to replicate the same success he initially had and with the club being prudent in their spending he was only able to guide the club into mid-table positions for the next several seasons. This was halted for a short time when he guided the club to fifth in the 2008 league season, however on 28 August 2009, he surprisingly resigned after a 1-0 away win against the past Shanghai derby rivals Shanghai Shenhua, citing health problem and desire of studying abroad as reasons. While many among the public and media believed that due to his ties towards Shenhua, Cheng was seeking the possibility of replacing their coach Jia Xiuquan, however Shenhua decided to go with the experienced manager Miroslav Blažević and Cheng would return to Shanghai with third-tier club Shanghai Zobon at the beginning of the 2011 league season. Honours Player Shanghai Shenhua Chinese Jia-A League: 1995 Chinese FA Cup: 1991, 1998 Shanghai COSCO Huili Chinese Jia-B League: 2001 Manager Chinese Jia-A League: 2003 (2nd Place) References External links Biography at Sina.com (Chinese) 1967 births Living people Chinese footballers Footballers from Shanghai Chinese football managers China international footballers Shanghai Shenhua F.C. players Beijing Renhe F.C. players 1992 AFC Asian Cup players Beijing Renhe F.C. managers Shanghai Shenxin F.C. managers Chinese Super League managers Association football defenders Shanghai Port F.C. non-playing staff