Buriram United v BEC Tero 1-1
Bangkok Glass v Chonburi 1-0
Ratchburi v Wuachon 2-0
Muang Thong v TOT 1-2
Sven Goran Eriksson's time as BEC Tero's Technical Director or what ever began with a useful 1-1 in
Newin Country. The only team from outside the TPL, Ratchburi. defeated the recently invented
Wuachon at home.
Last year was a bit of a non event in Thai football. It had plainly been decided before a ball was
even kicked in anger that the teams from a certain city would be allowed to win everything
including American Idol and the Boat Race.
For the rest it meant going through the motions. Yes, they were allowed to win games but, heaven
forbid, not against the favoured teams from the favoured city.
Thai season kicks off this weekend. Champions Buriram PEA are no Buriram United, an imaginative
name change and they will be hoping to continue the form of last season when they surprised
absolutely no one by winning the TPL, the FA Cup and the League Cup. They probably never lost a
toss either.
Muang Thong United boast a new coach, a new sponsor, a slight name change and a new sponsor for
their stadium.
Thai season kicks off this weekend. Champions Buriram PEA are no Buriram United, an imaginative
name change and they will be hoping to continue the form of last season when they surprised
absolutely no one by winning the TPL, the FA Cup and the League Cup. They probably never lost a
toss either.
Muang Thong United boast a new coach, a new sponsor, a slight name change and a new sponsor for
their stadium.
11 or 12/2 v Myanmar (A)24/02 v Uzbekistan (H)TPL All Stars (Yuck) v Sunderland (H)
New TPL begins March 17 with a charity shield type thing on March 11 between Buriram PEA now to be
called Buriram United playing Chonburi for the King's trophy
Chonburi enter the month of September with one of the busiest fixture schedules of recent
years.
02/09 v Chainat TPL (A)
05/09 v Bangkok Glass TLC (A)
08/09 v Buriram United TPL (H)
12/09 v Bangkok Glass TLC (H)
14/09 v Wuachon United TPL (A)
18/09 v Al Shorta AFC (H)
22/09 v Army United TPL (H)
26/09 v Al Shorta AFC (A)
29/09 v Osotspa TPL (A)
Finding it very difficult to get excited about Thai football this season. All the naked politicking
and name changes, usually related, can only do short term damage to the game up there.
Buriram United, who won the league when they were known as Buriram PEA and PEA, are unbeaten and
sit top of the TPL.
Thai international striker Sarayoot Chaikamdee is reportedly joining Army United. The former Thai
Port player spent last season with Bangkok Glass where he scored 15 goals during the 2011 TPL.
Where that leaves Army striker Leandro is unclear. The Brazilian hit 18 goals last season for the
team nicknamed The Gentlemen!
I have a soft spot for Thai Port, mainly because I lived just round the corner from them for many
years in my Bangkok days. Football has been kind to them recent years winning the FA Cup in 2009
and the League Cup in 2010.
The start of 2011 saw a new investor talking big money but negotiations are still on going with
players not having been paid for a while now.
It's been a good while since any Indonesian played overseas. A few dipped their tootsies in the
Malaysian league before all foreigners were banned from there but for an Indonesian to play in
Malaysia is like an Englishman playing in Scotland. Yeah, the language differs a little but it's
not great leap into the unknown.
Thailand lost to a South Korea team yesterday in the King's Cup. I have no idea which South Korea,
it certainly weren't the first team and they didn't even include the Arsenal striker Park, but
anyone the Thais played them and got beat 3-1.
Coach Winnie Schaefer after the game said the Thai team weren't very fit.
A new season underway in Thailand and one of many changes be they new teams, name changes or just
political interfering.
Buriram United, who won the league as Buriram PEA last season, defeated Chiang Rai United 3-1 in
front of 9,763 fans. If you're new to Thai football you will soon notice a few trends.
Another political dynasty is splashing the cash in Thailand's provinces. This time it is the
Silpa Archas' of Suphanburi fame. The patriarch will go down in history as one of the country's
funniest prime ministers, at least until his replacement came along, but back home they love him as
all the road and building names will testify.
With the TPL long destined for Buriram PEA time to look at the relegation struggle in Thailand.
Good news for Thai Port fans as back to back home wins have seen them climb away from the drop
zone. I wonder if the six goals in those two games were linked by any chance to salaries getting
paid? But they won't be breathing any easier there because a record of five wins, five draws and
five defeats with 16 goals scored and conceded by look a mathematician's wet dream but coach Sasom,
whether he stays or leaves, won't be fooled.
While I still think no one comes close to Indonesian football for cack handedness Thailand is
running it a pretty close second.
Notionally the Thais have three up, three down between the Thai Premier League and Division One. So
have a look at the new names in the upcoming season that begins next month.
As I intimated Persipura will not be entering the 2012 AFC Champions League. At least
automatically. The AFC are obviously so unimpressed by the internal dicking around in Indonesian
football that the automatic spot has been given to Buriram PEA from the Thai Premier League.
Assuming of course they win the TPL!
The Thai Premier League 2011, which kicked off in February will now end on 7th January. The fixture
list has been changed so many times it's hardly been worthy of mention. What would be worthy of a
mention would be a fixture list in the region not being changed on a whim and a prayer or, whisper
it, at the behest of certain clubs.
The first year I started writing about Thai Premier League was back in 2008 and I recall mocking
endlessly the lack of goals in that now unrecognisable league.
There were 16 teams in the league that year, the TPL was won by PEA (before they moved to Buriram)
with Chonburi finishing second.
Just three teams scored more than 40 goals in that year (BEC Tero 50, Krung Thai Bank & Chula
Sinthana 47) while eight teams averaged a goal or less per game.
I think I'm gonna drop the Thai Premier League from my list of games to see this season. It's so
obvious Buriram PEA will win the title and don't be surprised if Buriram get promoted either. They
sit 6th after their opening four games but crucially remain unbeaten.
Back in 2009 it looked like the TPL was on course to become the major league in the region but the
nefarious influence of certain individuals, plus your run of the mill incompetence, means that 2010
was, at least in my feeble opinion, a bit of a let down, though I may have had a different view had
Bangkok Glass managed to show consistency.
Thailand has many attractions. For example there are many, many temple. Oh and don't forget the
Thai people. They are very friendly and they always smile alot to help foreigners to their
country.
This first paragraph is (C) Thailand Lonely Planet and I take no responsibility for any errors in
the paragraph or any misunderstandings that may arise.
Phnom Penh Crown and Cambodian national team striker Khim Borey has joined Thai Premier League side
Si Sa Ket ahead of the TPL kicking off in 10 days side.
Khim, perhaps one of the biggest Khmer names in the CLeague will come under the watchful eye for
former Lao national team coach David Booth.
If anyone had said that Woodlands Wellington would have been top of the SLeague at any time during
the 2012 I would have asked them politely to lie down and stop taking drugs. The Rams are bottom of
the table fodder and have been since I have been following the game there.
But after two games they are second in the table only 'cos Albirex Niigata have a better goal
difference.
Indonesia Premier League
PSMS v Persebaya 1-2Persiraja v Persija (!) 3-3
Other games were scheduled but never happened. Arema flew all the way to Papua to play
Persipura...but last year's champions had already withdrawn from the league and were playing n the
Inter Island Cup. Who the hell allowed them to fly when they had no opponent?
Tweet courtesy of "@LigaSingapura"
Undoubtedly, the most successful coach in Tampines Rovers Football Club since the inception of the
S.League in 1996 - Vorawan Chitavanich had stepped down as the club's Technical Director and
decided to head home to Thailand.
The timing of his departure could not have come to a rather bumpy timing when the Stags are facing
sticky patches of late after ACL injuries to star players such as 'keeper Hassan Sunny and defender
Park Yo Seb that effectively rule them out of the rest of the campaign.
This report is from East African based blogger/coach Tom Legg ( @tomlegg on twitter) who writes
over at Eastern Promise. If you're on twitter you noticed a few retweets that showed that he
followed the tourney. He and I have also talked over email a bit about Mrisho Ngassa, Tanzanian
league play and Seattle's ambitions over there.
Mrisho Ngassa (Winger) - Became one of the TPL's most expensive players of all
time when he moved from Yanga to Azam FC. A speedy winger with a low centre of gravity who can
operate on either flank, a surprisingly good deliverer of the ball, but can struggle with his
decision making.
When the reigning TPL champions Muangthong United make their return to the Jalan Besar Stadium
tomorrow to take Tampines Rovers, I expect it would be a fiery AFC Cup showdown.
After all, when the "Twin Qilins" were here last February, they were crushed out of a chance to
make it to the continent's biggest club tournament - Asian Champions League (ACL) proper, following
their loss to the Singapore's SAFFC on penalties.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then two time Thai Premier League champions Muang
Thong United should be feeling dead chuffed. Because BEC Tero are looking to recapture past glory
and the step is packing their underachieving squad with former Muang Thong players.
But first coach Peter Butler, formerly of SAFFC, Persiba, Kelantan and Yangon United, had a bloody
great hole to fill.
Alex Olshansky with a statistical look at the quality of play in MLS. Is the league
in midseason form?
They played well ....
poorly despite .... because they are or are not in mid-season form.
We hear a variation of that quite frequently, especially in the context of the European summer
barnstorming tours or CONCACAF Champions League matches.
Meanwhile in Thailand some team called United played another team who are owned by a powerful
politician and the ref showed lots of cards but made sure the team with the more powerful owner
won.
Insert club names as appropriate...
Something like 22,000 fans saw the eight TPL games last weekend.
Buriram United chairman Newin Chidchob has vowed to continue his bid to find out if there are
financial irregularities in football management.
During a meeting of representatives of Thai Premier League clubs last month, Newin asked TPL
chairman Vichit Yamboonruang about the broadcasting rights of TPL matches and other income but
Vichit could not give an answer.
