What a terrible description of Chonburi's first goal!!
It makes me wonder if the person that wrote this has actually seen the goal or are they just scared that Munze will beat them up if they mention anything about his blunder?    

I think he's been transferred to Air Force United.


Also there is a guy called Justin Moose. He signed for SriRacha a couple of weeks ago.

The Central and East will be a close one to call this season. Ratchaburi have also strengthened by signing several TPL and div 1 players. Rayong and Samut Prakarn have the experience from last season and should be near the top come the end of the season. 

Issoufou wasn't too impressive. At left mid he should have been tracking Suree's bursts from right back. He let Suree wander past him unmarked on several occasions in the 1st half. I wasn't surprised when he told to switch wings with Christian in the 2nd.

One positive thing that I noticed with Rehman was that he got himself into good positions off the ball. Unfortunately for MTU, they didn't give him the service. I also agree with t_e in his blog when he said that Rehman looked better going forward than defending.

I thought he was a bit hasty with a couple of yellow cards but overall he had a good match. It's good to see him back refereeing.  

Also forgot to ask, was the ref today the one that got battered by the Nakhon Pathom fans?

From watching the Kor Royal Cup today, I can see that Chonburi have been rehearsing their free kick routines. None of them came off today but I'm sure it's just a matter of time until one of them does. 

As I had nothing to do today i ended up going to the game. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't get a ticket but I shouldn't have been as the ground was only half full.

Chonburi fully deserved their win and I thought that Pibob and Ekaphan were lively throughout the game. Ekaphan was awarded man of the match and his winning goal was a fitting reward for his performance even though it looked like it went through Weera's body. I might be wrong as I haven't seen the replay on TV yet.

Muangthong looked lackluster and their big players like Datsakorn, Christian and Dagno didn't perform to their usual high standards.

I was surprised that Zesh Rehman started at left back. He didn't have the greatest debut but he showed signs that he could be a good acquisition. I'm sure he'll feel far more confident if he gets a run at the heart of defence.

I don't think they'll be relegated this season. They should have learned from their experience last season and should be better prepared for this campaign. Add to that the turmoil at TOT and Navy, who both look like relegation material, then the Army should have enough to stay up. I can see them finishing somewhere between 12-15th. If they do finish in the relegation zone, there is always league reconstruction to save them. 

It will be interesting to see how their new Brazilian players get on. They could be great signings or they might be absolute duds.

Had a quick glance and noticed that two midweek rounds of fixtures have been removed from the 23rd and 30th of March.

Thanks BGB. Now that you've explained it I can see that phonetically most of us foreigners do pronounce it บางกอก. I suppose we confuse the Thais enough with different British and American spellings so we can't really complain. 

Wolfie, I noticed the "Bangkok" in Bangkok FC is written in Thai as "บางกอก" while Bangkok United spell it as "แบงค็อก." Just seems strange that the same word is spelled two different ways. Any idea why?

Just thought I'd share that useful piece of trivia with you.  

I imagine you'll be able to buy tickets at the stadium on the day of the match. At B200 a ticket, I doubt it'll be a sellout. When I went to the League Cup Final between Thai Port and PEA they were selling tickets prior to the match outside the stadium.

If it's a draw after 90 mins, will there be extra time or will it go straight to penalties?

Andy, I know you watch the team far more often than anyone else on this forum, but I'm surprised that you'd include Suruta in your first 11 but leave Ajayi on the bench.

I know Ajayi can be frustratingly inconsistent, but when he's on fire he's as good as anyone in the league. Like yourself, I have doubts whether Ajayi and Jo will form a striking partnership. If they can though, it would make for a deadly pairing.

Also, If Sutee can remain injury free, I reckon he has one more good season in him before he reaches the veteran age. Potentially it could be an exciting season for BG.

I actually forgot Saruta was still at the Leo. There were rumours that he was going to transfer to Sriracha at the end of last season but the move obviously hasn't materialized.

How has Idangmar been performing in the pre-season friendlies?

Where will they play this season? Thunderdome?

So the 2010 season has finally concluded only 4 days before the 2011 season curtain raiser.  Take a bow

If they don't start the season, there is always Nakhon Pathom ready to replace them. 

It's too tough to call just now. There are still 3 (4 for some clubs) weeks until the season starts. A lot of comings and goings could happen in this time. I'll wait until nearer the opening games before I cast my prediction.

It will almost certainly be a 3 horse race between MTU, PEA and Chonburi. Bangkok Glass could be a dark horse but probably need another couple of signings before they can be considered title challengers. 

I can see the logic in having home fans behind both goals. Also if the away fans are in the upper west, it will provide better segregation inside the stadium.

Greg any idea why they've switched the away fans to the upper west?

Rossi, if you're with the Ultras, you will be standing, singing and dancing for the full 90 mins. It's probably not the best place to go if you want to watch the game. But for the younger fans, it's the place to be. I prefer to sit in the east or west stand as you get a better view of the match and it's a bit more relaxed.

Also, Thai port and Bangkok Glass are worth a visit. For the majority of games you can buy tickets on match days but if it's a top of the league clash, you'd be advised to get tickets in advance. 

Worawi has suggested that the TPL clubs should only play on weekends and there should be a "monsoon" break.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/217563/worawi-wants-changes-to-tpl-schedule

Where is the Kasembundit Uni Stadium? They have a couple of campuses in Bangkok. One at Suan Luang and one at Romklao.

It's not Toth. Toth is short and the guy I'm thinking of is tall. According to wiki, his name is Jozef Tirer. He's a tall, powerful lad and good on the floor as well. In my opinion he's better than Toth and MTU should have signed him instead of Toth.

I just saw a pic of the guy on TLO. I don't think it's the same player.  Apologies 

If Aston Villa sign Robbie Keane, Gary Glitter will buy a season ticket for Villa Park as he heard that the strike force will be Young, Bent and Keane.  

I'm not surprised. He's never really looked happy at BG. If he leaves, I wonder if he stay in Thailand or head back home?

Joseph Tyler, is that the big guy that was playing #9 for TOT last season? If so, he's a great signing for Korat.

Thanks for the update t_e. I've never been to the Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium but I'm always keen to visit new venues.
It could be a good move for the Crows to move over the river. There is potentially a large supporter base there.

Do you know much about his time in New Zealand? I don't recall him ever playing for the Rangers first team. According to the Auckland City website, he left Rangers and played for East Stirling, a team notorious for being the worst team in Scotland.

Looks like we are having a third playoff for the 18th place in div 1.
Just seen that Saraburi v Narawithat and Rayong v Prachinburi are listed for 24 of January. It looks like the winners meet on 26th. I'll believe they'll be using the Leo Stadium.
It's in Thai so I can't read it fully.

http://www.thaipremierleague.co.th/news_detail.php?nid=00220

I don't know if AFU have signed anyone yet, but I do know that they lost several players to Sisaket and a couple to Pattaya. In addition to that, last season's top scorer, Pornchai, has dropped down a division to sign for his home province Ratchaburi.

I'm a bit surprised that MTU went for Carlos. He's got a lot to prove after his recent unsuccessful tenure at BG.

Also with the imminent signing of Toth from TOT, that will answer your question from your earlier blog post about attacking cover. He is the wrong side of 30 now but he always gives 100% when he plays.

Yes mate. I read his blog too. 

I'll stick my neck out and predict that the 3 promoted teams will be Buriram, Bangkok Utd and Chainat

I think all 4 will face a relegation battle this season.

I must apologise bon-nirnam that when I first saw this thread, I had to look on Google maps to find out where AngThong is. Now I know that it's about a 2 hours drive north of Bangkok. 

Anyway, you'll be hoping that Saraburi and Rayong can win today so that the competition in Central and East league isn't as strong this season. Ratchaburi have made some big signings and will be looking to earn promotion.

Do you think AngThong have what it takes to win the league this season?

Samut Prakarn has a few teams. Does that count as a city or an extension of BKK?

I had a brief look at the Expo yesterday. It was pretty much a larger version of what you see outside most TPL stadiums on a matchday. Lot's of loud music and young girls shouting into microphones. I think all of the TPL teams had stalls selling merchandise along with a selection of teams from the 1st and 2nd divisions.

There were some mascots there yesterday too. The were mostly standing around and posing for pics. No sign of BG man or the 2 Buriram guys though.  Obviously they were at home sharpening their studs for today's showdown. 

I've had a quick look at the fixture list. I know that it will be changed several times but i'm just curious why  Army weekend home games are listed for Saturday while all the rest are Sunday games? Please don't tell me that the FAT would prefer the TPL games to be played on Sundays rather than Saturdays. 

It would be a shame if it was.  You've got a tough start. Pattaya (A), MTU (H), Army (H), Thai Port(A). Those 4 games could define your season.

I'll certainly be interested to see how Steven Robb gets on at Thai Port. I may be mistaken here, but I believe that he is the first Scot to play in the TPL. He has plenty of Scottish Premier League experience so that would suggest that he'll have the skill and ability to cope in the league. However, according to the Scottish newspaper, the Daily Record, he's never been to Asia. After playing in Paisley and Dundee, he'll undoubtedly experience a culture shock when he arrives in Thailand. The heat and the language barrier will pose the biggest problems for him.

Filipino coach Simon McMenemy has become the first international  football manager to be fired via Twitter.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3351075/Simon-goes-from-Manila-thriller-to-being-victim-of-tweet-killer.html

Thai Port have signed Scottish winger Steven Robb. The 28 year old has just been released by St Mirren and he had previously played for Dundee and Dundee Utd.
Apparently he was very injury prone in his time at St Mirren.

It could be a good thing depending on which games they show on free view. Some how I doubt they'll screen the top games for free. Most likely viewers with free view will get to watch games such as TOT v Army or TTM v Osotspa.

Oh dear!! There goes your freezing cold night in January at Boundary Park theory.
Sorry, couldn't resist SRS. 

For the last games of last season (when all games kicked off at the same time), True used sport channels 2, 5 and 6 plus T-Sport.  All of these are available on gold and platinum packages. TSP 2 and 6 plus T Sports are available on silver, and only T Sports is available on freeview.

The people who'll be most likely affected by this will be the Thais on lower incomes as they might have to upgrade their package so that they can watch the live games.  

Yeah I gonna keep a copy of that FAT calendar. It might come in useful if I run out of bog roll. 

Also as a reward for Thai Port's League cup success, they will play Japanese club, Shonan Bellmare at the Supasalasai Stadium on Sunday 13th February. Coincidently the match will take place on the same date as the proposed opening day fixtures of the TPL. 

I wonder what's going on at Thai Port. They've released several players and at this moment in time have only signed Valci Junior. It was the same during the last transfer window when several players exited and the only player coming in was Christian Ayew. Since his arrival I think Ayew's only played about 20 minutes.

I agree with others that the punishment is far too harsh especially for the majority of the Nakhon Pathom support who are well behaved. Why should they be punished because of the moronic behavior of a few idiots. In my opinion, a fair punishment would be jail sentences or large fines for the culprits and for the club I would have deducted points from them and warned them that any future misbehavior from the fans would not be tolerated.

Now that the FA have made an example of Nakhon Pathom, they'll have to treat future offenders accordingly. What will happen if the top clubs such as Muangthong or PEA Buriram offend in the future? Would they be suspended for 2 years? It certainly wouldn't be good for the Thai league to lose any of the top clubs.

I guess we'll only really be able to judge in 2 years time whether or not the punishment was justified. If we don't see anymore incidents of players/fans attacking the match officials and a decrease of crowd violence then we could say they punishment to Nakhon Pathom was worthwhile.