So what is going on around here and where does it happen? This section is for discussion on local events, festivals, and holidays as well as activities and things to do.
Big Boy wrote:Away at the moment, so I'll keep this brief, and wait for the rose tinted version from the higher seats later.
After the events of the last few weeks I've decided I'm not going back, I've had enough .... I want last season's champions back! ...... So no rose tinted version from me this week!
Haha, I'm kidding of course, I will be back but unfortunately I couldn't make this week's game so unable to comment on yesterday's match. Glad to see we got 3 points to still keep us in with an ever so slight chance though.
One thing I'll agree with you on is:
Big Boy wrote:Andre went of injured, and we became a toothless tiger. If he's not there, we don't seem to have another striker.
We are sadly lacking strength in depth in that department, which makes the decision to loan Anucha out all the harder to take. A poor decision by those running the club......
Yet one more poor decision in a series of poor decisions that has cost us dearly this season.
BB you are like a dog with a bone with your constant references to last season's champions...... You just will not let it go will you?!
Big Boy wrote:Oh, how they must be regretting their words saying that last season's champions weren't good enough, and they were going to bring in players the likes of which the league had never seen before.
The fact remains that last season's champions were NOT good enough. We did not achieve promotion last season.
I for one firmly believe that what has cost us this season has been matters off the pitch. The squad we have at the moment should be capable of walking this league and having a real good shot at the CL. But go back to the start of the season and all the carry on with regards Nobby Solano..... That went on way too long, we started the season without a coach! Now we have all this mess with regards TOT and our coach spending so much time there.
Those are the main contributing factors in my opinion. Man for man, virtually every player in every position has been upgraded/improved this season. I've said before that Lamptey is the only one that would come close to this team, and with the likes of Pu, Da and Valery even that's not a certainty.
I don't have a lot of time just now either so I'll leave it there for now!
This weeks apathetic performance has obviously had an effect on me because much the same as the teams attitude towards the game I couldn't be bothered to write about it.
On paper Sundays starting eleven was probably the strongest we have put out all season. In reality the majority of those players went through the motions for 90 minutes in a totally inept and lethargic manor. Players who have put in good performances all season regardless of the overall teams performance just weren't at the races in this game.
Pu returned to the defence in place of Valery to allow Michael Byrne and the twins to play as our 3 foreigners. I rate Pu highly but he has been struggling with injury(s) for weeks now and still is a long way from being 100% fit from what I have seen. Having said that his performance on Sunday was dreadful. Much has been said in recent weeks about faffing about, whatever that may mean. Pu gave us a masterclass in that on Sunday. Continuously trying to play unnecessary football in his own box when he was the last and only defender, countless meaningless passes and square balls which served no purpose, slow and predictable. Truly awful. If that, as some have said, is the extent of his vision to take us where we want to be, god help us.
The back four played 20 yards too deep which meant most of the midfeild played 20 yards too deep which meant we were unable to put pressure on the opposition in their own half when we lost the ball. Apart from his cross for the first goal Athit Wisetslip (No. 2), so often our man of the match since his arrival was poor. Lucas and Andre tried hard but with little support. The rest, well, hardly worth talking about, so I am not going to.
The one posititive from the game was the performance of Michael Byrne. Absolutely superb. Unfortunately he had no one to play with. He chased and harried, urged the team forward but unfortunately no one else reacted or did the same. His body language as the game went on said it all, "what am I doing here with these muppets". The frustration on his face was very apparent. That's all I can say is I appreciated your performance Michael and yet again you showed that as far as football attributes, quality and vision are concerned you are light years ahead of this mob.
The substitutions were again a complete mystery. We ended the game with three centre halfs and 7 midfield players on the pitch. This is the third game in recent weeks that we have ended a match without a striker on the field. I just don't understand what the coach is thinking.
Enough, can't be bothered to write anymore. Four more games to endure then its all over and from what many thai supporters are telling me that could be over permanently as the team we now know.
Sabai Sabai wrote:The fact remains that last season's champions were NOT good enough. We did not achieve promotion last season.
Yes, that is a fact, they were not good enough to get promoted. However, to have a mass clear out, and bring in a bunch of players who were no better was disgusting. Please don't argue with that, because it was confirmed when the club themselves agreed and had another mass clear out.
Where did it go wrong, faffing about trying to bring Nobby Solano to Hua Hin (never a popular move with me). I was delighted when we actually brought on board a good Thai coach, and until recently he worked very well with the squad to get them playing proper football. We should have had a proper Thai coach on board before the start of the season, and he should have done the hiring and firing.
Who did the hiring and firing? I don't know, but Ricardo and Marcus were reported as wanting the existing players out and a a squad of players brought in like the league had never known before. Unfortunately, they obviously didn't have the right people in position to do that.
The job was simple - get rid of the deadwood. They were champions, so they weren't that bad. The weak spots simply had to be strengthened.
Geordie Dancer wrote:I rate Pu highly but he has been struggling with injury(s) for weeks now and still is a long way from being 100% fit from what I have seen. Having said that his performance on Sunday was dreadful. Much has been said in recent weeks about faffing about, whatever that may mean. Pu gave us a masterclass in that on Sunday. Continuously trying to play unnecessary football in his own box when he was the last and only defender, countless meaningless passes and square balls which served no purpose, slow and predictable. Truly awful. If that, as some have said, is the extent of his vision to take us where we want to be, god help us.
I'm with you 100% on this one. Pu has been one of the players I have though was really good, and can probably read the game as good as Stephens did last season. However I started having my doubts in the friendly against Phetburi. He was the main instigator of faffing about at the back. It's such a shame, because he can read the game so well.
Geordie Dancer wrote:The one posititive from the game was the performance of Michael Byrne. Absolutely superb. Unfortunately he had no one to play with. He chased and harried, urged the team forward but unfortunately no one else reacted or did the same. His body language as the game went on said it all, "what am I doing here with these muppets". The frustration on his face was very apparent. That's all I can say is I appreciated your performance Michael and yet again you showed that as far as football attributes, quality and vision are concerned you are light years ahead of this mob.
I've never made it a secret that I'm not sure about Byrne. However, my thinking started to change a little, again at the Phetburi match, when I was stood with his mother for much of the game. I didn't tell her my views, but I listened intently to what she was saying, and it was making sense. Basically, the players he is playing with don't read the game as well as he does, and often make him look to be at fault. Both you and his mum are right, and the Muppet statement is correct. However, if his team mates aren't good enough play with him, should he be selected, or should they put somebody on the field that fits in with the rest of the team? I don't know the answer, just wondering what others think.
Geordie Dancer wrote:This weeks apathetic performance has obviously had an effect on me because much the same as the teams attitude towards the game I couldn't be bothered to write about it.
I must admit, I was a lot more relaxed at this game. I think having the promotion pressure lifted in recent matches has helped considerably. IMHO we were promised too much, and we expected the team to deliver. We just weren't good enough this season.
Big Boy wrote:
Yes, that is a fact, they were not good enough to get promoted. However, to have a mass clear out, and bring in a bunch of players who were no better was disgusting. Please don't argue with that, because it was confirmed when the club themselves agreed and had another mass clear out.
But who brought in the players?? We had no coach at that time(due to Nobby Solano situation)
When coach Kai Geaow eventually came into the side, he had to wait until the transfer window to make new signings.
If we had just appointed him in the first place AND given him the time to settle in, AND and the new players time to settle in, we would have won the league by now I'm sure.
I agree with us having a clearout of last season's squad because they were not good enough, but we should have appointed a manager first......
Big Boy wrote:I think we're saying the same thing, but using different words.
Fair enough.
Big Boy wrote:Where did it go wrong, faffing about trying to bring Nobby Solano to Hua Hin (never a popular move with me). I was delighted when we actually brought on board a good Thai coach, and until recently he worked very well with the squad to get them playing proper football. We should have had a proper Thai coach on board before the start of the season, and he should have done the hiring and firing.
Agree, whether it was Nobby, a Thai coach or anyone else, we should have had a coach in place for before the start of the season. That was a massive error on the part of the club.
Big Boy wrote:However, if his team mates aren't good enough play with him, should he be selected, or should they put somebody on the field that fits in with the rest of the team? I don't know the answer, just wondering what others think.
I still think we need to play him, Nutthapong has enough about him to be on the same wavelength, hopefully Lucas as well. The lad Wisetslip certainly has the raw talent and you would hope playing with the likes of Byrne could bring his game on. All 3 should be able to learn from him.
I've seen similar with my club St.Johnstone, we are not a massive club but on a few occasions we've got players that have played at the highest level come and finish their careers with us, Sergei Baltacha a Russian legend of the game came and the improvement of our other centre half just from playing and learning from him was immense. Jody Morris and Michael Dubbery to an extent had the same effect on the guys around them.
If you want to improve your team you have to pick the best players, and allow the others to learn from them. In my humble opinion anyway.
Sabai Sabai wrote:I still think we need to play him, Nutthapong has enough about him to be on the same wavelength, hopefully Lucas as well. The lad Wisetslip certainly has the raw talent and you would hope playing with the likes of Byrne could bring his game on. All 3 should be able to learn from him.
I think I'd agree, or at least give him an extended run in the first team (starters).
I've said in the past he blows hot and cold, but I'm swinging around to the possibility it's his team mates. If he played more often, maybe he'd start to create a better relationship with some of them.
Another trip on the bus from hell resulting in a very long day again, As a result, I'll keep it short tonight, and maybe a bit more tomorrow after others have had their say.
A strange line up today with no recognised full backs. The centre half pairing was Da and Pu. Byrne was the 3rd Farang starter, so Valery was on the bench.
The first half was all Hua Hin, but they couldn't score.
Rajpracha were gradually getting the upper hand in the second half, and I was half expecting them to take the lead. A double substitution after 60 minutes saw Valery replacing Byrne (who threw his toys out of the pram when replaced) and Choi replacing Nattapong. The former substitution happens regularly, and never fails to confuse me i.e. bringing on a centre half to replace our play maker, or vice-versa,
The goal came in the 80th minute with a lovely pass from Choi setting up Andre with the easiest task of side-footing the ball into the net - job done.
Again, with league honours only a very distant possibility, it was a relaxed game to watch - very little to play for except honour. I was able to enjoy the match.
Quite a tough test next week, when we're matched against Krung Thonburi next Sunday at Fort Thanarat with a 16:00 KO,
In just 29 weeks, the new stadium is almost complete. Certainly, I doubt that I'll bother posting more videos. However, during today's walkabout, I came to the conclusion the ground is not fit for the purpose of watching football in many places i.e.:
- The tarmac road, which has been painted (so I conclude complete), is already breaking up, and there are already lumps and grooves appearing.
- The clip together seating is a metallic construction. OK, it is currently silver, which will reflect some sunshine, but I sat on it at 09:30 this morning, when the temperature was under 30C, and I was a little uncomfortable. Imagine what it will be like in April when it is hot - asbestos cushions could be order of the day.
- There is hardly anywhere in the West side that an entire football match can be watched without obstructions. I went as far North West as I could, and parts of the pitch were still obstructed. The situation will only worsen when dug outs are put in place.
- The grandstand is just as bad. The back rows are obstructed by the greenhouse and the forward rows are obstructed by a wall.
- The grandstand roof only covers the back 2 rows of grandstand seating, so anybody forward of that will get wet.
I sincerely hope somebody with authority inspects the ground the way I did in a few minutes today. The problems are glaring at you. I am over 6' 5" so my view will be better than most, and I couldn't see. Such a shame, because a lot of time and money has been put into this project, but nobody seems to be overseeing it, with a view to its use as a football stadium.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, where did it all go wrong? Last season we had a squad of honest, hard working footballers who won the league. Unfortunately, our away form in the Champions league let us down, and we didn't win promotion. Regardless of how the Champions League finished, the season was fun.
We took on a couple sponsors, and they reportedly promised success. They decided our champions were not good enough, and they were going to bring in players the likes of which the league had never seen before.
Our manager left, and most of our champions were given their marching orders, and replacements brought in (by who, we don't know, but they were nowhere near as good as the players they replaced. We were told that Nobby Solano was going to be our new manager - despite a long wait, that never happened.
Our first couple of games were abysmal, until the eventual arrival of the Brazilians. What a farce that was as well - couldn't get a flight to Thailand because every seat from Brazil to Thailand was full due to the Chinese New Year - the first BS warning. 3 Brazilians eventually arrived, and 2 were good - maybe even players the likes of which the league had never seen before. However, we were still without a manager, but the Brazilian twins started to make their impression on the league, and results were starting to go our way, even though a lot of our success was due to kick & rush football.
Eventually, we signed a manager, and game by game he started to turn the players into a football team. By the mid-season break, a successful season was looking to be on the cards. However, many of the team were given their marching orders again, and we brought in a lot of experienced footballers to ensure success.
By the time of our victory at Samut Sakhon we were looking like dead certainties for a Champions League place.
Then our enthusiastic sponsors bought TOT, and many of the Hua Hin City resources were diverted to ensuring TOT's survival in the Thai Premier League. Hua Hin City started going seriously downhill from there. With talks of team merger, and Hua Hin City playing in either League 1 or the Premier League, the writing was on the wall for many of the Hua Hin City team, who just wouldn't hack it in the higher division, and we know how callous the management can be. Our performances deteriorated week by week. Despite being promised an explanation several weeks ago, we still don't have an idea what is going on. As a result, rumours abound.
Last season was fun. Every game was a carnival atmosphere. This season we've been promised, and expect a lot. It isn't happening. The fun factor seems to have gone out of it this season, and some of the performances have been quite depressing.
I wonder if anybody will stand up and admit they were wrong decimating a team of champions, and bringing in players who were not as good.
So back to today.................. I've been to a few friendlies this season where a decent teams starts the match, and then the rest play the second half. The second half is usually a non-event because our Brazilian twins don't play. Whether or not the manager has thrown in the towel, but he played 'the rest', with several regulars not even sitting on the bench. The starting line-up had managed 2 goals all season.
When Michael Byrne was taken off injured early on, there wasn't a player on the field who had scored a goal this season. That coupled with Annop having a howler between the sticks, I was wondering why I'd paid good money to be there this afternoon.
Krung Thonburi opened the scoring with a free kick from a very long way out. Annop let a very slippery ball to slip right past him. Hua Hin were playing very badly. About half way through the first half, things changed, and Hua Hin came alive. Vacharapong scored a nice header from an accurate ball delivered by Choi from a free kick just outside the penalty area. We now had a goal scorer on the pitch.
The 2nd half saw Hua Hin have much of the play, but Krung Thonburi gave a lesson in how to attack. Every Hua Hin attack was taking too long, with (dare I say it) too much faffing about at the back. Rarely did Hua Hin get the ball in the opposition's half before Krung Thonburi had 10 players behind the ball. When Krung Thonburi attacked, it was with 2 or 3 swift passes upfield, leaving the hua hin defence short handed. This fast counter attacking play resulted in 2 lovely goals for the opposition.
With the Brazilian twins watching from the stands, Byrne coming off injured and Anucha out on loan, we were a toothless tiger again. Our season is over.
No game next week. Next game is home at Fort Thanarat again against Rachapreuk Meuang Non Utd on Sun 20 Sept. There is absolutely nothing to play for except pride.
I admit to not knowing a great deal about football tactics but I'm fairly sure that it's not a game that's completely dominated by one's prowess over the porcelain.
I wonder if anybody will stand up and admit they were wrong decimating a team of champions, and bringing in players who wee not as good.
.... I want last season's champions back! ...... So no rose tinted version from me this week! 
