Q1: Could you please introduce yourself. Name, where you are from and how long you have been in Thailand.
A My name is Dale. I come from Oldham in England and I have been living in Thailand since February 1997.
Q2: Why do you support Chonburi FC? How did you know about the club?
A I support them because they are my local team. I first found out about them when I read a story in the old Thai football magazine, "Football Siam".
Q3: How long have you supported Chonburi FC?
A 5 years.
Q4: What do you think about FAT, SAT and Thai Government? Do you think they should support Thai football more? And what do you expect from them?
A I think that they all could do a lot more to support Thai football. They seem very disorganised and are all pulling in different directions. Even simple things like organising and publishing a fixture list seem beyond them! There were signs that things were improving earlier in the season, a new matchday magazine and an up to date website, but they still have a long way to go. I'm not the only one with these views. Lots of Thai football fans are very frustrated by these organisations and even people from overseas who take an interest in Thai football are very critical.
Q5: what do you think about the Thailand Premier League and Thai Pro League? Which one is better? Why?
A From a footballing perspective, the standard of football is better in the Premier League. However, it would be nice to see Thailand's top domestic competition include more clubs representing towns and cities from all over the kingdom and not just company and forces teams from Bangkok.
Q6: Do you have any ideas which can bring success to the Thailand Premier League?
A See above. I'd also like to see more coverage on Thai TV; currently we have a two minute highlight show which is broadcast at 7:30 on Sunday morning and one live match per week on Truesport. There may be more programmes but I haven't seen them! The newspaper coverage in Siam Gila is probably the best and is read by a lot of Thai football fans. I don't think it will ever happen but I'd like to see FAT maybe bring in someone from abroad to act as a consultant to show how a proper league should be run. Someone from Europe or maybe even Singapore or Vietnam whose domestic leagues seem a lot better run than ours.
Q7: What has been your most memorable experience since you started supporting Chonburi FC? Could you please tell me about this?
A Travelling up to Korat a couple of years ago to watch us clinch the Provincial League title in the last match of the season was particularly memorable. Also, the two trips to Singapore for the semi final second leg and then the final last year were great occasions.
Q8: What do you think about the Chonburi FC fans?
A They are loyal, passionate and they love their club. They are also the friendliest people I have ever met. They really enjoy themselves wherever and whenever they go to watch the team and, in spite of our reputation, are always well behaved. The biggest compliment I can give them is that they are like English football supporters but without any of the nastiness that sometimes creeps into English fan culture.
Q9: Chonburi FC are currently second in the league table after the first leg, are you satisfied with the team's performance? And what do you expect for the rest of this season?
A I am more than satisfied with this season's performances. The team has a great spirit and a belief in its abilities. I expect us to carry on in much the same way in the second half of the season. A lot will depend on whether or not 2 of our back 4 return from their "holiday" in England and other key players stay free from injury and suspension. I will be very disappointed if we don't win the league this season. I haven't seen any team who I consider to be better than us. And that includes BEC Tero!
Q10: What is the biggest difference between Chonburi FC and other clubs in the Thailand Premier League?
A Our fan base and off field organisation. We get the biggest crowds in the league. And, as I said before, the fact that we represent a city (or even a province) means that the club has its own identity.
Q11: What do you think about Suree Sukha? Is he good enough to play in the EPL? And what about Kiatprawut?
A Popular opinion among our supporters seems to be that Suree plays better for Thailand than he does for Chonburi. He's not a bad player but, in my opinion, he's not even the best at our club. His passing is suspect and I think he won't be physically strong enough for the English game. But, I wish him well. Kiatprawut is a very capable player. He can play either centre half or in midfield. He reads the game well and is strong in the tackle. His height is a definite advantage if he wants to play in Europe.
Q12: Who, in your opinion, is the better coach, Wittaya Laohakul or Jaded Meelarb? Why?
A They are both very good coaches. Last season, under Wittaya, we played some lovely passing football but lacked a cutting edge; our record P22 W5 D12 L5 tells its own story. And this season, with Jaded in charge, the football hasn't been as good, we are more direct, but there seems to be more grit in the team.
Q13: Who is your favorite Chonburi player? Why?
A Phaisan Pona. I think he is a very talented player. He plays in the middle of our defence. He is big and strong, a great passer of the ball, has a good brain and rarely loses a tackle. Some of the other Chonburi fans think he is too slow but I don't agree. If any of our current squad could carve out a career in England/Europe it would be Phaisan. It's a mystery to me why he's not a regular in the Thai national team. Special mention must also go to our star striker and captain, Pipob On-mo. He works tirelessly every week and is very brave. He is only a small man but he works hard, never shirks a challenge and always bounces back after every tackle and foul against him. He is also our leading scorer this season.
Q14: Could you give me your opinion about the work permit rules and regulations in England? Do you think these rules are fair?
A This is a tricky one. If a special talent from outside FIFA's top 70 wants to pursue a career in England why should he be denied the opportunity because of his nation's poor showing the rankings. If you're good enough then it shouldn't matter. On the other hand a lot of English clubs choose to buy cheaply from abroad and pay the players less, but more than they would be earning in their own countries. This means that good locally born English players get overlooked and that doesn't bode well for the future.
Q15: What would you do if you were Chonburi FC's owner?
A Our owner does a great job. He works very hard to promote the team, is always available to talk with the fans (he comes and joins us on the terraces before every match for a chat and to canvass our opinions), never misses a match and lays on free transport for the fans to travel to away games. Apart from signing Chris Taylor from Oldham Athletic and maybe selling pies at the stadium, I wouldn't do anything differently!
Q16: Do you think Chonburi FC are good enough to play in the AFCCL or AFC Cup next year?
A Yes. Absolutely. We are well equipped to play in either of these competitions. It would be great to get the opportunity to play against some of the really big clubs in Asia. I can't wait!!
Q17: Could you tell me about the Singapore Cup last year?
A It was a great experience. I went to the second leg of the semi final, which we won after a penalty shootout, and the final. Obviously losing the final after being 2-0 up with ten minutes to go was very disappointing but I have some very happy memories of the trips. Sitting with a few thousand ex-pat Thai workers, who were all supporting my team, in the Singapore National Stadium was a truly moving experience.
Q18: Chonburi FC have a lot of plans for the future. They are trying to develop the club into becoming the first real professional football club in Thailand. Do you believe they can reach their goal?
A I do believe that we can achieve this. We have a very ambitious owner who cares about the club, and a large fan base. There are also a lot of big companies who are involved in sponsorship deals and I'm sure that a lot of players would love to play for Chonburi. I'm not sure when this will happen but I expect it to be sooner rather than later. However, winning the league and qualifying for the AFC Champions League will be a big step towards it.
Q19: What do you think about BEC Tero? Are they good enough to win the league this season?
A When they came to Chonburi earlier in the season they played a very effective counter attacking game and were well worth their victory. I haven't really seen much of them since but their results (especially the 7-0 win against the Police last week) speak for themselves. It will be a huge match when we go there in the middle of next month. Can I just add that a lot of their success this year is probably down to couple of ex-Chonburi players who are now in their team!!
Q20: If Suree and Kiatprawut do move to play in Europe, do you think it will affect Chonburi FC? Why? Which players would you like to sign in their place?
A Well, we missed them last Saturday at BKK University!! But, Phaisan was also out, suspended. I don't think that it will affect us too much as we have enough cover and have recently made a couple of signings. As regards new players.....I'd like to sign Chris Taylor from Oldham Athletic. He is a very exciting young winger. Do you think he'd come?!!! More realistically, I'd like to see Daniel Nascimento and Ney Farbiano de Oliveira (if he cuts out some the histrionics) from Tobacco Monopoly join us. Two very good players who would bring a lot of skill and experience to the team.
No comments:
Post a Comment