The Twelve Month Season
by Malcolm Imray
In this article, I am going to discuss the 2011 Thai Premier League (TPL) season. This campaign is best remembered for being the longest ever season in recent memory. The entire season stretched for over one calendar year due to the infamous Thai floods of 2011 and the lack of planning at the onset which caused the fixture list to be constant chopped and changed.
In 2011, I was living and working in Bangkok and I had started watching local Thai football a couple of years earlier. The price of a match ticket ranged between 50-100 baht and all in all it was a cheap and entertaining evening’s entertainment. Granted, the football wasn’t of the highest quality but the friendly atmosphere and the fact that you could drink beer inside the majority of the stadiums was an added bonus.
Going to the matches gave me the opportunity to make new friends and visiting the stadiums throughout Thailand enabled me to see parts of country that I would never have encountered otherwise.
The popularity of Thai domestic football was on the rise and many of the teams in the 2011 TPL are still recognisable today. On the other hand, some of the clubs no longer exist or have morphed into barely identifiable entities.
Anyway, before I give a summary of the key events throughout the season, I will first introduce to you the 18 teams that competed in the 2011 TPL.
THE TEAMS
As the season was about to commence, there were realistically three sides that could be crowned champions. The first was Muangthong United. They had emerged from nowhere in the late noughties and with the backing of Siam Sport they had earned back to backs title wins in 2009 and 2010. Their team boasted some of the top Thai talent available and in my opinion Datsakorn Thonglao was the best Thai player during this period. He pulled the strings from central midfield and was the engine of the team. Additionally, big things were expected from promising Thai youngsters Teerasil Dangda and Kawin Thamsatchanan. At one point, there were rumours circulating that Manchester United were showing an interest in the MTU shot-stopper. We will never know for sure how concrete these rumours were but a transfer never materialised for Kawin.
Prior to Muangthong’s league wins, the Ayutthaya based Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) had claimed the title in 2008. In 2009, the club relocated to Buriram and gradually evolved into the Buriram United that we know today. Backed by the money of local entrepreneur and politician, Newin Chidchob, the 2010 runners-up had seasoned Thai veterans Suchao Nutnum and Rangsan Viwatchaichock in midfield and an impudent young left-back named Theerathon Bunmathan. Their foreign roster had some youthful African talent with the most notable being a 17 year old christened the Ghanaian Messi. Frank Acheampong would later sign for Anderlecht and featured in the UEFA Champions League for the Belgian side. Surprisingly, he played at left back rather than the striking role he occupied whilst in Thailand.
In the previous four seasons, Chonburi had finished first, second, second and third. Their two most noteworthy players were Therdsak Chaiman and Pipob On-mo. Therdsak was approaching his forties by now yet he was still their most creative player. Pipob was also the wrong side of thirty and he was the Shark’s primary goal-grabber. This would be the first year that Chonburi played at the recently built Chonburi Stadium. Prior to this, the Sharks had been based at the IPE Stadium in the north of the city. As they were moving out of this venue, Pattaya United and Siam Navy were moving in. Siam Navy would spend the first half of the season at the IPE before moving to their modern day home in Sattahip during the middle of the season while for some reason Nong Prue was unavailable for Pattaya. The local Pattaya expats that regularly attended home matches were delighted that they had managed to hold on to the 2010 TPL top scorer, Ludovik Takam, yet it was a bitter blow for them moving away from Nong Prue.
In addition, there was another side from the province joining the Chonburi trio as Sriracha had been promoted as champions of Division 1. Recent followers of modern day Thai football might not be familiar with this club. The Blue Marlins were owned by the same owners as Chonburi and Pattaya and in 2014 when one club had to be made into a youth side by the men upstairs, the victim was Sriracha which caused much dismay to their small but loyal fanbase. According to Wikipedia, the club has relocated a couple of times since 2014 and has since morphed into Thawi Watthana FC, a Nakhon Pathom based club playing in the Thai Western Amateur League.
The other two promoted sides accompanying Sriracha were Chiang Rai United and Khon Kaen. The TPL was now beginning to have more regional feel to it rather than the predominantly Bangkok based one of lowly supported teams affiliated with either the military or commercial businesses. CRU had come from nowhere to sneak into the third Division 1 promotion spot. They had been mid-table all season but a late run of positive results under the guidance of Stefano ‘Teco’ Cugurra ensured the recently formed northern club would host TPL football for the first time. Khon Kaen would also be making their debut season in the top flight. However, unlike Chiang Rai United, the T-Rex would never establish themselves as a TPL club. After some recent grim years in the lower depths of Thai football, they have rediscovered themselves, and in 2018 they were pipped by Chiang Mai on the last day of the season as they just failed to win promotion back to the TPL.
As domestic Thai football was evolving, company sides such as the Thai Tobacco Monopoly (TTM) and Osotspa left Bangkok as they bid find a true footballing identity. Unfortunately, TTM dissolved in 2015 after moves to Samut Sakhon, Phichit, Chiang Mai and Lopburi never worked out. By the time they returned to Bangkok in 2014 to play in Lat Krabang, the writing was on the wall. With no fan base to speak of or any real finance, the club called it a day when they were relegated from Division 1 in 2015. In 2011 though, they were in Phichit and TTM were a well-established TPL side.
Meanwhile, Osotspa were playing in Saraburi and they seemed to be fairly settled and welcome in their new surroundings. For all that, the upcoming emergence of local side Saraburi FC from the regional leagues meant there were two teams in Saraburi seeking local support and financial backing. As Osotspa were the adopted child of the province, there was only going to be one winner and in 2015 they moved back to Bangkok to play at the Rajamangala. Like TTM, the club were on the road to nowhere. Despite a subsequent takeover and move to Samut Prakan, relegation from T1 in 2017 saw the end of the Osotspa that we know.
Another club that disappeared from our radars in 2017 were Samut Songkhram. In 2011, the Raging Mackerels were backed by the SCG Cement group. Of course these days, SCG are the notable backers of Muangthong United. Unfortunately for Samut Songkhram, the ambition of the cement group was never really an ideal fit for the small provincial town. The Samut Songkhram stadium was ramshackle and their pitch would flood after a heavy downpour making games comical at times. Their makeshift grandstand was one of the steepest and most dangerous I ever witnessed and it would never have passed health and safety regulations in a lot of other countries. Away trips to Samut Songkhram were certainly memorable but not necessarily for the right reasons.
The 2011 season saw the TPL increase from 16 to 18 clubs. Consequently, a round of playoffs were created at the end of 2010 between the three sides finishing in the TPL relegation slots and the fourth, fifth and sixth placed teams in the second tier. The first group of playoffs was between the Royal Thai Army, Bangkok United and Songkhla. Army, who had finished bottom of the TPL, comfortably won their group to retain their TPL status. As a result, the club rebranded and were renamed Army United. Money was invested in the squad and a quartet of Brazilian players was signed as the club aimed to compete at the other end of the table.
The other playoff group with Air Force, Sisaket and Nakhon Pathom was to produce more drama. With Air Force quickly out of contention, it became a shoot-out between Nakhon Pathom and Sisaket. Nakhon Pathom would book their place in the top division if they could win their Christmas Day showdown at home to Sisaket. In a frustrating game which produced three red cards, the club owners and fans of Nakhon Pathom were running out of patience as the clock ticked down. The 0-0 stalemate meant Sisaket would win promotion if they beat Air Force in their last game. With this being a forgone conclusion, it was too much to bear for the fans and owners of the club and they invaded the pitch to remonstrate with what they believed was a corrupt referee. In the fracas that followed, the match official was viciously attacked and photographs showed one of the club’s principal stakeholders striking the referee’s head with the butt of his gun. As a result, Nakhon Pathom were suspended from all competitions for two years before returning to the fold in 2013.
Sisaket had been a welcome addition to the TPL in 2010 and most neutrals were pleased they had stayed up. Despite their poor form on the pitch, their travelling contingent had regularly outnumbered many home supports. The Sisaket natives who had left home to find work in other provinces were a friendly bunch and they would turn up enmasse to cheer on their local heroes whenever they were in town.
With Sisaket and Army reprieved, the only club to be relegated from the TPL in 2010 were Bangkok United. Back then they were based at Bangkok University in Rangsit and had very few followers. Nowadays, Bangkok United has vast financial backing and regularly challenge for trophies which is a stark contrast from this period.
Elsewhere in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, there were BEC Tero, Thai Port, Police United, Bangkok Glass and TOT. Similar to Buriram United, the owners of Bangkok Glass had recently bought their way into the TPL when they acquired the Krung Thai Bank franchise. There was a lot of money pumped into the club and the newly built Leo Stadium became a popular away trip for many fans. In the following years, BG established themselves as a top 6 side but lack of consistency on the field meant they never threatened to win a title. In 2018 they suffered relegation and will be known from now on as BG Pathum United as they try to make a swift return to the TPL in 2019.
In 2017 BEC Tero Sasana and Police United merged to form the Police Tero. In 2011 BEC Tero were playing at the cramped Thephasadin Stadium in downtown Bangkok while Police were based at the Thammasat Stadium, a venue which was far too big for their meagre support. Tero had been a mainstay of Thai football up until this point yet they were still struggling to keep up with the new emerging teams that had plenty of financial clout. At this time, Police were known as Insee Police United. Despite the large backing from Insee, Police were at best a mid-table side and once the backing of Insee ceased, the club’s days were numbered.
At TOT and Thai Port things were looking bleak as ownership disputes threatened the very existence of both clubs. In 2010, TOT-CAT had played their home fixtures at the Yamaha Stadium in front of a handful of fans. At the end of the season, a bitter dispute regarding the ownership of the club between the two telecommunications companies almost saw TOT-CAT dissolved. With days left before the 2011 season kicked off, the dispute was awarded in favor of TOT and a squad was hastily assembled before the season commenced. The club eventually relocated to their headquarters in Laksi and continued to punch well above their weight in the top flight until they were wound up in 2016.
Before Madam Pang took the reins at Thai Port in 2015, the club seemed to be permanently embroiled with dissention in the boardroom. In 2011, the conflict between the Port Authority and Super Rich became a standoff as neither party was prepared to release funds for new players or improvement work for the stadium. Matches at the PAT had to kick off at 4pm as the floodlights were not up to standard. The combination of the heat and fans’ work commitments meant there were few spectators inside the stadium at kick off. Gradually though, the PAT would fill up as the match progressed. The dispute between the Port Authority and Super Rich rumbled on for a good proportion of the season before the Port Authority were ultimately granted the rights.
THE KICK-OFF
The newly rebranded Army United came flying out of the blocks and in their opening home match, a reported crowd of over 15,000 spectators watched Army claim a 3-0 win over champions Muangthong. Brazilian striker Leandro dos Santos was unplayable that evening and it appeared that Army had found a gem of a front man.
Within a few weeks though, Army United’s early season charge had begun to stutter. Star striker Leandro had lost his goal scoring touch and Army’s poor away form meant the title race was becoming a two horse race between PEA Buriram and Chonburi. The reigning two times champions Muangthong Utd were on their third coach of the season by this time and inconsistent form meant they were miles off the pace in 6th position. Rene Desaeyere and Carlos Roberto had already been moved on and the much travelled Henrique Calisto was the current occupant of the position
After losing their first five games and scoring zero goals in the process, TOT had improved and had moved out of the relegation zone after a string of impressive results. As predicted, the boardroom troubles at Thai Port had affected morale in the camp and Port’s failure to replace star striker Sarayuth Chaikamdee (Jo 5 Yards) in the pre-season meant the were struggling to find the back of the net. Other sides such as Khon Kaen, Navy, Samut Songkhram, TTM Phichit, Sisaket, Chiang Rai United and Sriracha were also facing a long campaign at the bottom.
In similar fashion to Army United, BEC Tero had started the season brightly but by June they’d hit a woeful run of form and their English coach Peter Butler was sacked after the Fire Dragons suffered four successive league defeats. Their form had dipped after pin-up boy Terrathep ‘Leesaw’ Winothai suffered a broken leg. Butler was the second English coach to be fired this year after Dave Booth had earlier been shown the door at Sisaket.
Another coach departing from downtown Bangkok in June was Sasom Pobpraserd. After a decent run of results, Thai Port had moved into the top half of the table. Sasom had won the 2009 FA Cup, and 2010 League Cup with Thai Port but the lure of financial backing both on and off the field saw him depart to Division 1 side Buriram FC.
As mentioned previously, Newin Chidchob had moved the PEA franchise to Buriram in 2009. In the same year, his wife Karuna was credited with founding Buriram FC. Karuna is probably best identified as the cheerleader who stands in front of the Buriram fans conducting choreographed singing and dancing routines.
Anyhow, with a large budget, the newly formed Buriram FC were quickly promoted from the regional leagues and in 2011 they were playing in Division 1. Many of their players had been transferred from PEA after the 2010 campaign and they comfortably won Division 1 in 2011. This meant PEA Buriram and Buriram FC would both line-up in the TPL in 2012. To avoid a conflict of interest, the rights were sold and Buriram FC moved lock, stock and barrel to Songkhla in the south of Thailand. The name of the team was changed to Wua Chon United before it was renamed Songkhla United one year later. Unfortunately for the new local fans, this club never became the Buriram of the south and they have since disappeared from the Thai football scene. ,
Going back to the subject of departing managers, Bryan Robson resigned as head coach of the national team after receiving surgery for throat cancer. The former Manchester United and England captain’s resignation was mutually accepted by the Thai FA after a fairly unimpressive 21 months in charge. Coming into replace the Englishman was Winfried Schaefer. The German’s greatest coaching achievement prior to this appointment was winning the African Nations Cup in 2002 with Cameroon. The German fans of Thai football appeared enthused with this appointment. However, after a couple of early impressive results, Schaefer’s relationship with the Thai FA became tenuous and consequently expectation was not fulfilled. The national side only began to play to their full potential once Kiatisuk ‘Zico’ Senamuang took over in 2014.
END OF PART 1
The first respite in the league schedule happened in mid-June. This was a planned seven week break for the TPL clubs. To fill the gap, FA Cup and Toyota League Cup fixtures were scheduled during the mid-season siesta. In addition to that, there were to be a couple of World Cup qualifiers for the national team and the much hyped TPL Allstars versus Chelsea friendly or as it was glamorously titled the ‘Coke Super Cup.’
By this point in the season, PEA had moved from the I-mobile Stadium to the New I-Mobile Stadium and they had opened up a healthy 10 point lead over second placed Chonburi. Their young attacking duo, the two Franks or Frank and Franck if I’m being precise, were too hot to handle for many defences. Franck Ohandza, who was 19 years old at the time, would go on to be the season’s top scorer bagging 19 league goals in the process.
THE BEGINNING OF THE FLOODS AND THE ARRIVAL OF GOD
During the previous months, there had been excessive rainfall in The Land of Smiles and floods were beginning to appear in northern Thailand. Rumours began to circulate that devastation could be caused throughout the country as rivers would burst as the overabundance of water flowed south through the Central Plains into the Gulf of Thailand. Divine intervention was beginning to look like the best hope of salvation and in July, God arrived in Nonthaburi. Unfortunately for many Thai citizens, it wasn’t the all-powerful being from the heavens above. Instead it was a rotund Scouser in his mid-thirties. It was of course Robbie Fowler. He was most noted for being a prolific goalscorer for Liverpool back in the nineties, but those days were long gone and to most foreign fans in Thailand, this appeared to be a lucrative deal (1 million baht per month apparently) that was doomed to fail. However, for the Thai fans of Muangthong, they were bubbling with enthusiasm as the former Liverpool legend arrived in Thailand.
Fowler’s debut in the TPL was underwhelming. He appeared as a second half substitute at Thai Port and to say he was five yards off the pace would have been a compliment. Things didn’t get much better for Fowler on the playing front but as the season progressed there would be another role for Robbie to try his hands at. More about that shortly.
THE SECOND HALF
As the national side had progressed into the third round of the World Cup qualifiers to face Australia, Oman and Saudi Arabia, there would be more postponements and shuffling of TPL fixtures in September, October and November. Chonburi and Muangthong were also making good progression in the AFC Cup so their fixtures were being shifted to accommodate their cup run.
By the beginning of October, much of Northern Thailand and the Central Plains had suffered bad flooding. In Bangkok, panic alarms were ringing as the serious threat of the capital city being submerged was becoming a reality.
Meanwhile in Nonthaburi, Sir Robert of Fowler was about to elevated into the MTU hotseat. The Twin Kirins and Henrique Calisto had parted company after Muangthong were knocked out of the AFC quarter finals by Kuwait SC. Fowler’s coaching career at Muangthong got off to a positive start with a comfortable 3-1 victory at Samut Songkhram and that was followed with a 4-1 home win over Chiang Rai. At the point of Fowler’s appointment, MTU were nine points behind leaders Buriram and had an outside chance of reclaiming their crown for a third successive season.
Elsewhere, Pattaya United, Chiang Rai United and Sisaket were enjoying a decent second half of the season while Thai Port and Army were in a poor run of form. Thongchai Sukkokee’s Port had booked a spot in the Toyota League Cup final but the continual lack of goals in the TPL saw them slip down the league table while three months without a win meant Army were enduring a similar predicament. Fortunately for the pair TOT, Samut Songkhram, Sriracha, Navy and Khon Kaen had been struggling all season and it was looking like any three from this five would be relegated.
By mid-October, the league schedule was lacking it’s full complement partly due to the flooding and bizarrely because of the upcoming SEA Games in November. At this point, Osotspa’s home venue in Saraburi was unplayable as were the Pathumthani venues of the Leo Stadium and the Thammasat. BG were using the Thephasin and Yamaha stadiums instead while Police were making the 200 km round trip to play in Suphanburi Provincial Stadium.
Between the last weekend of October and mid-November every TPL match was postponed as the TPL season meandered aimlessly towards its conclusion. However, by the end of the month, the competition had almost returned to its full complement as the flood waters were receding. Unfortunately, the TOT Stadium in Laksi had become another victim and due to a shortage of time matches were now being rearranged for January 2012. This was well beyond the original date set in November for the end of the season.
The first weekend in December was the first time that all 18 teams had been involved on the same weekend since way back in August. There was good news for Bangkok Glass as they could finally return to the Leo Stadium after weeks of flooding has surrounded the Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok road in Pathumthani. With the title race basically done and dusted and Buriram bound, the relegation battle was heating up. Khon Kaen appeared doomed and it was a case of which two from Navy, Sriracha, TOT and Samut Songkhram would join them in Division 1.
The TPL title was sealed the week before Christmas as Buriram registered a 3-1 at Army United. The title race had more or less been a forgone conclusion since the first weeks of the season as PEA had been too strong for their rivals. Muangthong and Chonburi had been frittering away points and it was between the pair for second place and a potential AFC spot.
The Sharks 2-1 win at MTU on Christmas Day virtually assured them a second placed finish as Muangthong’s abject run of form in December continued. On the same day, Khon Kaen's one year stint in the TPL ended as they tamely lost 4-0 at Bangkok Glass.
HAPPY NEW YEAR (2012)
As the New Year holidays beckoned, fixtures were yet again chopping and changing to appease 'special requests' from clubs. By this stage attendances were decreasing. Many fans had lost interest and the fact that several matches were ‘deadwood’ with little at stake, didn’t help matters.
There was no uniformity to the end of the season as some sides had completed their full set of fixtures by the first week of January while other still had three or four games to play. Thai Port were one of those sides that had finished their league business in early January and they faced a four week break until the Toyota League Cup final against Buriram on 4 February.
Meanwhile, Buriram PEA were going for a historic treble and they collected the Thai FA Cup after Frank Acheampong hit an extra time winner to beat bitter rivals Muangthong United 1-0. The final was played on a Wednesday evening at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok. This loss was apparently too much for a certain coach as he scuttered off back to England without any official word from the press or the club.
THE END IS NIGH
The TPL season finally ended on 28 January 2012, 50 weeks after it started back in February 2011. In truth the last weekend's fixtures were anything but mundane as TOT, Samut Songkhram and Siam Navy were fighting it out to avoid the last relegation spot. TOT and Samut Songkhram were in the driving seat and wins would guarantee their safety. Somewhat disappointedly, there was to be no last day drama as Siam Navy were confirmed as the third and final team to be relegated from the TPL. The Sattahip based side meekly lost 2-0 at Sriracha and they joined their weekend opponents and Khon Kaen in Division 1.
There was just one more game to play before the 2011 season could be concluded. The first scheduled Toyota League Cup final was postponed back in October due to the critical flooding situation in the north of the capital and the final was to be a rerun of 2010 as the holders, Thai Port, took on this season's TPL and FA Cup double winners, Buriram PEA. In the previous season, Port caused a minor upset when they beat PEA 2-1. Nonetheless, another upset appeared unlikely as morale at Port was low after players had allegedly gone several weeks without any salary. In addition to this, some players had been released at the end of December when their contracts ran out. They had to be given special dispensation by the authorities to play this match. Only the staunchest of Thai Port fans gave their side any chance!
And as predicted there were to be no surprises as Buriram PEA claimed the domestic treble after overcoming Thai Port 2-0 at the Supachalasai Stadium. The game was slightly farcical at times as a downpour before the kick off caused players of both sides to slip and slide all over the place. Buriram took a first half lead from an inswinging kick from Rangsan and the match was sealed deep into injury time when Thai Port sent every player upfield to press for an equalizer. As Port conceded possession, Clarence Bintang broke from inside his own half and coolly trundled the ball into the vacant net from about 45 yards out.
Buriram had a fantastic season and they deserved the treble. The squad had been blended together by coach Attapol Buspakom with experienced Thai pros and skillful youngsters mostly from Africa. The two African lads at the back, Ekwalla Herman and Florent Obama built a solid partnership while the tricky Frank Acheampong and the 2012 TPL leading scorer, Franck Ohandza, grabbed all the headlines upfront.
The season officially ended on 4 February 2012. It had all began on 30 January 2011 when Chonburi beat Muangthong in the Kor Royal Cup. It lasted a total of 54 weeks. The next TPL season would start again in six weeks while Buriram had a two week break before facing Japanese side, Vegalta Sendai, in the Toyota Premier Cup. On the same weekend, the Division 2 regional leagues would start which meant there was a grand total of two weeks without any football. They have longer breaks for international fixtures these days!!
No comments:
Post a Comment