The Tap Room - Would A Thai Super League Work?: 2014

The Tap Room - Would A Thai Super League Work?

1st September, 2014

Reply #1

Name: Matt Riley

Twitter: @fcsuphanburi

The latest attendance figures for the TPL provided by Klaus, show that seventy percent of clubs suffer from reduced crowds, the national team languishes in the Mississippi swamps of FIFA ranking and the early years of exponential growth seems to have entered a plateau phase. Maybe it's time for a shot in the arm of razzmatazz, Indian Super League style.

 

The Heroe ISL is a three month football equivalent of the mega-bucks cricketing IPL, attempting to morph into America's MLS, though whether that is the current powerful model or the frightening, tasseled-kitted monstrosity of the seventies is yet to be seen. One of the most obvious deviations from the TPL will be the number of ISL foreign players. Each team will be allowed a marquee player like the A League (and Ronaldhinio  stands out here) but they can also field seven other foreigners in a team.  When the standard league opens and the ISL glitter has been swept away, the majority of foreign players will take their highly paid twelve week holiday money back home to leave home-grown players to take up the slack. Thailand, with its game awash with sponsorship cash, could easily afford fading megastars on mega bucks. Let's be honest; a few of them have already tried our regular season and been found badly wanting.

 

The ISL games will be fed through Star Sports with predictably wild viewing numbers predicted based on marketers licking their assessment fingers and waving them in the air to test the breeze. Of course Thailand already has every game piped through True Visions, so a more glamorous version of the same product already has a regular audience to leverage and yet another set top box could nudge its way into homes if superstars accepted the invitation. With Fox Sports allegedly discussing with the Thai FA the idea of beaming TPL games across Asia, there seems to be very fertile ground for a TSL. It could boost the game and the ratings before developing an already strong league (with three AFC places) and glamour games already attracting highly atmospheric and colourful backdrops to the sponsors' product placements.

 

The Thai Super League would be an ideal opportunity to give match time to younger players currently marginalised by a lack of first team chances and no national academy league. They could learn from fading, but still mostly professionally-minded, superstars and get some high profile coverage as they try to establish their careers. The TSL would also be a chance to mirror the ISL by requiring clubs to sign local players. In India, four need to come from the local area, but increase that by two, blend them with the best of young and untried talent and sprinkle it with some magic from household names and you have a Thai heady brew on your hands. Thais are renowned for their love of The New, so this football cocktail would, with the right marketing, infuse a media buzz into a sport already loved by the vast majority of sport fans. The exponential growth in women's volleyball is the poster child for how Thai fans love success and glamour. Cricket is known to dominate Indian sports fans, so even  a fraction of the billion feet on the ground for Indian  football is nominal and outrageously fanciful. A  million regular viewers would be a good start. Here, fans only need to see that the league is serious and worth watching and they will come in their droves.

 

The ISL is trying to resuscitate, yet again, a sport that is in such disarray and neglect that it is only seven places above Thailand in the FIFAranks. The past is littered with huge predictions and embarrassing results, but their superb English social media platform at least refers to key drivers of longevity like pitch conditions and academy foundations (imagine that, TPL). But perhaps the biggest problem they face is that of success. The Indian cricket team can crush England in the one day game, but look dreadful in the extended version. The Indian players are showered with money for the short, sharp bish-bash-bosh of Twenty Twenty, but show little to no interest in games where seagulls often outnumber spectators. If football players can get bucket loads of money for twelve weeks' glamorous work, the thought of slogging it out over a standard season in near-empty stadiums will hold little attraction.

 

For real, long term growth, Indian football needs to get a strong grip on fan violence. The shameful scenes which saw highly supported Mohun Bagan banned for three years cannot be finessed away. They also need a long period of sustained stability where a generation of players is exposed to high-level professional standards. It is very easy to be sniffy about "The Heroe Indian Super League" but at least they are doing something. The Golden Goose of The Thai Premier League has laid its precious eggs through individual clubs and not any oversight from the Thai FA. For the last two seasons Thai football has been stalling in its upward trajectory and now needs intervention, imagination and collegiality.  It is no longer enough to assume fans will turn up through terrible traffic to sit in unroofed stadia during rainy seasons to watch the same annual procession of winners. If this latest Indian venture goes up in smoke like so many before, then it won't be for lack of trying. Any traction created this year and followed on to the next could be a platform for real Indian Heroes. It's about time someone stood up and did some thing heroic for Thai football. Our fans certainly deserve something more than being at the joke-butt of international ranking and taken for granted.

 

 

Reply #2

Name: Russ John

Team supported: Nakorn Ratchasima

Twitter: @russreport

I read with relish Matt’s piece on the possibility of introducing an ISL style league. I certainly feel that his ideas are worthy of very close examination.

Let me fire from the hip – the current TPL is a pile of poop destined to wither agonizingly on the vine unless something is done to seriously change the current course. I watch most matches on TV – sort of as a futile and meaningless attempt to support the concept – I rarely enjoy the games – the standards are akin to the current third tier of English football – no wonder the crowds are so low – the action is sedentary and unexciting – what’s worse, the players have started copying the current vile aspects of the EPL – diving, arguing with officials and feigning injury. Presumably the players watch the EPL and think it is cool to copy their heroes. I am sure these antics were absent from the Thai leagues 3 years ago.

 

Anyway back to the point. I feel like I am sounding like a one trick pony and at risk of repeating myself, the only way forward is to package any new league similar to how Matt described but with the emphasis on maybe 10 teams from the main provinces plus 2 from the Bangkok metropolis.

 

Let’s start with Chonburi, Navy/Rayong, Bangkok Glass, MT United, Buriram, NRFC, a Muslim based team based in the South, Saraburi/Osotspa, Chang Rai United, Ratchaburi, Suphanburi and Issan United/Si Siket/ Ubon bloody Stanley!!!

 

Clear the decks and start again – apologies to those teams that I have omitted but I feel that a short term shock is necessary to ensure the long term future of Thai football. Other features of any new league : No relegation for 5 years, allow marquee foreign players and let the current regional leagues carry on with the addition of the lesser current premier league teams and division one teams.

 

Will it ever happen - never in a million years – it makes too much sense for a nation that rarely thinks further ahead than the next meal…but we can hope can’t we?

 

 

Reply #3

Name: Tommie Duncan

Team supported: Singhtarua

Twitter: @TJRDBKK

Umm, A Thai Super League, interesting idea and some great thoughts put forth by Matt. 

I am wondering if this would be something to replace the TPL or something in addition to the TPL? 

 

If this is in addition to the TPL, the first thought that comes to my head is how this would be welcomed by supporters who feel a fierce loyalty towards their teams? 

Assuming that there would be far fewer teams and they might be based regionally I think many a Thai Port supporter would have issues sitting next to MTU folks and cheering for the same team. Of course I could be wrong. My gut says it would be difficult. 

 

In lieu of the TPL, many would welcome anything that would break the back of FAT and the TPL's obscene management of national and club football. I think if teams saw it as an option and could choose to breakaway from the TPL, it might work, with some of the smaller teams combining ranks. Like it or not the league would need the backing of the powerful anti-TPL/FAT factions (ie Newin) to succeed as both organizations would fight it tooth and nail. 

 

With regards to bringing in superstars way past their prime, I for one could do without that. One could figure that these would be players that would not be considered for the MLS, so that just does not sound so exciting to me. I believe the fan base here is becoming more knowledgeable and the old dudes might not have the same appeal they had 5 years ago. Supporters want to see better football. IMHO the last two years have seen a decrease in the overall quality of play namely in the TPL. Whatever can be done to "fix" this should be. If that is a super league, so be it. 

 

 

Reply #4

Name: Del Spafford

Team supported: Army Utd

Twitter: @DelSpaff

Maybe I am a stick in the mud but I don't buy into a super league. I think it would be a fad and dwindle away after a few years of struggle. It would benefit old pros looking to cash in and established teams with money would of course plunder the talent. 

 

I think Thais like most folk like the idea of success rather than the 'new'. The volleyball team are popular because they are good and I don't think they got good by the advent of a super league. It might be an idea for the FAT to look into their methods to see if they can be replicated. 

 

Reform is needed to develop the league as has been discussed previously but this spectacle I feel would only devalue it and be seen as a novelty. 

 

On a lighter note I'd welcome a 'supper' league where tap room contributors provide dinner to visiting tap roomers when they show up on away days. 

 

 

The Final Word

Name: Matt

Twitter: @fcsuphanburi

Looking back on the comments, it's fair to say many of us are feeling pretty jaded (to put it mildly) at how Thai football has stalled in the recent past.

 

The Thai Supper League is an astounding idea - laying on food for fellow Thai football sufferers could be the Thai equivalent of The Great British Bake Off but with beer.

 

Overall, The Tap Room highlights how good people with the best of intentions who suggest sensible, creative and sometimes off-the-wall ideas to develop the game they love are ignored. We have to watch the game being overseen by inept and self-serving officials who would be surprised to learn that a football is round.

 

Enact ten percent of the Tap Room's suggestions and Thai football would be fifty percent stronger. We can't give up, but being heard would help us and Them.