TIME WILL TELL
by Brian Enever
A couple of weeks ago, while preparing for our trip to Chainat, I was reflecting that with just two games remaining, both against struggling opposition, we were a point ahead at the top of the league and in the FA cup final against a team we'd already completed the double over.
I was quietly confident and felt that, in Wada, we had found a coach that had taken an inherited squad and generally got them playing with a better shape and balance, with more purpose and desire and a confidence we hadn't seen from this squad before. He had taken us to a level where we were now competing on equal terms with the best of the rest, not hanging on to their shirt tails.
Sure at times both the team selection and tactics seemed questionable and that caused us to drop one or two silly points but generally I was happy with his performance. We'd gone on our longest unbeaten run during the second half of the season and we were already looking forward to see what new players he would bring in for next season.
How wrong I was. The Chainat game taught me we'll never beat corruption under the present administration/system, then the TOT game was just a hangover from the Chainat farce. Add another strange team selection coupled with more strange tactics a week later and we gave up the FA Cup (almost) without as much as a whimper.
In less than two weeks we'd blown everything we worked so hard for all season. On the way home from Suphachalasai though, we generally agreed that, had we have been offered league runners up and FA Cup final spots at the beginning of the season we'd have taken it.
But then the following day came the biggest shock of all: Wada resigned!
On trips to away matches all season we've questioned how much interference Wada may have had to endure from above. And more recently we'd heard vague rumblings that all was not well, that certain players had got to play, that Wada's hands were somewhat tied on both team selection and tactics, etc. But we never thought he'd resign.
I must admit, when I heard him stating 'family problems' as his reason for going my first thought was to want to ask the question: was it his own Japanese family or the family that own Chonburi FC that were causing his 'problems'?
I'll be intrigued to hear what Wada himself has to say about the whole of his season at Chonburi FC although I think it will be quite a long time, if ever, before we hear the real reasons behind his resignation.
But, whatever they are, I personally think we've lost a very competent coach and that saddens me.
But, just three days after Wada's resignation came surprise number two: Jadet returned!
Almost immediately I started receiving emails from friends, with a nostalgic theme of support for Jadet shining through them. They all tended to follow a similar theme, namely, because of his previous success he has the respect of the players that were at Chonburi during his last appointment, he is adored by the fans, he has a proven record of success and even 'he's a very nice person'.
Everybody seems to be 100% behind Jadet and would be happy with a top four spot (and hopefully a Cup). Even the friend who called for Wada to be sacked recently (when we were in second spot) because his team selection and tactics were 'suspect and a joke' has suggested a top four spot under Jadet would be successful.
They all have fond memories of his previous time at the club, which I didn't have the privilege of seeing.
So I have to look at his record to try and build up a picture of Jadet the coach. And it's that record at all his other clubs that prevents me from being quite so enthusiastic as others are. Unless I've missed any, he's coached four other TPL clubs, all since his league success with Chonburi, but the best he's achieved with any of them was eleventh place, back in 2009, with Pattaya Utd.
In the last three years he's finished thirteenth and twelfth with Songkhla Utd and (this year) fourteenth place with Chainat. Of course nothing's ever black and white, but, while I recognise and applaud his success at Chonburi, he appears to have failed to repeat that success at any other club he's coached.
While I fully accept facts and figures don't tell the full story they do tend to show general trends. I also realise both Chainat and Songkhla Utd are fairly new to the TPL and their main goal has been to establish themselves in the top flight. But I would have hoped a quality coach would have them in mid table safety, not fighting relegation.
The TPL of seven+ years ago was a very different animal to the TPL of today. It’s moved on a long way. Both provincial and some Bangkok based clubs with heavy financial backing and a much larger support base are our now flexing their substantial muscle. And with that financial backing more foreigners, both coaches and players, are far more influential in today's TPL.
Jadet's league success came seven years ago, during a different time in the TPL and, as the TPL has progressed to the present day, his performances in recent years appear to been average at best, and this concerns me.
Also, the speed with which his appointment was made suggests to me it was possibly a pre-planned manoeuvre, but was also a 'safe' appointment that would keep the supporters happy while allowing the owners/management to continue to exert their control. Plus, with the appointment of Jadet, the club will have some leeway before the supporters complaints start surfacing if we don't match this seasons achievements.
I well remember the 'reservations' I expressed when David Moyes was appointed at Man U a couple of years ago. As others here will confirm, right from the start I felt he wasn't the right person for the job. I had the same gut feeling when I first read about Jadet's appointment.
I'm concerned that that it's a backward step that has relied more on his success of nine years ago rather than his current potential based on his recent coaching appointments. As I said before, I think TPL football has moved on since he was successful.
But I do hope I'm wrong. I hope Jadet can once again be the perfect coach for Chonburi. Wada created a very good team spirit among the players during his time here and, from what I've heard, that is also a strong point with Jadet so he will continue with that rapport and that will hopefully get all the players on his side quickly.
If he can also keep the determination and will to win we've also seen improve this season we've got a good starting point. I also hope we will have several pre-season friendlies to impose his ideas on the players, and where we can assess his team properly. Hopefully to predict great things for next year.
As our webmaster said in an email to me: TIME WILL TELL
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