NEW! Chonburi 1-1 BG Pathum Utd - Match Report: 2021

Here's Tim Spear with a summary of yesterday's opening fixture.

TPL

Chonburi 1-1 BG Pathum Utd

Chonburi Stadium

Attendance: n/a

Sunday 5th September, 2021

As fans weren't allowed to attend, how did you watch the match and what was the experience like?

I watched at home on the sofa, on AIS. The screen was a bit small, but we had beer. Still, it is not a match experience at all.

What are your overall feelings on the match and our performance? 

Very positive. Too often our expectations have been to see a team trying, and then watching utter disjointed chaos. We expected to lose against the champions, and were well beaten last year here. Yesterday was very different. We started slowly and were sitting back, but after they scored we came into the game a lot more, and the second half was one sided.  The other thing we noticed was the pressing of the team, we made a lot of challenges, and this is a pleasing aspect to see a little more contact in the game. Of course we were disappointed with not being able to attend the game, and this was compounded by the number of fans seen at other matches.

How has this result/performance impacted on your expectations for the season?

It has not really made any difference. We will not compete at the top, or be in any danger of going down, but will flirt for a while at both ends of the table. 

Who were our standout players?

I think that the team had a good shape and the players worked well together. Worachit was highlighted that it was about time he stood up as a senior player (we have been saying his for the last couple of years) - and again he faded a lot, as usual. Dennis as we know can be a real handful, and he showed this today with solid movement off the ball and pressure. The Kelic put himself about a bit and appeared to have the potential to lead within the team. And Yoo's shot from 40m was a delight. Noppanon was his usual self and reliable. We had a pretty solid midfield for once.

What were your thoughts on BG?

They have quality, as we know. Diogo's first time strike was the real difference between the teams, and his movement within the box is fabulous.

How did the officials (and VAR) perform?

No controversy in the end. All decisions checked turned out to be OK, as we expected. Not so with Buriram Utd, where as usual the decisons aided them.

How did the new kit look in action?

I got this myself on Saturday for 750 Baht. A real bargain. I like the glittering teeth(?) - though it appears more of a boomerang - and it stood out a lot in the lights. Best kit for a while, though the collar is a bit iffy.

NEW! Chonburi 2-0 Rayong - Photos: 2020

TPL

Chonburi 2-0 Rayong

Chonburi Stadium

Attendance 5,245

16th February, 2020

Opening Day: 2019

TPL

Buriram Utd 2-2 Chonburi 

 Chang Arena, Buriram

Saturday 23rd February, 2019

KO 6:00pm

Attendance 15,491

Match Preview

There seems to be a wave of optimism sweeping through the club just now. Some promising new signings, a surge in season ticket sales, reduced price replica shirts and the goodwill generated by Pipob’s testimonial have all contributed to what can only be described as the feelgood factor. And it’s rather pleasant.

Even pundits and fans of other clubs have picked up on it and many are proclaiming that we will enjoy our best season since the “Nearly Double” of 2014. Exciting times indeed. However, I would advise that we exercise a certain amount of caution here and don’t get too carried away.

Other than the match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, I feel our pre season preparation has been rather poor. Apart from the aforementioned JLeague Challenge match, the games I saw amounted to little more than glorified training sessions. The players weren’t really tested and only Lukian and Park Hyun-Beom looked like they were using the opportunity to ready themselves for the big kick off.

It was also difficult to form an impression of how we will line up in the forthcoming campaign. Even last weekend’s final warm up was extremely low key; so much so that I spent the best part of the ninety minutes discussing urban redevelopment, with the bloke sitting next to me. Yes, it was that bad!

Another thing that concerns me, as we head into the toughest opening fixture we could have been given, is that what I consider to be our strongest starting XI hasn’t yet played together and that is purely down to bad management. I only hope we aren’t regretting it at 9:00pm today.

As for our opponents, well, they’ve been going through something of a transition over the past couple of months. They were far from convincing during their recent Champions Cup win against Chiang Rai Utd and, even though their owner has been spouting his usual bluster, it does appear to be more from habit than with any real conviction.

They’ve also lost a couple of their best players and, by all accounts, their departures weren’t exactly amicable. Would it be uncharitable of me to hope that these defections point at some underlying problems at the Thunder Castle and that we can take confidence from that? No. Of course not. I hope the cracks are there and we can exploit them this evening. Would that be luvverly!

Match Report

by Peter Reeves

So a new season. A chance to have a conjectured look at new signings, what work the coach has done and generally sit back and enjoy a bit of football. We’d also discover how Buriram Utd would be without Diogo.

Chonburi’s first half was ok. Plenty of spirit and all but one of the new players looking like they may contribute. No tactics of course. The coach seems to think making two or three passes at the back constitutes control. Then you get a big hump forward and lose possession. The midfield might as well go home. Worrying to see that not much has changed in that respect.

Worachit had a decent chance early on, but poor technique let him down and he screwed his shot wide. However, as we got to half time, The Sharks had looked better, and the champions – who have signed an inferior player to replace the only Brazilian I’ve had any time for – looked weak. As the second started thoughts turned to nicking a point.

Then ten minutes after the restart, things were to get better. Tunez gave everyone a lesson in how not to defend, when he lost the ball to Cruz and was then turned inside out. The striker played a pass to Worachit, who held his nerve to slot home. 0-1 and a deserved lead. But then Lewis Carroll took over and took us all to Crazy Town.

Just after the hour mark, the referee, who had been flashing cards around all match, some justified, some not, handed out a second booking to Nattapong, which resulted in the youngster being sent off. Down to 10.

Buriram have this little bloke, Supachok. Decent player. On 64 minutes, he cut in from the left and it’s 1-1. Now there is a battle.

Chonburi fell apart, and 2 minutes later, it was 2-1 as the defence did their disappearing trick. I sat back and expected the flood gates to open, but Buriram Utd are poor and Chonburi, regained some composure, and fought on.

Being a man down didn’t seem to matter much, as the visitors still went forward. They were rewarded 15 minutes from time with a deserved equalizer. A precision cross evaded, Tunez, and the onrushing, Kroerkrit, connected to blast home from close range.

Finally, the highlight of the evening, as Chonburi’s Lukian was sent off. He had spent the match whining, man-handling the ref, having little kicks and elbows at people and finally he was gone. Good riddance. He should have gone in the 19th minute or the 59th minute. You can’t grab a ref, but justice was done. Eventually. Ciro was bad. This bloke a disgrace.

So, in summary: Chonburi were worth at least a draw and showed plenty of spirit. BuriramUtd?  No Diogo. No Buriram Utd.

My Observations

I think Peter’s been harsh in his match report. As I said in my preview, this was the toughest opening game we could have been given and I thought we acquitted ourselves really well. I was extremely impressed with how we approached the task and we always tried to play football.

I had my reservations when I saw the starting XI, but felt more confident as the match wore on. They all stuck to the jobs they’d been assigned and no-one was hiding. We also made life difficult for the reigning champions, who were probably expecting us to just roll over. This spirit bodes well for the coming months. We have to make sure that it can be reproduced every week and not only in the “big” matches. I was proud of my team on Saturday night and was encouraged by the performance. I want to feel that way after each ninety minutes.

The referee was poor (That’s me being charitable!) and seemed determined to send off anyone who was wearing a white shirt. He must have been delighted that he managed to do it twice! Strangely, similar offences to the ones that earned our players yellow cards went unpunished when committed by those in blue. How odd? Initially, I felt that this might be the usual football supporter bias, but was relieved to see many neutrals on social media saying the same thing.

I was impressed by the new signings. The strikers – Lukian and substitute, Patrick Cruz – look like they’ll be a real handful for defences this season and bring a bit of guile to the team. Something that has been missing of late. Let’s hope they are paired together and we get to see the best of them on a regular basis.

Finally, I take issues with Peter’s comments about the aforementioned Lukian. I do agree that man-handling the ref, whining and moaning aren’t particularly pleasant, but to criticise him for it while praising Diogo (“The only Brazilian I’ve had any time for”)seems unfair and a little odd. The ex-Buriram Utd striker’s entire time in the Thai league was blighted by such behaviour – plus diving, rolling on the floor and waving imaginary cards at every opportunity. Or has that all been conveniently overlooked in order to make a point and run down our new forward and potential terrace hero?

Video

Opening Day: 2018

TPL

Chiang Rai Utd 1-0 Chonburi 

United Stadium, Chiang Rai

Saturday 10th February, 2018

Attendance 6,158

Match Preview

With a new coach and many new and untried faces in the squad, it's virtually impossible to preview this match. So I'm not going to try. However, I will focus on a few things that I'll be keeping a close eye on.

Firstly, our style of football. For all his qualities as a player, Therdsak couldn't really get the team playing in an entertaining - or effective - way. We had to sit through some dire performances - and some downright embarrassing ones - during his two year tenure as head coach and would like a break from the monotony. Hopefully, Goran will at least give us something to get excited about.

Secondly, the new lot. With one or two exceptions, we haven't really seen enough of them in pre season to form any sort of opinions. As much as I disliked Renan, he did score important goals and we would have struggled without them. Are the recent acquisitions to the forward line able to provide the same level of scoring feats? Hopefully, we'll get some pointers this evening.

Next, the retained players. As with the aforementioned Renan, I've also been hyper critical of Kroerkrit. I've always felt that he is vastly overrated and often goes hiding during games. However, he showed flashes of what he's capable of in the Chang Chonburi Invitation tournament. I'd like to think that he can be a lot more consistent this season and earn his reputation.

Prince is another one who needs to step up this year. Everyone talks of his "potential", but now is the time for him to prove himself. He's a popular figure at the club, and the fans love him, but this goodwill will only extend so far. This is a big year for him.

Finally, the opposition. Chiang Rai Utd have spent big and are considered by many to be genuine title contenders this year. They gave a good account of themselves in the recent AFC Champions League qualifier against Shanghai SIPG and will be tough opening day opponents.

Whatever happens tonight, I just hope we can take some positives from our performance. The club is at a crossroads right now and desperately needs some success - even a reputation as an entertaining team will do. Please don't disappoint us.

Match Report

Chonburi's 2018 campaign opened with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the FA Cup holders, Chiang Rai Utd. And, judging by the way we were set up, I have a feeling that this is a scoreline we could see a lot this season - both for and against. The game plan was clearly to get men behind the ball and try and catch the home side on the break. It only half worked.

We did look a lot better organised than we have done for a couple of years and played some neat football at times. However, there was absolutely no attacking threat whatsoever. I can't recall the Beetles goalkeeper making a single save and the closest we came to scoring was when Chonalatit hit the post, following a corner.

The front two of Apichai and Prince was so ineffective, I'm still wondering why it took Goran more than an hour to realise it and replace them both in a double substitution. Prince in particular had a stinker. I mentioned in my preview that this is the season when he needs to realise that much talked about potential, but he was so poor yesterday, that we might as well have been playing with ten men. Something clearly wasn't right with the youngster and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Hopefully, it was just an off day.

As for the rest of the team, Gyeong Min looked solid at the back and is clearly the main reason for the improvement in the defence. He's going to be one of our key players this year and a big influence on those around him. Chanin - much maligned on this site - had one of his better games and pulled off a string of good saves. Maybe the big Korean's presence in front of him has provided a welcome confidence boost.

Noppanon looked to be back to his old self, tackling and harrying, and his marauding runs down the wing will obviously be a big feature of our tactics under Goran.

The two substitute strikers, Worachai and Ciro, looked livelier than the duo they replaced - which wasn't difficult - but didn't do enough to convince me that they'll be bangin' 'em in on a regular basis.

The latter also needs to cut out the histrionics. He'd only been on the pitch a few minutes before he was rolling around on the floor, following an innocuous tackle from Chiang Rai's Freddie Mercury lookalike centre half. Stay on yer feet, lad.

So, overall, the signs were promising, however, doubts still remain. Where will the goals come from? Do we have enough quality all over the pitch? Will the fans tolerate less entertaining football if we grind out a few results? Will Goran be left alone to do his job?

We now have two winnable home fixtures so we might see a different, more expansive, Chonburi in the next couple of weeks. Two victories, some entertaining football and a new wave of optimism might - just might - see the crowds returning in their numbers. We live in hope.

Video

Opening Day: 2017

TPL

Buriram Utd 2-2 Chonburi 

I-Mobile Stadium, Buriram

Sunday 12th February, 2017

Attendance 29,891

Gate Receipts B2,117,000

Merchandise B1,989,150

Photos

Match Report

by Peter Reeves

So a return to the football after a very long break.

 

Two things became apparent very early in this match. Firstly, the what seemed like, a sparsely populated stadium at kick off, for a team that’s supposed to be one of the best supported in the land and secondly the Chonburi efforts at damage limitation on the pitch. Both scenarios changed quite quickly. Maybe the fans were late. My neighbour and I had discussed going. A past Buriram Utd fan, he had seen them at Swatcat pre-season and though they won easily, had remarked they don’t look very good. He decided against going, so TV it was.

 

For the first 10 minutes it was a limitation exercise from the Sharks, as they sought to avoid the drubbing most people seemed to think was coming their way, and try and nick something on a breakaway. A reasonable tactic if you haven’t got Stan Laurel as a goalkeeper. And they have.

 

On 16 minutes, controversy. Buriram had seen most of the ball, but in a rare breakaway, Prince goes round the defender and scores. Disallowed. For what I thought? The replays showed his hand did make a slight contact with the Buriram player, but hardly a foul. Poor decision. Glad to see things are still the same. Newin’s pre-match prayers shown on tv, sitting in his seat for all to see of course, were being answered.

After 20 minutes though, Chonburi suddenly woke up and realized Buriram offered little threat. Lots of possession but poor passing, no penetration and going nowhere. The men in white became more adventurous. On 27 minutes, a curling shot from Prince tipped just over.

 

On 37 minutes, a player clean through down the right channel, but a terrible finish. Buriram were a shambles. On 40 minutes, the Sharks take the lead through a good effort by Nurul, and on 45 minutes, a 2-0 lead as the same player placed a rebound off the post in the corner. Buriram were all over the place and the sound of a smashing cup from next door told its own story. Could though have been more. A goal wrongly disallowed. Prince had missed a reasonable chance. The travelling Sharks fans couldn’t believe it. Once Chonburi had got rid of any early fears they had run the game.

 

So to the second. What should Therdsak have told his team as they came out? More of the same please, let’s try and get another, but at 2-0 with 15 minutes to go, shut up shop. Buriram of course came at them with a bit more urgency, but still did not seem particularly threatening. A few half chances came and went and Chonburi themselves had a couple. So we moved to the last 15 minutes. Cue Stanley. He spilled one over the line for 1-2 and then a corner went unchallenged, allowing a simple head in for 2-2. The goals coming 3 minutes apart.

 

Now they were hanging on in a game they should have been comfortable in. Chanin still demonstrating how not to be a goalkeeper, by trying to kick away balls he should be catching. It had all gone wrong. It was a worrying last 10 minutes, but Buriram really had no idea, so a draw. Hardly a fair result, but I suppose Chonburi would have taken that prior to kick off.

 

Buriram? Quite poor, and on this performance, no threat to Muangthong or Bangkok Utd at all. My neighbour came over and said ‘give me a bloody drink…rubbish!’

 

Chonburi? Well they had a basic shape for most of the match, but somehow still look vulnerable. They couldn’t seem to make their mind up if they were playing two banks of four or a four with three covering, but it didn’t matter. Bodies behind the ball helped. Nurul was good and looked a threat, but the rest only ok, apart from Chanin, who was definitely not ok! They had played the counter attack well and then grown into the match. They should be disappointed with only a point. It should have been three.

 

A decent performance over the 90 minutes, and worth at least a draw - probably more - but is this like we saw last season, a false dawn? We’ll know soon enough.

Video

 

Opening Day: 2016

TPL

Chonburi 2-1 Pattaya Utd

Chonburi Stadium

Sunday 6th March, 2016

Attendance Unknown 

Gate Receipts B578,560

Merchandise B238,049

Programme

Photos

Match Preview

by Brian Enever

The PLT finally gets under way this weekend. I must admit the (sometimes) farcical off field problems have left me realizing just how amateurish the administrators running the game in Thailand really are. It has really drained me of any real enthusiasm for this coming season.

Likewise, our own pre-season hasn't exactly inspired any confidence for the months ahead, either for the players or the fans. This is our worst pre-season that I can remember. I must admit that, when Therdsak was first appointed, I felt we might struggle defensively but thought, with his playing knowledge and experience, we would be well organized in the middle and going forward. Unfortunately, so far it just hasn't worked out like that.


Defensively we have been terrible and have gone backwards from last season. There doesn't seem to be any shape or pattern there at all and it's almost impossible to see what formation we are supposed to be playing. I fear that we are relying too much on Dos Santos to get us out of trouble.

Due to players leaving we have got to start with a new central midfield which isn't ideal but I thought that against Yangon Kim Chul Ho, Prakit and Narong worked well together and, given time, could combine together to give us a fairly good midfield three. For whatever reason  they haven't played together in a match since then and other players that have been tried in those positions haven't really gelled. So it's impossible to assess the progress (if any) our midfield has made from the pre-season we've had.

Up front Rodrigo has worked hard to show us he can upset defenders with his strength and movement. He just needs a couple of goals to show us he can replace Thiago.

One problem for me is that we don't seem to have a natural leader and organizer in the side. When we're struggling there's nobody to organize the players to get our shape and balance back. A lot of the time we have looked like eleven individuals with no organized formation to play to.

Therdsak is an icon at Chonburi and is adored by all the fans. Those fans will turn out in their numbers to support him and he fully deserves all the time he needs to get things right. I sincerely hope he can turn us into a successful side capable of challenging for the title again. The systems etc he's tried during pre-season simply haven't worked out at all though. I just hope those pre-season failures have given him a much clearer idea on what side to pick and what formation he wants them to play on Sunday. From what I've seen so far though I don't have a clue what sort of team Therdsak will put out.

There's more questions to answer this Sunday than there has been for any opening day fixture since I've been watching Chonburi. I just hope we can perform well enough for us regulars to see a light at the end of what seems at the moment, a long dark tunnel.

Being local rivals, Pattaya won't be easy opponents Sunday. Although newly promoted they will want to establish themselves right from the start of the season, plus the knowledge that we were soundly beaten by them in a cup game at their ground last season will not do their confidence any harm.

One constant over the pre-season has been our very poor defence. Even Dos Santos can't perform miracles and I can't see us going ninety minutes without conceding at least one goal against any PLT  side at the moment. So we'll just have to hope that Therdsak's guile and knowhow going forward will be enough to match the goals we concede.

It's impossible to predict a result for Sunday but I'll stick my neck out and say a 2-2 draw.

Opening Day: 2015

TPL

Saraburi 1-3 Chonburi

Saraburi Central Stadium

Friday 13th February, 2015

Attendance Unknown

KO 7:00pm

Gate Receipts B499,000

Merchandise B300,000

Photos

Video

Match Preview

FRIDAY THE 13th: PAH!

 As our season kicks off on Friday the 13th, I thought I'd better try and counter the bad luck that will surely befall us in Saraburi by researching superstitions that will bring good fortune. So, with the help of The Committee For Skeptical Inquiry (a genuine organisation!) I have produced the following list of things I must track down and actions I must carry out ahead of tomorrow's clash.  

Wish me luck...

A rabbit's foot brings good luck

To find a four-leaf clover is to find good luck

To find a horseshoe brings good luck

You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle

Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck

Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck

A cricket in the house brings good luck

Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish

come true

Goldfish in the pond bring good luck

To find a penny heads up, brings good luck

You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck

Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle (pictured)

Match Report

In all honesty, this was a scrappy affair. We only really performed in the first and last ten minute periods - which is when the goals came. For the rest of the time, we seemed happy to let the home side have possession. Fortunately, they didn't know what to do with the ball when they had it. Apart from when they scored, I can't recall them causing any problems for Sinthaweechai in goal and the rest of the defence dealt with the Saraburi attacks - such as they were - quite comfortably.

 

I thought Adul had a good game in midfield - more like his old self - Mineiro worked hard, looked effective and deserved his goal, and Kirati's cameo was quite encouraging - it will certainly give us another option having a big, strapping centre forward up front. But other than these three, no-one else made much of an impression.  However, I guess we can forgive them, as it was our second match in four days and they probably had one eye on next Tuesday's visit to Japan. They also delivered three points and got our season off to a winning start.

 

I'm not going to bang on about the referee but he was awful. Truly, truly awful. Surely the league needs to make some sort of major commitment to giving these people education and training. I'm not sure what kind of coaching they get at the moment but it clearly isn't good enough. the bloke last night looked like he'd just been pulled in off the street and given a whistle. Poor.

Opening Day: 2014

TPL

Chonburi 4-0 Police Utd

Chonburi Stadium

Saturday 22nd February, 2014

Attendance 5,444

KO 7:00pm

Gate Receipts B500,000

Merchandise B300,000

Programme

Photos

Video
1st Half

2nd Half

Opening Day: 2013

TPL

BEC Tero 2-2 Chonburi 

72nd Anniversary Stadium, Minburi

Saturday 2nd March, 2013

Attendance 6,856

KO 6:00pm

Gate Receipts B726,720

Merchandise B185,700

Programme

Ticket

Photos

Match Preview

Five Things To Look Out For On Saturday

1. The Chonburi Bench
With new coach Worawut Srimaka on board it will be interesting to see who will be calling the shots during the game. Will Yong be given a free rein or will Head Coach Heng still make all the decisions? A lot of us are wondering how this partnership will work out. Clough and Taylor or Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier?

2. Chonburi Fans In The Home Ends
Following Tero's ridiculous decision to charge visiting supporters an extra B50, it would be very tempting for away fans to sit in the home end. I haven't yet decided what I'm going to do but I am aware of some Chonburi supporters who will be paying B100 instead of B150. Can't say that I blame them.

3. The Line Up
The pre season matches haven't been much of a guide as to how we will line up for the TPL opener. As recently as last Sunday - our final friendly - the coaching staff still didn't appear to know what our strongest XI is. None of the new signings have really set the pulses racing and of last year's squad only Adul and dos Santos have shown any kind of form during the warm up games.

4. BEC Tero
After an excellent third place finish last season, Tero are many people's favourites as an outside bet to win the title this year. They've signed striker Sarayuth Chaikamdee from Bangkok Glass to partner Cleiton Silva, the league's joint top-scorer last term. Apichate Puttan and Sarif Sainui have joined from Buriram United and Yai Nilwong and Sho Shimoji have also been added in an attempt to regain their former glories. It will be tough for us on Saturday and, if I'm being honest, I'll be happy with a point.

5. The Crowd
I'm confident that there'll be a large following from Chonburi but what can we expect from the home fans? Another relocation for BEC Tero means that any fans they picked up during their tenure in the heart of Bangkok will now have to make a 30km plus journey out of the city to Minburi if they want to watch their favourites. Saturday will show us how many of them can be bothered.