In the twenty three years I've been following Thai football, it has been my pleasure to meet many wonderful people; coaches, fans, players, pundits, journalists and administrators. One of the joys of the local game is the accessibility. It's so easy to reach even those at the very top and everyone - by and large - is happy to give you their time. It is a dream scenario for those of us who write about it and an opportunity for the more ambitious to make their mark.
In the past few years, the number of foreigners watching and reporting on the game has increased dramatically, and this can only be a positive thing. One of the first to get involved in this burgeoning scene was a bloke called 'John' (not his real name). 'John' wrote for independent websites, established media outlets, newspapers. His articles were always worth reading. They were well penned, well informed, witty and mostly, very accurate.
Through his dedication and hard work, he managed to carve out a little niche for himself and eventually ended up working in the marketing department of two big TPL clubs. He was now on the "inside", and he put his knowledge and expertise to good use by raising the profile - and awareness - of first one club, then the other - taking them places they never thought of going. It was no more than he deserved.
A few years ago, I, along with a friend, ran into 'John' before a Chonburi away match in the capital. He was still employed at the first of his two clubs and was his usual friendly self, but he appeared slightly more excited than normal. After a brief chat, he informed us that he had been asked to provide the first ever English language commentary for a live, televised TPL fixture. A huge honour and landmark.
The game was scheduled for the following day and he told us how he had been preparing and shared the details of the set up. He would get his very own booth at the stadium, equipped with monitors and a microphone. This was serious stuff and a big breakthrough for the league - and us foreigners. We congratulated him and promised to tune in.
The next day, word got around on Twitter and, with mounting anticipation, at 6:00pm we all switched on our TVs, pressed the 'Audio' button on our remote controls, chose the 'ENG' option and waited for 'John's' dulcet tones to guide us through the action. The match had kicked off and the Thai commentators were in full swing, but there was only silence from 'our man'.
Tweets were exchanged and suggestions were made as to how we could access the commentary:
"Try turning it off and then back on again".
"Switch channels and then switch back".
"Click on the DD+ button".
All were tried and all failed. By half time, most of us had given up and contented ourselves with the usual pundits attempting to describe the action in front of them. It had been a huge disappointment and anti-climax. What had gone wrong?
A week later, I met 'John' at another game. There were no pleasantries this time. I waded straight in with the question that was on everyone's lips:
"What happened? Why didn't you do the commentary?"
"I did," he replied.
"No-one could hear you," I responded. "We were all trying to find it, but no-one could hear you."
He looked at me. His face a mixture of betrayal, disappointment and embarrassment. "That's because they didn't turn it on," he said. "I sat in that little room talking to myself for two hours."
After a brief pause, we both started laughing. Even though he'd been badly let down, 'John' could see the funny side and, if he was being honest, it was probably what he had expected to happen.
Sadly, 'John' has now moved away and Thai football - especially the English language coverage - is all the poorer for his absence. I don't think there'll ever be anyone who can match the quality of his writing and levels of enthusiasm. However, for all he contributed to the local scene, I'll always remember the day he thought he was making history, but, in effect, was just talking to himself.
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