Showing posts with label 2003. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2003. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 January 2021
Saturday, 16 January 2021
Friday, 13 December 2019
Thursday, 5 December 2019
Withe's Dismissal Another Own Goal By Officials by Wanchai Rujawongsanti: 2003
Withe's Dismissal Another Own Goal By Officials
By Wanchai Rujawongsanti
Bangkok Post October, 2003
It's unfortunate that the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has ``suspended'' Peter Withe, the most successful-ever coach of Thailand, from the job of coaching the national side. The move came last month after Thailand were eliminated _ as expected _ from the Olympic qualifying competition by the United Arab Emirates, who defeated Withe's men 4-1 in Dubai and earned a 1-1 draw in Bangkok.
The ``suspension'' of the former England international, who steered Thailand to two consecutive semi-finals at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, was not at all surprising, however. For a long time it was clearly just a matter of when _ not if _ the English coach would face the axe as it seemed that everything pointed towards his dismissal. During the Busan Asian Games last year, when Withe steered Thailand to fourth place, there were rumours that a Middle Eastern country was offering him a lucrative contract.
However, Thai team manager Thavatchai Sajakul was quick to bury the speculation by saying that the FAT would offer him an improved deal. But a few months later, a number of FAT bosses, including president Vijitr Getkaew, said they preferred a Brazilian coach to a English one _ reasoning that the Brazilian style of play was more suitable for Thai players, who are a similar size to Brazilians, than the English style of the long ball.
Withe looked set to be shown the door when Thailand had unimpressive results in the early stages of the Tiger Cup, or the Southeast Asian Championship, last December. Fortunately, Thailand overcame a shaky start to win the tournament _ Withe's latest success in a series of achievements with Thailand which also include another Tiger Cup victory in 2000, one SEA Games title in 1999, a King's Cup crown in the same year, and more importantly guiding Thailand to the final stages of the Asian zone's World Cup qualifying competition in 2001 for the first time.
Although the FAT finally handed Withe a new one-year contract earlier this year, it also hired Brazilian coach Carlos Roberto Carvalho to look after Thailand's junior squads _ a move apparently designed to put pressure on Withe. Later, the FAT even appointed Carvalho to share the responsibility of overseeing the senior and Olympic sides.
However, the FAT then backtracked from that decision _ probably because it knew too well that Thailand would be knocked out by the UAE and it would then not have a good reason to dismiss Withe. When Thailand were defeated by the UAE, the FAT had a ``legitimate'' reason to get rid of the Englishman and replace him with Carvalho with two important competitions drawing near _ the Asian Cup qualifying round next month and the SEA Games in Vietnam in December.
Although the ``suspension'' was a bit harsh for the former European Cup winner who has a long list of achievements to prove his coaching ability, coaches anywhere in the world can be sacked at any time for any reason. In Withe's case, it seems that he has never been liked by Vijitr, who even objected to him wearing shorts while on duty. Instead of giving him a ``suspension,'' the FAT should terminate Withe's contract which expires at the end of next month and pay out his remaining salary.
There is no point him working with the FAT in another capacity while he is not liked by certain officials. The FAT probably does not intend to pay him the remaining sum and wants him to quit so it can save money. The FAT bosses, some of whom seem to have a licence to stay in office for life, should also look at themselves for the reason why Thailand are still miles away behind some Asian countries.
The law governing sports should be amended to eradicate monopolies in overseeing sports associations. Under the law, elected presidents of sports associations are allowed to be in office for two years, and cannot be re-elected unless they get three-quarters of the votes. But if you get such support, you can be there for as long as you want. This is why some presidents of sports associations have been re-elected time and time again _ because they control almost all eligible voters.
For Carvalho, he should know that he, too, can be sacked any time when his honeymoon period is over. Carvalho himself faced the same fate Withe is suffering at the moment. Over a decade ago he led Thailand to fourth place in the Beijing Asian Games in 1990 only to be fired when Thailand lost in a penalty shootout in the SEA Games final the following year. Carvalho's first task is to take Thailand to the finals of the Asian Cup _ and that is not too tough a job.
Thailand are grouped with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Hong Kong, with the first-leg tournament to be held in Uzbekistan early next month and the second one in Bangkok shortly after that. With two teams advancing to next year's finals, it would be a disaster if Thailand failed to progress past the qualifying round.
Even if Carvalho fails, he will certainly remain as Thailand's head coach as the FAT chiefs have thrown their weight behind the Brazilian, saying he needs time to gel with his players. Is this another example of double standards in this country? www.bangkokpost.com
By Wanchai Rujawongsanti
Bangkok Post October, 2003
It's unfortunate that the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has ``suspended'' Peter Withe, the most successful-ever coach of Thailand, from the job of coaching the national side. The move came last month after Thailand were eliminated _ as expected _ from the Olympic qualifying competition by the United Arab Emirates, who defeated Withe's men 4-1 in Dubai and earned a 1-1 draw in Bangkok.
The ``suspension'' of the former England international, who steered Thailand to two consecutive semi-finals at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, was not at all surprising, however. For a long time it was clearly just a matter of when _ not if _ the English coach would face the axe as it seemed that everything pointed towards his dismissal. During the Busan Asian Games last year, when Withe steered Thailand to fourth place, there were rumours that a Middle Eastern country was offering him a lucrative contract.
However, Thai team manager Thavatchai Sajakul was quick to bury the speculation by saying that the FAT would offer him an improved deal. But a few months later, a number of FAT bosses, including president Vijitr Getkaew, said they preferred a Brazilian coach to a English one _ reasoning that the Brazilian style of play was more suitable for Thai players, who are a similar size to Brazilians, than the English style of the long ball.
Withe looked set to be shown the door when Thailand had unimpressive results in the early stages of the Tiger Cup, or the Southeast Asian Championship, last December. Fortunately, Thailand overcame a shaky start to win the tournament _ Withe's latest success in a series of achievements with Thailand which also include another Tiger Cup victory in 2000, one SEA Games title in 1999, a King's Cup crown in the same year, and more importantly guiding Thailand to the final stages of the Asian zone's World Cup qualifying competition in 2001 for the first time.
Although the FAT finally handed Withe a new one-year contract earlier this year, it also hired Brazilian coach Carlos Roberto Carvalho to look after Thailand's junior squads _ a move apparently designed to put pressure on Withe. Later, the FAT even appointed Carvalho to share the responsibility of overseeing the senior and Olympic sides.
However, the FAT then backtracked from that decision _ probably because it knew too well that Thailand would be knocked out by the UAE and it would then not have a good reason to dismiss Withe. When Thailand were defeated by the UAE, the FAT had a ``legitimate'' reason to get rid of the Englishman and replace him with Carvalho with two important competitions drawing near _ the Asian Cup qualifying round next month and the SEA Games in Vietnam in December.
Although the ``suspension'' was a bit harsh for the former European Cup winner who has a long list of achievements to prove his coaching ability, coaches anywhere in the world can be sacked at any time for any reason. In Withe's case, it seems that he has never been liked by Vijitr, who even objected to him wearing shorts while on duty. Instead of giving him a ``suspension,'' the FAT should terminate Withe's contract which expires at the end of next month and pay out his remaining salary.
There is no point him working with the FAT in another capacity while he is not liked by certain officials. The FAT probably does not intend to pay him the remaining sum and wants him to quit so it can save money. The FAT bosses, some of whom seem to have a licence to stay in office for life, should also look at themselves for the reason why Thailand are still miles away behind some Asian countries.
The law governing sports should be amended to eradicate monopolies in overseeing sports associations. Under the law, elected presidents of sports associations are allowed to be in office for two years, and cannot be re-elected unless they get three-quarters of the votes. But if you get such support, you can be there for as long as you want. This is why some presidents of sports associations have been re-elected time and time again _ because they control almost all eligible voters.
For Carvalho, he should know that he, too, can be sacked any time when his honeymoon period is over. Carvalho himself faced the same fate Withe is suffering at the moment. Over a decade ago he led Thailand to fourth place in the Beijing Asian Games in 1990 only to be fired when Thailand lost in a penalty shootout in the SEA Games final the following year. Carvalho's first task is to take Thailand to the finals of the Asian Cup _ and that is not too tough a job.
Thailand are grouped with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Hong Kong, with the first-leg tournament to be held in Uzbekistan early next month and the second one in Bangkok shortly after that. With two teams advancing to next year's finals, it would be a disaster if Thailand failed to progress past the qualifying round.
Even if Carvalho fails, he will certainly remain as Thailand's head coach as the FAT chiefs have thrown their weight behind the Brazilian, saying he needs time to gel with his players. Is this another example of double standards in this country? www.bangkokpost.com
Sunday, 24 November 2019
Therdsak: Thailand Ace by John Crean: 2003
John Crean's article on former Chonburi player and coach, Therdsak Chaiman, from early 2003.
Therdsak: Thailand Ace
by John Crean
afc.championleague.com
As if playing his trump card at the vital moment, Therdsak Chaiman's free-kick ultimately put BEC Tero Sasana into the inaugural AFC Champions League final. Four minutes after Anvarjon Soliev had scored to bring Pakhtakor within a goal in their semi-final clash in Bangkok, the Thai international's strike into the top-left corner of the net sealed a 3-1 result on the night and proved the tie decider following the 1-0 defeat in Uzbekistan.
"I was really happy with my goal. I struck the free-kick well," says Therdsak, who is as effervescent and bubbly off the pitch as he is on it. Although it was a true wonder strike, few watching that night in the Supachalasai Stadium were completely surprised. After all, Therdsak is playing the best football of his career.
After being been named the S.League Player of the Year for 2002, Therdsak was the tournament MVP in Thailand's victorious Tiger Cup campaign in December, scoring his side's second goal in the final against Indonesia. Having carried his Tiger Cup form into the inaugural AFC Champions League, his stock has sky-rocketed.
When the Bangkok club played host to Group A, his pace, reading of the game and ability to shoot with both feet provided a constant threat in clashes with four-time J.League champions Kashima Antlers, Taejon Citizen of Korea Republic and China's Shanghai Shenhua. Therdsak scored vital goals in victories over Taejon and Shenhua, which followed a draw against Kashima. The attacking midfielder had several shots on target in the decisive match against Shenhua before scoring the goal that put BEC into the semis and the crowd into hysterics.
He picked up the ball on the right, cut inside to leave two defenders in his wake and unleashed a left-foot shot from the edge of the box that drilled into the right-hand corner of the net. "It was a great feeling. But I was a bit lucky, as I hit it with my weaker (left) foot," says Therdsak, who celebrated by ripping off his shirt and waving it in the air.
"I can shoot with both feet but I usually take free-kicks with my right." It's his free-kicks for both club and country that have become Therdsak's stock in trade. David Beckham-like in their pace and power, he has scored around 75 per cent of his goals for the national team from dead ball situations and relishes the opportunity to let fly from the edge of the box.
"I practise free-kicks at training all the time - I love hitting them. I know that David Beckham says that he expects to score every time he steps up to take a free-kick. My aim is to hit the target."
Interestingly, Therdsak might not have enjoyed his recent successes with BEC, and the opportunity to put himself in the transfer shop window, if the Thai league had not come out of hibernation. He was loaned to Singapore Armed Forces when the Thai championship was inactive and they hoped to make the move permanent for the 2003 season. But with the local league getting going late last year, BEC Tero Sasana wanted their biggest asset back in Bangkok.
"They wanted me to play in the Thai league and the AFC Champions League. But SAF are still interested and I could go back there."
Again Despite his achievements at club level, the master marksman knows it's the international stage where the spotlight shines most bright. Part of the Thailand squad that impressed at the 2000 Asian Cup in Lebanon before winning the Tiger Cup the same year, Therdsak appreciates that global recognition can only come when playing at the very highest level.
"The world does not know much about Thai football or the players. Only by doing well in the Asian Cup or qualifying for the World Cup will people take notice of Thailand," says Therdsak, who models himself on French midfielder Zinedine Zidane whose play he describes as 'beautiful'. "Look at China's Li Tie and Sun Jihai. They were unknown outside of Asia before last year's World Cup but now they're both in the English Premiership."
Therdsak himself expresses a desire to continue his club career in the lucrative Japanese or Chinese leagues rather than in Europe, and he's aware that following his outstanding recent performances, an impressive Asian Cup run will help him realise this. However, he admits to knowing next to nothing about two-thirds of Thailand's Asian Cup Qualifying Round group opponents - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Hong Kong, who have beaten Thailand twice in their five meetings.
"I've never been to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan and I don't know anything about the countries or their players," he admits. "Maybe they'll have the same playing style but I'm not sure. It will of course depend on each coach."
That said, Therdsak is confident the Thais can qualify for the biggest continental clash since the competition began by finishing in the top two in Group A.
"I've played twice against the Uzbeks and while they have a very different style from ours, it isn't one we should be afraid of. We have a good record against Uzbekistan and we should make it through to the Asian Cup finals," he states with conviction. At the Tiger Cup, his superb form and the absence of numerous key players enabled Therdsak to break free from the supporting-cast role he played at the last Asian Cup, the 2000 Tiger Cup and the World Cup qualifiers in 2001. As such, he will now have to take on more leadership responsibility, particularly as many of the youngsters who were brought into senior football at December's Tiger Cup have forced their way into coach Peter Withe's thinking.
"Each young player will inevitably be nervous when he goes to a new and different country," Therdsak says in reference to the two tricky away ties in Central Asia. "But each one of them is part of our team and we will emphasise that our side have some good players and a great manager and this will help them to concentrate on playing well." As the youngsters look to Therdsak for inspiration, the player himself would be happy to keep looking to Withe for guidance. "Peter Withe is a good coach and has done everything that has been asked of him - victory in two Tiger Cups, the last four in the Asian Games. Although he uses English when coaching us, that's not a problem as he's a very good motivator," he says. "However, I think it would be better for the team if he was given a long-term contract as most of the players would like him to lead us to the 2006 World Cup." It would be a fitting target for Withe and Thailand, who currently hold an ace up their sleeve with Therdsak.
Therdsak: Thailand Ace
by John Crean
afc.championleague.com
As if playing his trump card at the vital moment, Therdsak Chaiman's free-kick ultimately put BEC Tero Sasana into the inaugural AFC Champions League final. Four minutes after Anvarjon Soliev had scored to bring Pakhtakor within a goal in their semi-final clash in Bangkok, the Thai international's strike into the top-left corner of the net sealed a 3-1 result on the night and proved the tie decider following the 1-0 defeat in Uzbekistan.
"I was really happy with my goal. I struck the free-kick well," says Therdsak, who is as effervescent and bubbly off the pitch as he is on it. Although it was a true wonder strike, few watching that night in the Supachalasai Stadium were completely surprised. After all, Therdsak is playing the best football of his career.
After being been named the S.League Player of the Year for 2002, Therdsak was the tournament MVP in Thailand's victorious Tiger Cup campaign in December, scoring his side's second goal in the final against Indonesia. Having carried his Tiger Cup form into the inaugural AFC Champions League, his stock has sky-rocketed.
When the Bangkok club played host to Group A, his pace, reading of the game and ability to shoot with both feet provided a constant threat in clashes with four-time J.League champions Kashima Antlers, Taejon Citizen of Korea Republic and China's Shanghai Shenhua. Therdsak scored vital goals in victories over Taejon and Shenhua, which followed a draw against Kashima. The attacking midfielder had several shots on target in the decisive match against Shenhua before scoring the goal that put BEC into the semis and the crowd into hysterics.
He picked up the ball on the right, cut inside to leave two defenders in his wake and unleashed a left-foot shot from the edge of the box that drilled into the right-hand corner of the net. "It was a great feeling. But I was a bit lucky, as I hit it with my weaker (left) foot," says Therdsak, who celebrated by ripping off his shirt and waving it in the air.
"I can shoot with both feet but I usually take free-kicks with my right." It's his free-kicks for both club and country that have become Therdsak's stock in trade. David Beckham-like in their pace and power, he has scored around 75 per cent of his goals for the national team from dead ball situations and relishes the opportunity to let fly from the edge of the box.
"I practise free-kicks at training all the time - I love hitting them. I know that David Beckham says that he expects to score every time he steps up to take a free-kick. My aim is to hit the target."
Interestingly, Therdsak might not have enjoyed his recent successes with BEC, and the opportunity to put himself in the transfer shop window, if the Thai league had not come out of hibernation. He was loaned to Singapore Armed Forces when the Thai championship was inactive and they hoped to make the move permanent for the 2003 season. But with the local league getting going late last year, BEC Tero Sasana wanted their biggest asset back in Bangkok.
"They wanted me to play in the Thai league and the AFC Champions League. But SAF are still interested and I could go back there."
Again Despite his achievements at club level, the master marksman knows it's the international stage where the spotlight shines most bright. Part of the Thailand squad that impressed at the 2000 Asian Cup in Lebanon before winning the Tiger Cup the same year, Therdsak appreciates that global recognition can only come when playing at the very highest level.
"The world does not know much about Thai football or the players. Only by doing well in the Asian Cup or qualifying for the World Cup will people take notice of Thailand," says Therdsak, who models himself on French midfielder Zinedine Zidane whose play he describes as 'beautiful'. "Look at China's Li Tie and Sun Jihai. They were unknown outside of Asia before last year's World Cup but now they're both in the English Premiership."
Therdsak himself expresses a desire to continue his club career in the lucrative Japanese or Chinese leagues rather than in Europe, and he's aware that following his outstanding recent performances, an impressive Asian Cup run will help him realise this. However, he admits to knowing next to nothing about two-thirds of Thailand's Asian Cup Qualifying Round group opponents - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Hong Kong, who have beaten Thailand twice in their five meetings.
"I've never been to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan and I don't know anything about the countries or their players," he admits. "Maybe they'll have the same playing style but I'm not sure. It will of course depend on each coach."
That said, Therdsak is confident the Thais can qualify for the biggest continental clash since the competition began by finishing in the top two in Group A.
"I've played twice against the Uzbeks and while they have a very different style from ours, it isn't one we should be afraid of. We have a good record against Uzbekistan and we should make it through to the Asian Cup finals," he states with conviction. At the Tiger Cup, his superb form and the absence of numerous key players enabled Therdsak to break free from the supporting-cast role he played at the last Asian Cup, the 2000 Tiger Cup and the World Cup qualifiers in 2001. As such, he will now have to take on more leadership responsibility, particularly as many of the youngsters who were brought into senior football at December's Tiger Cup have forced their way into coach Peter Withe's thinking.
"Each young player will inevitably be nervous when he goes to a new and different country," Therdsak says in reference to the two tricky away ties in Central Asia. "But each one of them is part of our team and we will emphasise that our side have some good players and a great manager and this will help them to concentrate on playing well." As the youngsters look to Therdsak for inspiration, the player himself would be happy to keep looking to Withe for guidance. "Peter Withe is a good coach and has done everything that has been asked of him - victory in two Tiger Cups, the last four in the Asian Games. Although he uses English when coaching us, that's not a problem as he's a very good motivator," he says. "However, I think it would be better for the team if he was given a long-term contract as most of the players would like him to lead us to the 2006 World Cup." It would be a fitting target for Withe and Thailand, who currently hold an ace up their sleeve with Therdsak.
Saturday, 5 October 2019
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