My interview with Lamphun Warrior fan, Andy.
Hello Dale, firstly let me thank you for inviting me to write an article for your blog.
Let’s start with some basic details , my name is Andy, I am 54 years old. I am originally from England but I have been living in Thailand for the last five years and consider Thailand as my home. I am married to a Thai lady and have a 12 year old step-daughter. I work as a English Teacher in Lamphun, Northern Thailand about 60km from Chaing Mai.
How did you first get into following the team?
I have been a football supporter for most of my life and first started going to games with my dad and grandad at the age of 5. My love of football has taken me to some of the biggest stadiums in World Football and I have attended the World Cup Finals in France in 1998 and numerous FA Cup finals and International Matches at Wembley both with Manchester City and England. On the continent I have seen games in Siere A in Italy and La Ligue in Spain. I suppose in England they would call me a bit of a ‘football Anorak’ as I live and breathe football.
I love going to live games for the spectacle and the atmosphere and have always enjoyed the social side that often goes with it. The feel good factor that a football fan experiences when they can share a great goal or watch a great match or revill in an amazing atmosphere or join in with communal singing is not easy to replicate and I just don’t get the same buzz watching a game on the TV or seated in a pub.
Live sport was one of the things that I missed most when I moved to Thailand and a friend shared my sentiment so when we heard there was a team in our city that was in Division 3 of the Thai League we were intrigued to find out more, be it a bit sceptical about what the quality of the football would be like and what the locals would think. We decided we had nothing to lose so we made arrangements to see a game and find out more.
The first game I went to - four years ago - finished in a 2-1 defeat and was a bit scrappy but we enjoyed it and I certainly got the buzz I had been hoping to get from seeing live football.
What also surprised us was a) how easily the locals accepted us and b) we were not the only foreign supporters at the game. So what started out as a one-off adventure quickly became a force of habit and we have both attended the majority of games played since that date.
New friends have also joined us and they too, have got the Warrior ‘Bug’ and decided to stick around and like us are now Fanaticos as are some of the other foreigners like Edgar, John the German and Jake.
Unfortunately like any club, we have lost some of our group on the way to becoming the Fanaticos, sometimes in sad circumstances and sometimes it was just down to job or personal relocation. But that withstanding, the core group of friends have remained and indeed grown with the addition of friends of friends and when Erik joined us he became the driving force that united us into the Fanaticos.
Can you tell us a bit more about the Lamphun Fanaticos?
Well it really all started a few months ago as I said with the addition of our now Club Chairman, Erik the Belgian. His vitality and gregarious nature was the catalyst that gave us the idea and unity to form the Lamphun Fanaticos.
We currently have 25 members including Thai partners and children and have representatives for several continents and ten countries made up of England, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, South Africa , USA and Thailand.
Like many of the members I grew up supporting a club at the top end of the English game and whilst the club rivalries still remain, we share one common interest in that we support the Warriors. There are quite a few teachers in our ranks but this is not exclusive and we also have retired and semi retired members, local business owners and even a stay at home house-husband. Our Club Chairman Erik, is from Belgium and is a semi-retired businessman whose wife runs a successful local family shop near Chiang Mai.
We set up The Fanaticos to unite all the foreign fans and their families and so that we could show our respect and love for the Warriors. We hope it will become part of the local community we appreciate and recognise all the work the Owner(s), Management, Players and the other Thai fans have put in to make the team a success.
Whilst we all now sit together in the open stand in our Fanaticos tops and caps and beneath our banner we all join in with the chants and songs of our Thai friends especially the Ultras even though most of us can only speak a small bit of Thai .
If by our actions and behaviour we can help change a few peoples’ perceptions of Foreigners and Foreign Football Fans then that would be a real bonus.
There are plans when circumstances permit to present the Club with a Fanaticos shirt and cap during a home game but Covid means this had to be put on hold along with Erik dressing as Father Christmas and handing out candies to the local children.
We are a not for profit fanclub and we plan to donate any excess profits from the sale of fan club merchandise to a local charity.
How is the season going for the team?
There is one way to describe our season so far and that is Incredible. The days when we turned up at the ground expecting to lose are still quite fresh in some of our memories, especially for the older fans like Edgar and John, but a remarkable run of wins and a record number of clean sheets has certainly made it a great season to remember. The Toyota Cup run was also a nice addition and even in defeat against Chonburi, a team from two divisions higher, we could celebrate a fantastic team effort and arguably we could and should have won.
We have continued the run of improved form that we started last year and this is not surprising given the quality of players we have been able to bring into the team, This season we look a lot more solid defensively and have more size and physicality upfront. We have scored a lot more goals thanks to Natan Oliveira and Andre Luis and are conceding a lot fewer and which appears to have given the players a calm confident approach when they start a game. The backroom and coaching staff has also been strengthened and the players look better organised and in a greater physical shape.
The previous season we had been in the mix for promotion most of the season so it was disappointing that we continued this season in T3 but it meant we went into this season thinking we had a good chance. Our plans and hopes for the new season were dented when we lost several of our strongest performing players and if this was not bad enough we then lost all our pre-season games. A run of 4 successive 1-0 victories backed up with a 4-0 thrashing calmed our early nerves and we have never really looked back. Indeed fast forward to now where we have finished the curtailed season six points clear at the top of the table having won 13 of our 15 games and only conceded 6 goals. This is despite losing a recent home against Maejo United, one of our closest rivals, where we literally threw away a one goal lead and handed the game late on to the opposition. In truth though this was a minor blip in an almost faultless season and one where we have totally outclassed most of the opposition.
What are your hopes and expectations for the rest of it?
There was enough promise in the Cup game against Chonburi for us to think that we might finally get promotion to T2. It is unfortunate that we have not been able to complete all our games and finish the season in style and the Fanaticos would have liked to have had the opportunity to celebrate with the other fans and the team at the stadium with the team but I guess it will make it all the more sweeter if and when we get promoted. The play-offs are always very competitive and each team will have the form and belief to think they can win promotion. With the Warriors in the Play Offs, I want the Fanaticos to be there to will the team on to victory, to a place in T2 and to celebrate the achievement with the players and the Thai fans. Fingers crossed we now win promotion!
Please can you give a brief summary of that recent FA Cup tie against Chonburi ?
There was a record attendance for the game against Chonburi as it was seen by many fans as a chance for the Warriors to test themselves against a top premiership club and we were keen to see if we could take our good form into the cup and maybe take the scalp of a team that only a round earlier had hit seven goals. Realistically though we knew it was going to be tough as one look at the Chonburi team revealed a team with several players with recent international experience. Chonburi were in sixth place in the Premiership, only a few points behind Buriram United and, a few years ago, had played in the Asian equivalent of the Champions League. So regardless of our tremendous record in our own league some of Fanaticos were fearing a real drubbing and said they would be pleased if we could keep the Chonburi score down to just 4 or 5 goals. There were even discussions about how the players would need to bounce back after a defeat quickly and win the next league game.
So given the strength of the opposition there was genuine shock when the team was announced as several key players were missing, including the former Chonburi player, Adul Lahso, who had been an almost ever present player since he joined the Warriors. We were also missing most of our first choice back four that had kept us so many clean sheets. The surprises did not end there even as there was also no place for Luis, our Brazilian right winger but at least we could see that he was named on the substitute bench.
Despite some early pressure and a couple of fine saves by the Chonburi goalkeeper the opposition started to turn the screw in midfield and took the lead halfway through the first half from a slightly generous penalty. Not long after this we got hit by a classic counter attack and headed into the half time interval 0-2 down. By now we were all fearing it could get worse with most of the talk being about what effect a heavy defeat would have on the rest of our season. Some of our players were already looking tired and very leggy whereas in contrast the stars of Chonburi had really started to motor and there was an evident gulf in class especially in wide midfield areas.
The addition of Brazilian winger Luis at the start of the second half gave us a little more cause for optimism and it proved to be a master stroke by our Manager as he immediately changed the game, chasing down every loose ball, making winning tackles in midfield and going off on maizy runs right into the heart of the Chonburi defence. This interjection of pace and determination galvanized his teammates who all started playing with a renewed sense of purpose. Suddenly the Warriors had wrestled almost full control of the midfield and were making wave after wave of attacks on the Chonburi goal.
In their desperation to keep the attackers at bay the Chonburi players started to make mistakes and misplace their passes and chances were coming quick and fast. The Chonburi keeper was forced into pulling off a string of fine saves but even he could do nothing when a miss-timed last ditch tackle on the edge of the penalty area led to a free kick being awarded. The Warriors took full advantage and bent the ball over the wall and passed the despairing keeper high into the net. Euphoria broke out on the terraces and suddenly we believed we could yet win the game. For the remaining minutes it became a duel between our forwards and the Chonburi keeper but unfortunately despite a barrage of promising attacking moves the ball would just not go in the net and with a mixture of last ditch defending and clock management Chonburi survived.
At the final whistle it was the Chonburi players who were now out on their feet and full-time was greeted with disappointment but the crowd gave the players a rousing ovation befitting the heroic performance they had given us . The Chonburi players, though obviously delighted with their win, were almost apologetic when they took their applause infront of us and the relief they were still in the cup was almost palpable. It was now the Warriors players turn to take a salute and the crowd clapped and whistled giving them the ovation befitting the team that had played so well. In that moment we almost forgot that some of our best players had missed the game so well did our understudies perform.
A quick poll was taken amongst us after the game and Luis was unanimously voted man of the match for the impact he had made when he came on at half-time. Many Fanaticos also agreed that it was probably the best game the Warriors had played for a long time and that it would give them all the confidence they would need to go and win promotion.
I too was surprised at Adul's ommision. He's a Chonburi legend. How has he been playing this season?
Some of the great players in world football wore the No 10 shirt and it is more often than not reserved for special players; Pele, Platini, Maradonna (God rest his soul), and Lionel Messi to name but a few. It is a shirt number that has to be earned and is seldom given away. One of the qualities that all these players had in common was the ability to make the game look ridiculously easy at times and inspire others to greater things.
Whilst Adul is obviously not in the same league as the aforementioned great players he definitely can make the game look easy at times. His link up play and ability to make a quick and smooth transition from defence to attack and back again has marked him out as a standout performer week after week. He is also unselfish and prefers to pass than shoot himself. He has an engine that belies his advancing years and he pops up everywhere on the pitch and wins the ball back when he really has no right to get it.
Adul is also very versatile so on the occasions he was used as an impact player, the effect was almost immediate. A good example was the recent away game at Uttaradit which at half time looked nailed on to finish 0-0. His introduction at half time brought about an immediate improvement and his presence and his ability to link up the play and find the passes gave the Warriors players a huge lift and a new found belief. The chances started to flow with regularity and we went on to win the game 2-0 .
In addition is that he would be my choice for player of the season which is impressive in itself given the superb seasons that Luis and Natan have also had for the Warriors.
Part of the reason he just shades it for me is that his impact away from the pitch has also been considerable and he has led the team by example. He could really be described as a model professional and a good mentor for juniors and less experienced players. After the game with Uttaradit he was the star that all the young Uttaradit fans wanted to meet and take photographs with as they were aware at one time he had played for the Thailand National Team. Given his tremendous effort in the second half of that match, it would have been perfectly understandable had he just stood for a few photographs, shook a few hands and walked off the field for a well deserved shower but nothing was further from his mind. He made a point of giving every single boy time and the opportunity to take a photo with him and he signed every last piece of paper and shirt put in front of him.
Long after all the other players had retreated to the dressing room he was still out in the middle of the pitch talking to a group of young boys. Indeed I almost felt guilty as I stopped him as he finally made his way off the pitch to thank him for being the game changer in the second half. But I needn't have felt guilty, as Adul was obviously pleased to see me and thanked me and the other fans for making the 400 plus km journey to support the team. He then quietly ushered me towards the away team dressing room, opened the door and much to the surprise of the other players he went to the dirty kit box and got out his match shirt, signed it and then presented it to me, he then stood for several photographs before I left him to get a well earned shower. It is this selflessness attitude and gratitude that sets him apart from many players I have had the opportunity to meet.
That's lovely to hear. Are you able to see any weaknesses?
That’s a hard one given everything I have already said about his performance on and off the pitch. If I had to pick one it could be that he probably does not appreciate the level of his own talent. He is a very quiet and humble man and not one to overplay his own importance. I have heard it said that some of the fans think he should be scoring more goals but I think these fans are in the minority and need to understand that his job is to be the enabler for the attacking phase and to protect the defence from counter attacks. We have great goal scorers in Nattan and Luis amongst others, so as long as he keeps doing what he is good at, the Fanaticos will be very happy.
What did you know about him before he signed for your club?
I am ashamed to say I’d never heard of Adul before he joined the Lamphun Warriors and to be honest it has come as some surprise to learn that there is a player of his quality and poise playing not only in T3 but in Thailand as a whole. I don’t really get the opportunity or time to watch much Thai football on TV and I have enough trouble keeping pace with the games of my beloved Manchester City play given my teaching commitments and the often inconvenient kick off times of games in the UK. If he had been born in Europe where the scouting systems are better developed I believe he would have had a real chance at making it as a pro footballer at a very good level.
For all I have come to know and respect him as a footballer I have also come to know Adul now as a friend and we often talk on facebook. Whilst his English is not the best I am honoured to know him and I was recently honored that he saw it fit to gift me his match shirt after the game at Uttaradit. What he does not know is that I have had several shirts gifted to me by players in the past including Manchester City and England stars and whilst it’s true to say that the players that wore these shirts are more famous in the game, Adul’s shirt is now one of my most treasured shirts because of what he and the Warriors have come to mean to me and the rest of my fellow Fanaticos.
How is he regarded by the fans?
The majority of fans really appreciate the effort he consistently makes as his performance rarely drops below 8/10 . He plays the game with energy and enthusiasm and we are sometimes left marvelling at the amount of ground he covers which is the more remarkable given his age and that he is often one of, if not the oldest player on the pitch. He has great link up play and can thread a ball through a tightly packed defence. I am sure that if there was a vote for the Fanaticos player of the year it would be a toss up between Adul and Nattan as both have had a great season to date, that can also be said for a lot of the team which explains why they have done so well.
Unfortunately, his playing days are coming to an end. Do you think he has a future at your club in some other capacity?
Sadly you are right, he is not getting any younger so I think now we should just appreciate and savour him for what he does now on the pitch. I am not sure what his plans are when he finally hangs up his playing boots. I am sure has the leadership skills to get into the coaching side if so chooses as he is a good mentor and has good leadership qualities but I don’t really see him going on to be a manager as he is very quiet and unassuming. These are not qualities that you normally associate with a top class manager but then again there are always exceptions like Roy Hodgson so perhaps he could make the transition from player to manager. Failing that I could see him in an ambassadorial role.
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