Q - How many shoes have you lost this season?
A – I haven’t lost any. However, a very old pair of Doctor Martens that I treasured finally fell apart just after Christmas.
Q - What are your views on Kenneth Akpuze?
A – I know that he enjoys something of a cult following amongst a section of our fans but sadly I don’t think he’s good enough. He lacks pace and his positioning is suspect. It didn’t go unnoticed that in the match he was sent off we went on to come from behind to beat PEA with only ten men. However, I wish him all the best wherever he ends up.
Q - Who would you like to be the next manager?
A – I’m happy with Heng. However, when he does go, I’d like to see Rene Desayere come in. He’s proved that he can do it in the TPL and if he’s actually left alone to get on with things, I’m sure he’d bring us a lot of success. My alternative choice would be Steve Darby. Again, someone with a proven track record in this region who would undoubtedly deliver if given a free rein.
Q - Who would you get rid of and bring in?
A – I think that our current crop of local players are more than a match for any other club’s home grown stars so I’d keep them all. However, I believe our overseas signings are a bit suspect. Kushida I’d keep plus Rekocevic. It’s too early to make a judgement on Geoffrey Duomong and it will be interesting to see how Jackie settles back in. If we are going to buy foreign players we need to go for quality. PEA are a fine example to follow in this respect.
Q - Worawi - discuss?
A – There’s nothing to discuss. He needs to go. Now!
Q - If you had to pick a player to fight to the death for your life, who would it be and why?
A – Chonlatit or Pipob. Both of them are scrappers and I’m sure they’d relish the challenge.
Q - Can you make any sense of the “Cups only” loan of Gaston at the last mid season break?
A – My understanding is that he was signed to give us another striking option and also the opportunity to “rest” players. He obviously suffered fitness wise from not getting regular games but he did score against Muang Thong and PEA so we must thank him for that. I don’t know what will happen to him next season.
Q - Is the price hike going to backfire for the club this coming season, given that season tickets were likely to have been B4,500 even if MTU had won the FA Cup and taken the AFC place?
A – The fact that a large number of season tickets have already been sold (I’m sorry, I don’t have the exact figures) and over 3,000 membership cards have been snapped up suggests that supporters haven’t initially been put off by the price rise. As long as the team is winning the fans will turn up. However, if we have a poor season, I can see gates dropping to around 3,500.
Q - Would you agree that the Thai FA & TPL have to finally become professional in their outlook and administration otherwise Thai football will never realize its potential as last season their efforts were awful?
A – Absolutely. I remember writing a couple of years ago that they should consider bringing in consultants from elsewhere (Japan, Germany) to advise on how to build on the boom period and move the league forward. However, we all know that’s not going to happen. It seems a shame that certain clubs, ourselves, Muang Thong United and the new Buriram United, are very professional and well run, while the league they play in is not. No doubt there are already whispers about a breakaway competition if the TPL/FAT don’t get it sorted soon. The season just finishing was a farce.
Q - Can you update us on any developments as regards the “new” stadium and whether in your opinion it is warranted given that the current home is actually only too small a few times a season and filling the corners in would seem to be the ideal solution?
A - The plan is for a 20,000 seater ground in Bang Saen - about three miles south of Chonburi and not far from where we are now. The development will include a concert hall, exhibition centre and (possibly) a hotel. The money will come from main sponsors Chang, Grammy Entertainment and other smaller local investors. Estimated cost is B200million.
At present, everything is on hold because the owners want to see how the club and Thai football in general progress over the next few years. If we regularly fill our current stadium (capacity 8,200) and there is a demand for more tickets, things could happen pretty quickly - within 5 years. The sponsors backing also relies on these figures. However, this being Thailand, things could change at a moments notice.
I agree with the club’s wait and see approach on this. In my opinion, the current ground is big enough and yes, filling in the corners would be the next step for me.
Q - Should Steve Darby be the next Chonburi FC manager whilst grooming Therdsak Chaiman for the job?
A – As I’ve said before, I’d love to Steve as head coach when Heng leaves. I think he’d do a good job. As for Therdsak, it would be nice if the club kept him on in some capacity when he finally retires from playing. He’s obviously well respected and would be a great influence on the younger players. Great players don’t always make great coaches so I’ll reserve judgement on that, if you don’t mind. I believe that he gets on well with Steve so they would be a good partnership.
Q - Will you vote for Newin Chidchob as the TPL Personality of the Year?
A – No. There’s more chance of me buying the Phil Collins back catalogue.
Q - Will there be more trouble when Buriram United come visiting next season?
A – I’d like to think not. However, rightly or wrongly, the perception amongst fans of other teams is that there are certain things that the club and its owners are allowed to get away with that other clubs can’t and this has built up a simmering resentment, which sometimes comes to the surface. I personally think that the owners of Buriram United need to be a little more humble and a little more careful how they conduct themselves. There’s no doubt in my mind - and I’m not condoning what the Chonburi fans did during and after our two home games last season – that their actions contributed to the problems seen inside and outside the stadium. You also have to consider that there is also a political aspect to this problem, which I’m not going to involve myself in. My advice to them, for what it’s worth, would be to let the team do the talking on the pitch and take the plaudits off it.
Q - What are your thoughts on Pattaya United?
A – Pattaya United seem to be heading in the right direction – they had a very good second leg in the 2011 season and have moved back to their own stadium. It will be interesting to see how they build on this in 2012 and if they can attract the fans – their away following for the derby at Chonburi Stadium was very poor indeed. However, I still don’t like the way they came into the TPL (buying Bang Phra’s place) and that will always count against them in my book. They should have started at the bottom and worked their way up. I appreciate that it’s probably a very English way of looking at things but arriving in a higher division by any other means than winning football matches stinks in my opinion.
Q - What are your thoughts on Buriram United?
A - Buriram United is obviously a very well run ambitious club. But, as with Pattaya United, I’d have a lot more respect for them if they’d have come up through the leagues as Buriram FC rather than getting a quick fix solution by moving PEA to the city. They (or rather their previous incarnation) are easily the best team in the country and are entertaining to watch and it will be fascinating to see how they cope against the region’s real big hitters when they compete in the AFC Champions League.
Q - What are your thoughts on Muang Thong United?
A - There is a lot to be admired about Muang Thong United. They have worked their way up from nowhere to become one of the biggest clubs in the country; admittedly they have had a fair amount of money behind them but they’ve still achieved what they have in the right way ie by winning matches. They are also to be commended for what they do off the field with their marketing and professionalism. Some of their recent upper management decisions have appeared odd from the outside looking in, and it will be interesting to see how they cope after completing their first season without winning something.
Q - What is your favourite Clarence Mansell/Tim Spear related incident?
A – There have been so many. But even though I wasn’t actually there at the time, it has to be when they threw a Muang Thong United fan out of the car in the middle of the highway. Apparently, they’d graciously offered to give him a lift after our win at the Yamaha Stadium on Christmas Day. However, he started making outrageous claims that the officials had favoured Chonburi and that Muang Thong were easily the better team. According to the two chaps, he refused to listen to their opinions and became quite rude, so Tim who was driving, stopped the car and asked him to get out. Which he eventually did, when he realized they were being serious. I expect he’s got his own version of events but the story made me laugh when I heard it.
Q – What would you rather hear a trumpet or an old fashioned rattle at the match?
A – I’m in favour of anything that adds to the atmosphere at matches. Both the trumpet and rattle were prominent last season and I hope we’ll see and hear them more often in 2012. The trumpet’s finest hour was away at Sisaket in December. Hearing a selection of Christmas carols eminating from the away terrace was a joy. As for the rattle, that brings back memories of watching games in England during the sixties and early seventies.
Q - Should there be lucky programme/ticket prizes every match?
A – There used to be a prize draw after every match when we played at the Municipal Stadium. I won a television once. I also won a few other minor prizes: a lamp, a toaster and a kettle. However, this was when we were getting crowds of about 500 so the odds were pretty good. There are lots of stalls outside the ground where you can win various things but the lucky programme or ticket number idea would be a good way of creating interest. I’m sure that it’s something that the club’s marketing department has considered.
Q - Should there be an agreement that a side has a minimum of 72 hours rest before their next match? Army Utd only had 48 hours before their FA Cup semi at PEA after the rain delay in their 1/4 final.
A – Let’s face it, this particular incident only really occurred because of the incompetence of the people who run the game in this country. There was a gap of fifteen and a half weeks between Chonburi’s 3rd round tie against TTM and our 5th round match against Army United (Round 4 was a hastily added extra round with four teams in it because 18 teams had qualified from Round 3). Then they had to fit the quarter finals, semi finals and final into one week. Madness! If the league and cups were organized properly, such things wouldn’t happen, other than in extreme circumstances. I don’t see a problem with teams playing two matches in three days if it is part of a pre arranged fixture list ie Christmas and Easter in England, as long as it doesn’t occur too often.
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