FA Cup final preview part 2 - The Young Ones

With so much change and growth going on in Thai football, it might be easy to lose track of the long term goal for any sensibly run club - securing the supporters of the future.

Two clubs that always keep that healthy policy in mind are Muangthong and Chonburi. Both clubs provide child-friendly mascots (unlike the monstrosity at TOT) , child ticket discounts and fun activities such as face painting for kids. So this FA Cup preview seemed the ideal time to interview a young fan of each team and see what they thought about their team and their football, with a little quiz thrown in.


In the red corner.....

Ton is a student of mine who is a mean little football player himself. He captained his class to victory in the school tournament (must have had a good coach :-) ) and is always happy to talk about his local team, Muangthong United.

What's your nickname and how old are you?
My nickname is Ton and I'm fourteen.

Why do you support Muangthong United?
Muangthong is my local team and I like the atmosphere at matches - the crowds, the colours and the friendly people.

Ton and me

What was your first game?
Muangthong United 3 Sriracha 1 (2009)

Who is your favourite player and why?
Dagno Siaka because he can play any position and score lots of goals, too!


What do you think about Chonburi FC?
They are a good side with good fans.

What do you think the score will be on Sunday?
2-1 Muangthong.

What do you think we can do to develop Thai football for the future?
I think we need to see more investment and bring in good quality players from Europe.


Who would win a fight between the quilins and Megatron?
The quilins!


And Ton's quiz questions (nobody helped him)
Who won the World Cup and by what score?
Spain, one-nil (2 points)


Who won the Thai FA Cup last season?
Thai Port (1 point)

Who won the English FA Cup last season?
Chelsea (1 point)

Which team did they beat in the final?
Portsmouth (1 point)

Who scored?
Drogaba (1 point)


And in the orange and grey corner......

Dale at the Chonburi Website kindly put me in touch with young Titus (no not that Titus, this one can control the ball with less than seven touches!) who was also happy to answer some questions.

What's your name and what teams do you support?
My name is Titus. I'm eleven years old and I support Chonburi, Arsenal and Newcastle.

Titus (credit:http://www.chonburifc.net)

Have you seen Chonburi FC play before?
Yes. About four times.

If so, what do you like about them? Who is your favourite player? Why?
I like the players and the way the team plays. My favourite player is Therdsak because he scores goals and takes good free kicks. I also like the kit. Especially the orange and grey one.

What do you think about MTU?
I'm not really sure.

What do you think the score will be on Sunday?
Maybe 3-2 to us.

If I give food to the shark mascot, will he eat me?
No, but he might chase you!

What is the capital of England?
I have no idea. I'm Welsh. Where's England?

(Titus' quiz answers to follow, can he match Ton's perfect score?)