Ratchaburi fan, Neal Oliver responds to our recent 'Mythbuster' feature on his club.
Of course, they are. TPL has an elite 6, a bunch of also rans and relegation contenders. Money is everything in the top tier of most leagues, and the top 6 usually falls to the teams with the super-budgets. If you never had the teams occupying the middle of the table each season, it would become a boring table. To have been top tier team for 10 seasons, they must be doing something right.
Ratchaburi Stadium Is The Best Stadium In Thailand
I haven’t been to them all, but pound for pound it probably is. Crowd sizes mean that it is still modest in terms of capacity, but we have been assured by ‘the management’ that plans for building the 4th side are in place, should we need the additional capacity. I went to Buriram’s stadium at the end of last year, and although impressive, it fell down in several areas compared to the Dragon Solar Park.
There Isn't A Decent Drinking Option In The City
I am a Hua Hin Dragon, so by definition, living over 100Km away, I am not really qualified to answer this question. However, I have stayed in the city after arriving back late on supporter’s buses. I have only found 7-11s open. It is most definitely a city that goes to bed at 8pm. However, I do intend spending a few days just looking around the city next month. Thanks for the tips guys, and if we find any other watering holes, I will update the thread.
Ratchaburi Are Not Disliked By Anyone
Probably not, but this is Thailand. One of the things I like about Thai football is nobody really dislikes anybody else. I am never afraid to wear Ratchaburi colours at opposing stadiums, and there has never been any hint of trouble. Football is definitely very family friendly. I must say, I can’t really think of any football club here, except Prachuap, that I would say I hate them. The only trouble I’ve seen has been alcohol fueled, and even that has been little more than handbags. Prachuap at Hua Hin was disgusting, but, thankfully, it was a one-off.
As for Heberty, I’ve never seen him in a Ratchaburi shirt, so I’m with the rest of the Thai football community on that one. Typical Brazilian – a bucketload of skill, a great eye for goal but feels the need to con the ref at every opportunity. I’m sure he wasn’t like that when he wore a Ratchaburi shirt.
Ratchaburi Sack Far Too Many Coaches
Agreed 100%. 2018 is about the time I discovered Ratchaburi (is it really only 15? I stopped counting). It got to the stage where I didn’t have a clue who was in the seat – I just used to look for a strange face when the players came to the crowd at the end of matches.
9 months in the seat by Coach Xavi has made a huge difference to the football Ratchaburi are playing. We are playing some really nice football. However, some of the mid-season transfer decisions do make me wonder how much control he has over the squad he is ‘managing’. Ratchaburi had a fantastic 1st leg, but offloaded some key players, and their replacements are definitely a downgrade. I don’t see any coach worth his salt doing that. The team are still playing some beautiful football, but are a toothless tiger in front of goal in Leg 2.
Ratchaburi Get Decent Crowds
With the exception of Buriram, I think all Thai football crowds are poor. I actually wonder how teams survive. Especially in the lower leagues, they can not rely upon gate receipts. If clubs can’t attract enough supporters, why do they bother? Yes, I think Thai supporters can make a lot of noise, but they need drums and megaphones to do that – because they need artificial aids, I do wonder the value of the noise. Don’t get me wrong, I’d hate to see teams throw in the towel, but it just doesn’t compute inside my head how the teams manage without gate receipts or why.
Even with all of our old coaches sitting in the stands, the stadium can would still be a lonely place outside of sections D, E or U.
No comments:
Post a Comment