by Matt Riley
11th November, 2014
In a refreshingly off-message comment for a man yet to sign his contract, Thai coach Kaitisuk "Zico" Senamuang bemoaned the lack of preparation by the Thai national team and highlighted how it contrasts to that of their upcoming opponents. He told English language newspaper The Nation yesterday:
"We have very little time to prepare. Actually we should have started preparations two years ago directly after the last edition."
He is, of course, absolutely right. But, on the same day, kickoff for Sunday's showpiece FA Cup final was moved forward without a thought for its consequences. Kicking of two hundred metres away from the Bangkok Glass and Chonburi showdown, the Thepasadin Stadium will host the Women's under 19 AFC qualifier against Myanmar. This was perfectly timed for FA Cup fans to come early, support the Thai women, then make the two minute walk to the Supachalasai Stadium. But, in a tediously typical last minute change in isolation from other events, FA Cup final fans can only see the first half of the women's game and a few minutes of the second, creating a bizarre atmosphere for the women and a flat end to their game.
"Zico's" strident comments ring true when you survey the last two years for their opponents and their preparation. Since their heartbreaking overall defeat after a single goal victory at Sunday's FA Cup final venue, Thailand are now on their third coach after the departure of German Winnie Schaefer and the brief tenure of Thai Surachai Jaturapattarapong. Singapore lost their Serbian title-winning coach Radojko Avramovic and, apart from a single care-taking match by Singaporean V Sundramoorthy, have had the stability and planning of German Bernd Stange. Malaysia come into the tournament with a similar situation after long-term boss K. Rajagopal left, Ong Kim Swee took over as interim coach and fellow Malaysian Dollah Salleh was appointed this year. Myanmar welcome their second coach since the last tournament and they will be delighted that it is Avramovic, who will look to improve on 2012's single point exit.
There is something profoundly depressing to hear the Thai national coach, in charge of some of the region's most talented players from one of its most high profile leagues, already preparing the ground for yet another tournament disappointment. Time and again Thai FA short, medium and long term planning spans the next twenty four hours whilst often weaker (but more organised) countries speed past on preparation merit alone. The second quote from Zico has the ring of an epitaph for his reign, even before he has put pen to paper on its introduction. I hope the Asian Games spirit can be rekindled and fire Thailand to success, but if it does it will be despite, not because, of those charged with planning their campaign.
"We haven't won this tournament for more than a decade. Our regional rivals, meanwhile, have been preparing for more than a year."
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