TPL Preview Part 1

With the new TPL season set to start this Friday, here are my thoughts on the first 9 clubs listed alphabetically from A-M.


Army United

Army United are one of a clutch of mid-table sides that can appear half-decent one week and then the following week look awful. Slightly surprisingly, Gary Stevens remains in charge of team affairs. He didn’t do too badly in the second half of last year, yet at the same time he didn’t bring instant success which in Thai football usually results in a contact being terminated through mutual consent. Army have only registered Zdenko Kaprilik from last season’s foreign contingent. A blow was dealt when Raphael Botti was not included for the first leg due to medical reasons. Dutchman Melvin de Leeuw has caught the eye pre-season and he’ll be supported by the pacy Tangeni Shipahu and Kai Hirano. Those three should provide Army with plenty of ammunition and if Mongkol Tossakrai can replicate his form for the Thai national side during the AFF Suzuki Cup, then they should be able to secure their fourth successive top ten finish.

Key Player: Melvin de Leeuw

Last Season: 9th

Bangkok Glass

The Glass Rabbits finally won some domestic silverware after several years of disappointment. Can their FA Cup triumph three months ago be the catalyst for more success, or will BG revert to their inconsistent self? Ricardo Rodriguez comes in to manage the team after an impressive first season in Thai football at Ratchaburi in 2014. New arrivals include English-Australian defender Matt Smith from Brisbane Roar while King Leandro, as he was known by some at Singh Tarua, will add creativity and plenty of theatrical drama in the final third. Personally, I can’t see the Leandro move working as he has to be at the centre of everything. At Tarua he was allowed this luxury. At BG, he won’t necessarily be top of the pecking order and I can’t see this fit working. Yet again, a cup success appears their best route to silverware in 2015. 

Key Player: Darko Tasevski

Last Season: 10th

Bangkok United

They finally found the right man to lead the squad when Mano Polking was appointed midway through last season. From the outside, it seems like a perfect fit as results in the second half of the previous season proved. Polking has raided his former side Suphanburi bringing in four players (Boskovic, Panupong, Putthinan & Kittipong) while at the same time retaining his best players. With a reported B200 million budget, anything less than a top 6 finish must be regarded as a failure.

Key Player: Romain Gasmi

Last Season: 8th

BEC Tero

Tero won their first trophy in the modern Thai football era claiming the League Cup in October 2014. At the recent AFF Cup and Asian U22 tournaments, they provided many members of the successful Thai sides. With youngsters like Messi Jay (Chanathip Songkrasin), Peerapat Notechaiya, Adisorn Promrak, Tanaboon Kesarat and new boy Adisak Kraisorn blossoming, the time is right for Tero to sustain a serious title bid. At the helm this year is Bozidar Bandovic who was briefly head coach at Buriram United last term. The only foreigner kept from last season is Gilbert Koomson. Former Chonburi players Fode Diakite and Ivan Boskovic join Koomson along with Serb Bojan Beljic and experienced Korean Son Dae Ho.

Key Player: Chanathip Songkrasin

Last Season: 3rd

Buriram United

Buriram claimed back-to-back titles despite some insipid performances in 2014. Many Buriram fans would concede that they won the title courtesy of the poor standard of opposition rather than their own convincing playing style. Last season, the squad looked a bit threadbare, particularly in the AFC Champions League. This has been addressed with several promising Thai youngsters recruited to fill the breach. Nonetheless, a few eyebrows were raised when Spaniards David Rochella and Carmelo Gonzalez were released – although Rochella has recently been resigned to feature in the domestic cups. Javier Patino was an injury concern and he has subsequently left to ply his trade in China. New foreign recruits include Brazilian front men Diogo and Gilberto Macena who’ll be backed up by Kayne Vincent formerly of Songkhla United. They will start the season as title favourites again but it could take them awhile to get into their stride as their early league campaign will be coupled with a testing AFC Champions league draw.

Key Player: Andres Tunez

Last Season: 1st

Chainat

The Hornbills begin their fourth season in the top league. They’ve yet to finish in the top half and only beat the drop by one point last season. During that campaign, goal scoring was a problem so they’ve addressed that issue by signing Michael Murcy from Police United and Brazilian Alex Maiolino. Chanin Sae-Eae was one of the best keepers in the TPL last year at Singh Tarua and they’ve managed to acquire his services after parent club Chonburi let him leave. Head coach Jadet Meelarp returned to Chonburi and he was quickly replaced by Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul. Last season he had two unconvincing spells in charge at Police United and sandwiched in-between that he had another unimpressive few weeks at the helm of Bangkok United. A top half finish seems unlikely but they should have enough to avoid relegation.

Key Player: Chanin Sae-Eae

Last Season: 14th

Chiang Rai United

After scrapping a late rally of wins in 2013 to avoid the drop, last season was far more comfortable with a 7^th placed finish. It’s been a fairly quiet off season with the most notable arrival being Brazilian striker, Renatinho. He’ll replace the departed Leandro Assumpcao. Last season’s top scorer Renan Marques has signed on for another season to ensure that goals won’t be scarce. With the nucleus of their 2014 squad still intact, they’ll be aspiring to build on the progress made last season. 

Key Player: Pichitpong Choeichiu

Last Season: 7th

Chonburi

The Sharks were within touching distance of claiming the double in 2014 but in the end they walked away empty handed. The Chonburi faithful knew their favourites were punching well above their weight yet it still hurt them to be the bridesmaid once again. The meek FA Cup final loss and an incorrect linesman’s flag at Chainat still irk, while the resignation of Mashahiro Wada and the subsequent appointment of Jadet Meelarp hardly brightened the mood. However, with an attacking trident of Thiago Cunha, Juliano Mineiro and Leandro Assumpcao at their disposal, the side promises plenty of goals. At the back the ever reliable Anderson dos Santos remains as do Suttinan Phukhom and goalkeeper Kosin Sinthaweechai. The full back positions could be a concern as could the lack of a creative midfielder to pull the strings in the middle of the park. Some of the new Thai signings appear to have been randomly selected without any proper scouting which suggests Chonburi will fall short again in 2015. 

Key Player: Thiago Cunha

Last Season: 2nd

Muang Thong United

For the second consecutive season, Muang Thong start a campaign with a coach who appears to be heading for the exit door before Easter. If anything, results and performances have gotten worse rather than better since Dragan Talajic took over in July last year. On the playing front, Teerasil Dangda returns after he predictably (at least to us western cynics) failed to make any impact at Almeria in La Liga. Cleiton Silva struggled to make an impression after he arrived last mid-season and MTU fans will be hopeful that he can’t rediscover the scoring touch he displayed at BEC Tero. Mario Gjurovski still remains despite the fact that it’s gone a bit stale for him while Kim Dong Jin will be joined in defence by former Japanese U23 internationalist Naoki Aoyama. Somewhat bizarrely, Muang Thong have decided not to fill their foreign complement with only four non-Thais registered in their squad. 

Key Player: Teerasil Dangda

Last Season: 5th

Toyota League Cup Draw - Last 16

BBCU v Muangthong United

Chainat v Osotspa Saraburi

Krabi v PTT Rayong

Nakhon Ratchasima v Chiang Rai United

Pattaya United v BEC Tero

Phuket v Bangkok Glass

Ratchaburi v Chonburi

TTM Customs v Buriram United

Ties to be played on 11 June

FA Cup Draw - Round 3

Khon Kaen v Bangkok Utd
Police v Chonburi
BEC Tero v Nakhon Ratchasima
Bangkok FC v Air Force
PTT Rayong v Thai Honda
Ratchaburi v Chiang Mai
TTM Customs v Samut Songkhram
TOT v Ayutthaya
Sisaket v Ang Thong
Songkhla Utd v Singh Tarua
Siam Navy v Bangkok Glass
Osotspa Saraburi v Muangthong Utd
Nakhon Pathom Utd v Suphanburi
Buriram Utd v Chainat
Chiang Rai Utd v Army
Nakhon Nayok v Trat

Ties to be played on 21 may

The Story So Far (Division 1)

The standard in Division 1 is the weakest (in my opinion) it's been for five seasons, so teams like Nakhon Ratchasima, Phuket and Bangkok FC will see this as a great chance of  finding an escape route to the TPL. The team in the trio's way at this moment are table toppers Ang Thong. They will be hoping to emulate Chiang Rai United, Buriram FC, Chainat and Ratchaburi who have all recently taken the express route from the regional leagues to the top flight. Ang Thong are a hard working team that knows where the back of the net is. I'd say they are possibly punching above their weight and whether they can last the distance remains to be seen.

Nakhon Ratchasima are the only side yet to lose and they have only conceded four goals in ten matches. The experienced Ivan Boskovic seems to have found his level and is Korat's leading scorer. The league's top scorer alongside Mark Babo Landry is Valci Junior with nine goals. The well travelled Brazilian has filled the shoes vacated by Lee Tuck and if Bangkok FC can get a full season out of Valci, then the bitter disappointment of missing promotion at the death last season would be erased from their memory. Phuket surprisingly stuck with Deco as coach despite a horrific run of form towards the end of 2013. The former Chiang Rai Utd coach was given time to bring in his own players and this has reaped dividends for the Islanders.

Below the top four, Phitsanulok, Saraburi, Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya all have potential to break into the top three provided they can string a run of form together. Siam Navy and TTM are also in the top half of the table but I can't imagine either of those two being TPL bound come the end of the season.

At the bottom, it's a question of which three sides will accompany Sriracha Ban Beung to the lower leagues next season. The goals of Matius Recio have dried up at Khon Kaen and the T-Rex are consequently five points from safety. Roi Et haven't adapted to the first division as well as anticipated and one win from ten matches leaves Nakhon Pathom United in the bottom four alongside the White Squirrels. Krabi have found scoring goals difficult but their saving grace could be their defence which is leaking less than one goal per game. Pattaya have won four from their last six to recover from a disastrous start while BBCU are slipping in the opposite direction after an encouraging opening. On their day Trat can beat anybody in the league but they have been far too inconsistent so far.

The Story So Far (Part 4) - Relegation Candidates

As the TPL table stands just now, it appears that any five from the seven below will be taking the drop to the first division.

Sisaket

Current Position: 14th

The Dangerous Kouprey can be reasonably pleased with their return to the TPL after a lengthy courtroom battle left them idle for the majority of 2013. There aren’t many household names in the squad, but that’s possibly why it’s working so far. Their key to survival is beating the teams currently below them in the table. At this moment, they are just above danger zone courtesy of goal difference. The important factor for Sisaket is to remain in the TPL and build from there. 

Bangkok United

Current Position: 15th

The club parted ways with the wily Sasom Pobprasert during the off-season and they probably regret doing that now. His replacement Rui Bento didn’t even make it to Songkran festival and former Police coach Thawatchai has been given the task of saving the Angels. I expect he'll be one of the busiest mangers in the upcoming transfer window as he brings in fresh faces to replace some of the well paid journeymen currently at the club. In the meantime, losing 7-0 at Tero a fortnight ago hardly inspires confidence and the underachieving squad are in real danger of dropping down a division.

Songkhla United

Current Position: 16th

The big dream of being the Buriram of the south has never emerged and the club are on route to return to the first division were the now extinct Songkhla FC once lingered. The Fighting Bulls are averaging less than one goal per game and the have the equal worst defensive record in the league. That’s not a good combination. Home form could be their savior.

Police

Current Position: 17th

It’s been a Jekyll and Hyde start to the season for Police. An impressive 5-1 win over Air Force and a 1-1 draw at Muangthong wasn’t capitalized on with the club losing five out of their next six games. That run cost Carlos Roberto his job and he’s been surprisingly replaced by Mika Lonnstrom. The Finn was recruited from a Roi Et United side that were second from bottom in Division 1. If Police can get their strikers firing, then they should be able to avoid the drop.

PTT Rayong

Current Position: 18th

The Oil Millionaires got off to a decent start and a comfortable mid-table finish appeared on the cards. However, the turning point in their season came when they blew a 2-0 lead at home to Chonburi, eventually drawing 2-2. Since then, their solid defensive unit have started shipping goals and their only win came nine games ago against Samut Songkhram. Fortunately, for the club, they have the money and resources to revamp their squad for the second leg.

Samut Songkhram

Current Position: 19th

The usually dysfunctional club seemed set for a stable season after a new sponsorship deal allowed them to make early purchases in the transfer market. Unfortunately hardly any of them have lived up to their billing. The upgrade of their home stadium has seen them relocate to the stadiums of Ratchaburi and Army. In their absence from home, they’ve lost all four contests. The Mackerels only win was at Air Force and they need to return to home base as soon as possible if they have any chance of survival. 

Air Force

Current Position: 20th

It’s been a dismal return to the top flight for Air Force. With no wins in 11 attempts, it appears incredibly likely that they will be making an instant return to the second tier. Instead of building on their promotion winning team, they dismantled it and brought in several new faces. Lee Tuck was acquired from Bangkok FC and with Kouassi Hermann, they were expected to bang in the goals. Neither of the duo have managed to find their first division goal scoring form and as a result Air Force are rooted to the floor of the TPL. They are already 7 points from safety and are in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom. 

The Story So Far (Part 3) - Business as Usual

Part 3 features the clubs that aren't expected to win the title but at the same time are far too good to go down.

Army United

Current Position: 4th

Optimism wasn’t high at the Home of Gentleman pre-season but so far most of the Army support have been pleasantly surprised with what they have seen. In hindsight, I really should have included Army in the 'surprise packages' section rather than this one. Matt Elliott has his side playing decent football and the unexpected emergence of Tanakorn has boosted his side’s goalscoring options. With Goran Jerkovic upfront as well, Army are guaranteed goals provided the Frenchman is provided ammunition inside the box. New signing Wellington Priori has become a fan favourite and similar to Anderson dos Santos at Chonburi, he is just as comfortable in the back four or playing the slightly more advanced defensive midfield role. Army finished 7^th last year and they won’t finish far off that spot again. They will face a stiff test in the month of May as four of their next five games are against the top 4 sides of 2013.

Osotspa Saraburi

Current Position: 7th

Osotspa have a decent roster of players and are looking good for a top six finish. The only hindrance appears to be their temporary home at the Rajamangala. Apart from a 7-0 thumping of Songkhla, they’ve had a lean time at the national arena. On the road, Osotspa are unbeaten and have enjoyed more success on their travels. With Chananan, Komenan and Aron da Silva, the Saraburi club have no shortage of firepower.

Chainat

Current Poition: 12th

The Hornbills apparently have one of the biggest budgets in the league yet they still linger in mid-table. Defensively they have been relatively sound but they don’t score enough goals. They'll need to capture a striker or two to provide them with sufficient goals if they are to attain a top half finish. Unfortunately for Chainat, the only award they look like they’ll be winning in 2014 is the worst shirt in the TPL.

Bangkok Glass

Current Position: 11th 

Bangkok Glass have continued to be consistently inconsistent. On their day they can beat the best and then follow that up with a dire performance against one of the weaker sides. They have struggled away from their astroturf and have lost four out of six away days. BG are good going forwards but a couple of new defenders must be a requirement when the transfer window reopens.

Suphanburi

Current Position: 9th

After a fourth placed finish last year, Suphanburi were expected to kick on and were considered title candidates. They brought in Mano Polking as coach from Army who then proceeded to bring Bjorn Lindemann and Jung Myung Oh with him. The fact that their position is no better than Army’s in 2013 shouldn't come as a big surprise. In all honesty, Mano has a tough act to follow after the club exceeded all expectations last season. Nonetheless, not even the most optimistic of the Suphanblood contingent would have predicted their 5-2 humbling of Muangthong last Sunday. That result coupled with Dragan Boskovic's imminent return from injury indicates that brighter times are ahead at Suphanburi after their sluggish start.

Chiang Rai United

Current Position: 13th

After their flirtation with relegation last season, the northern side are back into their more accustom mid-table position. Leandro Assumpcao has returned from Chonburi and is the club’s top goalscorer. Pichitpong has brought grit and experience to the middle of the park and home form should see them finish somewhere in the middle of the pack.

The Story So Far (Part 2) - The Surprise Packages

Part 2 has a look at four of the sides doing slightly better than anticipated.

Singh Tarua

Current Position: 3rd

If you’d have offered any Singh Tarua fan 20 points after 10 matches in February, they’d have bitten your hand off. The goalscoring form of Leandro Luz in the first month of the season propelled Tarua to the top of the table. The Brazilian’s form tailed off in April but other players stepped up and hard graft has seen them grind out three gritty 1-0 wins recently. The big concern now is the long term injury loss of Leandro. The TPL leading goalscorer isn't expected to return until the latter weeks of the campaign. In this season of unpredictability, it’s difficult to envisage where Tarua will be positioned in the table by the time he returns. The back up strikers of Joo Sung Hwan and Thierry Fidjeu have yet to impress and a big onus will now be on the effective central defensive pairing of Lee Sang Ho and Jakkapong to keep it tight at the back.

TOT

Current Position: 4th

In the second half of last season, TOT were atrocious. They only managed to stay afloat because they had collected a decent haul points in the first half of the season. During their woeful run, they were without the duo of Lee Junki and Takahiro Kawamura for long periods. The fact that they are both back to full fitness is no coincidence on how well TOT are doing this term. They aren’t pretty to watch yet they should avoid any relegation scares this time around.  A top ten finish and a year away from danger would be seen as progress.

Ratchaburi

Current Position: 8th

The Dragons came flying out of the traps and they were being considered as serious title contenders after six matches. The fact that they had travelled to Suphanburi, Buriram, Chonburi and Muangthong and remained unbeaten astounded the Thai football public. The manager of the month award for March was given to new boy Ricardo Rodriguez but since then Ratchaburi have stuttered through an easier batch of fixtures dropping to 8th in the process. A top 6 finish is a realistic target for Ratchaburi

BEC Tero

Current Position: 2nd

The Minburi club are the only side yet to suffer defeat and they are probably the second favorites in the title race. Their chief goal hawk Cleiton Silva departed for Mexico in the New Year and it was highly anticipated that his goals would be a huge loss. However, Tero have been defensively sound so far and their goals have been shared around the squad. The news that Cleiton Silva may return for the second leg could be the final piece in the jigsaw to end Tero's 12 year wait for a top flight title. In my opinion, they need to add another couple of quality signings if they are to lift the TPL trophy in November.

The Story So Far (Part 1) - The Big 3

The TPL season to date has been one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Here is a look at how the 20 TPL clubs are faring thus far. The first part focuses on the three sides that have dominated the title race during the last five years.

Muangthong United

Current Position: 1st

After a couple of early unconvincing home performances, Muangthong have emerged from the pack to top the table. The club parted ways with Scott Cooper after barely a month of the season and they are currently under the temporary guidance of caretaker Pon Chomchearn. The Twin Quilins have won their last four matches and on three occasions they have netted four goals on their travels. In Mario Gjurovski they have the TPL’s joint top goal scorer and arguably the best player in Thailand. Jay Bothroyd has started finding the back of the net and that should ease the blow when fans’ favorite Teerasil departs for Almeria on his one season loan deal. The only worry for MTU would be their goals against column. If they can stop conceding sloppy goals, then a return of the TPL crown to Nonthaburi seems highly likely.

Buriram United

Current Position: 12th

It’s been a difficult start for the 2013 treble winners. They have already been eliminated from the AFC Champions League and their patchy league form has dropped them into the unfamiliar surroundings of mid-table. The loss of Osmar Ibanez to FC Seoul has left Buriram weaker in both boxes. The paper thin squad has struggled to deal with the burden of two games in a week and it’s fair to say that the new signings haven’t lived up to expectations. It's expected that a few of the foreign recruits will be shipped out and a clutch of new signings will arrive when the transfer window reopens next month. Under Alejandro Menendez, some of his players appeared to lack match fitness and it was hard to fathom out his tactical formations at times. He has subsequently lost his job and the task of salvaging something from this season rests on new head coach Bozidar Bandovic’s shoulders. The target for the Serb will be to claw back the 10 point deficit on Muangthong and retain both the domestic cups.

Chonburi

Current Position: 5th

Chonburi had a clearout of fringe players at the end of last season and similar to Buriram United they never adequately strengthened during the break. The biggest fear of all Chonburi fans came into being when star player Thiago Cunha was ruled out with injury for the first half of the season. With mother nature catching up on Pipob and Therdsak, there is a shortage of attacking threat at Chonburi. New coach Masahiro Wada  seems a bit more clued up them the previous incumbent, Withaya Laohakul, but with virtually the same starting 11 to pick from, it’s hard to foresee Chonburi challenging for the title this season. Another season of mediocrity and lack of silverware would not go down well with the Chonburi faithful.