Whenever the discussion of best grounds and trips on offer in Thai football comes up, very rarely do Chinag Rai Utd get a mention. The purpose built uniformity of Buriram Utd's Thunder Castle and Ratchaburi's Dragon Stadium seem to be popular, but to some Chaing Rai offers something a little different. There's a slightly unplanned ramshackle charm to its four stands, no running track, a decent away end, great views, and a European style atmosphere where home and away fans can trade insults through a wire mesh fence. Oh and they have a great big fibre-glass beetle on the main concourse as well as a fine selection of food vendors. And at one point they also had a life-size cardboard cut-out of Big Bill. And what ground wouldn't be enhanced by one of those!
The main downside is that the ground is a fair way out of town, with limited options to get back without assistance from one of the friendly locals. But, on the plus side, it's walkable to and from the airport. Handy if you've got to catch a plane home at full time. All in all, it certainly seems to be the case that a visit to the Chiang Rai Stadium makes for a glorious football experience!
Outside of Buriram Utd, Chiang Rai Utd sets the standard for what provincial teams should strive to be
I think this was certainly the case during their early years - when I interviewed one of their fans in 2011 he said, "I have great respect for Khun Miti's professionalism, his vision, perseverance and strength. And I admire him." However, the owner/president seems to have taken his eye off the ball recently. From an outside perspective, it looks like his popularity is waning and he has made some unpopular decisions. This seems to be supported by the alarming drop in attendance figures. This season they are pulling in an average of 1,784 per match. Which compares unfavourably to the 5,052 they were getting in 2019, the last campaign when crowd figures weren't affected by Covid. It's a worry and clearly is about more than just the football. How they address this, and attempt to turn it around, will be interesting.
Chiang Rai Utd, the team that cheated their way to a title
This is a prickly one, particularly for fans of Chiang Mai FC. The Beetles took six points off their "adopted" club that season and also had to rely on them grabbing a last day, last minute equaliser against title rivals, Buriram Utd, in order to be crowned champions. Even then, they only lifted the trophy on a superior head to head record over the Thunder Castle. Whether you consider this "cheating" or not depends on your perspective. But without those two "gimmes" from the Lanna Tigers, and the huge cash incentive their players were offered to stop Buriram Utd winning on that fateful final day, they wouldn't have overhauled the team from Isaan.
Chaing Rai Utd develop future national team players
Many moons ago Chiang Rai United came into a little bit of money, the details of exactly how are a little sketchy, but nevertheless, despite grossly overpaying for Tanaboon they invested it wisely. Their philosophy was simple, buy each and every member of Muangthong Utd’s youth team, who at the time had a stacked first team and a distinct lack of forward planning. Fast forward a season or two and Phitiwat, Siwakorn, Suriya, Chiyawat, Shinniphat and Thithiphan, alongside their own academy starlet, Ekkanit Panya, were bringing home the silverware, impressing in the ACL and receiving call-ups for the national team. Whilst their financial clout has since dried up they still endeavour to turn around the misfortunes of underappreciated players that they see value in (see Montree, Sanukran, Atikhun et al), but the current crop of misfits seem less likely to make Mano’s match day squads.
Chiang Rai Utd are a predominantly defensive team
It's difficult to recall a time “The Beetles” haven’t lined up with a back five. This isn’t necessarily a defensive manoeuvre in itself, but with players like Tanasak and Victor in possession, the chances that they will look to carry out the ball out of defence is unlikely. Whilst the term “The Beautiful Game” may have been lost in translation up north, Chiang Rai Utd do add pleasing variance to the game. They are unapologetically direct and the effectiveness of this can be measured by their title-winning campaign in 2019. They are now considered the litmus test for any eye-pleasing, possession-based Thai side who may play decent stuff at home, but can they do it on a sweltering Wednesday evening with hazardous air pollution levels in Chiang Rai?
They are a bloody tough team to beat on their home patch
Our abysmal league record up there - P11 W1 D4 L6 F14 A20 Pts7 - would appear to support this statement, but how do others fare in the far north? Well, their home form this season is impressive. They have amassed 25 points from 13 matches. And only suffered 2 defeats - against Port and Bangkok Utd, with both coming in the past few weeks. However, last year they suffered 6 losses on their own patch, twice as many as they did on their travels. Which, is pretty poor. A peek back to the 2020/21 campaign shows they were bettered 3 times on home soil. So, in conclusion, over the past three seasons I'd say their home form is pretty average. It only seems to be a "bloody tough team to beat" when we visit.
Chiang Rai is a wonderful town to visit
It's a delightful town for a weekend away, with sights easily covered in a couple of days and a centre that offers enough eating and drinking options to keep you entertained without being overwhelming. You've got a plethora of cheap places to stay and - so I'm reliably informed - a little 'nightlife soi' down by the clock tower for those who fancy getting their tummy rubbed. However, if you prefer something more upmarket, it also boasts a great cafe and coffee shop culture. Unfortunately, the air quality and pollution that plague the area are a huge problem. Sadly, no-one in authority seems bothered enough to do anything about solving these issues.
Chiang Rai Utd have a good cup pedigree
Absolutely. Since 2017, The Beetles have won the FA Cup three times (2017, 2018 & 2020/21), the League Cup once (2018) and finished runners up (once) and beaten semi-finalists (twice) in the latter competition during the same period. By anyone's standards, that is a pretty impressive cup record.
With thanks to Phil, Jim, Isaac, Richard & Grant
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