Glentoran FC Tour of Thailand

[GlentoranMark]

Hi all, finally managed to find my way onto ThaiFootball Webboard.  Have been reading over a few threads with some good reading.

Anyway for those who dont know Glentoran FC - from Belfast in Northern Ireland, are coming on a 3 game tour of Thailand in less than 2 weeks - and luckily I shall be one of a few supporters travelling out to watch thegames.  The fixtures are as follows:-

Chonburi FC - 26 May 2010
IPE  Chonburi Stadium
111 M.
1, Sukhumvit Rd. Nhongmaidaeng, Muang, Chonburi 20000

Bangkok Glass FC - 29 May 2010
LEO Stadium
Klong
4, Lam Lukka, Pathum Thani 12130

Thai Port FC - 01 June 2010
PAT Stadium
Sunthorn Koza Rd. Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110

I myself arrive on Sunday 23rd May and shall be staying in Pattaya for the Chon Buri game until Friday 28th May before re-locating to Bangkok for the other 2 games.  This tour has been talked about for months and Ive been booked to go since February, but with the situation which was on going with the red shirts in Bangkok we really were not sure if it would go ahead.  Im not sure of the current position but hopefully it will not affect us.

Ive already made contact with supporters of the 3 clubs and they have been superb and so helpful.  Ive never been to your country before but I am really looking forward to it now.

If anyone can offer any help or advice give me a shout, Im sure Ill have plenty of questions to ask.

[the_englishman]

Hi Mark,

I don't think the red shirt situation will affect you as those stadiums are not near the area so unless it really kicks off (or  even then) you'll be fine.

We have dedicated fans of each of those three teams on this board so your questions will be answered well, I'm sure :-)

By the way, how many fans does your team get for home games?


There's lots of tips people can give you for Thailand. I'll start with just three:

1) Always speak highly of the king. Thais revere their king.

2) Always agree a fee with any taxi, motorbike, tuk tuk driver etc. *before* you get on/in. I always insisist on taxis using their meter. Don't believe them if they say it's broken.

3) Don't believe anyone who tells you the grand palace is closed. Wear long sleeves and jeans/trousers when you go there.

You'll have a great time. Please tell your fellow fans about us.
Greg

[TPF]

We have dedicated fans of each of those three teams on this board so your questions will be answered well, I'm sure :-)

I've already given Mark the benefit of my basic knowledge of Thai Port  .

3) Don't believe anyone who tells you the grand palace is closed.

Do people really fall for this one? I guess they must do! The pillock who tried it with me waited until I was yards from the entrance with hundreds of visitors going in and out. Needless to say I gave him short shrift! I'm generally wary of anyone who sidles up to you in tourist areas in Bangkok. Most of them are up to no good.

[BangkokGlassBunny]

We have dedicated fans of each of those three teams on this board so your questions will be answered well, I'm sure :-)

I've already given Mark the benefit of my basic knowledge of Thai Port  .

Ditto

And I've also already warned him about taxi drivers.. haha, he'll be scared to even look at a taxi by the time we've finished

Welcome aboard Mark

[Vinnie]

Hi Mark,

I don't think the red shirt situation will affect you as those stadiums are not near the area so unless it really kicks off (or  even then) you'll be fine.

We have dedicated fans of each of those three teams on this board so your questions will be answered well, I'm sure :-)

By the way, how many fans does your team get for home games?


There's lots of tips people can give you for Thailand. I'll start with just three:

1) Always speak highly of the king. Thais revere their king.

2) Always agree a fee with any taxi, motorbike, tuk tuk driver etc. *before* you get on/in. I always insisist on taxis using their meter. Don't believe them if they say it's broken.

3) Don't believe anyone who tells you the grand palace is closed. Wear long sleeves and jeans/trousers when you go there.

You'll have a great time. Please tell your fellow fans about us.
Greg

Look both ways before crossing a one-way street.

[the_englishman]

Do people really fall for this one? I guess they must do! The pillock who tried it with me waited until I was yards from the entrance with hundreds of visitors going in and out. Needless to say I gave him short shrift! I'm generally wary of anyone who sidles up to you in tourist areas in Bangkok. Most of them are up to no good.

Yes I know people who fell for it, I met several when I was working with the Tourist Police. I think it can work for inexperienced tourists who are further away from the palace.

As for the taxis, don't worry Mark, they are a nice bunch really despite our grisly warnings :-)

Is Keith Gillispie still playing with Glentoran?

[SriRachaShark]

Welcome aboard, Mark. We're all looking forward to your visit.

[lokomotive]

Welcome Mark, I really looking forward to see Glentoran. I most probably will attand the Chonburi Match and I stay in Pattaya for most of the time. So maybe we can meet up for having a drink.

I always have good memories on Glentoran. My beloved old Club Lokomotive Leipzig played Glentoran in the first round of the Cup Winners Cup 1986/1987. I wasn't at the stadium, but I saw both games on TV. That season we ended up in the Final vs Ajax.

@ t.e. you gave mark advices, mostly for Bangkok. I think first of all I think he should survive Pattaya. 

[GlentoranMark]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys, I will rpely to you all.

Unfortunatley the news does not look good re.the tour.  With what is happening in Bangkok and the Foreign Office advising no travel to Thailand it seems likely the club will have to cancel.  Im due to depart next Saturday and if it is cancelled now I will be gutted. 

Honestly dont know whats going to happen........

[Vinnie]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys, I will rpely to you all.

Unfortunatley the news does not look good re.the tour.  With what is happening in Bangkok and the Foreign Office advising no travel to Thailand it seems likely the club will have to cancel.  Im due to depart next Saturday and if it is cancelled now I will be gutted. 

Honestly dont know whats going to happen........

I feel gutted for you. Any chance the club could arrange matches with teams outside the capital? Some people on here (myself included) may even be able to help out with that.

[SriRachaShark]

It will be extremely disappointing all round if the tour is cancelled. And it's not looking good. I'm not sure how feasible it would be to arrange matches elsewhere at this stage. Even though Chonburi is outside the capital there are other factors why we wouldn't be able to play.

Sorry, Mark.

Story
http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/chonburifc/club_news.pl?news=355966

[GlentoranMark]

Hi guys,

Unfortunatley about 6 hours ago the Tour was offically cancelled by Glentoran FC. To say Im gutted is an understatement (i acutally feel like ive been kicked the nuts 100 times over).  This was a trip in a lifetime for my girlfriend and I, basically been saving and planning for it now for a year.  As we booked to travel independantly we dont even know what will happen with our flights etc.  Our travel insurance wont cover us if we go against Foreign Office advice, but if we dont go we still wont get refunds.  At the minute we are looking for onward travel to the likes of Kuala Lumpa etc - but tbh it just wont be the same.  Even if the tour is re-organised for next summer it is unlikely we will be able to attend as we have recently just bought a house and all our money will be tied up in it 

Can I just say a huge thank you to Dale, Andrew and Marcus, they really have been invaluable help over the past few days while Ive tried to plan my visit to Thailand.  I really will keep a close eye now on Thai Football through these forums and hope to keep in touch.  If theres anything I can ever do for you lads just let me know.

Anyway onwards and upwards lads, no point getting down about it.

Mark

[TPF]

Hi guys,

Unfortunatley about 6 hours ago the Tour was offically cancelled by Glentoran FC. To say Im gutted is an understatement (i acutally feel like ive been kicked the nuts 100 times over).  This was a trip in a lifetime for my girlfriend and I, basically been saving and planning for it now for a year.  As we booked to travel independantly we dont even know what will happen with our flights etc.  Our travel insurance wont cover us if we go against Foreign Office advice, but if we dont go we still wont get refunds.  At the minute we are looking for onward travel to the likes of Kuala Lumpa etc - but tbh it just wont be the same.  Even if the tour is re-organised for next summer it is unlikely we will be able to attend as we have recently just bought a house and all our money will be tied up in it  

Can I just say a huge thank you to Dale, Andrew and Marcus, they really have been invaluable help over the past few days while Ive tried to plan my visit to Thailand.  I really will keep a close eye now on Thai Football through these forums and hope to keep in touch.  If theres anything I can ever do for you lads just let me know.

Anyway onwards and upwards lads, no point getting down about it.

Mark

Hi Mark,

I'm really disappointed for yourself and the other 50 guys who were due to go on the trip. After seeing on the news what's been going on in Bangkok today I guess the announcement was sadly inevitable.

I'm glad you are staying positive...I'm sure you'll still have a good holiday, albeit without the football. At least you'll get a bit of sun on your back anyway  . There are plenty of budget airlines around South East Asia, so getting to somewhere like Singapore or KL from Bangkok should be reasonably cheap for you and your girlfriend.

It's been a pleasure to help you out over the last few days. You are a credit to Glentoran FC!

[lokomotive]

Really sad. I am really was looking forward to see Glentoran play. Anyway, Mark, enjoy your holidays as best as you can.

[the_englishman]

Hi Mark,

Obviously only you can decide what to do but I can tell you that those of us living outside this small sector of Bangkok have life going on as usual.

I personally don't believe that civil war is going to break out across the nation in the next few weeks. Tourists are arriving as usual and enjoying their holidays, just in smaller numbers. The foreign offices are obliged to be cautious and advise people not to go to cover their own backsides.

Whatever you decide, we hope to see you and Glentoran at some time in future.

[TPF]

Glentoran cancel Thailand tour after increased violence

Glentoran's planned tour of Thailand has been called off because of escalating violence in the country.

The Glens said they had no alternative with insurance cover being declared invalid while a Foreign Office travel warning remained in place.

The three-match tour was scheduled to start in Chonburi on 26 May.

"The safety of players and fans is paramount and it would be irresponsible to place anyone in a potentially dangerous situation," said the club.

The opener against Chonburi was to be followed by a game against Bangkok Glass three days later with the final match against Thai Port in Bangkok on 1 June.

Glentoran have advised fans who wish to cancel their trip to Thailand to contact their travel agents or airlines.

"The situation in Bangkok remains volatile and the advice on the ground remains for none but essential travel," said Glens chairman Aubry Ralph.

"Glentoran FC wishes to apologise to any fans inconvenienced or disappointed by this decision but the club feels it has no other alternative in the face of the many difficulties and insurmountable obstacles in the current situation."


Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/8683295.stm

[jakartacasual]

come to jakarta and see persija play arema. 45000 ++ fans

http://jakartacasualtv.blogspot.com/

[Vinnie]

Hi guys,

Unfortunatley about 6 hours ago the Tour was offically cancelled by Glentoran FC. To say Im gutted is an understatement (i acutally feel like ive been kicked the nuts 100 times over).  This was a trip in a lifetime for my girlfriend and I, basically been saving and planning for it now for a year.  As we booked to travel independantly we dont even know what will happen with our flights etc.  Our travel insurance wont cover us if we go against Foreign Office advice, but if we dont go we still wont get refunds.  At the minute we are looking for onward travel to the likes of Kuala Lumpa etc - but tbh it just wont be the same.  Even if the tour is re-organised for next summer it is unlikely we will be able to attend as we have recently just bought a house and all our money will be tied up in it 

Can I just say a huge thank you to Dale, Andrew and Marcus, they really have been invaluable help over the past few days while Ive tried to plan my visit to Thailand.  I really will keep a close eye now on Thai Football through these forums and hope to keep in touch.  If theres anything I can ever do for you lads just let me know.

Anyway onwards and upwards lads, no point getting down about it.

Mark

I would still come here and take in some league games, but, of course, it's your decision. People on here will be able to help you out with fixtures, locations, directions etc

[SriRachaShark]

Genuinely gutted for you and your friends. However, I agree with the above posts - come anyway. You'll be perfectly safe and you could certainly get to see a few games whist you're here. You'll also be treated very well by the Thai fans when they hear your story.

[BangkokGlassBunny]

Yep, as all the above...

I've let the BG fans know it's cancelled and they are genuinely gutted (obviously not half as much as you). They were looking forward to the game and meeting you guys so much.

The situation in Bangkok is ridiculous but very easily avoided.

You can still have a great time here and the only 'red shirts' you'll see is that of Muang Thong United etc...

[jakartacasual]

The situation in Bangkok is ridiculous but very easily avoided.

not for me it wouldnt. much of the trouble is near where i stay...bar studs

[GlentoranMark]

Hi guys, thanks for all the replies and sorry Im only having a chance to get back on again now.

We have unfortunatley decided to cancel the trip to Thailand, thankfully we managed to get a refund on hotel and flights.  We are now booked up to do a wee tour of Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Singapore and Penang which will be good - tho no football.

Hope to keep in touch with everyone on here and thanks again.

[the_englishman]

We have unfortunatley decided to cancel the trip to Thailand, thankfully we managed to get a refund on hotel and flights.  We are now booked up to do a wee tour of Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Singapore and Penang which will be good - tho no football.

I suspect Jakarta casual can point you in the direction of a few football games in that region.

[SriRachaShark]

We have unfortunatley decided to cancel the trip to Thailand, thankfully we managed to get a refund on hotel and flights.  We are now booked up to do a wee tour of Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Singapore and Penang which will be good - tho no football.

I suspect Jakarta casual can point you in the direction of a few football games in that region.

And a few watering holes.

[Vinnie]

Hi guys, thanks for all the replies and sorry Im only having a chance to get back on again now.

We have unfortunatley decided to cancel the trip to Thailand, thankfully we managed to get a refund on hotel and flights.  We are now booked up to do a wee tour of Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Singapore and Penang which will be good - tho no football.

Hope to keep in touch with everyone on here and thanks again.

At least you didn't lose your money and you're still going to have a great holiday. Enjoy!

[bon-nirnam]

This proves that despite enjoying the sight and sound of bone crushing tackles on the field week in and week out, deep down football people are a very compassionate clan. Long Live Football!