Q - How are you and what have you been up to since our last interview?
Well, it’s been a crazy couple of years! I’ve since graduated from high school and I now attend university in London. I currently study International Development at King’s College London, which is basically a politics and economics course. I’m still working towards being a football writer, but I’m also expanding my horizons of potentially going into research and academia alongside this. I barely recognise the kid from the last interview!
Q - How did you get your job at Football Tribe?
I’m going to tell the long form of this story if you don’t mind. It started two days after I graduated from high school, and I went on a trip to Hua Hin with my friends. They turned on a horror movie, so naturally I fled to my bedroom. Sitting down, I realised for the first time in a long while I had absolutely nothing to do, and it was a strange feeling.
I started looking for work in Thai football writing. I remember emailing you Dale, asking if you and Nigel (Thai League podcast) if you could recommend any paid work opportunities, but they were all dead ends. I got rejected from a few places, including HITC Sport. I eventually took a chance and sent a message to Football Tribe Asia on their Facebook page. The current boss Davide, who was the company’s finance guy at the time, gave me his email and said he would get back to me after the 2018 World Cup.
About a month and a half later, while I was on a trip to Hong Kong (sitting in Disneyland waiting for my friends to finish the rides because of my motion sickness - you can tell I’m no fun!), I got an email from former Football Tribe CEO Cesare Polenghi - and here we are now.
Q - What does your work as editor for Football Tribe involve?
Basically I edit articles from Southeast Asia, and write my own columns and pieces on Thailand. Football Tribe has editions for Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and elsewhere in West Asia. My work basically edits contributions from the Southeast Asian four - mostly articles and features that I organise and ask for, or sometimes things that are just translated from their site.
Q - What do you enjoy most about your role?
I’ll admit it wasn’t the case at first, but I really enjoy editing articles from other countries in the region. Getting to learn more about football in these places has been a joy for me. But the most incredible part of this whole experience working in Thai football has been the people I have been able to meet through interacting online. This goes for the managers and players in the Thai League themselves, as well as the many genuinely great friends thanks to my Thai football discussions on Twitter - some of whom have also joined me at Football Tribe. I hope the people reading this know who they are, and I just want to mention how grateful I am to have met you guys.
Q - How do you juggle this job with your studies?
It was very tough at first, and in short it requires a lot of planning and forward thinking at the start of the week in order to keep up. I’ve tried to get as efficient as I can with editing. I often have to find quiet spaces on campus to get the day’s work done, or stay up late the previous night to post the article early in the morning Thailand time. With how the British university curriculum goes, things to get very busy right at the middle and end of term, and managing things can get very difficult at those points. Thankfully, I have the most incredible and accommodating bosses in the world - Davide Ucchedu and Yurie Hatano - who give me leeway to let Football Tribe take a backseat during critical exams and assessments, as long as I catch up on other days. I try to go beyond my required quota of articles when I’m back in Bangkok to make it up to them.
Q - How easy is it for you keeping abreast of events happening in Thai football when you are so far away?
It’s not really that big a problem thanks to social media. The time difference isn’t an issue since I get to watch the games on weekend mornings, which is generally a good time anyways. It only gets a bit tight when the Thai national team plays on weekdays, and I watch games in the hallways on my phone screen if need be.
In terms of keeping up with the news, I tend to miss a couple of stories once in a while and post them a bit late, but it has never been a big issue.
Q - What improvements have you seen in the English content offered by local news outlets and clubs on their websites and social media accounts over the past two years?
Not much has changed to be honest. The Thai League official website is starting to put out some content in English, which is great to see, but in terms of media outlets, its been trucking along as normal. The Nation and the Bangkok Post don’t have any incentive to upgrade the depth of their coverage since there is no competition, and international websites don’t give the league enough attention and respect to be viable alternatives currently. When Thailand competes major international tournaments we get very good coverage, but there doesn’t seem to be much interest in getting in depth with the day-to-day of the Thai League. However, I hear multinational broadcasting company DAZN could be lining up a massive bid to take the broadcast rights from True Visions, which would be an absolute game changer and could spur a movement to having far more English/international coverage of the league.
Q - What have been the biggest improvements in Thai football in the past two years?
I’d point to two main things. The first is the marketing around the league and its growing visibility has been a great improvement. While attendances remain fairly flat, with a small improvement last year, the league’s recognition is growing and more people seem to be at least aware that there is a domestic league. In a sense the league has a more professional ‘packaging,’ which I hope leads to more improvements in quality down the line.
Another thing of interest is that more teams are becoming competitive at the upper end of the table, and the gap between the best and worst in the division is far less pronounced. In the past it was always either Buriram or Muangthong, but now we have the rise of Bangkok United, Port, Chiangrai and so on has made the division more competitive. Additionally, with the consistently rising quality of local coaches, many mid-table teams have also taken to playing more attractive football and they too can match up to the big sides on their day. It makes the league far more enjoyable to watch and it prevents the guys at the top from becoming complacent, which his always good.
Q - And has anything got worse?
If we’re looking at this particular short window of time, then we can say that club relocations are getting worse. I think many of us thought we were getting over that chronic problem, especially in the top two divisions. But this current league break has been a nightmare with clubs folding left and right, and it’s still not over. We have no idea which teams will be in T2 next year, or how many teams we will even have in T3 after this whole mess is over. For any league to be taken seriously at the top level in Asia, these kind of things can’t be happening on such a regular basis.
Q - Who are your current favourite Thai league players?
I mentioned Go Suel-Ki in my last interview, and he’s still going strong at 33 years old. I guess you can see from my picks that I appreciate a good central midfielder - one who either runs the game with his vision and passing or chokes out the oppositions attacking talents, if not both. Sarach Yooyen is another player I enjoy watching, and is starting to reach the levels he was at before his injury. Peeradol Chamrasamee is also near the top of the list because of the role he plays for Samut Prakan, and Charyl Chappuis deserves a shout as he is looking to re-invent himself in a deeper role, which has been a interesting to watch.
Future names I hope can prosper are Phitiwat Sukjitthamakul and Patcharapol Intanee. Both are hard workers and bring a level of grit and fight which is missing from many teams in the league, which I really appreciate.
Q - Who are your current favourite Thai league coaches?
I am very lucky to have met some of the Thai League coaches in person and have lengthy talks with them, so I can probably answer this question with a lot more detail than I did last time out.
I don’t hide my admiration for Mano Polking in my writing, and I think he is an absolutely incredible coach who always has time for journalists. I remember when I requested my first interview with him, I got a multi-hour long chat over dinner! He’s a very kind and generous guy, I can see why all of his players and coaching staff speak so highly of him.
Alexandre Gama is also an incredible guy. I got to know him very well as I always sat one row in front of them in the Muangthong press box while he’d be scouting for the U23 team. He’d always like to chat about the game and give his input. He also has a lot of respect for journalists and gives a lot of detail about his tactics and methods during his press conferences, but these tend to be lost in translation and aren’t fully appreciated by the Thai press. I have learned an incredible amount about football tactics thanks to Gama’s generosity, so it’s an honour to have met him too.
Other than them, Tetsuya Murayama at Samut Prakan City is also outstanding and has some great ideas about the game, but is still waiting to fully implement them. Other guys who have impressed me but I’m yet to interview one-on-one include Bozidar Bandovic, Surapong Kongthep and Teerasak Po-On.
Q - And your current favourite Thai league clubs?
I try to be unbiased in my commentary but I think it’s no big secret that I am a fan of (and former intern of) Muangthong United. I don’t really favour any clubs other than that. Like all journalists, I think I am just biased towards a good story, and tend to want clubs to win/lose based on that. I do personally oppose clubs whose actions I find to be morally upsetting on a personal level, but I make sure never to let that bleed over into my work.
Q - What were your overall impressions of the league this season?
It was definitely one of the most entertaining yet frustrating seasons I’ve seen. There was one point in mid-season where the top five teams were all separated by just five points, and none of those teams managed to win consistently. It was a tight title race, which is always fun to watch, but unfortunately it was only tight because no team was actually that good! It was great fun to watch in the moment, but looking back on it now I think it will be remembered as a particularly remarkable season, except for the fact that we had a new champion after 11 years. 2017 still remains my favourite season to date!
Q - In which areas do you think Thai domestic football still needs to improve?
Respect for the fans has got to be high on the list. This means keeping the relocations of fixtures to a minimum, setting reasonable kickoff times, and preventing relocations where possible.
In addition, the quality of coaching can still improve. All teams in T1 should have a minimum level of fitness and tactical awareness which isn’t always there. I think the Thai League could attract even better coaches if they were given freedom by the owners and time to implement their vision. We have some really incredible coaches at the top clubs, but I hope we can have more lower down in the league as well.
Stadiums and facilities need to improve, but that isn’t going to happen if relocations keep on occurring. Most owners aren’t in it for the long haul, and only use football as leverage for marketing or political reasons, which means they often fail to invest in the infrastructure of the club. That needs to change and owners need to be held to account far better.
Lastly, I think the league could improve by losing foreign quota restrictions and adding another spot. The quality of players we are able to sign now is increasing, but with the tight restrictions on the quota, those players are often asked to do too much and it brings the overall quality down in my view. Plus I also think it is leading to wage inflation in the Thai League, which makes our players uncompetitive abroad (sorry for applying economics logic to football, but I think it works here). By getting both more and better foreign players, it is possible for both our league and national team to start catching up to the best in Asia.
Q - If you could give Thai club owners/chairmen/chairwomen any advice, what would it be?
That hasn’t changed much - let the coach get on with his job. Let him (or her) run the training sessions, pick the starting eleven, and even sign off on incoming and outgoing transfers. Undermining the coaches authority is the worst thing a club owner or director can do.
Next, it would be to let players go abroad when they get offers and feel they are ready to leave. I think the Thai FA needs to encourage owners to see their investment as promoting the future of Thai football, and allow promising players to pursue their careers abroad. The worst thing we can do is overpay players who then lose their ‘competitiveness’ in the ‘market’ as clubs in other countries can just sign better local talent at a lower cost.
Q - Where do you see the Thai league in five year’s time?
Firstly, I hope to see the league’s attendances to continue to rise. I’m happy with how that’s gone this year and hope we can continue in the same vein. That being said, attendances are lower than what they could have been thanks to blunders like moving Chiangmai FC to Chiangrai and rescheduling games at awkward times. If we can
I hope to see some more investment in T2, so clubs from there can pose a threat to the teams in T1 which aren’t performing well. I think downsizing the league was excellent because it really punished the mismanagement of some clubs, which raises the overall quality.
Other than that, I hope we can see a Thai team reach the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League within this time. The tournament is being restructured to send 2 Thai teams straight to the group stage, and make qualification more balanced. Along with that, I hope we can start signing players from better ranked leagues and compete with some of the stronger clubs in Asia.
Q - What are your impressions of the national team?
After being effectively in stasis since 2016 since the latter part of Zico’s tenure, it’s nice to be moving forward again. Akira Nishino is definitely the right appointment to get things moving forward, but we have lost a lot of ground to our regional rivals Vietnam and I think most will agree that we are no longer the top side in Southeast Asia. I’m still upset at how the FA effectively setup Rajevac for failure in my view, so I hope things go a lot better this time around. Things have greatly improved since Nishino came in, but unfortunately I feel the media may turn on him if he fails to make the final round of qualifying like Zico did, even though I believe we are looking just as strong (if not a bit stronger by some metrics) than we did then.
Q - And the coach?
Akira Nishino already looks like he has what it takes to become a national hero and I am so happy we went for him. He is returning to the open and expansive football that Thai fans enjoyed under Coach Zico, but at the same time he’s building on the defensive solidity and organisation of Rajevac which is giving us a chance in the big games. We played an open and attacking game against the UAE, something I never thought we’d be able to do this soon, and it was great to watch.
Q - Realistically, where do you see them in five years time?
My hope is that we can reach the quarter finals of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China. In five years, I also hope at least half of the senior national team is based abroad, with maybe one or two guys in Europe. I think it’s still an open question as to whether the current U23 generation is as good as the previous ‘Golden Generation’ under Zico (which sadly hasn’t fulfilled it’s potential, mostly due to injuries and other extenuating factors in my opinion). I’d like to see us re-establish dominance in Southeast Asia, and I think the rise of Vietnam (and possibly Malaysia) will be a good thing for us if we use the increased regional competition to better ourselves and close the gap between us and the biggest teams in Asia.
Q - Looking back at our original interview, is there anything you'd answer differently now?
There isn’t that much, surprisingly! Most of my answers were true at the time but have changed now, such as my favourite players, discussed above. The biggest shift might just be my plans for the future, which is no surprise considering I was 16 when we did the last interview.
Q - Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I would like to thank everyone who supported me and helped me get into football journalism. It’s crazy to look back and see how much random chance encounters can change the trajectory of one’s career and I’m really grateful that things have turned out the way they have. Q - Looking back at our original interview, is there anything you'd answer differently now?
There isn’t that much, surprisingly! Most of my answers were true at the time but have changed now, such as my favourite players, discussed just below. The biggest shift might just be my plans for the future, which is no surprise considering I was 16 when we did the last interview.
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