A League Of Their Own by Jeerawat Na Thalang (Bangkok Post): 2015

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

by Jeerawat Na Thalang

Bangkok Post 

16th August, 2015

Once considered a joke, professional Thai football is more popular and profitable than ever, and top clubs and sponsors are cashing in

Earlier this month, the top two teams in Thailand’s Premier League, Muangthong United and Buriram United, kicked off the second half of their season with one of the best matches this year. The exciting game ended in a stalemate at 2-2, but it promised more excitement ahead in the professional Thai football season.

In front of a packed I-Mobile Stadium in the northeastern province of Buri Ram, the players from the two top-ranking teams were in fine form and put on quite a show for the 30,000-plus crowd packed into the stadium and the millions who watched the match on TV.

“The match showed both sportsmanship and athletic excellence and it was very entertaining to watch,” said Ong-arj Kosinkar, president of the Thai Premier League Co Ltd (TPL). “Games like this elevate Thai football to the same level as the European game.”

The electric atmosphere in the stadium and the anticipation from the fans before kick-off was a far cry from the early days of professional Thai football, when there was little interest in the local game.

Ronnarit Suewaja, who is club director and executive director at SCG Muangthong United, recalled the state of the game a decade ago, when matches were played in almost empty stadiums. “The number of players was higher than the number of spectators,” he said.

Football has long been one of the most popular sports in Thailand, but local fans tended to follow European or English teams, such as Manchester United or Liverpool, rather than the local sides. The sport’s governing body, the Football Association of Thailand, started the Thai Premier League in 1996, but is was not until 2007 that local communities started to take an interest and follow the teams. Before then, the teams in the league played under the banners of organisations such as commercial banks, government agencies or state enterprises like the Royal Navy or the Port Authority of Thailand.

Some players had to practise late in the afternoons after their day jobs.

The merger of the Thai Premier League with the provincial league in 2007 marked a turning point for local fans with the game rapidly gaining popularity at the grass-roots level.

As a result, sponsorship deals and money started flooding in. Mr Ong-arj said the success of the Thai Premier League had gained attention from around the world.

“Foreigners are looking at what happened in Thailand and trying to learn why the Thai Premier League has become so successful,” he told Spectrum.

KICKING A FINANCIAL GOAL

Mr Ong-arj estimated more than 3.5 billion baht in cash has been circulating in Thailand’s professional football league. The majority of the money goes to the top-tier league, which is now officially known as the Toyota Thai Premier League thanks to sponsorship from the Japanese car-maker. 

TPL Co was set up to manage the country’s professional football leagues, which include the Thai Premier League and Division 1, where relegated teams end up, and Division 2, which is the Regional League. The annual income of the leagues is about 800 million baht. The earnings consist of TrueVisions’ broadcasting rights for Toyota Premier League matches, worth 600 million baht, 100 million baht from Toyota and an additional 100 million baht from other sponsors.

Mr Ong-arj said each team in the Toyota Premier League receives 20 million baht annually from the broadcasting rights. TPL also contributes three million baht to each Division 1 team. The rest goes to teams in the Regional League.

Although there are no official statistics available, Mr Ong-arj estimated that the 18 Toyota Thai Premier League teams were likely to invest on average 100 million baht annually to build up their teams. Each Division 1 team was likely to spend 70 million baht annually, he said. There was also money from sponsorship deals, ticket sales and souvenirs.

The season runs from March to October, with teams playing 34 games each, totalling 306 games in the season. The first leg of the season finished last month.

The number of spectators at Toyota Thai Premier League matches in the first leg of this season rose to 1.072 million, compared with 1.049 million in the same period last season. The average audience per match was estimated at 7,010 in the first leg this season, compared with 5,523 in the same period last season.

Income from ticket sales and souvenirs was 832,336 baht per match in the first leg of this season, compared with 743,602 baht last year.

“The crowds at Thai Premier League games are growing stronger every year,” Mr Ong-arj said.

BUILDING A FAN BASE

Ms Pattanee Hongthong, a 67-year-old fan, takes her family to watch almost all of the Chonburi Football Club’s home games.

Spectrum met Ms Pattanaee on July 25 when Chonburi played Osotspa Samut Prakan FC. Wearing a Chonburi FC blue jersey, Ms Pattanee went to the match with her daughter and a nephew.

“I like football and I wanted to show my support for my team.”

She moved to Chon Buri 10 years ago, but it is not hard to imagine why she has identified with the local team. Before each match, people in the province gather to discuss the possible outcome. Posters showing Chonburi FC’s match schedules are everywhere. When Chonburi FC plays a home game, fans don their blue jerseys as a show of unity. 

Pasanon Sattapongpan took his daughter to the game. He moved to Chon Buri a year ago. “I prefer to bring my daughter to watch the game during the weekend. It is better than going to a department store,” he said. “It’s good for the province to have a football team and there are lots of activities for family members to enjoy together.”

In 2007, Chonburi became the first club from the Provincial League to win the Thai Premier League. “Our victory has inspired other provincial teams to follow,” said Annop Singtothong, the vice-president of Chonburi FC.

Chonburi FC rent their stadium from the Chon Buri Provincial Administration Organisation. Although the stadium is small with only an 8,000-seat capacity, it meets international standards with modern facilities and five exits. Games and activities are organised in front of the stadium to entertain fans before the game, helping to attract younger generations of fans. The match, which started at 6pm, ended with a 2-0 win for Chonburi.

“The football team unites people in the province,” Mr Annop said. “We have to win. People come to watch the game for 90 minutes. If their team loses, they are disappointed. But if their team wins, they cannot stop talking about it.”

Mr Annop said Chonburi FC was a good model for provincial teams. The side gained a wide fan base because of the team’s success during the early years after the provincial league was merged with the Premier League, he said.

“At that time, when other provincial teams were not as strong, football fans in the provinces rooted for us because they could identify with us more than with teams from Bangkok,” Mr Annop said.

He added that Chonburi had expanded its fan base thanks to television. In 2008, free-to-air Channel 11 agreed to broadcast Thai Premier League games live to boost the professional league. The initial broadcast time was set at 4pm, well before prime time.

“Corporate teams such as Osotspa and Bangkok Bank did not mind the timing because they would be able to get two hours of free advertising. But in the Chonburi team’s view, 4pm was too early for the game. The weather was still hot and the spectators would prefer to sit on the same side as the cameras to avoid the sunlight. The image projected nationwide would give the impression the game was played in an empty stadium,” he said.

Chonburi insisted on playing at 6pm to get the best image broadcast to the biggest possible audience. In 2008, the team hired the Siam Sport Syndicate to broadcast games live on its sport cable channel. “We were willing to pay two million baht to broadcast each game,” he said.

The new broadcast time made a big difference. Spectators now packed all sides of the stadium because at 6pm the sunlight and heat were no longer an issue. The stadium was full of spectators wearing the same team jersey, which made a great impression on the television audience.

The team also aimed to cash in on social media, with replays of the matches. In addition to some 6,000-10,000 spectators in the stadium, more than two million viewers watched Chonburi FC on YouTube. “Such a visual impact gives people inspiration,” Mr Annop said.

Chonburi has subsequently increased sales of the team jersey. “We even produced a team scarf, even though Thailand is hot. Still, some fans bought the scarf because it looks good when they wear them in the stadium,” he said.

Now the popularity of Thai Premier League has risen to the point where broadcasters have to bid for broadcasting rights. In 2013, pay TV operator TrueVisions won the rights to air the Thai Premier League for three years at an annual cost of 600 million baht. For the clubs it was a windfall — instead of being paid per broadcast, each team received 20 million baht from the broadcasting rights.

The rising popularity has also turned some Thai players into celebrities. Being a footballer is much more lucrative financially than many other professions, with salaries topping 100,000 baht per month, Mr Annop said.

BRANCHING OUT

Mr Ong-arj is in no doubt that watching Thai football "is now as much fun as watching European matches".

“Football fans now feel a sense of ownership with the teams that represent their province,” he added.

Thai fans are interested in only the top five English premiership teams, he said, but in the Thai professional league the audience is growing and definitely home-grown. “Now we have football fans rooting for their teams in different provinces such as Suphan Buri, Chiang Rai, Si Sa Ket and Chon Buri,” he said.

The success of Thai football is not only measured by the rising number of fans, but by the inclusion of foreign players. “If they were not convinced that they could earn a stable and competitive income, they would not have come to play in Thailand,” he said.

This season, there are a total 490 players in Thai Premier League teams, 401 of them Thai and 89 foreign. Twenty came from Brazil, 11 from Japan, 11 from South Korea and the rest from a wide variety of countries.

“In Asia, we are one of the top 10 leagues and number one in Asean. People are surprised that the Thai Premier League has expanded so rapidly,” said Mr Ong-arj.

THE STARS SHINE

The football clubs, meanwhile, have used professional management to strengthen their teams as well as their fan bases. Managing a football team involves three key factors, said Ronnarit Suewaja, club director and executive director of Muangthong United. They are strong partners, good players and a good marketing strategy.

Hailed as one of the richest teams in the Thai Premier League, Muangthong United is owned by the Siam Sport Syndicate, the most powerful sports media organisation in the country. The team now also has a sponsorship deal with Siam Cement Public Company Limited, the largest cement company in Thailand.

“We have carefully crafted our image," Mr Ronnarit said. "Our brand creation must incorporate our target [to be No 1], lifestyle [of our fans], success and excitement.” For instance, Muangthong United chose the nickname "twin Qilin" to show its oriental flare in order to attract fans in other Asian countries.

Muangthong’s squad boasts Thai football superstars including Kawin Thamsatchanan, Teerasil Dangda and Sarach Yooyen. The team also recruited foreign players to add more excitement for fans.

In 2011, Muangthong signed former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler, who signed a one-year contract. “Fowler helped make the team known internationally,” Mr Ronnarit said.

The team also makes the best use of social media. Muangthong United’s Facebook page has more than 1.3 million followers. “That’s the highest among any Thai Premier League team,” he said.

Venus Asavasitthithavorn, the corporate communications director at SCG's Corporate Communications Office, said the sponsorship deal with Muangthong United is part of the company’s plan to establish its brand across Asean. She said the sponsorship deal is about 100 million baht annually.

“The SCG brand has been known among adults because our products are construction materials. Football helps connect our brand to the younger generation,” she said.

“A recent survey shows that football ranks as the second factor that makes people recognise the SCG brand after water conservation, which has long been our main social activity.”

Muangthong United also benefited from an extensive network of 50,000 SCG employees nationwide. “Wherever Muangthong United FC plays, they are always SCG staff members rooting for the team,” she said. 

Muangthong United, like other major clubs, also grooms the future generation of footballers through its academy. On the day of our interview, pre-teen students from Photinimit School, which has an agreement with the club, were gathering at Muangthong United’s cafe after they took a break from training.

THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS

Interest from politicians and celebrities has added to the excitement surrounding the professional football league. That is particularly the case for Newin Chidchob’s role in transforming Buriram Football Club into a football juggernaut after he took over in December 2009.

Waving the banner: A sea of red can often be seen at the Thunderdome as fans come out in droves to watch Muangthong United. The club has capitalised on social media and has strong support.

Mr Newin, once a controversial politician, made a massive investment and turned the club into the reigning Premier League champions. Industry observers agree that Mr Newin has successfully improved his public image through the association with Buriram United.

“Throughout my political life, I spent lot on Buri Ram province, but nobody recognised it. But now, people want to take photographs with me because I made them happy. After each match I have to stand for one hour taking photos with the fan club. This is real happiness that you cannot find elsewhere,” he told the Thaipublica website in 2012.

Chonburi FC, meanwhile, is chaired by Wittaya Khunpluem, a member of the most influential political family in Chon Buri province.

“Khun Wittaya does not get involved in the decision-making of the team. But of course, he helped facilitate the use of the Chon Buri Administration Organisation’s stadium, which has been the home of the Chonburi team,” Mr Annop said.

Nualphan Lamsam, a socialite and a top executive at Muangthai Insurance, recently took over the Port Football Club. But it remains to be seen if she will be able to turn around one of the oldest Thai teams. Port FC is still struggling in the bottom half of the rankings this season.

CASHING IN

The success of the professional football league has drawn the interest of many sponsors. Surapol Utintu, the executive director of Thai Beverage Marketing Co Ltd, said, “Sports marketing is one of the most effective marketing tools. It helps enhance the image of the products. Once the image of the product improves, it helps increase sales.

“You walk into department stores and see people wearing football team T-shirts with the Chang brand on the chest. If you are not proud of the brand, that is not possible. I think people feel proud to wear T-shirts with the Chang logo. That’s good enough,” he said, when asked why the company cannot quantify the returns on its investment.

He added that the overall business involving Thai professional football could reach 10 billion baht, taking into account the related businesses. “TrueVisions spent 600 million baht to win the broadcasting rights. If TrueVisions agreed to spend that much, imagine how much they make from broadcasting the games every weekend,” Mr Surapol said.

He added that Thai Beverage spent about 500 million baht to promote sports-related activities annually, with half of that going to youth development. It is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility commitment, he said.

Mr Surapol declined to reveal the amounts given to each team. “We support many teams. If one team realises that we have given less to them than another, they may ask questions,” he said.

Thai Beverage is one of the biggest sponsors as the company supports nine Premier League clubs, including the perennially popular Buriram United, Chonburi FC, Suphanburi FC, Army United and Port FC. Thai Beverage also supports nine Division 1 clubs and 15 Regional League clubs.

Asked if the company did the sponsorship deals for tax deduction benefits, he said: “Some activities may be tax deductible. But the value is low compared to our sales of more than 100 billion baht. Our main objective is to develop the potential of people.”

AIA Thailand is also a major sponsor of Thailand’s professional football clubs. According to Yada Vongtongkum, the associate director of the customer office of AIA Thailand, the company now supports six teams in the Thai Premier League, Muangthong United, Chaing Rai United, Bangkok Glass FC, Bangkok United, Suphanburi FC and Chonburi FC.

AIA Thailand declined to reveal its sponsorship figure. “The sponsorship deal with football teams is part of the company’s strategy," she said. "We view this as a long-term plan.

“Football sponsorship enables us to reach the masses, including young people. We have to realise that for Gen Y, football is a big deal. It can connect to people socially and economically. AIA has also connected with people in the same way.”

Mr Surapol said the league's growing popularity prompted many advertisers to become sponsors. “Everyone is in the field. Today, whoever does not use football as their sports marketing is going to miss the bandwagon.”

Chonburi 2-2 Nakhon Ratchasima (5/4/15) - Match Report/Post Match Interview: 2015

 TPL

Chonburi 2-2 Nakhon Ratchasima

Chonburi Stadium

Attendance: 8,328

Sunday 5th April, 2015

Post Match Interview With Bjorn Lindemann

How did you use the four week break to prepare for the match?

There was not much difference to our usual preparation but we worked on fine tuning our system.

 

What was the mood like in the camp before the match?

I have to say the mood was really good. Very relaxed.

 

What were your instructions/tactics for the match?

Our plan was to sit back a bit and let Chonburi play their game, but to try to play football at the same time. 

 

What were your feelings at half time - being pegged back after taking an early lead?

Of course we were a bit grieved but we still believed we wouldn’t leave the stadium empty handed. 

 

What were your plans/tactics for the second half?

The same as before the game. And it worked pretty well.  

 

How did you feel when Lee Tuck scored, to put you in front for the second time?

I was happy and was hopeful that we would come away with three points.

 

And when we equalised late on?

A bit down, of course, but that's football. 

What were your initial feelings at full time?

I was just happy with the point and that we had played such a good game, especially in Chonburi.

 

It was an entertaining match to watch, what was it like to play in?

It was great fun, as both sides wanted to play football and it was played in the right spirit, in front of a great backdrop.

 

What did you think Chonburi's strengths were?

Chonburi is very good team offensive wise. 

 

And our weaknesses?

You’d better ask the coach!

 

Overall, what are your thoughts on the match and result?

As said, getting away from Chonburi with one point is great for us. And I hope we can build on this game and are able to improve further.

Myanmar National Team Scarf: 2015

 

TPL Chonburi 2-1 Muang Thong Utd - Match Report: 2015

TPL

Chonburi 2-1 Muang Thong Utd

Chonburi Stadium

Attendance: 8,460

Sunday 28th June, 2015

MATCH REPORT

What a strange old match this was. The first half had everything - action, goals, controversy, sendings off, a penalty and the threat of real violence - but, other than a couple of near misses, the second period was as dull a forty five minutes as I can remember.

 

Chonburi started like the proverbial house on fire and should have taken the lead within the first minute. However, after bursting through the defence, Thiago failed to connect properly and the ball rolled agonisingly wide of the post.

 

We had another chance a few minutes later, but dos Santos' header hit the inside of the upright and bounced out to safety. Still 0-0 but this was a completely different Chonburi side to the one we've been watching all season. They were passing the ball around with pace, closing down opponents and, in the words of Shaun Ryder (or was it Terry Duckworth?) looked "Mad For It".

 

But, just as we were all rubbing our hands with glee at this promising start, Muang Thong Utd broke away and scored. An unmarked Mario Djurovski (do they still call him Super Mario?) slotted in from close range. Disaster! Would we be able to recover from this? On previous form I would have said not but tonight, things would be different.

 

After a lengthy goal celebration, which, for some reason, involved most of the visiting team standing in front of the tunnel (an interesting choice considering what was to follow), we simply dusted ourselves down and picked up where we'd left off. We were still causing problems for the back four, with Thiago pulling defenders (sometimes literally) all over the place. And we didn't have to wait long for our reward. Seven minutes after going behind, the aforementioned Brazilian was brought down when attempting to get on the end of a left wing cross. It was hard to tell whether the incident occured inside or outside the box but, after getting a call from his linesman, the ref awarded a penalty. This prompted a rash of complaints and protests from the mass debaters in red. Thankfully, the three or four minute delay didn't distract Thiago as he coolly despatched the ball into the net.

 

Shortly after drawing level, the home side received another boost when Sarawut was shown a second yellow for a foul on Leandro. Our tails were up, we were playing against ten men, the home crowd had raised the noise levels - what could possibly go wrong? As it happens (am I still allowed to say that?) nothing. In fact, it was to get a whole lot better.

 

Four minutes before half time, the hard working Nurul seized on a loose ball, turned and chipped the keeper from twenty five yards. It was an exquisite goal. A chip worthy of Harry Ramsden's. And the place erupted. But that wasn't the end of the action. Deep into first half injury time, the ticking time bomb that was Cleiton Silva finally exploded and churlishly kicked out at Kroerkrit. It was a ridiculous knee high challenge with the ball nowhere near and he was, quite rightly, shown a straight red. Surely he could have no complaints. But he managed to find some from somewhere. After initially appearing to accept his fate and heading for the tunnel, he turned back and started arguing with anyone who'd listen. Bizarre behaviour.

 

There was to be no further action on the field but as the teams were departing for their half time cups of tea/orange slices/kow pat moo the officials were approached by the Muang Thong goalie and that fat bloke you always see at press conferences and who sits on the bench. They didn't look happy, bless them, but their petulant haranguing didn't get any reaction from the four men in green and they wandered off looking slightly embarrassed, much to the amusement of the main stand patrons.

 

As I've already stated, the second half was pretty dull. For some reason - and seemingly contrary to Jadet's instructions (which is worrying) - we stopped playing. There was no intent, no movement, no desire, no fun, no more heroes and no end product.  We did create a couple of chances - Leandro failed to get his toe to a cross, Thiago slipped after going round the keeper, Nurul hit the bar and there was a goal mouth scramble which ended with Thiago's overhead kick going wide but otherwise, nothing much happened and the anticipated slaughter didn't materialise.

 

There was a definite feeling of anti-climax as we filed out of the ground at the final whistle. Muang Thong were there for the taking but we failed to capitalise. Sure, we would have bitten your hand off if you'd have offered us a 2-1 win before the match but I can't recall ever feeling so disappointed after a victory and 8-1 would look a whole lot better.

Army Utd 1-2 Chonburi - Away Days Photos: 2015

 TPL

Army Utd 1-2 Chonburi

Royal Thai Army Stadium

19th July, 2015

Pathum Thani Seeker 0-4 Chonburi - Match Report: 2015

League Cup

Round 2

Pathum Thani Seeker 0-4 Chonburi

Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University Stadium

Attendance: 303

Wednesday 1st July, 2015

Match Report

This was every bit as comfortable as the result suggests. The visitors dominated the match from start to finish and could easily have scored ten. The hard, bobbly pitch made passing difficult but - the odd embarrassing incident aside - the Chonburi players mastered it a lot better than the home team. The fact that they were being allowed so much time on the ball helped but it was apparent from the first whistle that, even though we fielded a virtual second string eleven, there was a huge gulf in class.

 

There is little point in giving a blow by blow account of what happened during the ninety minutes because it wasn't the greatest of games, and it certainly wasn't a contest. However, special mentions must go to dos Santos for his heading and defending masterclass; Kirati for warming up in a face mask and then removing it for the match; the ref for sensibly allowing the players a drinks break midway through the first half; the Phatum Thani Seeker team for not giving up; Sinthaweechai's backpack and Nurul for his joyful celebrations when his mate Wanich scored late on.

 

The fans too should get some credit. The 150 or so who made the 250km round trip for a 3:30pm Wednesday kick off were not only rewarded with a win but with a genuine old skool experience. No security, no restrictions on what could be taken into the ground and the opportunity to stroll onto the pitch at the final whistle to mix with the players. Oh, how I miss those days. 

 

So, on a night of upsets - hello Suphanburi and Muang Thong Utd - the Sharks sailed effortlessly into the third round and gave us a pleasant day out. There's still a lot of work to be done - and many issues that need addressing - but we have now won three matches in a row and this must surely breed confidence. Hopefully we can use this little run as a springboard to kickstart our season. I stand by my comment of a couple of weeks ago that we won't win anything this year but we can at least begin to enjoy watching our team again.

AFC Champions League Chonburi 4-1 Kitchee - Match Report: 2015

 AFC Champions League

Preliminary Round

Chonburi 4-1 Kitchee

Chonburi Stadium

Attendance: 3,432

Tuesday 10th February, 2015

LESSON TO BE LEARNED FOR OUTCLASSED KITCHEE

by Chan Kin-Wa

Kitchee's Asian Champions League hopes were crushed in a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of home team Chonburi, of Thailand, on Tuesday night.

 

Playing their first match in the top-tier regional competition after being given a bye in the qualifying play-off first round, the Hong Kong champions were simply outclassed.

 

Chonburi, who will now meet Kashiwa Reysol of Japan for a place in the ACL main draw, led 3-1 at half-time, thanks to two goals from Brazilian striker Leandro Assumpcao while fellow forward Nurul Sriyangem was also on target.

 

Emmet Wan Chun, who has spent most of the season on the bench, struck back with a goal for Kitchee, but Assumpcao completed his hat-trick in the second half to seal the victory. Midfielder Wan said he felt little joy at scoring his first professional goal as they had lost the match.

 

Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin, in Thailand with the side, admitted they still had a lot to learn about competing in the highest club-level regional competition.

 

"Chonburi were the better side and we have plenty of room for improvement," said Ng. "We have to put the defeat behind us and start preparations for the AFC Cup."

 

The result was déjà vu as South China were defeated by the same Thai side 3-0 in the same stage of the tournament last year.

 

Kitchee now move into the second-tier AFC Cup where they will meet East Bengal of India, Johor Darul Tazim of Malaysia and Balestier Khalsa of Singapore in group F.

 

The Hong Kong side will play host to the Singaporeans in two weeks.

Chonburi FC Mouse Mat: 2015

 

Chang Chonburi Invitation Tournament: 2015

Chang Chonburi Invitation Cup 2015

Previews

CHONBURI FC

by Brian Enever

What can we expect  going into this week's Chang Invitation? Well for the second season running with we have another new coach in Jadet Meelarp, all be it one that is well known and liked at Chonburi. We also have a few changes in playing personnel.

From last season's squad, Natthapong has gone to Suphanburi (bet he wasn't planning on playing his first 'competitive' match back at Chonburi), Andre has gone to Chula Utd while Brent McGrath's loan move to Port FC was very strange for a player we've only just signed. And, although there's been nothing official, sadly Jackie no longer seems to be around.

 

On the plus side, after all the rumours, it's good to see Thiago at the training camp. Leandro was very popular when he was on loan in 2013 and he is a very good signing (why oh why did we choose to sign Jaime over Leandro last season, when he told us he wanted to come). Along with Dos Santos and Mineiro, we have four very good quality foreign players. With the signing of S.Korean  Cho Byung Kuk to make up the fifth foreigner it would appear that Kushida's injury problems are more long term. Again though, there's been no comment from the Club and his name is still on the unofficial squad list that I've seen for this coming season.

 

I was looking forward to pre season to see what changes, if any, Jadet would bring to our style of play  but, with our foreign contingent unavailable, the games I've seen mainly contained a mixed bag of fringe players, trialists and one or two new signings, and we've played 'average' at best. I was impressed with one centre back trialist who was good in the air, good on the ground, liked to play the ball out from the back and was a good organiser. Never saw him again though. From what I've seen of Puritat, on his return from Bangkok Glass, he has good movement and awareness in the defensive midfield role he's been asked to play. He does well breaking up the play and takes up some good positions to make himself available but seems negative when he has the ball. Early days for him, and the other new signings, though.

 

The foreign players have now joined up with the rest of squad, enjoying themselves and building team a good spirit at pre season camp in Kanchanaburi so hopefully they'll all come back raring to go, starting with the Chang Invitation.

 

Assuming Thiago, with his Timor-Leste Nationality, can also be classified as a +1 that would give us Three foreigners and two +1's which has got to give us more options. With Dos Santos partnering Suttinun at the back, Thiago and Leandro up front and Mineiro pulling the strings just behind the spine of the side looks good to me. The only question is who will play the holding role and hopefully we'll have a better idea after this weekend.

 

I'm looking forward to what should be a good weekend. Although Hallelujah are an unknown quantity it's always good to test yourself against foreign opposition while both Suphanburi and Army are good sides, have established themselves and will want to improve on the 6th and 9th places they achieved last season. For us, we all wondered how last season would pan out under a new and foreign coach. It turned out to be our best in recent seasons and Jadet will do well to equal or even improve on that. Playing against strong opposition his weekend, I hope it will give us a few pointers on what to expect for the coming season.

 

SUPHANBURI

by Patrick Brixner

Personally speaking I am pretty confident Suphanburi FC can do well at the upcoming Chang Invitational Tournament 2015, as well as other major tournaments, such as the TPL.

 

The team has changed a lot compared with to last season. At first, one of the main changes was to bring in a high qualified coach like Sergio Farias to organise the team. In my opinion, my country mate can do a very good job for  Suphanburi FC.  Several players have already left the club also, however our management worked very fast to bring in some well experienced players like Carmelo, Chutong and André Luis to replace them.

 

On top of that, we have retained some key players like Jakkaphan, Marcio and especiallyCharryl Chappuis for this season, adding experience to the group.

 

As I have mentioned above, I strongly believe Suphanburi is forming a very consistent team for this season, adding and retaining quality players. Individually speaking we have some very talented players in our squad at this time. Hopefully, they can gel well and perform in the upcoming year, since we are all looking forward to lift a couple of trophies at the end of this season. 

 

 

SUPHANBURI

by Matt Riley

This tournament marks Suphanburi's first competitive action since they returned to training on December 1st. They had planned to arrive for this tournament on the back of an eight day training camp at Kirin Valley Stadium  but they returned to Suphanburi after only one day. There have been plenty of personnel changes. Off the pitch they welcomed AFC Champions League winning coach Sergio Farias. The Brazilian has made  a very positive impression despite his limited English. 

Big name signings Carmelo Gonzales and Pratun Chutong from Buriram United have joined the third former Buriram United man Charyl Chappuis. Unfortunately, the heroe of Thailand's AFF Suzuki Cup win picked up a knee injury that will force him to miss one to two months of the season. The first game against Bangkok United will be a confusing one for the players now that an amazing six Suphanburi players have made the switch to The Bangkok Angels Including former club captain Panupong Wongsa who joins The War Elephant's former coach Mano Polking and his assistant X.

 

ARMY UTD

by Paul Murphy

Army United enter the Chang Invitation tournament after a mixed series of pre-season results so far.

 

The Boys in Green got off to a winning start, with a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Sime Darby of Malaysia. This was followed by 1-0 defeat at Muang Thong United, though the scoreline flattered the visitors.

 

Last Saturday saw a more interesting affair, with a 3-3 draw at home to Bangkok Glass. Army started positively and went 3-0 up, with goals from Ernesto Phumipha and a double from Dutch trialist, Melvin De Leeuw. Unfortunately for the home support, the Glass Rabbits finished strongly and exposed a fragile defence with three soft goals.

 

When asked how he felt pre-season had been going, head coach Gary Stevens said: “Overall I am very pleased with our preparation for the 2015 TPL season. Rarely in football does anything go 100% to plan and as a Head Coach you need to be able to adapt quickly. We are still working hard to improve the infrastructure at Army United FC for the medium and long term as well as the squad for this season and the future.”

 

Army fans will be hoping to see more of De Leeuw if a deal can be done to secure his signature. The striker was Ross County’s player of the year in the Scottish Premier League last season and, at just 26 years old, could be quite a coup.

 

Namibian forward Tangeni Shipahu also impressed on Saturday with his speed on the right flank. But with the limit on foreign players and with AFF Cup hero Mongkol Tossakrai firmly established in the right wing position, it may be difficult to find a place for the former Osotspa man.

 

Regarding further strengthening the squad, former Spurs and England defender Stevens added: “I want to strength every department of my team every day. The way that happens might be with a new signing, but it is also achieved by working with individuals to improve their fitness, technique, confidence and understanding of the game as well as the team as a whole.”

 

Looking forward to the Chang Invitation in Chonburi, Stevens outlined his priorities, saying: “We still have 3 weeks of pre-season left as the tournament starts so our main focus will be on three areas - fitness, patterns of play and defensive shape. Only one player has played 90 minutes in the 3 pre-season friendly games we have had so far so we need to increase that number. Good patterns of play will enable us to create opportunities going forward which is important to win games. Defensive shape protects our goal and makes it difficult for the opposition to penetrate.”

 

 

ARMY UTD

by Del Spafford

This year sees Gary Stevens in charge from the get go and it will be interesting to see if he can get the team playing attractive football and get results. After a very positive start last year, Army dropped off in the middle of season before finishing with a whimper all be it in a very comfortable 9th. Stevens will be wanting to build on that finish and keeping his stars from last year will help. Raphael Botti is rumoured to have signed a new contract as has Zdenko Kapralik. Both were standouts last season and there form and fitness will be key this year.

 

Captain fantastic, Chaiwat Nak-iem has signed for another year and his presence on and off the field will be needed to gel a new squad must come together quickly. 10 players have left and with 9 new signings, along with a few trailists yet to put pen to paper, it is essential that Stevens and his team work quickly to build a side. Army’s friendly on Saturday against Bangkok Glass was entertaining with French trialist Melvin de Leeuw impressing. With Kai Hirano penning a loan deal it could be an exciting year for the Gentlemen Rangers.  

 

Results

Friday 23rd January
Semi finals
Hallelujah 0-1 Suphanburi
CHONBURI 2-1 Army Utd
(Scorers: Dos Santos (p), Leandro)
 
Sunday 25th January
3rd & 4th place play off
Hallelujah 2-1 Army Utd

Final
CHONBURI 2-3 Suphanburi
(Scorers: Chakrit, Mineiro)
 
All matches played at the IPE Stadium
 
Final places
1st Suphanburi
2nd CHONBURI
3rd Hallelujah
4th Army Utd

Bangkok Glass v Chonburi - Away Days Photos: 2015

TPL

Bangkok Glass 2-2 Chonburi

Leo Stadium

Sunday 26th April, 2015

Chonburi FC "Hey Ho, Let's Go" Banner: 2015

 Unveiling the banner at Chonburi Stadium, on 13th December, 2015

Last Day: 2015

TPL

Chonburi 0-3 Saraburi

Chonburi Stadium

Attendance: 4,958

Sunday 13th December, 2015

Match Report

A Tale of Two Coaches

by Peter Reeves

So, last day of the season. Any team from 6 can go down, Saraburi being one of them. All set up then for an exciting finale.

 

It’s never easy when a team has little to play for against a team fighting for their lives, but these are professionals so the least you can expect is commitment. I’ll be making a few comments later, and concentrate here on the tactics employed by both teams.

 

Firstly, Saraburi. Ever since I first saw them I liked them. They don’t in the main, possess the talented individuals that other teams have but I like the way the coach sets them up making the most of what he has to work with. Tactically tonight he got it exactly right. I like him. Put 4 across the back and keep them tight, protect them with 2 and sometimes 3 midfielders. Make it difficult for the opposition to break you down, and when they do, rely on a more than adequate goalkeeper. Ride your luck at times, which you have to, but you have to win so leave 2 guys up front on their own who run until they drop for the team (and they did), and hope to nick a goal. A classic counter attacking formation and style. The coach- prowling the touch line, encouraging, pointing, shouting, never criticizing, celebrating.

 

Chonburi. Looked disjointed again. Had no shape and the defence? Oh my god where were they? They fell into the age-old trap of ‘everyone attacking’ because the opponents were sitting back and left themselves exposed time and time again. I don’t know why. They were under no pressure. At times there was no one back at all except Dos Santos. Two incidents in the second half, one where the goalkeeper was out 30 yards from his goal making a clearance and a second where 2 Chonburi defenders tackled each other, showed the panic and chaos. They just hadn’t a clue where they were supposed to be or what they were supposed to be doing. The coach- sat in the dug out looking bemused and seemingly at a loss on what to do. First half possession was probably about even, without looking at stats, second half must have been 75-25% to Chonburi, a few incidents in the penalty area and near misses and a couple of fine saves from the goalkeeper but nothing to show for all their possession and dominance.

 

So here you have a problem. After 10 minutes the warning lights should have been flashing as a couple of times Saraburi broke. Brief comments about the goals. Penalty, soft. He left his leg behind and he was going nowhere. Contact yes, but I’ve seen those not given. The other two, just counter attack breakaways with no defence to stop them. And it could have been far worse as they missed at least 3 other opportunities.

 

But let’s look at the tactics and mechanics of what was going on. Make no mistake here, Saraburi defensively were excellent apart from one comical incident near the end when the player fell over, Charlie Chaplin style, and presented a chance that hit the post. Saraburi have a right back, number 19, who is the best right back playing in the TPL, and a disciplined, organized defence, but you have got to break them down. A perpetual battering ram approach won’t work, they are too organized and just lobbing high balls in won’t either, defenders were tall, attackers smaller. So how?

 

Let’s look at the formation against you. 4 defenders across the back. Good shape, organized, committed. In front of them 2 and sometimes 3 midfielders protecting them. Spoiling, tackling, doing anything to break it up. The middle of the field, in front of the penalty area very compressed and crowded and no way through. They’ve taken away your space to play. You have to tactically change that and create the space. 

Years ago when I was asked to give courses I used to ask the students a question on the first morning, “during play can you change the dimensions of the playing surface in which you are playing?” They would always answer “no, of course not”. The course was then all set up to show them how you can. You have to change it, creating space where this is none. The pitch itself is a certain size and you play within its borders, but in making certain areas of that pitch unavailable you have changed the size of the area in which they can play. The size has changed. I tried to teach them to become ‘spatial neurotics’. Space is what you need to play effectively. Learn how and where to create it.

 

Firstly let’s look at the mechanics of tonight. I cannot draw diagrams here so I will have to try and explain. Firstly, you have to stretch that back 4 as wide as you can. That means employing ‘wingers’ who hug the touch lines and keep the full backs wide. They do not come inside, except in one circumstance we shall discuss, it just clogs everything up. That will at least create a bit of room between the back four. Secondly you have to get those defensive midfielders out of it to allow you to get at the back four. Thirdly, Saraburi were defending ‘zonally’ not man-marking, so you need to cause confusion with a style of movement we used to call ‘doubling-up’.

 

Let’s look at the application. First issue, stretching that back four. With wingers who stay wide the full backs have to guard against an attack on the flanks. They drift wide of their centre-backs , because they have to, and create a little space for you to use. If you have a creative midfielder he can slot a ball through that gap for the on-running winger to attack the penalty area. Another option. The winger himself can receive the ball wide, faced by his full back. Now here is the one time he comes in. His supporting midfielder sees the opportunity and makes the run outside him down the line as the winger comes inside, he won’t be followed leaving you a man free. If he is followed by a midfielder that creates space where the midfielder has just left. 

This allows a ‘reverse’ ball to the midfielder who has made the wide run into the space left by the full back who will momentarily have followed the winger. The midfielder can then attack the penalty area while the winger takes the midfielders place in the team formation until they can change back. Another option. With the winger wide, marked by his full back, a ball short from a supporting midfielder to the winger will be seen by one of the forward players who will make the run into the box beyond and between the back four. The winger will play a ‘first touch’ pass into that space knowing his attacker will be making the run. It happens fast and there is little time for defenders to adjust position. Just 3 of quite a few options using wide players. All these scenarios are worked on easily on a training ground.

 

But here is the big one. Getting those defensive midfielders out the way and leaving the centre of the defence exposed. This will take a few things. Good technique to keep the ball, intelligent movement around them, no long hopeful balls and above all...Patience! Consolidation zone players, essentially your back 4 will play up to the creative zone either in straight lines or diagonally. Now the opposition defensive midfielder knows his job is to stop that so he will come close to the player receiving the ball so you give it straight back to where it’s just come from. 3 midfielders in there, all receiving and knocking back, gradually retreating a little each time towards their own goal. 

The defensive midfielders are gradually pushing up intent on doing their job and space begins to appear behind them. At some point a midfielder needs to make a move into that space behind them and receive a one touch pass and away you go. That will take time. Time to drag them out. Boring to watch? Can be. Effective? Definitely. If the move breaks down then you start again. One little point here, if you have the ball in this scenario the opposition can’t hurt you. That’s why I always talk about technique and control of the ball. Essential. While you’ve got it, they haven’t.

 

You are thinking, oh yes easy on paper, and it is. But you know it can be achieved. This level of intelligent movement, patience, technique and control and awareness, call it intelligence if you like, can all be produced in players. At Ajax (oh no, some are thinking, here he goes again) they teach these things from aged 8. I saw it. By 12, those players who have managed to stay in the group are technically very good and are being taught to think on their feet. Think quickly. If you watch them play even today, when they are not that strong as a team, you can see every player receiving the ball has at least 3 options for the next pass. 

Everyone moving, rotating into dangerous and effective positions. The key is then making the right choice of pass. Intelligence. Awareness of what is going on around them. Young players do not receive the ball and think “ok what do I do with it”, they are thinking before they get the ball “ok, If I get it where will be my options”. They are taught this very early. Yes, it can be taught. Light years of course from what we are watching but if the Dutch kids can learn this why not the Thai’s? Of course they can given the right setup.

 

Ok, scenario 3. You’ve moved the defensive midfielders forward and got in behind them. Things have got to happen fast because they will be coming back. The back 4 in front of you are defending zonally, marking a space not a player. You have to get them out the way. Doubling up can be an effective way to confuse the opposition. They might be expecting one attacker to make a run across or slightly into the box, but not 2. Side by side about 3 metres apart they make there run, maybe diagonally across the box. 

The defender is not expecting this and two players, not one, have suddenly appeared in his zone. He can’t cope. A slight brief panic will mean he either follows one leaving the other free or continues to hold his position leaving 2 free. Once in the danger area the doubling up ceases and they both find space. As I say things have got to happen fast now with one touch and movement and you’re in behind them to allow the strike on goal.

 

That’s enough I think before everyone gets a headache. But if after all this you have no defensive discipline or shape, as Chonburi didn’t, you will concede. And concede stupid goals they did., They didn’t need to all go charging up the field leaving wide open spaces and no cover for a team that was hitting them on the break. Not necessary. The middle of the pitch is over populated as it is without having defenders making it worse. No. Keep shape and discipline. Controlled thoughtful attacking.

 

So a Tale of Two Coaches. One who set his team up well with a set goal of playing a counter attacking game to win a match he must win. The other who seemingly had no idea it would be like this and then didn’t know what to do to counteract it. Of course if these things haven’t been considered before the situation arises on the training ground then there is little you can do. But isn’t that the coach's job? To make sure potential scenarios in matches are covered and solutions practiced? I thought that was part of it. Anyway on the day he has been “out-coached” and I hear this morning he has resigned. I always feel sorry for people in this situation whatever the reasons. I think he probably realized and has done what he sees as the ‘honourable’ thing by falling on his sword. Credit it to him for that. 

But it didn’t need to be that way. He could have thought 6 months ago I need some help here. Let’s bring in a defensive coach to get this sorted out and I will concentrate on the attack. If of course he had been allowed to. The Saraburi coach would have been a very good option for that. But then he probably realizes he is doing ok, and he is. Given that man for man, Chonburi have more gifted players, he setup a team to nullify their undoubted attacking threat and to expose a chaotic defense. Hats off to him.

 

Next season?

 

Well, Chonburi in my view, if they want to challenge, should not employ a coach they should employ a Head Coach with a support team of specialized coaches and team members. Right down to the 8 year olds. They have a few months to get it organized.

 

It could be done.

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