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Yet again, thanks to the usual suspects at Harrow for this collection of translated news items. Notice one not so subliminal advertisement, too!



Coach Tak calls team back for training on 1st of December

As the off season draws to a close, Coach Tak, (Attapon Butsapakom), prepares to call the Muang Thong United players back for training. Coach Tak will be thinking about the challenges ahead next season. Players will be reporting for training with the coach on the first of December, with the exception of those who are playing in the Thai national team at the SEA Games. Muang Thong United’s goals for next season are clear; not least of these will be to entertain the fans.

“I have requested the team to be ready for training on the first of December. The focus for our training initially will be to raise the players’ fitness levels to get them back to on-season form. We also need to work on getting the new players settled in and familiar with the routines and expectations of the team and to fit in with the existing players too. We also want to make sure the games are exciting and entertaining for the fans, even more than last season. One way we can achieve this is by focusing on our attacking game and we now have a wider choice of attack players on the team. Unfortunately the players who will play at the SEA Games with the Thai National Team in Laos will be unable to join us at the first training session. They are Piyachart Tahmapun, Kawin Tammasatjanan and Ukrit Wongmeena.

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Muang Thong players get the ‘Blackberry’ bug with all day / all night live chat!

The recent purchase of Blackberry handsets, by almost half of the Muang Thong United team players, has led to a live chat craze amongst the team. The Blackberry PDA handsets have proved invaluable and allow the players to keep in touch and up to date with each other at all times of day and night. The popularity of the versatile Blackberry smart phones is just taking off in Thailand and the Muang Thong players join many other fans of this versatile PDA. Leesaw, Piyachart Tahmapun, Mika Choonuansri, Pakasit Saensuk, Jetsada Jitsawat and a number of other team members who are using the Blackberry are enjoying the chat program. This easy access to chat will ensure that Mika, Muang Thong United’s centre back who is of Welsh-Thai nationality, can easily stay in touch with his team mates on his upcoming trip to Wales.

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Datsakorn returns to Thailand



Datsakorn Tonglao, the 26 year old captain of the Thai National Team has turned down the opportunity to extend his contract with the Vietnamese team, Hong Han Ya Lai. Instead he has decided to return home to Thailand and take up the offer of joining Muang Thong United for next season’s bid to defend the Premiership. He will sign a 2 year contract with the Muang Thong United club on the 1st of January 2010. One of the main reasons for his decision to return to Thailand is to be back with his daughter and family.



Port FC are currently in negotiations to secure the signing of an ex-player of theirs, Sarayut Chaikamdee, whose current contract with OSOTSPA M-150 is about to expire. The Port FC club, have the intention of Sarayut playing alongside their other new striker, Sompong Sorlep, who has transferred from Chula United recently to join the Port FC squad.

Clubs have used this off-season time to shop around for players and have been on the lookout for new talent to add to their teams with a view to success in next year’s season. Port FC the winners of last year’s Thai Com Foundation FA Cup, have been pro-active in adding to their team, strikers in particular, in preparation for the AFC Cup 2010 where they will represent Thailand.

Satsom Popprasert, the Head Coach of Port FC, in a recent interview stated, “I have requested an additional budget of 5 million baht from the Chairman, Pichet Munkong, in order to buy new players for the positions we need to fill. The 3 players we have secured are, Sompong Sorlep the Chula United striker, Chakkrit Boonkam the winger from OSOTSPA M-150 team and Nontapan Chiensatawong the former Nakon Pathom wingback. We are aiming to add two more players from TTM Samut Sakon player, Jetsada Bunruengrod and Worawut Wangsawad, we are currently in discussion about their possible transfer.”

As mentioned above, Chairman Pichet is also negotiating the acquisition of the OSOTSPA striker, Sarayut Chaikamdee, whose current contract is up at the end of December this year. The reports are that he will not extend his contract with the OSOTSPA club, but will instead return to join his old team at Port FC, where he and the other newly appointed Port FC striker, Sompong Sorlep, will create an efficient and formidable goal scoring team.



As we look forward to next season for Muang Thong United, they have quite a task ahead. They will be looking to defend their position as holders of the Thai Premier League Championship whilst also competing for the first time in the AFC Champion League. The team has recently added some new players, including Jakkapan Kaewprom, the talented BEC Tero mid-fielder. The Muang Thong club has also accomplished their aim of getting Datsakorn Tonglao to join them as he returns to Thailand after his stint with the Vietnamese team, Hong Han Ya Lai. The offer of up to 15 million baht from the Vietnamese side was not enough to tempt Datsakorn to stay on and extend his contract, as he chose to return to Thailand and be with his daughter and family instead. The official signing of Datsakorn to Muang Thong United will take place on the first of January 2010. His current contract with Hong Han Ya Lai ends at the end of December this year; he will sign a 2 year contract with his new club, Muang Thong United.

E-O’s move to BEC TERO fire dragons finalized

Hattapon Suwan, or E-O, the Muang Thong mid-fielder has now transferred to join BEC TERO Sasana team in time for next season. Since the start of transfer negotiations, Hattapon is the first player to make a move and leave the Muang Thong United club. There has been much speculation amongst the media regarding a move for Hattapon. Most of this speculation focused on a move to join last season’s Division 1 champions, the Police United team. This was as a result of the Police United Team’s Head Coach, Chayong Kampiang, contacting both Hattapon and another Muang Thong mid-fielder, Tanapat Natareua, (Beer), with a view to both players transferring to join his team. However, in the end Hattapon has made the final decision to play for BEC TERO Sasana team next season.

Hattapon’s new team will hold an official welcoming ceremony for their new player at the end of this month.

Blu Kaymong, Kone Adama, Anusorn Srichaluang and Tanapat Nataruea are the remaining Muang Thong players who are looking to make a move. They have generated a lot of interest from other football clubs and it seems that there will be a lot of negotiating to do before final decisions are made as to where they will transfer to. Watch this space for further developments on this front!

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Matt happy at being chosen for SEA Games squad and praises team mate Ahtit’s talent for free kicks



Piyachart Tahmapun, (Matt), Muang Thong United’s left-back admits that Chonburi FC’s Ahtit Suntorn is the superior player when it comes to free kicks. The two will play together in the team that Thailand is sending to represent the country in the upcoming SEA Games in Laos. Piyachart was also willing to admit that he has a lot to offer on the pitch and will do his best to bring home some good results from the games. This is Piyachart’s first and most probably the last opportunity for him to play at the SEA Games and he said that he is ‘most happy’ to have been given the chance to play.



Piyachart’s good form this last season, where he was seen to have seized many opportunities to contribute to the Team’s Premiership 2009 victory has ensured the Muang Thong United left-back’s position in the SEA Games National Game. This will be an opportunity for Thailand to defend their SEA Games football championship for the ninth year in a row. Piyachart has previously been chosen for the SEA Games squad but was unable to join at the last minute due to injury.



“This will be my first and my last opportunity to play at the SEA Games as I am at the upper end of the allowed age limit for athletes taking part in the games. I intend to do my best to play well and promote Thailand at the games. If free kicks are given, Ahtit is the player to count on for sure, however if I am given a chance I will do my best, and have been training hard to improve my skills. “ –Piyachart Tahmapun (295)



Oat warns team members to be on their toes for this Wednesday’s match with Singapore

The Thai side is in high spirits after Thailand’s 3-1 win against Singapore last week at the National Stadium in Singapore. This was their first match with Bryan Robson as the official coach and what a great result! Nattapon Punrit, or Oat, is aware however that the team should avoid ‘resting on their laurels’ as they go into Wednesday’s match on home soil with Singapore as there is always a chance for losing.

“It’s wonderful that we won last week, however we need to keep a clear head for Wednesday’s match as any carelessness could result in a loss. We beat them on their home ground and therefore they have every chance of doing the same to us. We mustn’t let the recent win go to our heads, we need to play every game with full focus. This will successfully take us through to the end.”- Nattapon Punrit

The Thai National Team has five points and is currently in second place behind Iran who have seven points after their 1-0 win against Jordan. The next Asian Cup, Group E match for the Thai side will be at Rajamangala Stadium against Singapore on the 18th of November at 6.30pm.

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News 1: Sri Racha FC in high spirits as they await Muang Thong game



Both teams aiming for 3 points in the upcoming game. Sri Racha need the points to avoid relegation and MT Utd to secure their first place. The game is to be played on Sunday the 30th August between Sri Racha FC and Muang Thong United at the Sirintorn Stadium.



The game against MT Utd should be a memorable one drawing large crowds, said Weerasak Wangkuson or ‘Nong”, the Sri Racha manager. The Chonburi FC team fans will join with the Sri Racha fans to cheer for Sri Racha FC, as a loss for MT Utd means Chonburi FC will take the leading spot!



“Our players are raring to go for this game and when they meet the big teams they feel inspired even more to play to win. We have just beaten the Bangkok Glass team, showing the fitness and readiness of the players. We have decided not to let the two ex- MT Utd players, Valeri Sanu and Pichet In-Bang, participate in Sunday’s game, as this was a condition agreed on when the players were bought from Muang Thong United to join Sri Racha FC. I know this game is going to be exciting and fun. We want 3 points, nothing else is acceptable, we will be attacking and aiming for the points in order to avoid relegation.” –Weerasak (Sri Racha FC manager)



Sri Racha FC’s level of play and close games with the big teams they have played has not been reflected in the points they have acquired. Sri Racha FC is currently in 25th place in the league tables. They are 6 points behind the team in 13th position or the safe zone, with only 9 games left in the season. Will they make the points to move up to the safe zone before the end of the season?!



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Vichit Gategaew, VJ the Honorary President of the Thai Organisation of Football Clubs, admitted that referees are not meeting standards and their reputation is in trouble. A committee is being appointed in order to investigate and hopefully raise standards for referees, ensuring the respect of the players and the fans.

Last Thursday 27th August at 1pm, the Thai organization of Sport Journalists held the fifth annual ‘Meet the Press’ event to show readiness for the 22nd Premier league meet which will play out over the weekend of the 29th and 30th of September. Vichit Gategaew, the Honorary President of the Thai Organisation of Football Clubs and Dr Wichit Yaembunruang, Chairman of the Thai Premier League, were the special invited guests

Vichit Gategaew talked about the current problems being faced by Thai Football clubs, “There is much criticism at present about the decisions being made by referees. I accept that standards in refereeing have dropped for more than half of the referees in the league and bad decisions have been made. This has resulted in large financial losses for many clubs and even the complete collapse of some teams. I have been assigned by the President of the Thai Football clubs to deal with this problem and hopefully reduce the issues. I have appointed a group of 19 professionals to come in and work with the referees practically in order to make sure the problem is worked out on the pitch and not only in the board room. My aims are to raise the referees’ status amongst the players and fans, therefore gaining respect. At present the problem has reached the point where, in some games at the end of the 90 minutes, it isn’t safe for the referee to walk off the pitch as there is risk of attack from the fans! In the past we never encountered this situation. I will watch closely the decisions made by referees in games and will assess the performance of individuals. If any referees are guilty of making unfair decisions based on corrupt intentions they will be banned for life!”



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Dr Wichit tells fans to show respect at matches and follow the rules. Troublemakers will be prosecuted.



The Chairman of the Thai Premier league, Dr Wichit Yaembunreuang, announced that from this point forward the fans of all teams need to respect the rules that are in place and any trouble makers will be prosecuted.

Unfortunately there have been frequent incidences of inappropriate behavior from the fans at matches over the last few months. Therefore Dr Wichit called a meeting for all Thai Premier League club representatives to take part in serious consultation on how to deal with this matter. The meeting was held on the 25th of August and the clubs came to agreements on many of the issues and all clubs now have a plan of action.

“We all saw eye to eye on the standards needed to avoid any inappropriate behavior from the fans and have come to an agreement on how the clubs’ fans should conduct themselves. If the fans of the clubs do not conform and disobey the agreed rules, the Thai Premier league company will discipline that team or club immediately. The fans need to follow the rules set and the clubs have a responsibility to ensure their fans are conforming. Therefore, representatives of every club need to announce the new standards and make sure their fans are informed of the consequences of not following them.” – Dr Wichit Yaembunreuang.

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News 1: United invite fans to choose the new Mascot’s name



Fans have the opportunity to choose the name for the new mascot, the lucky one whose name is chosen will receive a club shirt signed by all the team players – the competition will run till the 15th of September

Muang Thong United, the Thai Premier league leaders, invite their fans to join in with the fun as they present their two new mascots. Fans are invited to choose two names for the mascots, along with their explanation of why they chose those particular names and the meaning behind the names, for the pair of mythical dragons, or ‘Gilen’ as they are known in Thai. The names need to represent the two dragons as a pair, one is female and one is male, and also have meaning for the team. Fans may submit their names by filling in the special forms which are available at the Muang Thong Football club shop. The winner of the competition will receive an original football shirt complete with signatures from all the Muang Thong United players. The competition will run from the 1st to the 15th of September, 2009. The winner will be announced on the 18th of September.

“We want to give the fans the chance to be involved in our development as a club and see this competition as a fun way for them to feel a part of the team. The mascot will be seen as a lucky symbol for the team and will become an integral part of the Muang Thong United club. We hope that fans will show great interest and come up with some inventive and meaningful names for the mascots.”-Bunleusak Suprapreuk, Marketing manager

The actual mascot will be similar to the model recently shown by the club. The club is hoping that after the name has been chosen, the mascot will be presented at a match day along with the smaller soft toy version of the ‘Gilen’ that will be available for sale at the end of September.



News 2: Din happy to keep playing



Salahoudin Haway pleased that the coach is giving him the chance to be in the first eleven. Happy to have played the full game with the electricity board last week where MT Utd won 2-1, Salahoudin hopes to continue getting on the field from the start. Thank you to those who have supported him so far.

After having the opportunities to get involved and play once again, Salahoudin, the mid-fielder, has shown he is in good form and is compatible with the other two mid-fielders on the team who are Pichitpong Cheuchoo and Mudsa Silla. They have worked together to achieve the past five wins for the team aiding MT Utd’s rise to the top of the league. Salahoudin expressed that he feels very glad that all factions of the club and team have supported him.

“I am very pleased as I know that our team is competitive and in the push towards becoming the champions, the players chosen need to make the grade. For myself I have always accepted the coach’s decision on whether I got to play or not, previously I knew I would have the opportunity to be chosen and now I am getting those chances. I will make the most of my time on the pitch and do my best. I want to thank coach Tak and all my friends on the team and all the fans who have supported us along the way.” - Salahoudin Haway

Talking about the upcoming Sri Racha match, Salahoudin stated, “This will be a chance to show my ability as in the last match I ran out of energy and felt tired towards the end. This is an area I need to improve on.”

Salahoudin wears the number seven shirt and was born on the 1st of November 1983. He has played for the national Thai team when Peter Reid was the manager. He is the last remaining player from the division one champion MT Utd team last season.