The awards

Raj collected the D2 award yesterday. Other awards included:
Defender of the year: Suriya (No.2 )
Youth player of the year: Kornprom  (No.11 )
Goalkeeper of the year Yen Emile (No.1 )

Photo credits: Job at football.rajpracha.com

 

Trophy award

Rajpracha will be officially awarded the Thai Division Two trophy tomorrow (Dec 27th) at Radisson Hotel at 1400. Well done, lads!

My Christmas Appeal

Well usually at this time of year, in blogs of old, I put a soppy Christmas message on my blog. I talk about the buzz I get at Christmas, my memories, my hopes for the new year and so on.


This year I'll be a little different. I don't like to talk about it much but I like to make a point of visiting an orphanage every year (not necessarily at Christmas) and making a donation.

This year I'll be visiting the Ban Kruu Noi, a home for kids without homes or with parents in prison. Kruu Noi is a disabled lady and has run up a huge debt taking care of children of various ages. You can read more about it here:
http://www.moobankru.com/bankrunoi_Eng/e_menu1.html

Not being a rich man, I try to drum up a little donation or three from other people as well as taking my own. Sadly, this year I've had very little response. I know Christmas can be expensive, but even a tiny donation can go a long way.

So this year I ask anyone who reads my blogs to make a tiny donation, even one or two hundred baht (about four pounds) can make a difference, though of course the more the merrier. You don't have to like me or trust me, you can visit the website and see the details to make a transfer yourself from an ATM.

If just one person makes a donation, I will be very, very grateful.

I promise not to make a habit of asking.

But regardless of that, I want to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and New Year.

Greg

Pre-season

Raj return for training on Jan 4th. A friend of mine from the UK may well be on trial with them.

News from the Raj

Raj will take part in the division Two champions tournament next month. It appears to be the D2 equivalent of the Premier League Supercup and equally pointless.

In better news, I've been told by somebody who asked the Rajpracha FC president first hand about plans for next season, and he was told Raj would stay at Nonthaburi Stadium and develop the ground.

Updates

Yen and Dawuda have agreed to play for Rajpracha again next season.



According to thaileaguefootball.com , Raj lost 0 - 4 to Nakhon Phatom in a friendly, but I don't believe this was a proper match, as there was no mention of it from Rajpracha fans and several key players are still on holiday.



Finally, there seems to be talk of a relocation again for Rajpracha. Various rumours seem to suggest the club will either redevelop the current ground or find a new one. The big, big fear for fans of course is that the club will move away from Nonthaburi. Hopefully this won't happen as Raj are not a commercially owned team unlike the others who have moved or threatened to move such as PEA, TTM, BEC and TOT (Just having read that list, it seems not having a three letter set of initials is also a safeguard!) and have a local affiliation in their history and in the full name of the team; Rajpracha-Nonthaburi FC.

My message is this: please guys, do what you have to do with Nonthaburi Stadium and stay around, you're building up a good, loyal fan base. Having Muangthong on your doorstep is not a problem, it's an advantage Rivalries in Thailand are not the same as the UK. Fans of MTU like to come and support Raj because the two teams play on different days.

I know one four year old boy who will be heartbroken if Raj do leave.

The final scores

Loei 3 Chiang Rai 3
SP 0 Narathaiwat 0

Great news for Raj fans, as they win the group with ease!
Good to see Narataiwat promoted rather than SP. No disrespect to SP fans but this is poetic justice for the conduct of the players.

Table from siamsport.co.th:

Team.        Played.    Won.     Draw.    Lost.   + / -.        Score.
1 Raj              8.         4                2         2           3                14
2.CRU            8          3                3          2           1                12
3 Narathiwat 8          2                4          2           0                10
4 Prakan        8          2                3          3          -1                  9
5Loei             8          2                2          4          -3                  8

The FA Cup History

Thanks to instantkarma on the forum of Raj's Official Site, I can cofnirm that Rajpracha FC have won the Thai FA Cup five times:

1975, 1976, 1984, 1992 and 1994

1975 was the first year the Thai FA competition took place and Raj won the cup under the name of 'Youth Development Team '.

Instantkarma also pointed out some Raj players who used to play for MTU:
No.3 Suphat Onthong
No.7 Prakit Deeprom
No.24 Niwet Petchchamrat
No.34 Kanae Chan-im

The Rajpracha Squad

Regular first team players:

1 GK Yen Emile

2 DF Suriya Kupalang
3 DF/MD Ratgan Jamparat
4 DF Wisarut  Pannasai
5 DF/MD Sawin Bunsopit
6 DF Chochai Choochi
15 DF Dawuda Wulampah
20 DF Wuttipong Sittitanyakit
21 DF Nirun Phunthong
23 DF Kittipong Somak
28 DF Phairot Keawketsri

7 MD Prakit Deeprom
8 MD Chokdee Intharalak
10 MD Seksit Srisai
11 MD Kornprom Jaroonpong
27 MD Pichit Kesaro
14 MD Sarawut Sintupan

9 ST Taiki Ishizu
13 FW Narakorn Wisetthanakarn
26 ST Noppadon Ponudom
16 ST Tameezee Hayeeyusoh
17 FW Awakajit Suramon
30 FW Kouame Yao Mathieu (On loan from Muangthong United) 

Squad/Youth team players:
12 GK Noppadom Sopdee
18 GK Peerachart Yimthong

19 DF Nuttapol Poontawee
24 DF (?) Thierry Touoyem
31 DF Itthiporn Teprean (Asuumption Thonburi School)
32 DF Thanapon Phao (Nakhom Pathom)
25 FW Thanachot Suppol
33 FW Sylla Moussa

General info

I've updated Raj's wikipedia page. I've altered some player names, removed Jose as coach following his resignation and updated some league information.

There are some discrepancies. The wiki page states Raj have won the FA cup just twice, in fact it is more than this, and some of the Thai FA Cup data seems incorrect. Some work ahead!

I'm awaiting a response from a fan club leader that will help me to provide further squad details. The wiki page is understandably brief and I hope to expand it over time.

Highlights from Chang Rai United 0 Rajpracha 1

clip courtesy of cheerballthai









Pictures from siammsport.co.th

Niwet takes on a CRU plyer.

 

Kornprom goes down.

 

Niwet again?

Chaing Rai United 0 Rajpracha 1

In the first play off game of the season Raj were outclassed, out motivated and outwitted by Chaing Rai United on their own pitch. If you had told me after that game that Rajpracha would win the play off group, I would have laughed at you.

But this game completes the remarkable turnaround. Early reports indicate the match was very even, and the goal was the result of a mistake by a CRU defender.

It's only Chaing Rai's second ever league defeat in their history. Should they (Chaing Rai) fail to beat Loei City by two goals or more in their final game, Raj will win the group. You know what? They deserve it. In the last five games they've shown class, courage and desire. Congratulations, guys!

Promotion

The official Rajpracha website confirms The Raj are indeed promoted. According to the OS, the worst case scenario is that Raj finish joint third with Samutprakan, whom Raj have defeated in the head to head.

Have a look at the table and fixtures and see for yourself.

Congratulations Rajpracha!

Thai Football Fanzine

Sniffin' Somtam (And Other Thai Football Habits) is a one off old school fanzine dedicated to promoting the local game. With contributions by fans of various Thai clubs it offers an introduction to football in the kingdom and some in depth articles about related subjects.

The fanzine, which has 26 A4 pages, costs B50 and will be on sale outside Rajamangala Stadium before tomorrow nights Thailand v Singapore match. It is also available by mail order, with a small charge for p&p, from nuichonburi(at)gmail.com

Any profit that we make from the sale of the 'zine will be donated to a local charity.

Contributors :

Vinnie - www.clubwebsite.co.uk/koratfc

Marco - www.thaiportfc.blogspot.com

Antony - www.jakartacasual.blogspot.com

Greg- www.muangthongunitedfc.blogspot.com

Andy - www.bangkokglassfc.webs.com

Loko - www.thai-fussball.de

Klaus - www.clubwebsite.co.uk/chonburifc

Me - www.clubwebsite.co.uk/chonburifc

Rajpracha 2 Loei City 1

A game that never, ever should have been allowed to start turned into an exciting win for Rajpracha today. According to some people, it guarantees them promotion.

The game was switched to Muangthong United's Thunderdome Stadium at the request of Channel 11 so they could televise the game. Channel 11 then promptly changed their mind but by then it was too late for Raj to switch back, so the game went ahead at the Thunderdome.

About thirty or forty minutes before kick off, it start to pour with rain around the ground. Kick off was delayed by fifteen minutes but I didn't see any official check on the pitch (though I arrived late). I was under the impression Muangthong United's pitch had been replaced, I was wrong. The new turf has not yet been laid down and the old pitch remains in its damaged, riveted, torn up form. I walked in with my son at the wrong end and found myself mobbed by Loei fans. In England, my error may well have got me a beating. Today, it just got me a few handshakes and smiles.

The match began and it was a horror show. Rain was thrown up from the grass with every step from every player. The simplest challenge turned into a mammoth task as players began slipping and sliding everywhere. I was sure there would be a serious injury.

This chaos led to the early goal from Loei City who scored after two minutes. To their credit, Raj fans and players both recovered quickly. Raj went back on the attack and came close.

At this point, Raj's Cameroonian 'keeper Yen Emile became agitated with the Loei City number 12, Preuous Kuffour. The two began remonstrating. On more than one occasion Yen ran to the halfway line to argue with his Ghanaian opponent. Yen also seemed angry that the Loei keeper was wearing the same colours as his team mates. He seemed to find this obstruct his positioning. The Leoi goalie, to his credit, changed his shirt.

At around the thirty minute mark, Preuous Kuffour decided to start time wasting. He threw himself on the floor, called on the stretcher, got on the stretcher....and to the delight of the home fans, he promptly fell off.

Before long Rajpracha equalised from a deflection. Sorry everyone, I missed the scorer but I think it was no.34 . Both fans and players came to life.

The ongoing Camerooon - Ghana battle reached a head soon after the goal. Preuous Kuffour came through for a one on one with Yen Emile. Yen collected the ball and very quickly elbowed the Loei number 12 in the face. It wasn't quick enough though, and when Yen realised his assault had been seen by almost everyone in the ground, he threw himself down and played dead, too. Amazingly, the ref sent nobody off. The game continued in the atrocious conditions. About five minutes from the break, Raj scored again from a goal mouth scramble to send the players and fans in happy at half time.

The second half was a quieter affair, as the wet turf exhausted the players, but massive credit must be given to both sides for trying to play good football in such conditions. Rajpracha - in contrast to the last time I saw them - looked ready to die for the cause and fought for every last ball.

Raj hit the post, Loei came close several times, but the game finished 2 - 1 to Raj, prompting some home fans to set off fireworks.

Some fans seem sure that we are now guaranteed promotion on the head to head rule, even though Samutprakan won their away game at leaders Chaing Rai. As far as I can tell, we could still finish fourth if Loei win both of their remaining games. But promotion now seems well within our grasp nd based on today's show, the fans and players both deserve it. I just thank god nobody was seriously hurt. The FAT have a lot to answer for.

Photo credits as per the inscription. Posted on football.rajpracha.com

My son's first game.

Raj fans celebrate. 

 

Loei fans who braved the long journey.

 

I understand Jose Alves Borges has resigned from Rajpracha. The manager was given a touchline ban for crucial play off games which The Raj lost, and notably lacked guidance for. Jose claims he wishes to take responsibility for that.

In other news, Samutprakan where involved in a violent incident at the end of the game against Rajpracha in which Raj's number nineteen, Buen,  was punched.
There is no news of any action by the Thai FA as of yet.

The next game against Loei City has been switched to the Thunderdome and will be played this Sunday (not Saturday) as it will be televised.

Samutprakan 1 The Raj 2

This puts The Raj in second place but with two very tough games ahead - Loei at home and Chang Rai away. If they can take four points from six, they should be promoted.

Samutprakan Vs The Raj

The Raj make the short journey to Samutprakan today. The province is home to the new airport named Suvarnabhumi Airport but pronounced "Suwanapoom" for reasons nobody understands.

The team do not have their own stadium and play at Bangmod Stadium. The Raj desperately need a win to keep in the promotion hunt.

Rajpracha 0 Narathawat 0

A quiet game which we really needed to win. The Raj sit in third place (the final promotion spot) but face their toughest fixtures ahead of them.We still have to play the dominant Chang Rai United away from home after all.

Oh great!

To cap off a rubbish day, I arrived at the Sports Stadium to find the game had been moved to the Thunderdome due to technical difficulties with the live broadcast. Apparently nobody checked that it was feasible to broadcast from the SS until the day of the game.

Still awaiting the final score .

Update

Narathiwat 0 Rajpracha 2 - a crucial win that puts The Raj into the final promotion spot (third place) on goal difference. Now to cement that with a win in the return match next week.

Training

I mentioned that in the match against Chang Rai, the boys looked a little complacent. It seems I may be right, as I'm told the squad have been taken to a sports camp for intensive training ahead of the match against Narathiwat on Sunday.

I won't have time for a preview for this one as I have a wedding to attend tomorrow and I'm still desperately search for a nanny, but suffice to say that another defeat will consign Rajpracha to Division 2 against next season.

Rajpracha 1 Samut Prakan 1 - The report

I'm still gutted that I missed this crucial match and I've no idea why the date was switched.

In any case, reports indicate that it was a very even game, Samut Prakan staged a walk off in the second half and delayed the game by some twenty minutes. This is not the first time SP have staged such a childish scene, in fact, they have a reputation for doing so. This includes some chair throwing incidents in a game against Ayuhhaya in August. Apparently they have not been punished well enough.



This time, the hissy fit back-fired as Rajpracha equalised in the last minute, in darkness. The result leaves the Raj at the bottom of the play off table and anything less than a win against Narathiwat would be curtains.

Goal scorers TBA!

Clip of the fans. Thanks to 'Between P's Youth (หนุ่มระพีร์) at football.rajpracha.com  for this.


Match photos courtesy of and many thanks to Job on the football.rajpracha.com forum:
(Note: blogger.com still have bugs in their new post editor. Click on a picture to see it in full.) 

Rajpracha 1 Samut Prakan 1

More details to follow.

Rajpracha vs Samut Prakan

EDIT: The game has been moved to Sunday 18th October, making it impossible for me to attend.

I know nothing about Samut Prakan FC beyond their wiki page but I do know Rajpracha desperately need to win this game. Two games in, they are the only side with zero points, Samut Prakan have three points.

I was hoping to interview with a couple of the players this time around but it seems technical problems (busted Samsung MP3/recorder) will stop me. I'll still try though.

Loei City 2 Rajpracha 1

Not Loei City 2 Rajpracha o as reported in some areas.

Missed this one due to family commitments but I'll try and throw something together tomorrow.

No go

Sadly I won't be able to get to or even watch the crucial game between Loei City and Rajpracha today as my mother is coming for a visit.

The game will be live on Siam Sport at 4pm.

Let's all hope Rajpracha can get some points on the board and I hope to make it to the next game.

Getting to the ground

Nonthaburi FC's current home ground is in Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok. It's near a well known temple (well known to locals at least) called "Wat Boat Don Prom".

A map in Thai to show to a taxi driver is available here.

A Google maps link is here.

The easy and quick way from anywhere:
To get very close to the stadium, you can simply ask any taxi to take you to "Central Rattanathibet". This is a well known shopping mall close to the stadium, from where you can ask any local taxi to take you to the ground.
From downtown Bangkok, you would be looking at 200 - 400 baht taxi fare. When getting a taxi in Bangkok always be sure the driver uses the meter and if not, get another cab. Be sure the car has a yellow ID plate on the side doors and make sure he is aware of where he is going. It's not uncommon for drivers to drive for thirty minutes then tell you they don't know where your destination is.

The slightly more complicated but very cheap way from downtown Bangkok:
If you want to save money and don't mind a bit of adventure, you can take air-con bus 522 from Victory Mounument. This will take you over a very long highway bridge and then come straight down onto  Ngamwongwan Road. However as soon as you come off the bridge and onto this road you should alight, as you will then be heading away from the ground. You should cross Ngamwongwan Road by footbridge and take a bus to Central Department store (bus 337, 134 or 177 all around 10 bt) or take a taxi from where you are at a cost of about 150 bt.

Rajpracha 1 Chang Rai United 2

I'm sad to report that Rajpracha Nonthaburi went down 1 -2 in their play off game against Chang Rai United.

The first half was dominated by Chang Rai, with the away side showing greater pace and frequently wrong-footing the Rajpracha back line. It was a surprisingly one sided game for at least the first half hour, and the blues seemed strangely lacking in confidence. One overhit cross by a Chang Rai winger had the home goalkeeper screaming at his defenders to collect it, yet they froze and the keeper had to come out of his box to cover it.

On twenty four minutes the inevitable happened as number twenty six scored for Chang Rai with a header from point blank range. That lead was nearly doubled on two occasions within the next ten minutes. One excellent stop from the home goalie and a miss by centimeters kept the score down.

Two minutes before half time however the lead was indeed doubled as one player I couldn't identify scored from a penalty box scramble.

The second half saw a lot more pressure from Rajpracha with greater use of width, more ground passing and more pressure from the wing backs, yet still the hosts showed little penetration. A disputed penalty, taken by number seven (I think) allowed them back into the game. but the goal only served to wake up Chang Rai. An innocuous scuffle between two players bought police, security and a surprisingly aggressive poodle onto the pitch for the obligatory Thai football ruckus. This was the final highlight though, as Chang Rai played down the clock to seal a vital away win, much to the delight of the 150 or so traveling fans, who made good noise throughout.

Personal reflections of my first lower league game:

I enjoyed the game and was impressed with the attendance, which I'd guess was around 300 - 400 with good colour and noise from both sets of fans. The standard of football was not far behind the TPL. What did shock me was the seemingly blasé attitude from Rajpracha players. At half time they were smiling, play-fighting and making remarkably little effort at their warm up exercises. (The one exception to this being the African striker who came on at half time). Now when my team is losing two-nil in a play off game, I expect them to be seriously ticked off, not laughing,joking and chatting. The Brazilian coach was nowhere in sight and I saw absolutely no interaction between players and coaching staff other than someone handing the players water bottles. I understand many Rajpracha players are university students who get scholarships from the club. I expect them to be motivated and hungry to play in division one, just one step away from the Premiership.

EDIT: Some real pictures now thanks to the credited people.

Original photo credit:Thanks: ฝากรูปลง hi5 ฟรีเว็บไซต์ ขายเครื่องสำอาง
My credit: Job at football.rajpracha.com

Original photo credit:Thanks: ฝากรูปลง hi5 ฟรีเว็บไซต์ ขายเครื่องสำอาง
My credit: Job at football.rajpracha.com

Original photo credit:Thanks: ฝากรูปลง hi5 ฟรีเว็บไซต์ ขายเครื่องสำอาง
My credit: Job at football.rajpracha.com

Original photo credit:Thanks: ฝากรูปลง hi5 ฟรีเว็บไซต์ ขายเครื่องสำอาง
My credit: Job at football.rajpracha.com

A rather pointless clip:

Rajpracha Vs Chang Rai United fans clip

by samspade10