Muangthong United FC

The Fowler Out Campaign

2012-01-30T19:10:00.018+07:00

Today the “Thunderdome Blog” and “Muangthong United Replay” begin the "Fowler Out" campaign, an ongoing struggle to express our fears for the damage the Robbie Fowler is doing to Muangthong United and a push for the club to remove Fowler from his position as both player and coach for the good of the club, its players, its staff and its fans.

This campaign has not been undertaken lightly. Thai fans are not keen on criticism of players or expression that could be perceived as negative. However, after careful thought we have decided that we must continue for many reasons.

Firstly, Robbie Fowler is not Thai, he is English. Naturally enough, he is most likely to understand and react to feelings expressed from a western culture.

Secondly, much of the problem with Fowler is down to his continued absence from the club and Thailand as a whole due to his constant travel to England of which local fans may be unaware. Likewise, his continued outpourings on Twitter that show almost total disregard for Muangthong and even Thailand may be lost on Thai fans.

Lastly, we simply feel that something must be done. We have nothing but admiration for our Thai friends and family and the positive, loyal support they show. However we also feel that sometimes being positive and supportive means recognising a serious problem and dealing with it. Robbie Fowler is a serious problem.

Why?
I first expressed my concerns over Robbie in this article. Please read it to understand how the worries first began to grow from the very poor team performances and some of the dressing room problems that occured. However, since then the problem has begun to look worse. In my previous article, I praised Robbie's character. Yet since then he appears to have shown at best a lack of interest and at worst full disregard for Muangthong United and possibly even Thailand as a whole.

In short these problems are:

1) Being unwilling or unable to offer more than cursory words to press conferences after team defeats.

2) Openly applying for other jobs, including the Northern Ireland job, within days of being appointed coach.

3) Ignoring, possibly even trying to hide or display embarrassment of his team, role and location on social media. Including messages on Twitter expressing disappointment at missing UK TV shows at the exact time MTU won an FA Cup match and broke a losing streak. The only acknowledgement of Thailand he has made during his numerous tweets was a swipe at Thai referees.

4) More seriously, deserting his team and responsibilities. Fowler recently left Thailand on a ticket paid for by the club and missed two league games for his team. Although the stated reason was to attend Gary Abblett's funeral - which is totally understandable - Robbie stayed away for at least another two weeks and sent out tweets discussing TV shows while his team were struggling to gain points in league games that Robbie is paid a huge salary to prepare them for.

5) Most serious of all, deserting the team for, possibly, the entire pre-season. After our first trophy-less season in five years, we have one month to prepare for next season. Robbie will spend that month in India, collecting another huge sum of money to play in a promotional tournament.

6) Terrible performance. In less than half a season under Fowler, we've suffered more defeats than the last two seasons in total.

Taken alone, these points may be forgiveable or misunderstandings. Taken together, it's hard not to sense contempt for the club, and that cannot fail to cause us major damage. In short, this must stop.

What now?
The most important action we - and you - can take is to make others aware of the points above. Blogs may be humble forms of media, but there are few English sources of information on Muangthong United and Fowler's arrival has increased readership of those sources. In other words, we can make a difference, however small it may be.

We also aim to get articles translated into Thai and welcome any help anyone can offer.

Want to help? Here's what you can do:
1) Make people aware of the campaign, especially Thai or western media. Link to us or copy and paste these articles.

2) Join us simply by writing articles, letters or social media messages of support.

3) Boycott games, but be sure the club and fellow fans know why.

4) If you can, assist us with translation.

We wish to be clear that our protest is against Robbie Fowler's status at the club. We remain loyal fans of Muangthong United as a club and a team. Before, during and after games we will be one hundred percent behind everyone else at Muangthong. We will express our support for the team as loudly and positively as possible.

Quilins, chai-yoo.

Fowler to India confirmed

2012-01-30T17:54:00.001+07:00

As speculated, Robbie Fowler was included in the PSL auction, meaning he will miss the bulk if not all of the short pre-season at MTU.

It's time for MTU fans to say:"Enough is enough". Robbie Fowler has shown nothing but contempt not only for MTU but for Thailand since his arrival. He is now deserting the club that pays him a large salary for its last two league games and its pre-season when we are looking to win back the league title.

Along with M TU Replay and some other foreign fans, I'll be announcing my feelings and my personal decisions to the club itself and the fan club base. Stay tuned.

Procurer to BEC Tero

2012-01-29T08:34:00.000+07:00

There is little to report from yesterday's game except that we lost 0-1 in a meaningless game, played mostly a reserve side and had no coach as he is still in England. Here is some bigger news.

If Robbie does go to the India tournament, I will stop attending MTU games until he leaves us. I guess I'll watch Tero in the meantime but I'll always be an MTU fan.

******

Muang Thong United's Founder Robert Procureur Joins BEC Tero

After six stunningly successful years as founder and technical director of Thai powerhouse Muang Thong United, Robert Procureur joins 2001 champions BEC Terro today as General Manager and Sports Director. Under his guidance "The Quilins" achieved a world football first by winning four consecutive titles as his team powered through the second and first division before being crowned Premier League Champions in 2009 and 2010.

From those early games played in front of less people than on the pitch, to this afternoon's FA Cup Final watched by 26,000 fans, Robert's uncompromising insistence on the highest professional standards have helped drive the development of Thai football. Also a passionate man, he fires up his teams whilst always acknowledging the loyal fans. His wide scouting network and ability to spot raw talent have been the bedrock of the club's development.

MTU 1 Sriracha 1

2012-01-25T17:38:00.000+07:00

A special dispatched report for Robbie Fowler who was in England for his team's clash with Sriracha, in which MTU were obligated to play a full strength, full-effort side due to Sriracha's relegation battle.

Before the game, Adnan Barakat (I think one of the scouts found him) was shown to the crowd. Seems like a good guy, hope you get to meet him sometime.

Sriracha had the better of the first half and came close several times (notably Dos Santos) but could not finish.

In the second half the visitors took the lead through Dudu but the joy was short-lived as Christian equalised soon after. The game thus ended one-all which condemned Sriracha to relegation.

Your boys did good but we need to get organised and ready for next season. Maybe you can send a few tips from India.

2012-01-24T18:56:00.000+07:00

thaileagueonline.com

Ronnarit pledges full strength teams

2012-01-23T19:52:00.000+07:00

In an OS article today, Ronnarit has pledged to field a full-strength side for MTU's last two games against Sriracha and Pattaya respectively. Ronnarot says he will do this for the fans, the team and the rest of the league (Sriracha are still fighting relegation.

Presumably, Ronnarit is saying this as Robbie is still in England.

Port Duo to arrive at MTU?

2012-01-23T08:04:00.001+07:00

Thai Port Blog states:

TLO are reporting that Mongkol Namnuad (pictured below) and Todsapol Lated are set to join/have joined Muangthong United. Rumours have been rife that both players would be making the switch to Yamaha Stadium along with Ekkapoom Potharungroj. There is, however, no mention of Ekkapoom in the piece.

http://thaiportfc.blogspot.com/2012/01/two-more-gone.html (for player photos)

*****
There has been no official announcement from either club AFAIK. Commiserations to TP fans who will probably have to make do with a team of unknowns next season. In Thailand though, a well-coached, strong-hearted team of ambitious unknowns probably could just about hold their own in the league, unlike the EPL which already resembles a SEI, Thailand is only halfway to that situation.

2012 budgets

2012-01-21T17:32:00.002+07:00

It's debatable how much value to place on either attendance figures or team budgets in Thai football, as both seem to be simply speculation on behalf of the clubs themselves.

It's also unclear exactly what constitutes an official budget expense. In 2011 I'd wager our salary expenses dwarfed that of any other club but was that part of our 90M budget? It's equally possible we paid out more in transfer fees than any other team but we failed to win a trophy for the first time in years. It's just goes to show that a high budget helps a heck of a lot but that alone isn't enough to guarantee success.

In any case, MTU's budget has been announced as in excess of 100M for this season. Buriram United and BEC Tero announced the same bracket. BEC Tero are planning big things this year and a well known figure in Thai football could link up with them soon.

I've mentioned a couple of times that Chonburi could fall behind in the trophy race and their budget for 2012 is set at 80M. Like I said though, money isn't everything. BG have declared their budget at a slightly disappointing 60M. Troubled Thai Port have set the purse at 40M. It would be very sad to see TP drop out of the TPL as they are a club with real character and great support.

*****************
With the new foreigners rule set out by the TFA, perhaps the blow of Zesh's departure has been lessened a little.

Our first team foreigners now are:
Christian - African (a must-keep)
Robbie - European
Issaoufao - African
Dagno - African (must-keep)
Adan Barakat - European
Ali Diarra - African

That gives us a total of six with no Asians that I can think of. At least one player has to go, perhaps one more if a certain famous European player joins us. The obvious option to go is Fowler, who could (and should) retire as a player. The second choice is harder but the most likely option would be Bobocar Issafaou who is still officially out on loan but did show signs of promise towards the end of his stint with us this season.

Natarid in action

2012-01-20T16:59:00.000+07:00

h/t Tony Wang
Here's a clip of Natarid Thammarossopon (with music by Slipknot). I know there's a cliché of sorts that any player can look good on youtube with enough editing, but I can prove it's not true because even with slow motion and replays there is no way to make a 4 minute clip of me playing footie without making me look anything more useful than a one legged mule with chronic asthma.

Natarid on the other hand looks fantastic and has already attracted interest from overseas as well as establishing a reputation as Thailand's hottest youth team player.

Although young Nattarid himself has stated he has joined MTU, it must be stressed no official announcement has been made yet.

Sad but True: how the TFA works

2012-01-19T18:21:00.014+07:00

The new season is "scheduled" to start March 17th according to the TPL chairman. Marco at TPB politely suggests little attention should be paid. I'm going to be a bit more blunt. If I sound horribly cynical, forgive me. It's hard not to be cynical when you've witnessed first hand the effects of the incompetency I'm about to describe by highly paid, supposedly highly qualified people who probably consider themselves to be very important .

For those who are new to Thai football, let me give some context. In the 2010 the game between MTU and Chonburi was arguably considered the most important fixture of that season. The fixture was rescheduled from its original date not once, not twice, not three times......you still with me? ....not four times, not five.......hang on we're almost there...........but SIX times in one season. One friend of mine asked an MTU official when the kick off was, left to buy his ticket and during the five minute walk to the ticket office he received a call informing the match had been rescheduled again.

Halfway through the season a new, compulsory cup competition was introduced without any advance notice whatsoever. Each round was over two legs.

A few short weeks before the end of the season, clubs were informed that due to TPL expansion, there would be play-offs. No, not just for D1 runners-up but also for the TPL teams that had finished in relegation spots.

Eventually somebody pointed out that taking more clubs from D1 meant there were more second-tier spots that had to be filled. And so, yes, there were more play-offs in D2, which is a regional league split in to five separate groups. This on top of a pointless set of games between D2 teams that had already achieved promotion by winning their own regional league to decide who the "overall" champions were. Before this big match, someone deemed it necessary for a 3rd place play-off to ensure we knew which team from division 2 that had already been promoted had finished third. Or fourth. I have it on good authority the 3rd placed play-off game was not a sell out crowd. Some D2 teams almost overlapped their 2010/2011 seasons.

The TFA - run by highly paid people who have lots of letters after their name and/or proud military titles (I would use a link to show you but their site is down, perhaps they also schedule their own site payments) - evidentially managed to comprehend some of the criticism for this beyond-believeable incompetence and responded by stretching out the 2011 season.

And boy, did they stretch it. Initially it was just a two week mid-season break which seemed suspiciously sensible, had the TFA employed someone with experience in football? Any fears of this were allayed when more and more fixtures were postponed. No, not for the floods - although that excuse was later used, it was provably false - but for any number of reasons. So it is that as I type this, it's almost exactly one year since the 2011 season officially started and we still have two games to play.

In short then, when you hear a fixture schedule from the TFA, don't take it with a pinch of salt. Take it to a salt mine, drill a hole about five foot in diameter and as close to Earth's core as possible and drop it in.

*****

The same BP article announcing the 2012 season start also claims to explain the new foreigner rule.

"Each TPL side will be allowed to have up to five foreign players on their books with a maximum three non-Asian players and one Asian on the pitch at the same time, TPL chairman Vichit Yamboonruang said."

So if I understand this - and I'm assuming when they say "Asian" they mean non-Thai Asians - then substitutions will need to be decided by nationality. e.g. you have a Japanese striker and English midfielder but because there are already three "non-Asian" players on the pitch, the Japanese player will have to come on. Or in other words, coaches will have to consider how many farangs are selected in each squad.

New transfers in?

2012-01-19T16:48:00.003+07:00

Natarid

h/t Natdive
MTU have been linked with the hottest real estate in Thai football in Natarid Thammarossopon of BEC Tero. Nattarid has interested a few clubs including LA Galaxy according to one report. A report on TLO suggests the deal is as good as done and Tero are already lining up a replacement.

MTU have also been linked to 3 as yet (to my knowledge) unnamed Thai Port players.

Edit: Thanks to Marco at his superb Thai Port Blog for his comment:
"The three Port players are rumoured to be Ekkapoom Potharungroj (quality winger/midfielder), Todsapol Lated (good young centre back) and Mongkol Namnuad (decent left back, free-kick specialist)."

Barakat interview

2012-01-18T17:43:00.002+07:00

The OS has highlights of the friendly with Kitchee and an interview with Barakat. Unfortunately they do that annoying thing of dubbing the interview over the original conversation so we don't get to hear him properly but his English sounds fluent and his attitude seems great.

Robbie is currently in England and has not discussed his constant media link with the tournament in India.

Caption competition

2012-01-16T22:20:00.000+07:00

With credit to Jirawat (mooinblack) this shot was taken after the full time whistle in the cup final.

Would anyone like to guess what Ronnarit and Pitchipong said to each other?

This is a family blog so keep it clean! (Or email me.) I might award a can of Leo to the best captioner.

To India or not to India? Part 2

2012-01-16T19:58:00.006+07:00

EDIT: h/t Svein at Bangkok United. The UK 'Daily Mail' now has a similar article but also quotes the director of the promotional company as saying "We have signed seven icons at a salary cap of 390,000 GBP" (19 million baht). Robbie is listed as one of the "icons".
**********

A more official sounding press release by the promotional company managing the "PLS" event in India has also named Robbie as a participant. The statement seems confident of the named stars' participation. Of course it could well be sales talk but such talk could be quenched in a moment by a denial from Robbie's secretary or agent.

If - and that's a big "if" - it's true, it would mean Robbie being absent from his highly paid and (so far) poorly performed duties at MTU while the squad look to rebuild from their first trophy-less season in five years.

I hope that it's just hype and Robbie will stay with the squad, use his contacts to strengthen the side and get their fitness back to speed as we bring in new faces and let others move on.

**********

Indian Football Association and Celebrity Management Group

Officially launches Franchise Tender Document to award

SIX Franchisees for the Premier League Soccer

Kolkata, 13th January 2012: The Indian Football Association, West Bengal (IFA) – the governing body of Football in Bengal and Celebrity Management Group (CMG) – one of the leading sports management organizations in India today launched the Tender Document to award SIX Franchisees for the proposed Premier League Soccer (PLS) at a Press conference in Kolkata today. CMG also named six world famous players such as Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Fernando Morientes (Espana), Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Robert Pires (France), Robbie Fowler (England) & Hernan Crespo (Argentina) who will be participating as ICON players in the PLS Season-I which kicks off around 25th February, 2012. All of the six franchised teams of PLS will also be headed by world class coaches like Peter Reid (England), John Barnes (England), Samson Siasia (Nigeria), Marco Etcheverry (Marco Etcheverry), Colin Todd (England), Teitur Thodarson (Vancouver Whitecaps) & Milos Rus (Slovakia).

The exciting and innovative model of PLS is expected to rationalize the Indian Soccer Industry beside creating a new demography in Indian Soccer. Mr. U. K. Ganguly, the Hon’ble. Secretary, of The Indian Football Association (West Bengal), Mr. Bhaswar Goswami, Executive Director, Celebrity Management Group along with Mr. Dharamdutt Pandey, CEO, Celebrity Management Group were present at the occasion to brief the media.

The Franchisee locations to be awarded through the Tender process for next 10 years are: Kolkata, Barasat, Howrah, Haldia, Durgapur & Siliguri. Each of the location has a Minimum Base price (yearly Franchisee Fee) which are: Kolkata & Siliguri is Rs. 1 crore per year; Barasat it is Rs. 80 lakhs per year whereas for Haldia & Durgapur the price is Rs. 70 lakhs per year. Any Body Corporate, Joint Venture Companies, SPVs with a minimum combined Net worth of US$ 5.00 Millions or an Annual Turnover (combined) of US$ 10.00 Million during each of the last 3 years may bid for a PLS Franchisee. It is mandatory to submit tender for atleast 3 locations. The highest bidder for each location will awarded with the Franchisee license they Bid for. There will also be an expense cap for the franchisee to build their teams in each season. For the Season-I, the expense cap is US$2.5 Millions (maximum) & US$ 2.0 Millions (minimum). At the end of 10 years there may be re negotiations or fresh Bid would be invited.

Those who are interested can buy the Bid documents between January 14th & 21st 2012, from CMG Office located at New Alipore or from IFA Office. The last date for submission of the completed Bid with all relevant documents will be 22nd January 2012 by 2:00 pm and all the Bid will be opened from 4:00 pm on the same day. For any informations about the Bid document one can contact CMG (Ph: 033-2445 7929).

Speaking at the occasion Mr U. K.Ganguly, Hon’ble Secretary, The Indian Football Association said, “This is a first of its kind initiative for football with an objective to reach out to the fans across India through television broadcast. The mission of PLS is to foster the development of Bengal’s sporting culture and to assist in the healthy mental and physical growth of Bengali people. The goal for PLS is to develop India’s sporting culture, create new audience and raise the bar for Indian Football,”

Another sponsor

2012-01-16T12:46:00.005+07:00

bloomberg.com

MTU's public affairs spokesman has confirmed that SCG (Siam Cement Group) will be a major sponsor of the club next year. It's not yet confirmed what form the sponsorship will take (shirt, ground, etc.) but the investment will be significant. Yamaha will also continue to sponsor and support the club.

SCG is a member of the Crown Property Group and is one of the most profitable companies in Thailand, ranking as the 620th biggest business in the world (Forbes 2000). They have been sponsors of Samut Songkhram - a side that have forged a reputation for walk-offs and staff misconduct - but rumours have been circulating for some time that the group will withdraw support for the midlands side.

The MTU board have both privately and publicly declared a determination to raise the bar in spending ahead of next season's trophy race.

To India or not to India?

2012-01-15T19:43:00.002+07:00

The rumour that Fowler would be involved in some kind of Indian super league has been doing the rounds for some time. An article published in Times of India (h/t Druryfire) this week confirms Fowler's involvement in some form of promotional competition in India. It's currently unclear if the paper is simply repeating some old rumours or if Fowler is indeed expected to participate.

I'll hold fire with my own thoughts until we find out one way or another.

*******

Times of India
ROME: Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is to step out of retirement and make a comeback in India as part of a new competition aimed at kick-starting football interest in the cricket-obsessed country.

Cannavaro revealed the news on his Twitter account saying: "I'm getting back on the pitch with the Indian Football Association, West Bengal."

It is only six months since the 38-year-old announced his retirement from the game due to a nagging knee injury.

He had played the final year of his career in Dubai with Al-Ahli having left Italy following the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

He is to be part of the Indian Premier League, a six-team competition due to be run by the Indian Football Association and Celebrity Management Group (CMG).

Other famous names involved include Englishmen Robbie Fowler and John Barnes, France's Robert Pires, Argentine Hernan Crespo, Spaniard Fernando Morientes and Jay Jay Okocha of Nigeria.

Each of the six franchises -- Kolkata, Barasat, Howrah, Haldia, Durgapur and Siliguri -- must have at least a famous foreign player and coach.

Argentine Juan Pablo Sorin is another player to be involved while Brits Peter Reid and Colin Todd -- who both have English Premier League experience -- join Barnes amongst the coaches.

Each team will be allowed to sign up to four foreign players while the rest will be made up of Indians.

The league will run for 10 weeks with matches played from Wednesdays through to Sundays, mostly at night, according to Italian press.

CMG have previous experience organising major sporting events in India having marketed a historic tour that saw Diego Maradona visit the country while they are also involved in AFC Champions League matches and were the marketing partner for Asia Cup Cricket in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2000.

Television rights are expected to be sold not only in South-east Asia but also Europe and America.

Start your weekend with some quality TEA.....rasil and a (Limp) BIZKIT

2012-01-14T06:59:00.003+07:00

What now?

2012-01-13T19:18:00.000+07:00

With the arrival of Adnan Barakat wrapped up sooner than expected, where should Muangthong look to strengthen next? Let's take a quick look at the squad and bearing in mind our mistakes last season, think about our priorities ahead.

Goalkeeping:
The only problem with having quite possibly the best goalie in Asia is that he's going to move on at some point. The only reason it didn't happen last season was due to Kawin's moderately serious injury at the time. Now he's back on form we should be pessimistic and imagine him leaving.
Second choice Weera has looked a little error-prone in the few chances he's had but could well improve with more match practise and third choice Witsanuk is considered to have great potential, but is still a little green.

Verdict: Medium priority. The key here is inside knowledge. If the board know Kawin is likely to get snapped up then the priority should be an experienced goalkeeper who is already in Thailand. Police United's goalie would top my list. On the other hand if we try to hold on to Kawin for at least one more season, then we have adequate back-up in the ranks already.

Defence:
The back four that was almost impregnable in 2010 took a battering in the latter part of the 2011 season. Zesh's departure creates another opening and although Ali Diarra has looked impressive, I still wonder if defence is his best position. The lad is quick and good at dribbling but not super-powerful in the air. Moreover, the physical demands of playing defence seems to take its toil on our two main defenders Nattaporn and Panupong who both suffer niggling injuries on fairly regular basis.

In the full back slots we have two excellent youngsters but surely we should have at least one older player ready to ease the physical and mental pressure on them.

Verdict: high priority. With the above points in mind, I'd say defence is our most crucial rank to strengthen for next season. We need not one but two quality defenders. I'm not aware of any domestic defenders good enough to make the grade but perhaps one of our nursery clubs has a hidden gem, or maybe one of the relegated clubs needs to offload their better players. One should be the Nattaporn type: tough, tall and willing to get stuck in. The other should be the Panupong mold: skillful, able to read the game well and able to switch marking. Let go of Santi and Thiemba.

Midfield:
Barakat 's addition should give Datsakorn some healthy competition in set piece taking next season. Indeed, first impressions of Barakat make him look very similar to the MTU and Thailand number seven. Elsewhere in midfield we still have quality and depth with players like Pornsai, Siaka, Buntao and Arromsowa. Ongoing negotiations with Guti are a poorly kept secret.

The only area we might need to reinforce is defensive midfield. When Moussa Sylla left in 2010, he was admirably replaced by Coulibly Abdoul, who has since vanished. The void has not been properly filled since.

Verdict: Low priority, but a good defensive midfielder would be a welcome addition.

Attack:
First things first: Robbie must retire if he's going to be our coach next season. Continuing to try and start himself in every game would be suicide for our title campaign. Elsewhere, Teerasil and Christian remain two of the best attackers in Thailand but the former seems to be feeling the burden of expectation. In the FA Cup final he sometimes looked like he needed to do it all by himself. Christian has played almost every game for the last two seasons, which is why he picked up an ankle injury late into the latest campaign. He needs cover. Ahnon Sangsanoi has not fitted in to Muangthong and can leave. We also had a promising young striker named Ibrahim disappear on loan to PTT pre-season. Where is he now?

Verdict: Medium priority. Either a pacey outside forward and/or another poacher would really boost the squad. Let go of Ahnon. Issoufaou - the troubling winger who went out on loan this season - should get one more chance.

Adnan Barakat Highlights

2012-01-13T10:04:00.000+07:00

Adnan Barakat signs with Muang Thong

2012-01-13T07:32:00.000+07:00

This article from thai-fussball.com

Just midweek, Muang Thong lost the Thai Cup final to Buriram and a day later the management promised to throw money after first class players. They did not even hesitate and the club announced it's first foreign signing for the new season.

As the club announced late Thursday night on his official website, Muang Thong signed midfielder Adnan Barakat. Surprisingly it is not a big name in football. But his statistics offers a lot for a midfielder. Adnan Barakat is 29-year-old and was with FK Baku recently. It's the same club current Thai national team coach Winfried Schafer reigned in a six-months stint from June 2010 to January 2011.

However, the Moroccan-Dutch player made his way through the Ajax Amsterdam academy and gained Eredivisie experiance with NAC Breda.Further stations of him are FC Eindhoven, Cambuur-Leeuwarden and FC Den Bosch before he moved to Azerbaijan and joined FK Baku.

http://www.thai-fussball.com/en/News-Adnan-Barakat-signs-with-Muang-Thong-item-269.html

Muangthong United 0 Buriram PEA 0 - FA Cup final report and review

2012-01-12T17:44:00.007+07:00

Why we love Thai football (© mooinblack)

The line up was notable for its absentees. Kawin (GK), Kayem (DF), Ali (DF), Nattaporn (Capt, DF), Pitchipong (MD), Siaka (MD), Datsakorn (MD), Buntao (MD), Arromsowa (AM), Fowler (FW), Teerasil (ST). That line-up should indicate the gameplan: three at the back, pack the midfield.

Missing were Panupong (injured hip muscle) and Christian (ankle still injured?). In that wonderful thing we call hindsight, Christian's absence may just have been the deciding factor in this contest.

There's never been more than one goal's difference in any MTU V PEA encounter and, amazingly, we have never scored past them. None of that would change tonight and the game was very typical of Thai football in both its positives and negatives. Moments of skill and breakaway football were matched in frequency by players of both teams throwing themselves on the turf and rolling in agony before jumping to their feet when they get the free kick or yellow card for the opponent they wanted. Sad.

Teerasil, Pornsai (sub) and Fowler each came agonisingly close for the Quilins over the course of the two hour battle while Buriram hit a rut of missed chances that were staggering even by Thai football standards. But the bulk of the play went Buriram's way because our attempt to pack the midfield backfired slightly. PEA's two Franks exploited the space in our final third with their pace and diagonal movement. (Ironically, it reminded of the days when Yaya, Kone and Siaka terrorised defences in the same way.) Although Ali and Kayem matched the two Franks for speed, it allowed PEA's midfield too much opportunity to storm down the middle of our defence and test Kawin.

Yet we held on, thanks in no small part to Kawin (more on him later) and the game went to extra time. It looked to be heading for penalties - probably our best chance - when Buriram scored via the smaller Frank, and what an excellent goal it was. Sadly, within two minutes of Frank hitting the net, no less than three Buriram players were rolling in the floor in agony, only to recover, as if by magic, shortly after. Thai football has come so far in two years, why is this behaviour allowed to hold it back? We piled forward but the sense of panic mixed with fatigue - borne of 240 minutes of football in four days - made the goal unlikely and it never came.

So it came to pass that for the second year in a row we lost the TFA Cup final deep in extra time. Credit to Buriram who were the better team. In Matt's podcast he mentioned new standards have been set.

In my preview I stated this match might be symbolic of the growing dominance of the two Thai giants. I feel that's been vindicated. PEA's dominance of the season could be wrapped up with a treble win in two weeks, yet every time they slug it out with MTU goals are rare, late and followed by stalling. These two teams are clearly so closely matched that a couple of key signings (or a return of Christian) for Muangthong and the additional ACL fixture load for PEA could tilt the balance next season. As MTU fans know well, winning the trophies is the comparatively easy part. But for now, PEA have earned the double and only Thai Port - with their potentially demoralised squad owed about 3 months of salary - stand between them and a historic treble.

It would be nice to think that we could now sit back, take stock and learn from our mistakes. But thanks to the utter imbeciles at the TFA we still have two meaningless (for us) fixtures to play before we can afford ourselves the luxury of preparing for the, ahem, 2012 season. Moreover, one of those fixtures is against struggling Sriracha, obliging us to play a full strength side.

Man of the Match

Applaud this man

Three contenders here but anyone who saw the extra time period will surely know the name I'm about to type; Kawin Thamasatchanan was an absolute colossus tonight and was the only reason we lost by one goal instead of five or six. It wasn't just about saves either, this young goalie commands his defence like a seasoned veteran and has the heart, professionalism and motivation to go as far he wants in this sport. If anyone doubted me when I said this was Asia's best goalie, do they still doubt me now?

I should also mention two other names. First, Diarra Ali who was presumably the late replacement for Panupong. I was worried about the still fairly raw defender marking either of PEA's Franks but he did very well and even under constant pressure he never gave away a penalty or had any 'red mist' moments as young and excited defenders so often do.

Secondly, Robbie Fowler. I've been critical of him recently, so it's only fair I mention his work rate and passion in this game. Robbie lasted the entire 120 minutes and showed his quality with some excellent flick-ons and movement that displayed his rich experience. It was also encouraging to see him call out the time-wasting and other nonsense when it went on. If more players did this, it wouldn't be so damn easy to get away with. I'd still rather Robbie retired from playing at the end of this season (if it ever comes!) and I'm still far from sure about his management credentials, but he gave it 101% in this clash .

And so the de-facto end of this season is here and we finish on a bitter note.
It hurts like hell but what's done is done. Now it's time to look ahead. Let's get the pointless games done, let's enjoy the lighter fixture load next season. Let's learn from our mistakes by giving Robbie a chance (and hope he wants and takes it) to use his contacts, splash the cash, sign two or three top class players to compliment the brilliant players we have already like Kawin, Datsakorn, Siaka, Teerasil and Panupong. Let's continue to bring up fantastic youngsters like Kayem, Ali and Arthit, let's have the fans put all the "glory hunting" BS in the bin by turning up in force for every game after a trophy-less season. Let's watch the building for the biggest and best stadium in Thailand start to take hold. Most of all, let's get two-time TPL champions MTU back to the top where we belong.

"By the way, your salary is win-related"

Photo credits: MTU N-Zone, mooinblack (Jirawat Srikong), afzsuzukicup.com

Rip it Up and Start Again

2012-01-10T18:25:00.001+07:00

This article by http://absolutethaifootball.wordpress.com should be shared by every fan of Thai football in my humble opinion.

*****
“Dear football fans,
We have decided that you, the supporters,will run the FA for the 2012 season. All our staff and resources are at your disposal. See you at the end of the season in 2014. Best wishes; The Thai FA.”
Like heckling opposition Liberal Democrats power could find us out. But, unlike those flip floppers, we have a plan…

Monday morning. 9 o’clock. First job: give all clubs a health check of wage to income ratios, training facilities, stadiums and youth team set up. The Thai Fans Football Association is honour bound to stop financially vulnerable clubs failing or falling foul of temptation. Corrupt Chinese clubs were not reported on individually. They were Chinese football. Our league is as strong as its weakest link.

The TFFA Handbook opens with:

Rule 1.1. The bench shall contain less non players than players. Benched politicians must run a pitch lap in under two hours or explain the offside law.

Rule 1.1 subsection a. Terminal stretcher cases shall receive a minimum of five minutes life saving treatment before sprinting back onto the field of play.

Rule 1.1 subsection b. As in It’s a Knockout, teams have one huddle joker. If chosen after the scheduled kick off time, the opposition may start without them.

Rule 1.1 subsection c. Stadium draft beer vendors shall commence pouring before half time. They shall acknowledge they only sell Leo and that the 500 strong queue wants at least one each.

So now to referees. J and K League officials are flown over to coach and counsel. Our refs have their salaries doubled (at least) making them less vulnerable to bribes. stringent physical and decision making norms are ruthlessly enforced. All our players are told that aggressive physical contact with officials is not tolerated: ever.
Now referees are supported and professional, we will promote the TPL Asia wide as a vibrant new product. Free broadcasting rights for key games to targetted countries with weaker leagues are combined with a sophisticated marketing campaign for one season. Then we renegotiate.
We will skew all spending towards youth teams to develop a carefully graded, consistently applied system drawing on the best practices of top European clubs with our added mystery ingredient: patience. A youth system fails when analysed after ten years, not ten minutes. Our best coaches will train academies, potential star players will be fast tracked and equipped with a good education, including English. Our coordinated network of scouts will use detailed databases directly overseen by the national coach. A youth league for all teams gives provincial players opportunities to develop naturally rather than be benched in a big Bangkok team.

Finally, after giving TFFA board members hefty lifetime golden parachutes, we will put the “fix” into “fixtures.” Getting to one percent of the J league’s hundred year development plan is progress enough for us and, who knows, you might be bored to tears and reminisce about the days of arriving at empty stadiums.

Zesh moving on?

2012-01-10T17:29:00.003+07:00

A Hong Kong team's fan site have stated that Zesh Rehman is arriving at the club for a medical today.

www.footymatters.com

All fans at MTU should thank Zesh for his service. He joined at a tumultuous time for Muangthong and took some time to settle in to a new style of play but once settled he provided solid air cover.

Zesh was also a positive influence off the field, offering experience to youngsters, getting involved in the community and always willing to talk to fans. It's sad we won't see him on a fresh start for another season.

Ali Diarra now has a chance to step up to the plate and make a claim for long-term glory.

Muangthong United Vs Buriram PEA: FA Cup final preview

2012-01-09T18:15:00.001+07:00

The result of Wednesday's FA Cup final between the Quilins and Buriram PEA is likely to be slightly less important than the passing of the torch it signifies.

Whatever the outcome of the game, some changes, possibly irreversible, will come into effect shortly after.

PEA will merge with Buriram FC in a move that will at least calm fears of a potential conflict of interests had the two clubs competed in the TPL separately. Muagthong look set for another large end of season clearout - hopefully more successful than the last - as the club finally realise the fight for 'top dog' spot needs to be stepped up.

Both moves should be beneficial to Thai football as a whole but perhaps the most important change in effect will be the interest in the game. Although the Thai FA have preformed a truly startling feat of incompetency with the scheduling of the tournament - that's why the final is being played on a Wednesday - the stadium is still likely to be sold out and viewers around the country will tune in to watch on satellite TV.

The stage is set for a clash of two Thai heavyweights and could be indicative of a Rangers Vs Celtic style battle for long term supremacy devloping in Thaland. Chonburi and BG may have something to say about that but although they finished above us this year, the Sharks have moved slowly to improve their stadium and exposure compared to the other big clubs and BG seem content with a top five, rather than top one space.

In team news, MTU should be boosted by a return to near-full fitness for Christian. This gives Fowler plenty of choice for his attacking line up. Although Robbie had a good first half on Saturday, his presence in the starting line up commits us to one second half substitution and that limits our tactical options. I'd far rather start with Teerasil and Christian in attack.

The rest of the squad are almost full strength. Zesh Rehman was absent on Saturday but possibly not for fitness reasons.

MTU have not scored against PEA in four league games. This is the first time the sides have met in cup competition since PEA moved from Ayutthaya.

Who do you think?

2012-01-09T17:37:00.003+07:00

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A sign of the times + Guest article

2012-01-09T09:40:00.000+07:00

An FA Cup final preview will appear here soon.

*****

Like most schools in Thailand, my school's sports day is a big deal, not for the sports per se but for all the cheering that goes with it. We have four teams - yellow, green, red and blue. This year's football teams are very competitive and as such tryouts have been ongoing for a week. Sat watching the kids trying to win a spot in their first team, I saw the following replica shirts being worn. Yellow: MTU (black and yellow training shirt), Thailand and Chiang Rai United (which is actually orange. Red: Muangthong Blue: Chonburi, Buriram PEA and Air Force United. Green: Army United, Bangkok Glass.

It really is remarkable that in the space of three years, we've gone from Thai footie being almost unknown to kids wearing shirts of relatively small teams.

************

The following is an article from Matt and his new blog at absolutethaifootball.wordpress.com

************

Thaiving: Why Simulation Punishes Everyone

.
In Thailand’s World Cup qualifier against Australia, the normally phlegmatic Mark Schwarzer felt compelled to Tweet:
“First time tonight I have every played on when a player has gone down ‘injured’ we just have had enough of the constant diving and acting!”
Ironically, this was a genuine injury, acknowledged by the Fulham stopper:
” {The} Thai player WAS injured, which I apologised to him and their coach. It was the only time in the game where they were injured for real!”
This wasn’t the jolt. That the Thai players’ actions seemed perfectly acceptable to us was. Weekly we see diving, time wasting and stretcher processions received with little negative reaction. Whilst there is an ironic count from the crowd for poleaxed players ready to leap to their feet, simulation and time wasting are condoned by a lack of disapproval. Of course it’s a global canker. It is a power play, like a small child pushing their parents, testing the boundaries.
Whilst TPL walk offs have stopped, incredibly, they are not outlawed if they are under 15 minutes. Truesports, not the FA, have stopped it.They, understandably, won’t delay later programmes until football dummies have stopped being thrown out of prams.
So, if it is accepted and acceptable,where is the harm? Referees feel genuine concern for players appearing injured and fans are more relieved that a player is uninjured than angry at being conned. The bear baiting atmosphere and chants of “bury him where he falls!” I used to hear on the Kippax are a legacy of hate we have left behind. Could it even give Thai teams an advantage by breaking up the game, collecting free kicks in strategic places? The problem is, it doesn’t. Prone players assume games will stop and possession be returned. Divers know there is always a next time if the referee doesn’t buy it now. But, whilst this is indulged here, a player running to berate a referee for ignoring his broken legs will get him a card, not a smile in other countries.
So what to do? Officials, not players, must decide when to stop play and games must only pause for head clashes or obvious impact injuries, whilst yellow cards must be dished out for theatrics. Give a stretchered player five minutes on the touchline to recover ( FIFA wouldn’t allow this of course, unless we found vast reserves of oil) and fans must show their own team they support players who fight through the pain, or at least feel some before going off.
The defeat against Australia was telling. A lethargic Australian team were there for the taking and, like the victory against Oman, they should have been passed to death. The Thaiving dissipated the home team’s performance, galvanized the Australians with a feeling of injustice and broke up the Thai’s rhythm. Thailand rose ten FIFA places last year. Let’s play to our strengths to root out the opposition’s weaknesses. Otherwise we will become our own worst enemy.

The passion........the passion....

2012-01-08T18:00:00.002+07:00

MTU 2 (4) Songkhla 2 (3) - report

2012-01-08T10:29:00.011+07:00

Robbie's new signings were designed to boost support

I'll come clean, even with our recent poor form I thought we'd win this one in the 90 minutes. But it must be said that Songkhla played an impressive game, packing the back line when they needed to but never being afraid to mix it up with a few rough (by Thai standards) challenges or attacking through route 1.

As the team lined up - Kawin (GK), Kayem (LB), Nattaporn (CB, capt), Panupong (CB), Arthit (RB), Pornsai (wing) Datsakorn (MD), Pitchipong (MD), Siaka (AM), Fowler (CF), Teerasil (ST) .... one player reached down to check his laces, a few fans opened snacks or drinks and some were still queueing up to get in. They all missed the opening goal. Songkhla took possession, ran down the left, crossed and caught the centre-backs napping to make it one-nil. Any quicker and it would have been Thursday evening.

The rest of the first half was more MTU but in reality was scrappy. Fowler looked better, laying a few nice flick-ons that opened up attacks through the middle, but the wide play was almost non-existent despite a strong effort by Pornsai. The goal from Fowler was at the opposite end and corner from most MTU fans, creating a bizarre situation where fans had to wait a good 5-10 seconds before celebrating a goal because it was hard to see if it had gone in.

Belter by Dagno hits the bar (photo by Matt)

The second half sprang to life when a superb header from substitute Ali Diarra - who also looked good in his unfamiliar position of right wing - was quickly cancelled out by an absolute belter from a Songkhla player that reminded me of Datsakorn's screamer against Bangkok United last season. For anyone thinking "Why did MTU struggle against a D1 side?" please remember that this is the FA Cup, Songkhla will probably get promoted and that great goals are great goals, by definition it's hard to stop them. This was pure class.

The spark started to fade out from the game once again and even the first period of extra time was dull. The second period, ironically, saw our liveliest play of the whole encounter with the addition of Christian and Ahnon opening up attacking options. We smacked the bar and saw other chances come painfully close but it wasn't to be. The English fans' worst nightmare of penalties was to pay another visit to my realm.

As any fan that goes to live games will tell you, things often happen differently to how you remember them, especially in moments of drama or tension, but with my scarf half-covering my face ready to shield me from too much agony, this is how I recall it going down...

Songkhla player 1 - Shoots low, strong and right, Kawin goes left. GOAL. Git. 0-1

Datsakorn - Goes right and medium height, goalie goes left. GOAL! You beauty Datsakorn! 1-1

Songkhla player 2 - Looks confident but is walking very carefully....is he secretly scared? ....GOAL! Swine. 2-1

Pornsai - Either someone's cut his legs in half or he's wearing really long shorts.......Shoots low and right.......GOAL! 2-2

Songkhla player 3 - Looks really cocky.........Set for a short, angled run up .....shoots left.......Kawin goes left...SAVED! WE LOVE YOU KAWIN! 2-2

Nattaporn - Are we sure we're letting a defender take a penalty?......Just put your head down and wack it, Oat!...He places it though....GOAL! Sorry I ever doubted you, fella. 3-2

Songkhla player 4 -.....Miss damn you!........ Hits it hard.......GOAL! Damn. 3-3

Dagno - This is someone you always want on your side.......Looks cool as ice.....GOAL! 4-3

Songkhla player 5 - ........Crowd are on his back.......Set for a short run up, I guess he's going to blast it........Runs up......BLAZES IT OVER! MTU IN THE FINAL!

And so the celebrations began. Man of the Match was democratically voted by my students as Datsakorn Thonglao who made some good runs, got stuck in and scored a penalty.

If we can take the form of the last 15 minutes and start with our strongest line up (Christian and Teerasil up front, not Robbie) then anything can happen next Wednesday.

MTU win on penalities

2012-01-07T22:47:00.001+07:00

A report of the nail-biting encounter will follow soon.....

Teerasil to travel to Madrid

2012-01-06T18:30:00.000+07:00

An article on Siam Sport says Teerasil "Mui" Dangda will travel to Madrid to train with Athletico. The same article says Athletico will send a coach to work with MTU.

Priorities

2012-01-05T21:10:00.002+07:00

As mentioned, MTU hit some good form last night, won 4-0 to make the semi-finals of the TFA cup and broke a miserable losing streak. No doubt it cheered many of us up and boosted the morale of the squad.

So how did player/coach Robbie Fowler tweet after the game?

Robbie9Fowler robbie fowler
Will hopefully get log in details tomorrow for football365... I'm in the jimjams and ready for bed

Robbie9Fowler robbie fowler
Struggling to find any positives tonight..... The fact city have gone 3 pts clear of Man u is the only one I can think of

Robbie9Fowler robbie fowler
Not great.... Need to find a football365 forum password to cheer myself up
4 Jan

Robbie9Fowler robbie fowler
Having a nightmare... Slingbox is playing up

2012-01-05T17:02:00.000+07:00

Muangthong beat Sriracha 4-0 to move on to the FA Cup semis and face Songkhla. Songkhla finished 4th in D1 but may well be promoted anyway due to the PEA / Buriram FC merger.

The semi final will be played on Saturday @ Army United's stadium.

Guest article: Playing Games Hurts the Beautiful Game

2012-01-02T08:13:00.003+07:00

Written by a friend
****************

The game yesterday between Buriram PEA and Muang Thong should have been the crowning glory for the northern club. To have the reigning champions in town at their last home game was a perfect chance for the stunning new TPL trophy to be awarded. Starting with a guard of honour made up of MT players, the game should also have been prefaced by a presentation of the trophy as a prelude to a joint lap of honour thanking the loyal fans of both teams. The Thai FA would have had a sensational picture to promote the league with a heaving stadium paying homage: our AFC neighbours would sit up and notice this burgeoning league.

Instead, what we got was some unseemly backstage wrangling to stop the ceremony going ahead. The trophy was not awarded, the former champions came out of it looking petty and childish and Thai football looks like it is run by a cartel of powerful clubs rather than a strong governing body who enforce what is right for the collective.

Buriram need their time in the sun. I hope that they get to the FA cup final where they play Muang Thong so that the Quillins have a chance to make amends and pay the proper respect to PEA that their outstanding achievement deserves.

The 2011 awards

2012-01-01T09:01:00.016+07:00

Well yes, I could make your hangover worse by talking about the loss at Buriram yesterday in the last minute of the game. I could dampen the cheer by pointing out several players apologising for "poor form" on the OS (not the people that should be apologising, mind you) but I'd rather wish everyone a Happy New Year and move on to more positive things.

So after you've seen Robbie's message in the Twitter feed it's time for the Thunderdome Blog's 2011 awards! These awards are by far the least prestigious in football and attract absolutely no stars and cameramen every year. Moreover, the prize for each award is a cup of tea (Twinings or Lipton) awarded to the player as soon as they turn up at my home. The current number of acceptances stands at zero, as of 1/1/2012.

The first award is....

Newcomer of the year

Kayem - great potential

This is a toughie because a lot of new faces arrived in 2011 but the performances were very mixed. Yet despite the setbacks of the year some very encouraging new boys have come through. In the full back slots two very promising baby-faced players made a name for themselves. On the right we had Arthit and on the left we have our winner, Weerawut Kayem. He made his debut last year but really shone this season by holding his own in the big game against PEA at home, proving he had the mental skill as well as the physical. He was recently injured but has now returned. Like Kawin, he seems friendly and humble and that should make for an excellent career.

Goalie or Defender of the year

Nattaporn - not scared of the trenches

Champions should always have quality and depth in this area and MTU are no different. Last year we had Asia's best goalie, Jetsada, Panupong and Nattaporn. This year Zesh took time to adjust but has comfortably filled the void left by the self-destructing Jetsada and the back line is as strong as ever. The recent setbacks have possibly dented the confidence of young Kawin and his form has dipped but Manchester United don't scout players without good reason, he's brilliant and he'll be back to form soon.

What's been really pleasing about this season is the way winner Nattaporn Pannarit stepped up to the plate and took over the captain's armband. Every challenge, every header and every clearance has been battled for by this guy and his performances early in the season were the only thing that's stopped us getting trounced even more often. He's shown real character and deserves the award.

Midfielder of the year

Dagno-catch him if you can

It's not been a great season for our midfielders. Some new signings didn't fit in as well as they hoped - perhaps they haven't been given enough of a chance - and some players didn't have as good as season as last year 2010. But still there have been some great showings. Piyapol Buntao is looking more consistent, Pitchipong battles back every time he looks to be fading away and Datsakorn still hit a few goals. But this decision is fairly easy: Dagno Siaka is one of the few players who has looked as good as last season. His long legs defy his deft first touch and turn of pace and the way he drifts between midfield and attack pulls opposition players out of position, creating openings for his team-mates. He must be hell to mark.

Attacker of the year:

Christian Koukou is the only choice here, apart from....

(drumroll).......The 2011 Player of the year.....

Remember that goal Vs Oz?

"The best striker in Thailand" is how one of my students described him, and he was right. If the interest around Teerasil "Mui" Dangda ends up in a transfer, then we must either sign a European striker in his prime or accept we are not title challengers anymore, because there is nobody in Thailand that is as two-footed, quick-thinking, able with his back to goal, composed, committed or excellent at finishing as this guy. Before this season's home game with Saraburi, a former MTU coach told me we'd struggle if Mui got injured. Sure enough, he got injured and our form plummeted. It's not coincidence. Teerasil Dangda is class to the point where I feel guilty for paying a paltry sum of baht to watch him ply his trade, which brings me on to.....

Goal of the year:

Plenty of choice, but Teerasil's goal at home to Thai Port takes it because it came from a corner......by Thai Port, with a brilliant break and perfect through-ball by Christian before "Mui" shows his usual class. Watch the magic at work.

Game of the year:
MTU 9 Samut Prakan United 0
It's not been a year of demolition derbies like last season but such goal-fests could never last forever. There's still been plenty to cheer about at home though, and a nine goal thrashing, even against a lower league team, was still very satisfying to watch.

Training snaps

2011-12-30T18:54:00.002+07:00

The lads are training before tomorrow's big game. It's good to see Robbie, Kawin and Datsakorn looking happy and meeting some locals. Photos by Jirawat "mooinblack".

Brand new shorts

2011-12-29T13:40:00.002+07:00

I've added an index of interviews to the sidebar on your right. I hope it will get longer over time.

Our referee for Saturday is the same referee from our home game at Osotspa M150 last year when I got a message in a bottle. The following article is from the Bangkok Post in 2009:

Referee arrested for bomb murder

A top referee has been arrested for alleged murder, police said yesterday.

Thanom Borikut, a contender to officiate at the 2010 World Cup, was arrested in Saraburi yesterday for allegedly killing his boss Thammanoon Prathumman with a bomb.A man was captured on CCTV planting a bomb which later exploded and killed Thammanoon, a director at Saraburi's education department.Police said Thanom, an official at the department, confessed to planting the bomb on Thursday.Thanom said he had conflict with Thammanoon who he claimed did not give him fair treatment and often barred him from officiating overseas as a Fifa referee, according to police.Football Association of Thailand president Worawi Makudi said it would be a pity if Thanom was found guilty because he was a candidate to officiate at next year's World Cup.

Shorts

2011-12-27T18:34:00.004+07:00

"Quilins.....chai yooo......"

I forgot to mention another bright point from Sunday's game: we now have the best entry music in football history. Our players walk out to "Sweet Child o'Mine" by Guns N Roses.

We were scheduled to face Sriracha tomorrow but the game has been postponed in a bizarre way. The motivation on both sides should be clear. Sriracha players want to catch us when our tails are down, we want a chance to allow our best players to get fit and sort ourselves out.

Here follows a Twitter exchange (in the usual timeline format) that nicely sums up that way the TPL can work at times and how different people feel about it. Douglas Cobo is a Sriracha player, as is Diego (I think). It should be noted the game discussed is our league clash with Sriracha, not the equivelent FA Cup fixture.

**************

douglascobo Douglas Cobo @
@Thai_League I'm telling this coz this is the true...sriracha and MTU had a meeting with TPL and MTU wanted to postpone the game!!

BKKFootballBlog BKK_FBB @
@Thai_League We know who's running the show. Their double new year celebration goes ahead as
planned. No surprises there!!

Thai_League Thai League Football
So it's easier to move a match at 30 hrs notice than one in 4 days time, for which no-one was available to referee a couple of days ago?

Thai_League Thai League Football
MTU have already postponed tomorrow's game on website. Sri Racha players are tweeting new date in January

Thai_League
Muang Thong & Sri Racha seem to have made a decision without waiting for TPL blessing. Who's running the show here? http://t.co/GArtrRMM

diegopishinin diego robert @
@Thai_League MTU X SR. On 24 january....

Thai_League Thai League Football
Both MTU & Sri Racha agree to postpone, want more than 2 days rest before Saturday games. Now awaiting TPL's decision. siamsport.co.th/Sport_Football…
7 hours ago
»

Thai_League Thai League Football
TPL site still has MTU v Sri Racha on homepage, & schedule pages currently unavailable. We'll take positve view & hope updates are happening
7 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Thai_League Thai League Football
Within hours of Dr.Vijit announcing this w/ends rearranged fixtures, Sri Racha player @douglascobo tells us MTU v SR tomorrow is off

MTU 1 Chonburi 2 - report

2011-12-26T17:56:00.004+07:00

And it was all going so well. OK, so Santa ignored my wishes and didn't drop any of the TTM Pichit cheerleaders in my stocking but then I wasn't very good this year anyway. But a general atmosphere of festive cheer and a bright start by the home side had everything looking rosy. The starting line up of Kawin (GK), Kayem (LB), Panupong (CB), Nattaporn (CB, capt), Ali (RB), Pitchipong (MD), Datsakorn (MD), Buntao (MD), Dagno (AM), Fowler (CF), and Teerasil (ST) looked fresh and produced a fantastic system of attacking through the middle and then lifting weighted high balls to overlapping wingers, or the reverse. Chonburi dealt with it well by keeping a deep and physically strong back line, but it was surely just a matter of time. Sure enough Dagno did the honours and put the topping on the Christmas pudding by running to our corner and celebrating right in front of us. But then something strange happened, something that probably says a lot about our state of mind.

In the not too distant past, taking the lead at home would spur us on to more and more goalscoring chances as the visitors pushed forward and miraculously escaped any of the injuries which had caused them to roll around in "agony" before the goal went in. This time however, we started to sit back and ride our luck by defending a single goal lead. Fowler started to drift out of the game even before the half time whistle which left Teerasil and Dagno to try and force a way through the middle, since the overlapping wide players now decided to stay deep and defend. If Robbie noticed any of this, I didn't see him address it at all.

In the second half Robbie made two touches of the ball that I recall. One was a nice little jink in the Chonburi box to release Dagno, a nice move but nothing that Chistian, Miroslav or even Ahnon couldn't do ten times a game. The other touch was a lazy hacked clearance that immediately gave possession back to the visitors. The goals were inevitable and sure enough Chonburi equalised and then took the lead within minutes.

When Fowler was substituted (for Anon), a cheer actually went up from home fans. I honestly don't know if it was relief he was leaving the field or a knee-jerk clap to the mention of "God's" name. Chasing the game, we actually started to get back on top and force a few desperate clearances from Chonburi. But It was too little, too late and we slumped to our second successive home defeat.

At the press conference Robbie said: "Sometimes it works this way in football. We have to pick ourselves up and see where we go from here." Fair enough, but we don't get to hear any further details from Robbie.
Why has it stopped "working out" for us so suddenly?
Why have we lost more games since he took over than we did through the whole of last season?
Why did we sit back and invite Chonburi to attack a one goal lead?
Why are we conceding so many goals in the second half of each game, the time when fitness and mental character are really tested?
Why did we look so much sharper in attack when Ahnon - who has not had a great season himself - came on and Robbie went off?

After so many managerial changes in the last year, the thought of changing so soon might seem wild but this situation scares me. Robbie has been announced as coach for next season but is this for the best? At the very least, he has got to retire as a player. I fear the only reason he is still playing is due to contractual obligations, but those obligations are costing us dearly. He's not Ryan Giggs and has not got the fitness to last or even impact a game. The second half of today's game may as well have been ten against eleven for large periods of play. Moreover, Fowler didn't even seem interested in formation or tactics. Perhaps he leaves those to Josic but if so, the division of labor needs to be clear and effective.

My worry is that we will, quite rightly, try to give our coach time and allow him to take us into next season, but will then realise the wrong man is in the job. By then, the next coach will not have time to build or prepare the side for a new title challenge and the chaos will repeat itself.

I'd love to be proven wrong, to win this year's FA Cup and to eat my words. Nothing would make a better 2012. To that end, I'll be one hundred percent behind the team during every game, just like the rest of the excellent supporters that cheer the side.

Man of the match:
Ali Diarra had an unfortunate tumble in the second half and was unlucky to be caught playing Chonburi onside for their first goal, but looked determined and capable all game, as well as providing some crucial sliding tackles. Looks like we have another good defender in our ranks.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Strife: Thoughts on the football year

2011-12-25T13:05:00.003+07:00

As the clock kicks down to the kickoff of today's big game, here's another MTU fan's thoughts on the year 2011. Just to be crystal clear: this article was typed by a friend, not me.

***********

Sifting through the dying embers of our burnt out season, it is very (very) easy to see 2011 as our annus horriblis. But, as a Villa fan in the Mcleish Mistaken Era, I feel the need to sift through the dust to find the diamonds.

I vividly remember the Queens Cup carnage after our 2010 encounter with Thai Port. This season, despite a spectacular scissor kick by Dagno consigning them to defeat, the Port fans were gracious and respectful in defeat. For the first time since that frightening February day I also heard the Ultras singing their rivals' name in mutual respect.

The relationship with Chonburi has, over the years,been prickly at best. Borne partly from the intense rivalry of two teams who used to compete for the top spot, there was little love lost. So, when the League Cup second leg game started I expected much the same. When, in the second half, Pipob was accidentally felled by MT's Kawin, the South Stand sang the Chonburi dynamo's name in unison. Sitting high up in the Siemens Stand perched between the home and away support, this was an electrifying moment which did not go unnoticed by the traveling blue faithful. Despite Chonburi eventually going through,the game finished with a stirring level of mutual respect, boding well for the future.

It is easy to scoff at the " Strategic Alliance" with Athletico Madrid. Even by their own admission at the signing ceremony with MT, the Spaniards had also hopped into bed with Tom, Dick and Harry of the footballing world. They are also a club in crisis,hovering just above the relegation zone and losing last night to third tier Albacete, meaning coach of the week Gregorio Manzano is likely to feel the nudge of the rotating door. That MT have looked to create this agreement shows ambition and a determination to become an ambitious small fish in a big pond rather than a big fish with false expectations when it comes to Asian competitions. Whilst the Other Madrid are struggling badly, they also have ambitious plans to build a new stadium with enormous facilities for academy and youth development ( areas embarrassingly lacking in Thai football).

Talking of stadiums, Muang Thong's own plans for a new stadium complex on Tiwonon Road were also unveiled by Mister 80 Houses himself. Clearly the stadium plans look immense, but the focus on training facilities and fitness also bear comment. Currently, these highly expensive pieces of Thai footballing real estate train in a gym which should be condemned as dangerous (check it out next to the swimming pool at the Yamaha) and doesn't even have air conditioning. The long drive to the club's training field finishes at a pitch where the only effective style of play would be Wimbledon circa 1988. Whilst there was a great pitch at Harrow School, the recent flooding has put paid to that. A stadium where all staff from the youngest juniors to the top international players can perform all their duties will only benefit the club. To be fair, the new pitch at the Yamaha this year has been impressive and created a surface where a passing team can really show this skills. If it was the home team that would be nice...

But staying positive, the run of rudderless and poor performances have allowed the MT faithful to be seen for what they are; positive and determined to keep supporting the team through thick and thin. Of course the history of success has attracted a few big time Charlies. I asked Paradorn after his recent (briefly topless of course) visit to a game who his favorite player was. I appeared to have been talking Serbo Croatian. Maybe he was simply thinking back to the last election when he forgot to vote and killed his fledgling political ambitions. Of course there will be a lowering of crowds, but they will keep coming, keep helping charities, keep traveling away and the N Zone will continue to believe that this is the last fashionable day of whiskey.

OK so I have chickened out. The positives of Mister Fowler. It is easy to scoff that a player who is forced to train alone due to his bad attitude one day is the coach the next, but his appointment has done wonders for the world profile of MT. He is a genuinely friendly man who didn't strong arm the club to pay him $50,000 a month and would just as happily have gone back to the UK to get his coaching badges. His contacts in the world of football could be very helpful to the club and ("more port please Karen") the arrival of the Cardiff City fitness coach creates a more intense attitude to training. Over the years regular scouting by European clubs observe how little intensity there is in training for the Thai players. Despite being sacked for a few days, Alex can really push the players to learn the importance of the kind of training that underpinned Rene's regime and meant that, despite a horrendous sequence of poorly scheduled games, players could call upon a base fitness that kept them going.

There is also a (claret and blue)part of me relieved that the party seems to be over for a while. I loved the AFC excursions and watching us destroy all comers last season during the three year unbeaten run at home, but that is not why I follow the team. I support them because they are my local team and, for the first time during those four years, it feels like they actually need that support. Surrounded by kind and passionate fans I can be the miserable Englishman as my British gift to the Thai football world and, at last, have something to moan about. Cursed in Thailand with beautiful weather, wonderful locals and sumptuous food, this is the one true thing that makes an Englishman happy.

He's not the messiah, he's a very dodgy coach!

2011-12-22T19:27:00.003+07:00

Robbie Fowler is doing a very poor job as coach and should leave Muangthong United. There, I said it.

I try to keep a generally optimistic tone at this blog in order to make it more popular and acceptable to readers. This is especially true for Thai fans, as their football culture tends to eschew criticism, even positive, constructive criticism. So let me be clear that there’s no reason to believe Robbie Fowler has been anything other than honest, friendly and hard-working at Muangthong, and the reputation and respect he deserves for his career almost goes without saying. For a coach, he's young and just starting out, he may well become good at it. He's never (to my knowledge) repeated or requested his "God" tag and in public he always comes across as the humble and likeable personality that he surely is. But let's not ignore the (foreign) elephant in the room: he’s holding the club back.

Just a season and a half ago, the squad - largely still the same as we have now - were demolishing teams. Chonburi came to the Yamaha and got their back four torn to pieces for large periods of the game. PEA survived a last minute header by Leesaw to get a draw. Teams like TOT and Sisaket came dreaming of a draw, and got destroyed.

At that time the coach was Rene Desaeyere. A controversial character for sure, but observers of his training sessions - players and fans alike - testified to their intensity and effectiveness. That determined psyche carried the squad through an intensely draining series of overbooked fixtures.

Rene was sacked without warning for non-football reasons. Also heading for the exit went Yaya, who moved on to bigger things, and some of our promising younger players like Coulibly Abdoul. Rene’s replacement was Carlos Carvalho, a truly bizarre choice given his recent performance at BG. Also inbound were a variety of players that looked like good additions, but have produced mixed performances on the field. In hindsight, it's clear we signed players based on prestige rather than the needs of our actual squad, but I wasn't critical at the time so it wouldn't be fair to be so now.

Carlos was a clear disaster from the start. To the credit of the board, they addressed their mistake quickly, but it left many asking about the logic of such a strange appointment in the first place. We then appointed veteran Vietnam coach “Henry” (Henrique) Calisto to a publicly-trumpeted high salary.

The response was impressive. Shortly before Henry's tenure began, MTU suffered a five goal bashing at the less-than-mighty Osotspa M150. Yet upon his arrival, “Henry” quickly got the best out of Kawin, Nattaporn, Zesh and Panupong - undoubtedly some of the best defensive players in Thailand - and established a team run of (to memory) one goal conceded in seven games.

The consensus on Callisto was that in terms of training he might not be up to Rene's standard, but he was highly capable and addressed many of the team's problems. We were no longer getting five or six goal demolition derbies in our favour, but we were getting the wins we needed and the rut was broken. For a while it looked like we had recovered so well we might just sneak up behind Buriram PEA. Then in came Robbie "G9D" Fowler.

My initial reaction to Fowler's signing was annoyance. Why had we let go of Miroslav Toth - a hard working and capable if not brilliant forward - in place of a player who had been semi-retired for more than two years? That cynicism faded as the interest around Robbie, Muangthong and even this blog went through the roof. Surely the publicity could only be good, even if Robbie himself failed to shine.

His first few games were quiet and Robbie clearly lacked fitness. “Fair enough, a thirty-seven year old takes longer to get in shape” was the general supposition. But Robbie chose to bring in a fitness coach that had worked with him at Cardiff by the name of Alan Armstrong, and I have it on good authority that this caused major waves in the club. Certainly Callisto was a forlorn-looking man from that moment onwards and one source has said that “Henry” attempted to sack Armstrong at one stage. Shortly after, Callisto himself walked the management plank and within hours Robbie was the new MTU coach, complete with Armstrong at his side. A footballing coup, if you like. Around the same time, Robert Procurer, a person so heavily involved in making MTU the success it has been, also officially sold his share in the club.

The rest is recent enough history that it doesn't needed long recitation. The same talented bunch of defenders have leaked goals - most notably towards the end of games - and the squad as a whole look unsure and lacking in confidence. Tactically the side are so unsteady that Robbie allegedly actually approached. Armstrong during the BEC Tero game, apparently in search of advice.

The fallout reached its low-point with the recent home defeat by Siam Navy. After almost three seasons without a league defeat, Fortress Yamaha was breached not by the new champions PEA, not by moneybags BG or the constant thorn in our side that is Chonburi FC, but by a team widely chosen as relegation favourites for 2011. Yesterday, TTM Pichit became our next conquerers.

Only two games lost on paper, but the nature of the performances has been truly woeful. When things were going so well everyone took credit, and now everyone has to accept some responsibility for the downturn.

And there's a lot of people to share that burden. It's been pointed out that we are now dangerously top heavy on staff, most notably various coaches. The same top-heavy situation occurred at Southampton FC when the club went through several mangers quickly, the result was a downward spiral that saw us minutes away from total collapse.

That won't happen at MTU. Heck, we could still finish second and win the FA Cup. But there is another longer-term, serious problem that has received less attention. Because Calisto was on a such a hefty contract when he left, the club are committed to a substantial outlay for his salary. With Robbie's arrival, that outlay was extended to a further million or so baht per month for the length of “God’s stay. These outlays, added to the expenditure on support staff for both men now total - according to a source - a whopping 140 million baht for the year. That's a serious sum to lose, even for a rich club with wealthy backing. Without careful management, it could hold us back for longer.

What can we do to put things right? That's for another article, one that I'll probably type come the end of the season. For now, here's a few thoughts:

- Let Robbie go, even if he takes his full contract’s salary with him. Let him apply for these jobs his friends have so eagerly advertised for him already. Allow fans who have his name on their shirt a free match ticket or club store discount.

- Keep Josic, the Croatian coach from Rajpracha who has proven his capability at coaching in Thailand. Give him the resources, support and time that he will need. If the board can't do that, they must be honest and employ a Thai coach.

- Look at the squad at the end of the season and keep key players: Kawin, Nattaporn, Panupong, Zesh, Dagno, Datsakorn, Teerasil and the young wing backs. Recall our loan striker Ibrahim from PTT.

- Allow other players to fight for their place or move on, with thanks for their service.

- Sign new players based not on their reputations alone, but also their suitability for Josic's playing style and squad requirements.

It's hardly an impossible mission for a club with our resources.

Whatever happens in these final few weeks of the 2011 season will not change the long term challenge, but neither will it make things worse. MTU were, and are, a great club with great resources that plays good attacking football with passionate players supported by passionate fans. Many cynics - including fellow farang Dale at his excellent Chonburi site - have suggested that crowds would plummet at MTU in any season they were not top of the league. In fact, average crowds are down only 2,000 - 3,000 on last year. Considering thousands in the province have suffered massive damage and homelessness for over a month, I'd say that's a pretty impressive level of support. Real fans will stick by the side through good times and bad.

Next season Muangthong will be looking to make like the empire in "Star Wars" and strike back, but we'll need some careful, honest and patient decisions by the board to do it.

******

I may have sounded a bit patronising of some other Thai teams in this article. I only do so from the POV of Muangthong and our high standards we have set ourselves. As a supporter of a small team in England, I know how annoying it can be when given no credit for a good win. TTM Pichit, Khoen Kean, Osotspa, Siam Navy and all other teams who got points against us this season thoroughly deserved to do so. Full credit to them and their excellent fans.

The Christmas blog 2011

2011-12-21T18:28:00.004+07:00

Christmas has caught many of us in Nonhaburi and Pathum Thani off guard this year. The overriding memory of 2011 will be the unforgettable scenes of the floods and its after-effects, that still dominate my life amongst so many others.

Like many other ex-pats in Nonthaburi, I sat back with complacency as the waters closed in on my village. I frequently pointed out the high walls around my home and the high level of our front room. That same room was housing a metre or so of putrid, infested water for two weeks before the floods disappeared.

The only defence I can offer for such disgraceful myopics is inexperience. Until you've actually watched water sprouting up through holes in concrete as if it were oil, it's hard to accept it as real. About three hours before that happened, I went for a walk in my village and saw little amiss until I happened to glance down a covered drain to check the water level. There I saw three large fish, each looking up at me as bright eyed and curious as a new born baby. That's when my reality began to shake.

Muangthong have no excuse for complacency however, with the challenge of Buriram PEA being well established in the 2010 season. Concerns aside, they deserved their title win this year. There is still everything to compete for in this year's cups and in the future. We must learn from our mistakes, but this year's boardroom decisions have not yet acknowledged that.

But back to the bigger picture. In some provinces,Thais are still picking up the pieces of their livelihoods, quite literally in many cases. Most football clubs have offered to help, not just by putting hands in pockets - which is the relatively easy part - but actually getting out and about to do something. Even in unaffected areas, there are still a whole lot of other good causes which often welcome people simply offering to help, especially foreigners. Do you have the chance to make Christmas just a little better for someone this year?

To all the fans of all the teams, have a great Christmas and New Year.

A few photos published by the club today

2011-12-20T16:52:00.000+07:00

Good to see the lads looking relaxed and ready.

L to R: Pitchipong, ?, Piyapol, Diarra, Zesh

Robbie and his (allegedly) controversial fitness coach Alan Armstrong

Nawapol, ? , Kawin, Datsakorn and Piyapol

Kawin and Robbie

The race for second

2011-12-19T17:36:00.000+07:00

I scouted Chonburi yesterday and was not overally impressed. Their slim win against a Tero second that looked shaky at the back was assisted by some terrible officiating. If both sides turn out full strength on Christmas Day then we should win. That fixture is now absolutely crucial as we will struggle away to PEA in the next game and teh newly crowned champions may yet win teh double, meaning second place in the TPL will be enough to qualify for ACL play offs.

******************
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/271440/big-race-for-second-place

At Si Sa Ket stadium, hosts Si Sa Ket FC were helpless as goals from Woranart Nongkrue and Teerasil Dangda gave Muang Thong a 2-0 lead before Jimmy Shola pulled one back for the home side in the 41st minute but it was not enough as Muang Thong held on for the three points.

Muangthong in Meltdown?

2011-12-16T17:42:00.001+07:00

Paul Hewitt's column in BK magazine. I disagree with Paul that we are "fading fast", except from the title race, which is now over. We could, in theory, still finish second and win the FA Cup and qualify for a ACL play off spot. That said, I understand that events off the pitch could get worse over coming weeks.

**********

http://bk.asia-city.com/health/blog/thai-premier-league/muangthong-meltdown

y Paul Hewitt | published Dec 16, 2011

It’s all gone wrong at Muangthong United. The Nonthaburi side which won four consecutive league championships between 2007 and 2010 is, if not quite in freefall, at least fading fast. Recent results include draws against Army United, Khon Kaen and BEC Tero Sasana and, most surprisingly, a 3-1 home defeat to lowly Siam Navy this past Wednesday. That was Muangthong’s first home defeat in the league since their Division 1 days way back in 2008. Their faltering form has seen them fall to third and allowed Chonburi to open up a three point gap in second spot, and they’re now a massive sixteen points behind champion’s elect Buriram PEA. Times have certainly changed from last year when Muangthong won the league with a four point gap over PEA.

The recent failings provoked an unprecedented outburst from club owner Ravi Lohtong. After throwing away a 2-0 lead at Division 1 bound Khon Kaen last weekend the Big Boss blasted: "It's a disgrace. I have never seen such a bad performance from them. It's a shame because the whole salary of Khon Kaen players may be 30 times less than our players' salary. Khon Kaen got about 300,000 baht from ticket sales for the match and part of the money will be used to pay the players' wages. I praise them for their determination and believe they will avoid relegation [they won’t]. Our coaching staff have never learned a lesson because we have often made similar mistakes."

Despite that broadside aimed at the coaching staff from the Siamsport mogul, the club said on Tuesday – before the Navy defeat – that they expect head coach Robbie Fowler to see out his contract which expires in December 2012. We’re not betting on it.

Fowler's record: P7 W3 D3 L1

2011-12-15T16:37:00.005+07:00

No need to reinvent the wheel, Ben has summed the game up nicely at his blog. Hopefully it was only disappointment that lead some players to forget to acknowledge the fans at the end of the game.

The team line up was bizarre and reminiscent of the short-lived coach Carlos debacle. No doubt injuries played some part but could there be more to it than that?

As for Zesh, raised on the western way of defending, I'm sure he'll take his OG on the chin and carry on.

We need a strong finish to the season and everyone to be 100% for Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Take note, Robbie and Josic.

MTU 1 Navy 3

2011-12-15T06:11:00.002+07:00

MTU lose their first home league game in almost three seasons. More to follow.

Rawi puts the boot in

2011-12-13T15:48:00.002+07:00

I believe our owner is right to criticise us and right to praise Khoen Kean. However I wonder if he has thought through the implications of going through four managers in one year. I also like what is surely a Tor Chittinand "fact" in the last sentence of the article.

MTU are home to Navy tomorrow.

****************
Article and photo:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/270480/rawi-blasts-disgraceful-muang-thong

Media tycoon Rawi Lohthong yesterday labelled his TPL club Muang Thong United "a disgrace" after the Kirins squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at relegation strugglers Khon Kaen on Saturday.

Rawi Lohthong

Second-placed Muang Thong looked on course for a comfortable win after Anon Sangsanoi and Teerasil Dangda fired them to a 2-0 lead.

But the Dinosaurs fought back spiritedly and scored twice in the final two minutes to earn a draw.

The result effectively ended Muang Thong's bid to retain the TPL crown as they are 16 points behind Buriram PEA although the Kirins have played two matches less. "It's a disgrace. I have never seen such a bad performance from them," said Rawi, owner of sports media empire Siam Sport Syndicate who took over the club three years ago.

"It's a shame because the whole salary of Khon Kaen players may be 30 times less than our players' salary.

"Khon Kaen got about 300,000 baht from ticket sales for the match and part of the money will be used to pay the players' wages. I praise them for their determination and believe they will avoid relegation.

"Our coaching staff have never learned a lesson because we have often made similar mistakes."

(My thought: Which coaching staff? Rene, who won us the league? Calisto, who coached us to a record of one goal conceded in seven games? Both of them were sacked for non-football reasons, the latter for, ahem, publicly criticising the defence.)

Reports say there will be a wholesale clear-out at the club after the season ends next month.

Former England and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler is currently Muang Thong's coach and also their most popular player.

Fowler's record: P6 W3 D3

2011-12-11T08:42:00.000+07:00

For the third league game in a row we take the lead and let it slip late on against teams we should be looking to beat. That's something that needs serious analysis The title's is now PEA's to lose, which they won't.

My life is slowly returning to normal and I'll be attending and reporting from matches again soon.

This from the BP:

At Khon Kaen stadium, Muang Thong looked on course for an easy win when Anon Sangsanoi put them in front after just nine minutes.

Muang Thong seemed to have bagged the three points when Teerasil Dangda made it 2-0 in the second half.

But the Dinosaurs fought back spiritedly and scored twice in the final two minutes from Saksit Yuencheewit and Choke Sukkaew.

Updates

2011-12-03T21:02:00.001+07:00

Apart from our 0-2 win away to Police United today (we lost there last season) the other news is the robbery after our win at Pattaya, the opening of our online store and the slightly increased possibility of landing Guti (still not much though IMHO).

A kiss of passion or a kiss goodbye?

2011-11-30T13:24:00.002+07:00

Fowler's record: P5 W3 D2

2011-11-27T07:06:00.000+07:00

For the second game in a row we let a lead slip in injury time. It looks to be all over, the only hope is that Tor Chittinand has confidently predicted a win for PEA today.

From Bangkok Post

Muang Thong United were held 2-2 at BEC Tero Sasana in the Thai Premier League yesterday.

The stalemate shattered second-placed Muang Thong's hopes of retaining the title as they are now 10 points behind leaders Buriram PEA with nine matches remaining.

Buriram should extend their lead to 13 points today when they go to strugglers Siam Navy.

At Thephatsadin stadium, Muang Thong, led by coach/player Robbie Fowler, got off to a fast start when Ivory Coast's Dagno Siaka gave them the lead after a few minutes.

The Fire Dragons came back strongly in the second half and got an equaliser through Ghana's Gilbert Koomson in the 58th only for Christian Kouakou to regain the lead for the Kirins soon after.

But just as the Kirins seemed to be heading for a win, Jakkrit Boonkhum stunned them with an equaliser in injury time.

MTU 1 Army Utd 1 - photos

2011-11-24T18:29:00.002+07:00

All credit to Jirawat (mooinblack) as usual. This album is available on his Flickr page with more great shots.

A few things to notice in the pictures: the darker side of Thai football being played with by Robbie, the unusually low crowd for obvious reasons, Weera in goal for the penalty and Josic looking like a new Rene, which is not a bad thing!

Updates

2011-11-23T18:52:00.001+07:00

I'm still unable to return home as most of Nonthaburi is still very heavily flooded, to the point that it is threatening to turn nasty. Reports of yesterday's game are hard to come by but there can be no doubt Army are our jinx team. Last season we took the lead in both fixtures (away, home ) only to get pegged back. This season we got thumped and now lost in the dying moments, missed a penalty and suffered an injury to a key player (Kawin).

Reports suggesting we will "swoop" for Guti are an interesting contrast to the western way of handling transfers.

Worthy reads

2011-11-12T18:06:00.000+07:00

Second on list of time/space fillers during my exile is perusal of other sites.

Marco at the Thai Port blog recently pointed to an excellent nostalgia blog. (Sadly TP’s home district of Klong Toey was hit by flooding just today.)

Also, an excellent article based on (but not penned by) Dale’s site was published recently that warrants as much attention as possible. So here it is.......

http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/chonburifc/113109/News/view/608180

Thoughts so far

2011-11-08T13:34:00.003+07:00

With the floods taking their toll on an already lackluster season in Thailand - though of course that is trite when considering the damage to many people's lives - there is little to do at this time but reflect.

The season as a whole
If I had to summarise the TPL season in one word, it would be "disjointed". To me, it's felt more like a set of exhibition matches rather than a running contest. For the most part I put this down to the elongated schedule and frequent postponements by the TPL and clubs alike. The TPL have overcompensated for last season's deadly overbooking by stretching the season to what was almost set as year-long at one point. Throw into the mix the postponements for so many reasons - especially by the top three clubs - and then the unavoidable flooding disaster and it becomes hard to keep focused on the big picture.

Our fortunes
For MTU a battle for second place looks on the cards. I believe our team from the first half of last season could beat this year's PEA, but Buriram started this season as they meant to go on whereas MTU have chopped and changed, as though looking for a winning formula can happen by changing the name of the coach. The difference is consistency and we have nobody but ourselves to blame for lacking it. Then again, the season is not yet over and PEA haven’t looked quite as strong since the elections, though I still think they have enough in the tank to do the job.

What went wrong
The moment our fortunes changed was when Rene left the club, personnel changes since then have essentially been a fallout of that decision. The reasons for his departure mark a crucial challenge/problem for MTU and perhaps even Thailand as a whole.
Muangthong have the ambition, resources and knowledge to make themselves a force in Asia and then the world, but key personnel struggle to accept outside cultures and influences that make those ambitions possible. I've heard that both Rene and Calisto had internal problems at the club because they spoke their mind. It mattered not if what either man said was true, needed to be mentioned and in Calisto's case was obvious to all (we defended badly in Singapore), all that mattered was that someone felt they'd lost face. The damage caused by going through so many changes in one year - especially the disastrous appointment of Carlos - should be crystal clear.

God
Robbie Fowler is an experimenting experiment. He wants a place to start his coaching career out of the western media glare and we want a big name to paper over the managerial cracks. However, that a friend of Robbie saw fit to declare his interest in the Northern Ireland job speaks volumes about the regard he holds MTU in. Still, so far his record is perfect and he might just prove to be a good coach. Strangely enough his second role has improved his first; he didn't look even close to scoring before landing his new position. In any case though, I'd put money on a press release announcing Milos Josic as head coach some time before next season.

Teerasil set to miss crucial W Cup qualifier

2011-11-03T07:29:00.000+07:00

http://nationmultimedia.com/sports/Teerasil-set-to-miss-crucial-W-Cup-qualifier-30169102.html

In the wake of flooding in Bangkok, the Football Association of Thailand has moved Thailand's World Cup qualifier against leaders Australia on November 15 to Supachalasai stadium.

The Group D fixture was originally destined for Rajamangala National stadium in Bang Kapi district, which is still being menaced by flooding.

Thailand, currently in second spot with four points from three games, face two crucial matches this month which could define their qualifying campaign, with a trip to thirdplaced Saudi Arabia on November 11 coming ahead of the Australia fixture. The Thais complete the group phase with an away tie against Oman in February.

Having cut short his training spell at Thaiowned Leicester City, Buriram PEA forward Kirati Keawsombut joined the squad for the first time yesterday at the Rajamangala stadium.

However, leading striker Teerasil Dangda was unable to train due to his ongoing groin injury, and it now seems certain that the 23yearold will miss the Saudi match. There remains a chance, though, that he will recover in time for the Australia fixture.

National coach Winfried Schaefer revealed that he would announce the 23man list for the Saudi match after today's training session.

"Right now we are putting the emphasis on improving players' fitness. Then we will work on our tactics for the game against the Saudis when we have a training camp in Qatar.

"I'll make the cut [of squad payers] after training tomorrow before submitting the list to the AFC [Asian Football Confederation] the following day," said Schaefer.

Fowler's Record: P3 W3

2011-10-27T07:03:00.001+07:00

MTU defeated BG n the FA Cup last night via penalty shoot-out. Fan club leader Pipat had advised the clubs to postpone the fixture due to the severity of the flooding devastating both MTU and BG's respective districts and thereby affecting the lives of both sets of fans. The clubs decided to push ahead with the fixture, however.

Due to the floods, I am currently in exile and missed the match. More details on the game to follow.

Flood relief Pics

2011-10-23T18:58:00.001+07:00

A few pictures from the club's website. The slightly older person you see is Ronnarit, the club's GM and a very important memeber of the club.

Charlie Wyett meets Zesh Rehman, who is starring with Robbie Fowler in Thailand

2011-10-23T09:46:00.000+07:00

From thesun.co.uk

ZESH REHMAN speaks English, Urdu, Punjabi, French and is on the way to becoming fluent in Thai.

The first ever British Asian to start a Premier League game, former Fulham defender Rehman has even launched a phone app which helps footballing nomads by translating well-known phrases in six different languages.

Currently playing for Muang Thong United, the biggest football team in Thailand, Rehman admits his team-mates have a new language problem which a phone app could not solve.

And that's how to understand Scouse.

Rehman, 28, left Bradford to start a new life in Bangkok at the start of the year before having a new team-mate in July when Robbie Fowler arrived.

Yet Rehman now also has a new boss with the former Liverpool and England striker having taken over as the club's player-manager.

A fascinating character who grew up in Birminghan, starred for England at youth level yet chose to play for Pakistan, Rehman is still on the PFA's management committee and believes more players should become Brits abroad.

He said: "I am really enjoying it. It was one of the best footballing decisions I made.

"I was lucky enough to play in England for 10 years in all four divisions but it was time for a new challenge. Here is a different lifestyle and different culture. It is also a different style of football but I am learning about it all the time.

"Muang Thong is a suburb of Bangkok, 20 minutes from all the madness of the city centre.

"We get between 15,000 and 20,000. We are second in the table, six points behind Buriram with 12 games to go. But Muang Thong have been champions for the last four years so they are basically the Manchester United of Thailand. Football here is growing rapidly and the levels here are better than people may think.

"Robbie came as a player two or three months ago. The board decided to change the coach so he is now player-manager. He is really enjoying it and I think he will be a good coach in the future.

"As soon as he got here I helped him settle in. He is a really top bloke and we are getting on really well.

"He has only be in charge for two games but we have won both so it is a good start. He has played for some top managers and I am sure he will be a good manager as he has been there as a player.

"His man-management skills are quite evident. It is not easy being here but he is handling it very well. He also scored his first goal last weekend so is flying.

"it was a challenge for Robbie at first but he knows that he needs to speak a bit slower and they understand then. There has been a great atmosphere throughout .

"It definitely helps speaking Thai. I am 60 per cent of the way to being fluent and it makes everything easier. I was the only member of the back five who could not speak Thai.

"I have now developed my own phone application that will hopefully help players, manager and fans who move from different countries. At the moment I have several different languages using football phrases, with more to follow soon".

Being part of a cultural melting pot is nothing new to Rehman.

He said: "I grew up in a mixed community. Everyone was playing football and I was no different, despite my Asian background.

"My dad Khalid supported Villa during the 1970s which I think was quite rare for a second generation Asian. His love of the game filtered down to me and luckily my family have been my best support mechanism throughout my career.

"I have never made excuses for my background. It's frustrating that there are not more British Asians playing football but I'm hopeful that history will repeat itself.

"In the 1970s there were one or two black players. Go forward 40 years and it is 25 per cent. I am sure it will be the same with the third and fourth generation British Asians who do not perceive themselves as any different, they will be the significant breakthrough makers because they have a better understanding of how to embrace both cultures which is important.

"I have started The Zesh Rehman Foundation and one of the arms is to develop future players, coaches and officials across all levels of the game to help address this issue."

Rehman also believes more English players should leave the country who are finding it difficult domestically should consider their options abroad and in his case the Far East.

He said: "I am on the management committee of the PFA as an overseas member. I am up to date with the stats and the number of players out of contract is alarming. Players need to realize the football world is a global world and their are wider opportunities out their for them to continue their careers, particularly in Asia.

"I am only 28 and want to play for as long as I can. I want to stay in the game as a coach or manager. The next progression is to manage the Pakistan national team in the future.

"I also have offers from four or five other Asian clubs for next season and one or two from Europe but for the time being I am immersing myself into the Thai culture and I've got used to the weather. Here, it's either rainy, hot or very hot.

"As for Robbie, I think this is just the start of what will be a very good managerial career."

2011-10-22T07:35:00.003+07:00

The Yamaha

2011-10-21T20:53:00.000+07:00

With a hat tip to Vinnie at the Korat Blog, here's how the Yamaha is looking. I guess it's fair to say the next few home games are postponed.....

Nonthaburi fully flooded

2011-10-19T20:32:00.002+07:00

Nonthaburi is now a disaster zone. Floods have entered all districts in the province although MTU have not yet canceled the weekend game. BG in neighbouring Pathum Thani - from where most of the water is coming into Nonthaburi - have already postponed their next game.

A village very close to mine, this morning

Many residents have evacuated. Personally, I have chosen to hold fort and moved everything upstairs in true "Keep calm and carry on" style. Floods have not entered the village yet but are expected to do so in the next two days.

In other news, the OS confirms Datsakorn is our for two weeks. There has been no official comment on the Fowler situation.

MTU donations to flood funds, last week

Fowler puts name forward for Northern Ireland job

2011-10-19T13:34:00.000+07:00

From Daily Mail in the UK
http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Robbie Fowler wants the chance to lead Northern Ireland to the 2014 World Cup.

Nigel Worthington stepped down as manager after failing to reach Euro 2012 and Liverpool legend Fowler has thrown his hat into the ring.

The 36-year-old former Anfield striker is manager of Muangthong United in Thailand but is keen to return to the UK after taking coaching courses in Ulster during the summer.

Northern Ireland striker Warren Feeney played with Fowler at Cardiff and said: 'I've been speaking to Robbie and he is very keen on the Northern Ireland job.

'He's an ambitious young manager who believes he has the ability to turn around Northern Ireland's fortunes and he'll be applying.

'He's doing well in Thailand but sees the Northern Ireland job as a wonderful opportunity.'

Fowler, who was capped 26 times for England, made his name at Liverpool between 1993 and 2001 and played for Leeds and Manchester City before a second stint at Anfield.

He also had spells at Cardiff, Blackburn, North Queensland Fury and Perth Glory before his move to Thailand.

Interesting to see a player publicly announcing Robbie's career plans, I wonder if Robbie and especially the MTU board will be grateful to Feeney for that.

If Robbie goes, I'm sure Josic will get the job, A bigger question mark will be who pays off Robbie's contract (surely it should be him) and will any fans get a refund for buying shirts with his name on them?

Fowler's Record: P2 W2

2011-10-17T06:51:00.002+07:00

******
Congratulations to a student of mine who correctly predicted the score and the first goalscorer. This report from www.bangkokpost.com
*****************

Robbie Fowler grabbed his first goal for Muang Thong United yesterday as they beat Chiang Rai United 4-1 in the Thailand Premier League at the Yamaha stadium.

Robbie Fowler celebrates scoring Muang Thong’s opening goal against Chiang Rai United. PAWAT LAOPAISARNTAKSIN

The Liverpool FC legend had yet to get off the mark in almost three months of service for Muang Thong but he finally showed his old killer instincts are still intact to help close the gap on league leaders Buriram PEA to six points.

Fowler looked bright and sharp throughout the contest and gave the Kirins a 1-0 first half lead with an unmarked header.

Ten minutes after the interval, Christian Kouakou doubled the lead from close range as Muang Thong began to take control. They remained the better side and converted a further chance through Dagno Siaka with 10 minutes to go before Chiang Rai United grabbed one back thanks to Edvaldo Pereira.

He was initially fouled in the penalty area but saw his penalty saved by Kawin Thammasatchanan but the Kirins keeper could do nothing as Edvaldo swept in the rebound.

However, Muang Thong were not finished there as Dagno then claimed his second of the game to cap off an impressive afternoon.

New coach

2011-10-14T12:32:00.001+07:00

www.rajprachafc.com

MTU have swooped for Rajpracha's successful coach Milos Josic as assistant to Fowler. He achieved a lot of respect and some good results at Raj under a budget of almost zero, so his experience and skill should be a welcome addition to MTU.

In the past when MTU have sacked a coach, the assistant has taken over.

The floods of 2011

2011-10-12T07:48:00.006+07:00

I'm not sure how much press it's getting outside the kingdom but it's no joke:Thailand has been hit by its worse flooding in decades. Of course annual flooding is traditional, which is why houses close to klongs (dams) are built on stilts. Of late though, rainy season floods have been more deadly. This is partly due to increased runoff from northern waters because of an increase in deforestation and logging in the north. (The excellent book: "Corruption and Democracy in Thailand" claims much of that logging may be illegal and arranged by people in political power.). The second root cause is the population and urban explosion in Siam's big cities with planning and flood prevention measures not able to keep up. It's not anything to do with climate change, whatever some may claim.

National Stadium, just days before Thailand V SA

Whatever the reason, the damage is severe and has affected lives and careers as well as football. The national stadium just pulled through yesterday despite serious flooding days before. Thailand fought to a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia, Teerasil turned in a good performance and was unlucky to find himself isolated at times. The overall team performance was encouraging once again, though.

Muangthong is an area predicted to see an increase in flooding in the next few days as is the province of Nonthaburi (my home) as a whole. Bangkok's Pathum Thani- home of BG - is also on the brink. Ayutthahaya (home of TLF's Nigel) and Nakhon Sawan are already disaster zones. The death toll is nearing 300 and as mentioned many,many more have lost their homes and livelihoods.

Readers inside Thailand can help through Pattaya One's relief fund. of through the Thai Red Cross. The "old" airport at Dong Muang currently has scored of volunteers for relief goods packing but more are most welcome, (as reported by Malky). If anyone finds a way for other countries to help, please do post.

Fan interview: Chris Roach

2011-10-09T11:07:00.003+07:00

Apart from a friendly with BEC Tero yesterday (where Zesh got some good turf time), it's been a quiet week due to the international fixtures. So this seems an ideal time to publish a fan interview.

Chris "Roachy" Roach

Farang fans at MTU have inevitably been asked: "Are you Roachy?" at some point when trying to purchase tickets or talk with club officials. Even I've been asked several times, despite the fact that Chris Roach and I would be separated by several weight classes if we were boxers. The reason for this confusion is because Chris is very likely MTU's first farang (western) fan and his name has stuck with fan club leaders and club staff. Recently Chris and I discussed the changes that have happened so quickly at MTU and how he feels about them.

What was you first ever MTU game and how did you find out about the club?
My first game was when they were in Div 1... I cant remember who they were playing, but as I drove past the stadium (If you can call it that) I saw a game going on with a few (20) people cheering them on. Being a football fan I decided to go and take a look... It wasn't great but I decided to go back a few times and enjoy a nice cold beer while watching a game. The following season (Promoted to TPL) i drove past and saw a few thousand cheering the team on. It was at this point I started to go regularly... I haven't looked back since

How many fans did the club have around that time, and were they any
other farang fans?
At the beginning not many.. I think Dunc and I were the first, but I cannot be sure...

How MTU (in grey) looked back then.

How has MTU changed since your first game?
It has got massive... Although I loved the early days on Match days, you cant help but be impressed by what has happened... The growth has been great for the club, but also great for Thai football. Muang Thong kick started this massive revival in home grown football, I can only see this getting bigger and better.

When clubs see a big surge in support, there are often some long-term fans who aren’t happy about it. How do you feel about the growth of the club?
As mentioned above its great... Also as a Liverpool fan Im not complaining when Robby Fowler turns up to play a season :) John Barnes the next Manager?

What do you think lies in store for MTU for the rest of this season?
Second place, I hope they give the manager a chance (Edit: this was before Calisto left MTU)

.....and what do you think lies in store for, say, the next five years?
Next 5 years I can see them becoming a steady force in Asian football. Many of their players have signed for the next 5 yrs and I think this will add stability. Obviously they have a major business plan and I think this will lead to the signing of big name players and this will turn into more interest in the team... Its all good and I look forward to all that is to come.

******
Thanks to Chris for his time.

Fowler's record: W1 D0 L0

2011-10-02T11:59:00.000+07:00

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/259255/coach-fowler-wins-in-kirins-debut

Former England striker Robbie Fowler got off to a winning start as coach/player of Muang Thong United as the Kirins beat SCG Samut Songkhram 3-1 in the Thai Premier League yesterday.

www.bangkokpost.com

Muang Thong’s player/coach Robbie Fowler celebrates after his team beat SCG Samut Songkhram 3-1.

Fowler, who signed as a Muang Thong player three months ago, was appointed caretaker coach of the club until the end of the season on Friday, one day after the league champions parted company with Henrique Calisto.

The former Liverpool striker, dubbed 'God' during his days at Anfield, played the whole match in a one-sided contest at Samut Songkhram stadium.

Dagno Siaka opened the scoring for the visitors after 20 minutes.

Teerasil Dangda added another in the 59th minute and Nataporn Phanrit made it 3-0 two minutes from time.

Vittaya Nontalee got a consolation goal for the hosts in the dying moments.

The Kirins moved to second with 47 points, nine behind runaway leaders Buriram PEA. SCG are 14th on 24 points.

Fowler's the man!

2011-09-30T20:27:00.004+07:00

You heard it here first, and it's confirmed today; Fowler is player-coach.

First of all, a thought for Calisto who sorted many of our defensive problems, steadied the ship and produced good results overall. His departure was due to internal politics.

As for the new boss, he's played under some great coaches in his prime and brings great experience of top-level football to the table. But there are obvious question marks. Robbie has no coaching experience or formal qualifications, he is well known for having a bit of a wildside that doesn't seem compatible with coaching, he has spent very little time in Thailand so has little knowledge of local culture or language and his playing form his been, frankly, awful.

Whatever happens, it should be interesting to see what goes on with an Englishman at the helm.

MTU are away to Samut Songkhram tomorrow.
Coming soon, an interview with MTU's first ever (probably) farang fan.

Breaking news update

2011-09-29T20:18:00.001+07:00

Further to Calisto's departure/dismissal - now confirmed - I now understand that the new coach will not be the youth coach but will be a player-coach, Robbie Fowler. This has yet to be confirmed officially but has been confirmed by well-placed sources.

Breaking news

2011-09-29T16:30:00.000+07:00

I had a few things to put here but I'm now hearing reports that Calisto has been sacked by MTU, former Samut Songkhram and MTU youth coach is set to take control for now.

The season continues to self-destruct. More to follow.

AFC Cup 2nd leg this Tuesday

2011-09-25T13:15:00.001+07:00

I did a preview of the 1st leg here, we're 0-1 down and without Teerasil. It will be tough, but we can do it. Ben has a frustrating and disappointing clip of Chonburi's antics last week here.

Happy birthday to the blog

2011-09-25T09:04:00.006+07:00

The blog recently passed its second year mark. After two years trying to follow the rapid changes and growth of MTU and Thai football in general, things have steadied a bit. Over that time, I've concluded that football is close to the hearts of many Thais and therefore it's no surprise that just like Thailand in general, Thai football is something that us foreigners can never totally understand, but we love it anyway.

The blog continues to get well over one hundred hits per day. It soared to quadruple that around the time Robbie signed. It's also generated some interesting discussions on and offline.

As well as my inside source I want to say a special thank you to Jirawat Srikong, Rene Desaeyere, Zesh Rehman, Wolfman from TLF, BG Man, Sven from TFD and anyone else who has contributed in any way.

Most of all, thanks to everyone who reads!

Ten best moments from the last two years (in no order)

Shorts

2011-09-21T20:28:00.000+07:00

A few bits of news from the training ground today.

Zesh is expected to return to full fitness in the next day or two.
Teerasil is running, but still far from match ready.
Robbie appears to be training away from the rest of the team.

Toyota Cup: MTU 0 (2) Chonburi 0 (3)

2011-09-19T18:09:00.001+07:00

I was unable to attend due to a family commitment, so reports of the game are here and here.

In an ideal world we'd win it all, in reality the TLC is only of significance because of the prize money on offer. The TPL and FA Cup and especially the AFC are far more important, and we can benefit from the reduced fixture pile up in these competitions.

Message from Chonburi fan Tim

2011-09-19T06:09:00.001+07:00

WONDERFUL DISPLAY OF SPORTSMANSHIP/MTU FANS
From a dedicated Chon Buri fan who attended tonights Thai League Cup 1/4 final second leg at the Yamaha. Forget the result and just congratulate the MTU fans on their tremendous sportsmanship.Pipop was knocked out cold in the first half and as he very slowly regained his senses after a long and worrying delay ( which ended with a trip to hospital) all he could hear was his name being chanted, by the Sharks faithful you ask, NO but by those MTU fans massed immediately behind the Impact Arena end goal close to his penalty area collison and the resposive applause for that act of consideration rang out from the Chon Buri faithful on the side terraces at the other end of the stadium.
Throughout the match and especially at the end the rival fans were always quick to chant the opposition teams name and those of individual players and it was a privilege to be at the Yamaha tonight where the two sets of fans certainly displayed all that is best in Thai soccer and the overall experience was quite something to witness both in and around the stadium. WELL DONE MTU and especially so as the final result just went against your team in the end but in no way did that deter or diminish the ovation that was given to the visiting Chon Buri team. YOUR SPORTSMANSHIP WILL REMAIN WITH ME FOR A LONG TIME

IF THIS COULD BE FORWARDED ONTO THE MTU BLOG THE FANS NEED TO KNOW THAT THEIR TREMENDOUS SPORTSMANSHIP WAS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED BY ALL SHARKS FANS AT TEH YAMAYA AND ADDED TO THE EXCITEMENT AND ATMOSPHERE OF A TREMENDOUS EVENING AT THE YAMAHA

Match report

2011-09-14T16:32:00.000+07:00

From www.the-afc.com

Kuwait City: Kuwait Sports Club will take a slender advantage into the second leg of their AFC Cup quarter-final against Muang Thong United after Rogerinho's 75th minute goal was enough to edge past the Thais at Kuwait SC Stadium. The home side had to withstand long periods of pressure from the visitors before Rogerinho (Rogério de Assis Silva Coutinho) pounced with a quarter of an hour to go.

While many had expected the 2009 AFC Cup champions to dominate at home, it was Muang Thong that were on top for much of the first-half as they crafted a number of threatening attacks.

The first real chance fell to Muang Thong striker Christian Kouakou after 19 minutes but the Ivorian took too long to make up his mind when one-on-one with the Kuwait SC goalkeeper and his shot was eventually blocked by a defender.

The same player had another great opportunity in the 22nd minute when he rose to meet a cross but his header flew agonisingly the wrong side of the post.

The Kuwaiti side were largely restricted in the first-half with long-range efforts from Brazilian Rogerinho the closest they came to breaking a resolute Muang Thong defence.

Kuwait SC manager Dragan Talajic made two substitutions at the break with Abdulla Al Buraiki and Ali Al Kandri both introduced and the changes worked as the Thai team were gradually forced back and the Kuwaitis began to gain the upper hand.

The Muang Thong players, led from the front by 36 year-old Robbie Fowler, appeared to tire in the second-half, dropping deeper and attempting to hit Kuwait SC on the counter attack.

The home side began to create more chances and in the 75th minute were rewarded for their efforts when Rogerinho scored the winner.

Substitute Al Buraiki delivered a cross from the wing and the ball fell to the Brazilian to lash in one of his trademark strikes.

In the final fifteen minutes the Kuwaiti side had a number of chances to increase their advantage for the return leg but poor finishing means the tie remains in the balance. The best opportunity fell to Al Kandri in the 88th minute when he was put clear but was unable to get a shot away.

Kuwait SC Vs MTU - AFC Cup Qtr final 1st leg - Preview

2011-09-11T07:32:00.000+07:00

It was this stage of the competition last season that MTU really turned on the style. Back then the opposition was Al-Karamah, can the Quilins go one better this time around at 2230 local time on Tuesday?

The squad is hitting form at the right time, and at least some of the players hurt during the ongoing injury crisis should return. Kawin may be available, Nattaporn should be back and Panupong is an outside chance, though Zesh is still struggling to recover from his sprain received in the swamp-like conditions from the Osotspa game.

Kuwait SC - so named because the club also plays water polo, squash, handball and many other sports - have already won two domestic trophies this season. They play at the 18,500 capacity Al-Kuwait Sports Stadium and, unlike MTU, are veterans of Asian level competition, having won the AFC Cup two years ago. They won their last match 5-0.

But if anyone needs reminding of what we can do at this level......

Credit: Pipat Waramethpipat

2011-09-07T21:21:00.000+07:00

MTU old boys

2011-09-07T16:40:00.000+07:00

Teerasil's superb goal against Australia was set-up by a beautiful cross from a former teammate, Jakkaphan Keawprom, a player who caught my eye early on into his MTU career and is now a regular at PEA.

So good for the young full-back, now what about other MTU alumni?

"Leesaw" , arguably the biggest name to be released by MTU is a favourite at BEC Tero and scored a screamer on the opening day of TPL 2011, but has been blighted by serious injury since. TLF report he is ready to make a return.

There are many other former quilins at Tero. As I predicted, Ronnachai Rungsiyo has shown his value as a striker by a steady stream of goals for the 'Fire Dragons' and things look to be working out for him.

Less lucky is Jetsada Jirawat who has gone from captain of the TPL champions to division one via BEC Tero in less than two seasons. Word has it that behaviour rather than ability is the problem for Jet.

A similar move in reverse has been worked by Mika Chuanasee who went from MTU to D1 to Tero and is holding a place.

Away from Tero, Kone Muhammed has recovered from the disappointment of his transfer to Belgium falling through and is now finding form at TOT, though perhaps he is held back by the poor overall form of his team.

Key player from the 2009 championship season Wisarut spent a season at Rajpracha where he was a popular figure and has now moved on to another D1 side.

We can now watch with interest for the form of Miroslav Toth who was unlucky to be sold by MTU to Bangkok United, and this year's "will he or won't he?" candidate Issoafaou who is on loan to Phuket.

Shorts

2011-09-07T06:21:00.000+07:00

The BBC have penned a good article on Robbie Fowler and MTU here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14785682

And Teerasils cored a sweet finish in Thailand's 3-0 win against Oman yesterday. Surely it's a matter of time before European clubs start asking after him. He was one of the 'Man City Three' but this is really his time.

MTUTV Teerasil Dangda The Best Striker of Thailand 2011

2011-09-01T18:36:00.000+07:00

See him in action against Australia tomorrow.

MTU players in Thailand squad

2011-08-26T20:14:00.001+07:00

Only one TPL game this week as Thailand are playing Australia.
MTU players in the squad are:

Phaitoon Thiemba (RB)
Datsakorn (MD)
Pitchipong (MD) Edit: BP says it's Piyaphol, not Pitchipong.
Teerasil (ST)

Kawin is still injured, Panupong and Nataporn are not considered back to full fitness.

Good luck guys!

New contracts

2011-08-24T17:00:00.000+07:00

From the OS:

Muangthong United on Wednesday have reached an agreement to extend a five-year contract each with their six players including Nataporn Panrit, Datsakorn Thonglaow, Panupong Wongsa, Teerasil Dangda, Kawin Thamsatchanan as well as Dagno Siaka for the club’s long-term plan to improving its standart to the continental level.

The chief exclusive of Siamsport Syndicates Company Limited Pongsak Pholanan, the firm who owned the Thai Premier League defending champions revealed that, : “Our main propose to extend contract with these players is the long-term plans for the club to be the top-team of Thailand as well as the Asian continent in the near future, and it would be the guarantee that all six players will belong with us for long time and it also showing that Muangthong United are the professional football club which paying attention to all of our players. I believed that these players have potentials to lead us to the success surely.”

Kilins’ Deputy Chairman Wiluck Lohtong added that : “the contract extending with all of six players have approved by the unanimous resolution from our board of director as well as the staff coaches who want to see all of this players leading this club to meet our long-term goal. Moreover, some of these players have joined with us since we play in the Division 2 and 1. Finally, I can confirmed that, we are still looking to strengthen our squad by signing another top-players soon.”

The report suggested that, Muangthong United have splashed the budget to extend contract with all of six players for around 25 million baht (833,333 USD).

Of course this doesn't guarantee any of the guys will stay out their contract but it does rack up the prices for them, and there are still a lot of clubs sniffing around Kawin. It's also a very good sign of ambition. The only name I noticed missing from a 'wish list' of our top players is Christian.

TOT 1 MTU 3 - Highlights

2011-08-21T10:57:00.004+07:00

The red card for the TOT player at the end was totally correct. Not only does he blatantly haul down Fowler but on realising what he's done, he goes down clutching his face as though he'd been hurt himself. His protest was OTT and he and TOT's coach should both be reported in my opinion. Credit to MTU alumnus Kone Muhammed for trying to calm things down.

TOT 1 MTU 3

2011-08-21T08:40:00.000+07:00

Bangkok Post

Muang Thong United beat TOT 3-1 to move to second in the Thai Premier League last night.

The two-time defending champions overtook Chonburi who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at TTM Phichit.

The Kirins are five points behind leaders Buriram PEA who entertain Pattaya United today.

At TOT stadium, after a scoreless first half, Muang Thong got off to a fast start in the second half racing to a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes.

Teerasil Dangda opened the scoring in the 47th minute and Piyapol Buntao added another goal in the 50th minute.

Kone Mohamed cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 58th minute before Christian Kouakou sealed the three points for the visitors after 76 minutes.

TOT were reduced to 10 men in injury time when Younes Chaib was sent off for tripping former England international Robbie Fowler.

TOT Vs MTU - Saturday

2011-08-18T17:42:00.002+07:00


"To spit on your own fans, please press one......... To move stadium, please press two..........."

TOT are not a well run football outfit. The club moved to Kanchanburi where they acquired good support in a good catchment area, only to move "home" to Cheang Watthana the next year. Once arriving " home" (and not a day beforehand) they realised their stadium was not ready and spent one and a half seasons using the Thunderdome as the pitch of choice.

That 18 months was not enough though and upon leaving, the club had to use Army's ground until their own was ready.

Now the Cheang Watthana stadium is in use but there's one problem before Saturday - it's so small that TOT can only offer 400 tickets to away fans, many of whom will live closer to this ground than the Thunderdome. I can only hope other fans will be able to stand around the unterraced sides of the stadium and that there will be no safety issues.

TOT feature former Quilins target man Kone Muhammed in their ranks. The visitors still face a multitude of injury and fitness issues. Zesh will be out, Nattaporn and Panupong are only in with an outside chance of being ready.

Saturday 1800 (according to MTU OS) @ Cheang Wattahana TOT Stadium.

Action from the 2-3 at Chonburi credit: getida ka

2011-08-18T06:13:00.000+07:00

Title required?

2011-08-17T16:45:00.000+07:00

Massive new plans announced

2011-08-16T12:11:00.002+07:00

MTU recently held a press conference featuring key executives from Siam Sport, the club, and both the property and banking sections of the Land & Houses company.

All parties involved announced plans to develop Muangthong Thani into an "international standard" sports village featuring tennis courts, football pitches, swimming pools, accommodation and of course a total redevelopment of the MTU stadium.

The complex would meet FIFA and Olympic standards and would create large scale employment and investment in the sector.

The total cost of the project is in excess of 500 million baht, making it by far the most expensive and developed stadia in Thai football.

L&H executives in grey, Siam Sport execs in black

Stadium plans

Contract signing

Muangthong United 0 Osotspa Saraburi M150 0 - report

2011-08-15T21:54:00.001+07:00


verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com

Omens aplenty before this one, a former MTU coach mentioning that we could look considerably weaker without Teerasil - who turned out to be suspended for this game - a short but phenomenal downpour that rendered our 10 million baht drainage system as useless as ever and delayed kick off by one hour. Of course, a wet pitch can be dangerous, as it punishes the body more. Two of our squad had little or no experience on such surfaces...

Kawin (GK), Thiemba (RB), Diarra (CB), Zesh (CB), Kayem (LB), Datsakorn (MD), Dagno (MD), Arromsawa (MD), Jakkaphan (LW), Chris (RW), Fowler (ST).

Sure enough, the surface took its toll on Zesh and he went off injured around the 25 minute mark, replaced by Adisak, as Siaka dropped back to defence. (That now marks all three of our regular centre backs off the “fit and available" list. )Nawapol became a second casualty shortly after, to be replaced by Pitchipong.

thaileagueonline.com

Whenever there's a downpour, the left side of the pitch - from the view of a North Stand fan - becomes little more than a pond. That makes passing very awkward and naturally favours the visiting team. Today was no different. MTU’s best chance was a cheeky free kick by Fowler that the goalie palmed away.

By the second half things had eased up and more chances came MTU’s way, mainly thanks to Christian. A fantastic opportunity came Fowler’s way courtesy of his African team-mate, but somehow it went wide (see the video below at the 1:17 mark). The rest of the game was a story of both sides working hard, MTU creating more but looking unusually blunt without Teerasil or even Ahnon, who did appear late on.

So two points dropped and two more players on the injury list. On the bright side, most of the team worked very hard, Diarra looks capable in defence and Zesh has confirmed there is no tear in his leg. It will be interesting to see who gets selected for Chonburi in TLC in midweek and then the fake local derby with TOT next week.

Callisto targets

2011-08-13T20:51:00.009+07:00

Various reports - helpfully translated into English by thaileaguefootball.com - have linked Callisto with transfer targets based in Vietnam, namely: Le Cong Vinh (T&T Hanoi, his team were crushed by MTU in the AFC Cup this year but he didn't play), Phan Van Tai Em (Navibank Saigon) and Huyn Quang Thanh. Naturally, all three are seasoned internationals.

On one hand this marks another turning point, as until recently good Thai players went to Vietnam rather than the reverse. On the other hand, let's bear in mind we have a foreign player quota. To gain these guys we'd have to lose any three of Fowler, Siaka, Christian, Diarra, Issoufaour, Zesh and Romone.

Will the incoming players be of better quality? Will they be likely to settle in to Thailand? If not, why buy? On the other hand, could they be exciting additions? Take a look and judge for yourself....

MTU face off against fourth placed Osotspa Saraburi M150 at home tomorrow.

Le Cong Vinh - striker from Hanoi T&T:


Above: Phan Van Tai Em, midfielder for NaviBank Sài Gòn Image credit: news.yahoo.com Huỳnh Quang Thanh, defender for Becamex Bình Duong:

Muangthong United 6 Bangkok Glass 2

2011-08-11T17:23:00.003+07:00

BG Man

Bee Gee Man

What a game to miss! Despite looking forward to this match for a long time, family circumstances prevented me from going. All I can do is enviously offer a report from Ben at http://muangthongunitedreplay.wordpress.com

A Teerasil Dangda hat-trick gave the foundation for a steam-rolling of Bangkok Glass on Wednesday night. Muangthong’s passing was top notch, and although many through-balls in the final third could have been better, there’s no doubt BG players will fall asleep tonight seeing red and black triangles dancing in their dreams.

A great game, great energy in the stadium, and Bangkok Glass put up quite a fight until the final whistle.

Extra notes: The other goals came from Piyaphol Buntao, an own goal and Ahnon. Fowler set up a good chance that Ahnon squandered seconds before he made amends.

MTU were very depleted, especially in defence, but still overwhelmed their high-ranking opponents. Good job lads! Next up is ~~Siam Navy~~
Osotspa Saraburi M150 on the weekend.

MTU Vs Bangkok Glass preview

2011-08-07T21:03:00.003+07:00

Games between heavyweights MTU and BG are usually fought out to a good standard and have produced very mixed results over the last three seasons. In the 2009 season, BG looked to be heading for the TPL title until a late surge by The Quilins - including a win over the 'Glass Rabbits' at home - saw it snatched away.

Since then, BG have never really fulfilled their potential despite an early season 1-0 win at home to Muangthong in 2010, though that was avenged in a 2-0 home win for the champs later on. This season MTU forced a draw at the LEO Stadium.

How have things been since then? Well Glass' very own superhero BG Man told me:

For Bangkok Glass, it's been a similar season in many respects as MTU's. A very poor start and some shock losses have been decently overcome to reach the midway point in a fairly respectable position. Performances have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous and until a season long consistency is found, BG wont be challenging for any trophies. However, the signs are finally there that things seem to be heading in the right direction both on and off the pitch.

MTU still have selection problems. Captain Nattaporn is very likely to be absent again following his mystery health problem last week. Datsakorn will most likely take the armband again in Oat's absence. Panupong is in with a chance of a return, though Diarra held his own against Thai Port last Saturday. Christian looks to be returning to fitness too, as his goal at Port showed.

Muangthong are still defending an undefeated home league streak that threatens to span over two full seasons. The well supported, well-financed BG will be one of the bigger threats to that potential achievement.

Muang Thong beat Port to go second

2011-08-07T07:38:00.001+07:00

From the BP and the man, the legend, Tor:

At PAT stadium, Muang Thong were dominant throughout.

www.bangkokpost.com
Piyaphon Buntao scored two goals in less than two minutes in the second half, while striker Christian Kouakou erased any doubt with a left-footed shot in the 89th minute.

The showdown got off to a wet start in this raucous affair, and yellow cards and uneven play were the order in the first half as both sides returned from a long mid-season lay-off.

The Kirins started to enjoy more possession near the end of the first half after Port were reduded to 10 men after 38 minutes.

Siwakorn Jaksuprasart was dismissed after a second bookable offence when he tripped Jakkraphan Pornsai.

Piyaphon broke through in the 52nd minute with a low drive past third-string goalkeeper Wanlop sae Jiew.

Barely a minute later, the two-time defending champions broke down the left side and rocketed a shot off the keeper, and Piyaphon was able to head the ricochet past the fallen keeper for a 2-0 advantage.

The Kirins kept the pressure on and five minutes later Jakkraphan made a mazy run dribbling past several defenders to reach the box before blasting over the bar.

A minute later Christian laid off what seemed to be an easy hat-trick for Piyaphon but he fired wide.

Former England and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler entered the match after 61 minutes to much applause, but was unable to ripple the cords before Christian's 20-yard effort just before the final whistle.

Casualty:Nattaporn

2011-08-06T19:51:00.001+07:00

From the OS:

Muangthong United skipper Nataporn Panrit is getting better following his collapsing during the 2-2 Toyota League Cup last 16 second-leg draw against Kasetsart University FC on Tuesday before has been taken to the hospital urgently.

“He’s getting better now and he has been looked after by doctors closely.” Kilins’ general manager Ronnarit Suewaja insisted. “Today (August 3) the doctors will monitor him meticulously including the causes of his collapsing and his Electrocardiogram, then the result revealed that he is fine but maybe the hot condition has caused him dehydration and then he collapsed.

"Oat" is the second mysterious casualty this season after Miroslav Toth "nearly died" when he collapsed on the day of the Navy game. Nattaporn will be sorely missed as he's been a great captain and excellent rearguard throughout this season and Panupong also seems to be suffering from some tweaks.

Luckily, Zesh is on form and probably benefiting from his rest earlier in the season. As they strive to return to fitness, there could be competition for the second CB slot. Diarra looked much improved in recenntr TLC games and other defenders can also play at CB.

On a brighter note, Zesh Rehman is expecting his first child later this year and is enjoying his time in Thailand.

Robbie's debut

2011-08-02T18:23:00.001+07:00

Fowler debuted today in the League Cup game against Kasetstart FC. MTU scraped an aggregate win helped by Rob's appearance in the 58th minute.

www.thaileagueonline.com

Transfer summary

2011-07-30T07:08:00.001+07:00

H/T to thaileaguefootball.com The only ones I missed were Pakasit and Arthit, both are right-backs, so we must feel very sure what's coming in is better. Arthit is basically a right-sided clone of Kayem and looks to have a lot of potential. Take care of him please, Rene!

IN:
Ponlawat Wangtahat (Chantaburi)
Nontapan Jiersapawong (Police)
Robbie Fowler (Perth Glory)
Romane Rose (Queen's Park Rangers youth)

OUT:
Kapfa Bunmatun (Chai Nat)
Athit Daosawang (Supanburi - loan)
Santi Chaipeuak (Supanburi - loan)
Amorn Tamanan (Supanburi - loan)
Pakasit Saensuk (Army - loan)
Bubaka Issofur (Phuket - loan)
Miroslav Toth (Bangkok Utd - they've got this as a loan )
Toni Kallio (released)

Palestine Vs Thailand - highlights

2011-07-29T17:06:00.000+07:00

It's Datsakorn thats cores both and gets hacked down at the end. Credit the brave ref who quite rightly red-carded the home player in the last minute of a crucial game in a politically sensitive area.

New signing - Romone Rose

2011-07-28T17:08:00.001+07:00

All info (and image) from www.qpr.co.uk. Note: Wikipedia lists him as a winger.

Name:	Romone Rose
Nationality:	English
Date of Birth:	19/01/1990
Height:	5' 10" (178cm)
Weight:	11st 9lbs (74.0kg)
Previous
Clubs:	Cheltenham (loan), Histon (loan), QPR, Northampton (loan), Torquay United (loan), AFC Wimbledon (loan)
Position:	Striker