Sunday 28 February 2021

Ratchaburi v Chonburi - Away Days Photos: 2015

TPL
Ratchaburi 3-1 Chonburi
Ratchaburi Central Stadium
Attendance: 5,158
Sunday 1st March, 2015


































Ratchaburi 3-1 Chonburi - Match Report: 2015

TPL
Ratchaburi 3-1 Chonburi
Ratchaburi Central Stadium
Attendance: 5,158
Sunday 1st March, 2015



Match Report
My dad is in his 80s. In his youth he played football at a reasonable level and has been watching the game for most of his life. And even though he has been to many Thai matches over the years, I don't think I've seen him look quite as exasperated as he did at times last night. He literally couldn't believe his eyes. At the final whistle he paused for thought - not something that a straightforward Northern working class bloke usually does - before saying, "What a bloody pantomime!" And with those four words, he pretty much summed up the Thai Premier League match between Ratchaburi and Chonburi.
 
And the villain of the piece? The referee (there were others - more of which later). I glossed over the poor performance of the Man in the Middle in our opening fixture against Saraburi but I'm not going to this time because compared to the joker we had last night, he was Pierluigi Collina. The bloke simply had no authority, control or basic understanding of the Laws of the Game. I'm still mystified as to why we had a goal disallowed when the score was 0-0. There looked nothing wrong with it from the away end and it still appears to be OK after repeated video viewings. But that was just the start...
 
Why didn't their lad get a straight red for a two footed knee high "tackle" on dos Santos? Even from a hundred yards away it looked like a career threatening challenge. A real shocker. But the official thought a yellow card would suffice. Bottler! This was an assault. Let's hope that the authorities look at this and act. A five match ban - at least - for the perpetrator. (Interestingly, our official site has edited the incident out of the highlights. Why? It should be repeated over and over again. Bottlers!!)
 
And to prove it wasn't all one way - I can't believe he didn't send off Korrakot after he was pushed by the full back following his decision to award a penalty. Surely there are no grey areas there? Shove the ref and you're off. But again, he bottled it. Weak and spineless.
 
As for the penalty itself...oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Outside of a swimming pool, you won't see a more blatant dive. It looked pretty obvious from my vantage point on the terraces in real time but the highlights just show how outrageous it was. It's awful. Another one for the top nobs from FAT and TPL to study as they sit po faced around that big table of theirs.
 
There were also a couple more incidents that highlighted his total lack of control. Firstly, the home side's goal celebrations went way beyond what is acceptable. They included one goalscorer not only leaving the field of play but climbing into the main stand, ascending the steps and kissing someone who I presume is his girlfriend. And his punishment? Sweet Fanny Adams. (That's not - as far as I know - the name of the young lady in question). Surely should've been a booking. But hey! It's all in good fun. And then there was the constant time wasting and injury feigning.
 
Like Chainat last week, Ratchaburi weren't afraid to dish it out (nothing wrong with that) but as soon as any of our players went near them, down they would go and remain there until the over worked (and no doubt under paid) stretcher bearers came on to carry them the couple of yards to the touchline. Where, they would miraculously leap up again and immediately return to the field of play - in space to receive the ball. This, of course, is a long standing problem here but the Sugar Puffs (see what I did there?) currently seem to be the best exponents of it. Which is alright if you like that kind of thing I suppose but yet again, our friend with the whistle did nothing.
 
OK. Now it's time to leave that poor man alone and look at our own villains. They are - in no particular order - the two full backs (tears out hair), Adul (he had a shocker last night) and Leandro (a bit harsh on our leading scorer but he should have scored a hat trick before they went in front). In addition, we seemed to lose our discipline as the decisions piled up against us - most noticably after the spot kick was given. I guess it was understandable but it's never nice to see Chonburi players hounding a referee like that, regardless of how rubbish he is.
 
And finally...the home fans. They were actually booing Therdsak every time he touched the ball after coming on as a late substitute. Classless, clueless, graceless oiks. I think his contribution to local football is far greater than theirs. It's pretty easy to put on a replica shirt and stand in a crowd while a berk with a megaphone tells you what to do. It's not so easy to keep playing - and performing - at the highlest level when you're in your forties. Bunch of oafs.
 
So there you have it. Apart from their second goal - which was pure class - it didn't feel like a football match last night. It was more akin to watching a rowdy class of five year olds being "supervised" by an incompetent supply teacher. Ladies and gentlemen, the Thai Premier League at its absolute crummy, stinking, rotten worst.
 
"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"

Thursday 25 February 2021

NEW!! Mythbuster - Bangkok Utd: 2021

For some reason, fans of other Thai clubs seem to have very strong opinions on Bangkok Utd. Here I look at some of the more popular ones and explore how close they are to the reality.


Thammasat Is An Awful Stadium
It has been called a decaying concrete bowl with a nightmare car park and is often cited as the top flight stadium with the worst view from the away end. But is it really as bad as people make out? I'm not so sure. And there are certainly grounds where it's harder to see the action from the vantage point of a travelling fan - hello, Rayong. I quite like Thammasat and have always enjoyed my trips there - although not always what has happened on the pitch. The fan zone is pretty decent too. I believe it gets a bad rap and I'll always be prepared to stick up for it.


They Won The League In 2006
No they didn't. Bangkok University did. Even though the current club rose from the ashes of the college club, they are a completely different entity and have no right to claim any honours won by their predecessors, in spite of what certin websites and football associations might try to tell you. See also Buriram Utd/PEA/Buriram PEA and Police Tero.


They Played Attractive Football Under Mano Polking
This was certainly true (no pun intended) during the early seasons he was in charge and when they were "everybody's favourite second team". They had a lot of the young, cool Thai and half Thai players, many of whom who were known for their fashion sense. The closest Thailand has come to emulating the Scouse Spice Boys of yore. However, in later years they had a reputation for bullying referees and truculent, boorish behaviour, which lost them a lot of admirers and even resulted in open hostility from those who had once sung their praises. Their quality of football suffered too.


They're Always The Bridesmaid, But Never The Bride
Under Mano they finished 8th, 5th, 2nd, 3rd 2nd and 4th in the league, and also came runners up in the 2017 FA Cup. Not a particularly bad record, but I expect a few of you reading this are surprised as I am that it isn't more impressive. During this period, they were often many people's favourites to win silverware, or at least come close. And this is without considering their less than average form in the League Cup, where they only got past the second round twice. So, all things considered, they are more the flower girls or ushers than the bridesmaids.




They Have Nice Kits
They do. Once they decided which colour to play in - they've flirted with orange and green-  they've had some lovely strips over the years. I was particularly fond of the recent "odd socks" away kit. That was gorgeous and a little bit different. This season's home kit (pictured) is an absolute belter too, although that blue monstrosity they've sported a couple of times recently is one of the most hideous things I've ever seen!


They Don't Play In Bangkok
Why are they called "Bangkok" Utd? They play in the middle of nowhere. Their ground is miles out of the city and hard to get to etc etc. Well...Grimsby Town, anyone? Or even Manchester Utd. My personal grievance is more with the United part of their name than the Bangkok bit. However, I believe they are entitled to use the name of the capital. They took over the reins from Bangkok University and, of course, were based within the city limits for a number of years before moving "north". And to finally settle the argument, The Clash's 1982 gig at Thammasat University is listed as "Bangkok". That's good enough for me.


They Have No Fans
Currently, this is correct. But then again, nor do any other club. Joking aside, is the statement "they have no fans" really accurate? I'll publish the fact below and you can make up your own minds.

Bangkok Utd at Thammasat Stadium
2016: Average attendance = 3,321; TPL average attendance = 5,428; Attendance position = 11th
2017: Average attendance = 2,855; TPL average attendance = 4,604; Attendance position = 13th
2018: Average attendance = 2,909; TPL average attendance = 4,466; Attendance position = 13th
2019: Average attendance = 4,378; TPL average attendance = 5,699; Attendance position = 9th

Those are the figures. What are your thoughts?


They'd Get Bigger Crowds If They Moved Back To The Thai-Japanese Stadium
Hmm...this is an interesting one. They are certainly more well known and popular than when they last played there (2015) and the Thai league certainly gets more coverage than it did six years ago. Also, with the demise of Army Utd, they'd be the only top flight team in the area. Then throw in the fact that the Thai-Japanese is easier to get to for many, and we could be onto something. Therefore, I'd be tempted to say yes - as long as they continued to be a top four side.



Mano Polking Is Bangkok Utd, Bangkok Utd Is Mano Polking 
This photo practically screams "Mano Polking Is Bangkok Utd, Bangkok Utd Is Mano Polking!", doesn't it. Having been at the club for so long and having been relatively successful, it's inevitable that Mano's name and that of the club are inextricably linked, especially in a country where coaches - and particularly foreign coaches - come and go with such regularity. New boss, Totchawan Sripan will need to achieve some great things if he is to step out of the Brazilian's considerable shadow. His first task would appear to be getting the players to break through that mental barrier they seem to have when it comes to proving they are more than just top four contenders. If he can do that - and quickly - we could soon be asking "who's Mano?"


They Must Be Loaded With All That 'True' Money Behind Them
Whilst it is clear that True have pumped a fair amount of cash into the club, there's no real evidence that Bangkok Utd are able to compete financially with the real big hitters in the Thai league. The multi media giants are also going through something of a transisitional phase themselves just now - losing the rights to broadcast local domestic football being a big blow to their product, and possibly their bank balance - so whether or not they continue to invest, may well depend on how successful the team is in the near future. I'm not really sure that the sponsorship deal makes a big difference in propelling them to be a top club, but they would be stuffed without it.

Thanks to Phil, Russ, Jamie, Grant & Sven

Tuesday 23 February 2021

Bangkok Utd 3-1 Chonburi - Match Report: 2010

TPL
Bangkok United 3-1 Chonburi
Venue : Bangkok University Rangsit Campus Stadium
Attendance: 1,576
Sunday 12th September, 2010



Match Report 
What a strange match this was. And not only because it was a carbon copy of the same fixture three years ago - three down at half time and a consolation in the second half. Chonburi didn't play badly - in fact some of the passing and movement was as good as any I've seen this season - and Bangkok United didn't play particularly well. However, the home side had a game plan and it worked. Ten men behind the ball, let us commit players forward and hit us on the break with a long ball for the speedy forwards to chase and stick in the net. Simple stuff.

Although they did abandon this tactic in the second half in favour of going down at every opportunity, waiting for a stretcher to arrive and then jumping up like Lazarus the moment it did. I lost count of the number of times this happened. I think they call it "breaking up the game". I prefer to call it cheating and the referees need to start dishing out yellow cards to those who do it. It's the most annoying aspect of Thai football.

Meanwhile, back at the match....Our strikers were having an off day. Things could have been so much different, if Ney Fabiano had put away a couple of seemingly easy chances, if Baga hadn't somehow managed to head the ball wide with most of the goal to aim at and if Pipob hadn't shot weakly at the keeper when put through. But that's football. It's all about who scores the most goals. And yesterday, that wasn't us.

I'm not sure if anyone was calculating the amount of possession each team had but I'm willing to bet that it was something like 80/20 in our favour. And that would have increased in a frantic last ten minutes when we threw everybody forward in a late attempt to save our title winning hopes. But it wasn't to be and Muang Thong may as well crack open the bubbly right now. It was a disappointing way to surrender the title but, as usual, the large away contigent - about 80% of the total attendance - kept singing and chanting throughout and all stayed behind to applaud our players off the pitch at the end.

Monday 22 February 2021

Chonburi 2-2 Chainat - Match Report: 2015

TPL
Chonburi 2-2 Chainat
Chonburi Stadium
Attendance: 5,787
Sunday22nd February, 2015



Match Report
A few things we were keeping an eye on, on Sunday:
 
1. The attendance
The crowd for our recent AFC CL play off match against Kitchee was 3,432, which was 3,904 down on when South China visited at the same stage last season. Our opening 2014 TPL home game (v Police Utd) attracted 5,444. What can we expect today?
 
A decent turnout. We can't really complain about the attendance, and it was a few hundred up on last year's opening home game. The trick now is to keep them all coming back. There was also a decent atmosphere. Even when we were behind, the fans were getting right behind the team. Good to see.
 

2. The fallout from Tuesday night
After a monumental, energy sapping performance against Kashiwa Reysol on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see what those efforts have taken out of the players physically - especially when you also factor in the travelling and all those sight seeing trips (pictured). They must be shattered.
 
There were no real signs of fatigue. I think our biggest problem was complacency, not tiredness. We certainly didn't expect Chainat to come out of the blocks the way they did and we paid the price. However, it was pleasing to see us keep going right up until the final whistle and I felt we were unlucky not to win all three points - our second half display was particularly pleasing.
 

3. Who will be the unlucky Brazilian?
Four Brazilians in the squad and only three of them can play. Who will the unlucky man be? My money's on Leandro. After all, he is our leading scorer. The sooner Thiago qualifies as a Timore Leste national, the better. Problem solved.
 
It was Leandro. I felt he was very unlucky to miss out. However, he did get a chance when he replaced Thiago (who appeared to be sulking not injured) in the second half. He also had a couple of decent chances to add to his season's tally.
 

4. Therdsak Chaiman
Rumours are he's looking at a coaching career in the not too distant future. It has been noticeable that he's been sitting next to Jadet on the bench for the last couple of matches. Picking up tips? Passing on ideas? Cosying up to the boss? Watch this space...
 
From my position in the main stand, it was difficult to see what sort of interaction (if any) took place between Therdy and Jadet. However, the fact that he didn't get on again - in a match that he could have had an influence - would suggest that he's now been given a watching brief. However, if he's not playing because the coach doesn't think he's up to it, it's time to worry!
 

5. Your eyesight
Visitors Chainat have a history of wearing rather distinctive (read hideous) kits. I wonder what kind of monstrosity they'll inflict on us this evening? I've packed my shades, just in case.
 
Awful. Just awful. I'm sure the person who designs their kits is having a real laugh at their expense. The car crash of a garment they wore last night was even worse than last year's tablecloth design - and that's some achievement!
 

6. The Matchday programme
In the last couple of years we've gone from a professionally produced, informative, traditional looking programme to last season's tacky and cheap foldout poster - which contained nothing instructive whatsoever. It was clearly a cost cutting exercise. Let's hope we can now afford a return to the quality of pre 2014.
 
Sadly, it looks like we're stuck with the foldout design for another year. Again, it's not much to write home about, although it does open out into a nice fill in chart with all the 2015 fixtures on it - which is more than we got last time. However, there is very little content and about a third of it is taken up with adverts. Could (and should) do better.

Saturday 20 February 2021

NEW! Don't Panic!/We're Doomed!: 2021


Over the course of the remaining matches, I'll be plotting our chances of staying in the top flight or dropping down to the second division. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
   
28/3/21 
Result: Rayong 1-1 Chonburi 

Summary: And so the curtain comes down on Chonburi's worst ever league season, with a scrappy draw against the desperate Rayong, and a few words spring to mind. Abominal. Appalling. Atrocious. Awful. Dire. Dreadful. Grim. Lousy. Rotten. Terrible. In fact is was so bad, one of our own players (no name, no pack drill) starting Tweeting about another match that was being played at the same time. That's how far we've fallen. Sure, we stayed up, but the long term affects of this campaign worry me. We need to make BIG changes during the break - starting with the coach. He's clearly not up to it and needs offloading asap. Bring in someone with a bit of spark, a bit of guile and who knows how to get the best out of the players. And talking of the players...(cont P72)

League table: 


Verdict: 



20/3/21
Result: Chonburi 0-0 Sukhothai 

Summary: This is how the relegation scrap ends, not with a bang, but with a wimper. Perhaps fittingly, our top flight status was secured with a drab 0-0 draw against one of the teams who are statistically worse than us and the 1-2 home defeat suffered by another. It's the current Chonburi way. A grim goalless draw is hardly ever a cause for celebration, and today is no different. I'd feel embarrassed hailing our worst campaign ever and I'm certainly not in the mood for cracking open the bubbly or setting off fireworks. I'll probably just crawl under a rock and contemplate life and all its complexities. Then emerge, blink in the sunlight and prepare myself for next Sunday's meaningless clash with rotten Rayong. Life's a pip and a dandy just now.

League table: 


Verdict: 




17/3/21
Result: Chonburi 0-2 Samut Prakan City

Summary: Against my better judgement, I tuned in for the second half and watched on as we huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed again. Sure, we battered them for 45 minutes, but at no time did it look like we were going to score, before gifting them a second in injury time - adding to the howler presented to the opposition forward by Chanin in the first period. Make no mistake, this is a poor team. A poor team run by a clueless management. And we're still not out of the woods yet. Even though it didn't have a direct affect on the relegation scrap, Rayong's 6 (Six) -1 win against Police Tero should send shockwaves through the club. Imagine going there on the last day of the season needing a point to stay up, and losing...

League table: 


Verdict: 



16/3/21
Summary: Mixed results today. Chiang Rai Utd beat Sukhothai 3-1 (Yay!) and Prachuap squeezed past Muang Thong Utd by the odd goal in one. However, The Fire Bats' defeat means a win for us tomorrow will see us safe, regardless of other results. Let's hope the decision to rest virtually the whole first XI last weekend pays off and we can all be heaving a collective sigh of relief at the final whistle.

League table: 


Verdict: 




14/3/21
Result: Port 2-1 Chonburi 

Summary: VAR really does suck the joy out of football, doesn't it. I'm sick to the back teeth with it. So much so that I switched off after the red card just before half time and went to do my laundry. We'd already had an incident when we waited nearly five minutes for a free kick to be taken, after the referee had made his original decision, and then another farcical episode before Songchai got his marching orders; the original decision was yellow. It's no fun. No fun at all. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if we went down after all. We'd be spared all this nonsense in the second division. That's how much I hate it. In today's other match, Ratchaburi beat Suphanburi. Here's the league table...

League table: 



Verdict: 


13/3/21
Summary: Everything went as expected today. Prachuap won 2-1 at Trat and Sukhothai trounced Rayong, 5-1. This means the Killer Wasp have moved four points ahead of us - and pretty much secured their top flight status - and The Fire Bats are now breathing (fire?) down our necks. As I'm expecting us to lose tomorrow, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that Ratchaburi can do us a favour and beat Suphanburi. Otherwise, it could well be a nervy few days!

League table: 


Verdict: 



11/3/21
Result: Chonburi 0-1 BG Pathum Utd

Summary: Even though it didn't have my full, undivided attention, I did manage to catch a large chunk of this match - most of the first half and the last fifteen minutes - and I thought we played well. There was certainly no questioning the effort, but some our finishing let us down and we gifted them a goal. Otherwise, I was disappointed we didn't get something out of the game - similar to the first meeting, a few months ago. At least there was enough evidence today to show that we have the bottle for a fight. Repeat performances in our next two fixtures will hopefully yield points and we can go into the final couple of rounds without having to look over our shoulders.

League table: 


Verdict: 



10/3/21
Summary: What a day. What. A. Day. It's like all our birthdays and Christmases have come at once. Buriram Utd tonked Sukhothai 3-0 and Port Authority came away from Suphanburi with a 2-0 win. It couldn't have gone better if I'd written the script. A victory for us against BG tomorrow would be the icing on the Christmas/Birthday cake. And, who knows? Stranger things have happened...

League table: 


Verdict: 




9/3/21
Summary: In the least surprising news of the day, Prachuap beat Rayong 3-1. Not only does this result relegate the Dragon Horses, it also takes the Killer Wasp a point above us in the table, having played one game more. Tomorrow sees Sukhothai travel to Buriram Utd (surely a home banker) and Suphanburi entertain a resurgent Thai Port (a little trickier to call). Defeats for both our rivals will help us breath a little easier going into our match against BG on Thursday night. However, should the unthinkable happen, we could be in for a nervous ninety minutes (plus time added on) when we welcome the league champions. Gulp!

League table: 


Verdict: 




7/3/21
Result: Ratchaburi 0-0 Chonburi

Summary: Work is not only a four letter word and the curse of the drinking classes, it is also the enemy of the football fan. So another match I wasn't able to watch due to my employers insisting I follow my contract to the letter of the law. How unreasonable of them. However, I did manage to sneak a quick look at the final score before knocking off. And how happy it made me. A 0-0 draw at Ratchaburi is a decent result and made even better by Sukhothai going down 2-3 at home to Samut Prakan City - a team who have done us a couple of favours this week. I think it's fair to say it's been a good weekend and sets us up nicely for taking BG's unbeaten record off them on Thursday. It's written in the stars.

League table: 


Verdict: 



6/3/21
Summary: A well deserved 3-1 win for Police Tero over fellow strugglers (here I go again!), Suphanburi, virtually assures their safety and takes them 12 points clear of today's opponents. I think we can safely say that the final relegation spot is now a four horse "race". Prachuap's 1-0 victory over Nakorn Ratchasima means they move to within one point of us, making tomorrow's trip to Ratchaburi even more important. I wonder how we'll respond after Thursday's late disappointment? The last big setback we faced was the 1-5 defeat at Bangkok Utd and we bounced back - in a manner Alan Prtridge would have been proud of - by chalking up a 4-1 victory. Something similar just under 24 hours from now would suit me. Or even a draw would do.

League table: 



Verdict: 



4/3/21
Result: Chiang Rai Utd 4-3 Chonburi 

Summary: I was following the score updates whilst at work and going through the whole gamut of emotions (from A to B!). At one point, I was ready to inflate the balloons and put up the bunting, but if following Chonburi has taught me anything, it's don't blow up ballooons and don't hang bunting until you're absolutely sure of the result. Oh, and don't order cake and crack open a bottle of Chang until after the final whistle - not that I would drink on the job! Thankfully, all yesterday's results went our way and, as expected, Sukhothai went down 0-2 at BG, but it could have been so much better. I can't feeling that we've blown a big opportunity to secure our top flight status. Let's hope we don't live to regret this result.

League table: 


Verdict: 




3/3/21
Summary: What a great day for us. Samut Prakan City came from behind to beat Suphanburi 2-1 and Port Authority cruised to a 3-1 win at Prachuap. However, we need to stay focused in order to take full advantage of these results. A win tomorrow would be fantastic, and go a long way to easing our fears, but, right now, I'd be more than happy with a point. Things are looking up!

League table: 



Verdict: 




2/3/21
Summary: Well, well, well. Police Tero's 2-1 win at Muang Thong Utd has really put the maew amongst the nok pirab. Who saw that coming?! I'm willing to bet no-one did, but I'm certain that it won't be the last unexpected result during this hecric run in. Anyhoo, the cops' victory moves them back above us in the standings and a little bit closer to safety. As a side note, the goals today came from two players - Boskovic and Leesaw - who we let go during the most recent transfer window. Talk about a kick in the teeth!


League table: 



Verdict: 




28/2/21
Result: Chonburi 4-1 Suphanburi

Summary: Chonburi answered their critics - well, me - with a resounding 4-1 win against fellow relegation strugglers (as I'm legally obliged to call them), Suphanburi. After a shaky opening 5 minutes - when we went a goal behind - the Sharks showed enough fight and guile to convince even their harshest detractors (me again) that they have enough to stay up. In the end, 4-1 flattered the visitors, who were a shadow of the side I watched recently. Let's hope it wasn't just a flash in the pan and we can now string together an unlikely run of good results. Elsewhere, Bangkok Utd did us a big favour by clinging on to record a 1-0 victory at Sukhothai. All in all, a good day, and that league table looks a lot better now.


League table: 



Verdict: 




27/2/21
Summary: Police Tero's very late equaliser against Prachuap means they go three points ahead us, having played a game more. They also have a better goal difference (but our head to head record is better, should it ultimately come to that). However, the two points dropped by the visitors gives us the chance to put a bit of daylight between us and them, with a win in tomorrow's big match. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling very confident about our chances against Suphanburi. They have looked good recently and we'll still be reeling after Thursday. I'd love to be proved wrong, of course. In Sunday's other important fixture, Sukhothai entertain Bangkok Utd. Let's hope our midweek conquerers have packed their goal scoring boots. I doubt I'll get much sleep tonight!


League table: 



Verdict: 





25/2/21
Result: Bangkok Utd 5-1 Chonburi

Summary: Thank god I was at work today and didn't have to sit through that debacle. What an absolute disgrace. I don't think I've ever been as angry as a Chonburi fan as I am today. Even that cup exit at Thai Honda a couple of years ago didn't make me this mad. And I was pretty annoyed that night! I hope every single one of those players is feeling as bad as we are right now. No...scrub that...I hope they're feeling much worse. What an embarrassment. I'm dreading Sunday even more now. Our confidence must be shot and Suphanburi have looked pretty impressive in their last two matches. I can't see anything other than an away win at the weekend and that will really plunge us into the mire ahead of a tough few fixtures. We're going down, aren't we.

League table: 



Verdict: 




24/2/21
Summary: A goal in the eighth - EIGHTH! - minute of added on time, looked to have helped Prachuap to a spawny 1-0 win against Ratchaburi, but an even later equaliser, earned a point for the visitors, in a dramatic match that caught out the official Thai League website, who had already posted the full time score as 1-0. Meanwhile, Police Tero were chalking up a 2-0 victory against fellow strugglers, Sukhothai. Not quite the results we wanted, but as long as our destiny is in our own hands, we can't really complain.


League table: 



Verdict: 





23/2/21
Summary: Suphanburi travelled to Trat for today's big match and came away with a valuable 2-0 win. Not a great result for us - I would have preferred a draw or a home victory - but an even worse one for the White Elephants, who are surely down now. Tomorrow, Police Tero and Sukhothai go head to head and Prachuap entertain Ratchaburi. I'd be happy with a draw in the former and an away win in the latter, ahead of our trip to Bangkok Utd on Thursday. It's still very tight for that remaining relegation spot. Gulp!

League table: 



Verdict: 



21/2/21
Result: Chonburi 1-0 Police Tero

Summary: I was at work so didn't get to see any of the match. Therefore, I'm not able to comment on how we played. But frankly, who cares! Results are far more important than performances now so I'll take the three points from this much needed win. Elsewhere, Samut Prakan City did us a favour by tonking Prachuap 4-0 and Nakorn Ratchasima held Sukhothai to a 0-0 draw. All in all, a good day. And we've not had many of those recently.

League table: 


Verdict: 



20/2/21
Summary: Trat eked out a goalless draw at Port to move on to 15 points. Meanwhile, Suphanburi surrendered a one goal lead, conceded a couple of penalties and missed one of their own - courtesy of ex-Shark Leandro Assumpcao - to lose 2-3 against Buriram Utd. For now, we stay out of the bottom three, but it's tight down there!

League table: 


Verdict: