by Matt Riley
September, 2014
So the biggest game in Suphanburi's history on October 29th, an FA Cup semi final against mighty Chonburi FC, has been carefully planned for and, uniquely, there is no Buriram or SCG Muang Thong United looming large for Suphanburi in only their second season in the Thai Premier League. The chance to play in the AFC competitions as the FA Cup winner is a massive motivation to put aside a moderate league campaign and make sure we have the best chance of changing our club's destiny.
We have two new foreign signings in Marcio Rozario and Sergio van Djik who are not in the cup squad so, wisely, our three friendlies have used them extensively for the league matches coming up before the end of next month. We also have a player in Nije Divine who is only contracted for FA Cup games, so we have used him sparingly to build him up ready for the massive game against The Sharks in four weeks. This has also meant less playing time for our club captain as winnable league games are coming up and we want to ease him into the mega-match coming up. Coach Velizar Popov has organised it just right to make sure legs are spared and plans put in place for league and cup games. But, hold on, the match has been changed to six days from now at a different stadium and without a confirmed kickoff time.
For Suphanburi's opponents Chonburi, going for the authentic double they blitzed Nakhon Ratchasima in their last friendly with their full first team ( minus the two in Incheon for the Asian Games) whilst Suphanburi tinkered, rested and assessed a range of players for the game with BEC Tero and played six foreigners to rest Thai players for Sunday's league game with little importance against Osotspa M150.
Whatever happens later today for the national team against South Korea, they will play for the gold or bronze on Thursday and be expected to front up seventy two hours later for the biggest match so far this season. So the determination to register three points on Sunday for The Sharks has put them solidly on the front foot whilst, for Suphanburi, scratchy friendly results against Bangkok FC and Tero didn't matter until now but, through no fault of their own, have come back to haunt them.
After a decade of criticising the fools at the FAT, I am only left with despair fatigue. Witnessing the organisational vortex of a group of men barely able to place one foot in front of the other without falling over doesn't even make me angry any more. Like catching my son listening to One Direction, I am just disappointed. The FAT told us last month month our goalposts were in breach of size regulations, but they hadn't started the tape measure from zero. This is the measure of their ineptitude and they deserve nothing but our utter contempt.
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