would have nevertheless picked up a lot of pointers despite the short and unsuccessful reign of Vingada. 

Tan of course is also remembered for being an assistant to Datuk K. Rajagopal during a period that saw Malaysia best recent achievement - winning the 2010 AFF Championship.

The next immediate task for Tan would be to oversee the next batch of players that would make Malaysia at the very least - back into a force in the Southeast Asia region once again. Malaysia's next match is in the Asian Cup qualifiers on March 27 away to Lebanon.

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