A Funny Kind
of Love. Port FC and I
Port 1 Khon
Kaen United 2
Wednesday 14th January 2025
Thai League
1
👨👨👧👧 2,317
Thai football has always been special to me, ever since I first discovered there was a league in the Land of Smiles during an early visit. Back
then, my time spent in Thailand was primarily for my involvement in six-a-side cricket competitions, meaning any information was found online.
It was scarce at the time, with Wikipedia being the main outlet before I later
discovered Facebook and Twitter pages, and I came across the excellent “It’s A Habit that Sticks”, an English blog site concentrating primarily on Chonburi FC. They were a huge name in Thai football at the time.
My First Time at Thai Football
I first found Thai club shirts in 2007 at shops near the National Stadium, including Police United and Port FC. My first chance to go to a
game arrived in 2010 after the cricket was over in Phuket. An Icelandic volcano
put pay to any scheduled return to Blighty.
I went to
Army United v Bangkok United and then Customs Suvarnabhumi v Thai Honda on consecutive
days, thoroughly enjoying my introduction without feeling any passion towards any of the sides involved. Before I returned home, I caught the
MRT to Khlong Toei and walked the ten minutes or so to the PAT Stadium, which was
being upgraded.
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No More Madam Pang on the posters anymore
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A Love Affair is Born
Something about it hooked me immediately. I later found out Port already had a reputation, with
their fans involved in fighting with those of rivals Muangthong United at
Suphachalasai Stadium a few months previously. It was so severe that it saw the Kor Royal Cup being
awarded to MTU. I would have to wait for my first game at the PAT.
I got my chance in April 2013, after attending a Regional League
game between Globlex and Samut Sakon. I hailed a taxi down Ramkhamhaeng Road, with the driver eventually working out where I wanted to go.
It was a disappointing result, as Singhtarua, as Port
were called at the time, lost 2-1 to BB-CU in the second tier. It was the first
night under the new floodlights which attracted a good-sized crowd.
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A drink with a pal in Bangkok's best beer garden
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The ground
had previously been somewhat of a shambles, with repeated floodlight failures, causing the abandonment of matches. Port had to move out, and the club had to reform.
It might have been because of
what I’d gone through with Scarborough FC going bust and then helping with the new
Scarborough Athletic, I felt quite at home. I did giggle when a fan in
front of me had “Hooligan” emblazed on his shirt rather than a player’s name.
Early Impressions of Port FC
My regular twice-yearly trips sometimes came up lucky for Port fixtures. I enjoyed everything about the
PAT experience and the occasional away games following the team. The feistiness and passion of the
fans, while being virtually on top of the pitch, gave it something that stood out
above other Thai venues. I even streamed some games while back in the UK.
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Never a shortage of food or drink at the PAT
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Things
changed, possibly forever at Port, when Nualphan Lamsam, otherwise known as
Madam Pang, took over the club. She is not camera-shy and
is not to everyone’s tastes. However, her finances made a huge difference.
The
atmosphere at games seemed to change somewhat. Beer was no longer allowed in the stands. Her image was displayed on a match advertisement, while she sat on the bench next to the coaches. They were put in awkward positions. If they had told her not to, it would have led to a difficult situation and dismissal. That’s how Thailand works.
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Only the Lonely as the kick-off approaches
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Living in Thailand
By
December 2021, I had moved to Thailand full-time. Tickets for the start of the
second leg during Covid restrictions were purchased, with my mate Steve joining me.
I went a lot that season as the results nosedived. The same as they had in many previous seasons and did in future seasons to come.
A Change of Perspective
Undoubtedly,
my feelings towards going to football changed when I moved home. Results were far less important to
me than before. I’d sometimes still get involved and have a shout at games, which I attended more than often as a neutral to visit new places. If a team like Port, whom I wanted to win, didn’t, I wasn’t that bothered once I walked outside the
gates.
I think it was because I was living in a beautiful place and finding the woman of my
dreams. We'd got married, while I was fully integrating into Thai life with her
family and friends. I still meet up occasionally with fellow farangs, but
generally, it's on a matchday somewhere. At Port, I have been lucky to meet
some loyal Thai locals who are passionate in the extreme.
At first,
I thought that I had confused them. My friends going to
games with me, were treated superbly by them. They understand that football
is my love rather than one club, even if they think I’m bonkers ever
considering going to games of Port's rivals Muangthong in the home end.
The Journey to the PAT Stadium
Returning from an amazing three-week tour around Thailand with my good lady and her
relatives, the fixtures fell kindly for me to go to my third home game of the
2024-25 season. Port had lost the previous Sunday away to Chiang Rai United,
who, like visitors, Khon Kaen United were in
the drop zone. Surely it would end in a home win.
I had taken
the quick route from Minburi, consisting of Songthaew, a rickety old smoke-belching
bus, to Bangkapi, a canal boat with similar attributes, and then the MRT underground. From there, it was a
ten-minute walk to the stadium. While I have a relaxed attitude toward attending games, something struck
me on this occasion.
Why the PAT Stadium is Special to Me
It was similar to the times that I would walk from St John’s Wood tube to Lord’s or when I headed down North Marine Road for a day of cricket at Scarborough. The PAT Stadium approach
gave me the same warm feeling inside.
It is a scruffy place — and a dream job for any health and safety official on secondment from the UK. It has no corporate facilities but has noise, passion and raucousness. To me, it's a perfect football stadium.
There was
certainly no need to seek out a tout or buy online for this match, with the 6pm midweek
slot being a contributory factor in a poor turnout. There is always somewhere
to sit or wander around in the large open forecourt once through the main gates from the road.
A huge variety
of street food is available in what I describe as Bangkok’s best beer garden, when there is a game on, and the atmosphere builds.
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Two gents who always improve my PAT experience
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My New Thai Friends
Yao (apologies if misspelt), my Thai friend, who plays great tunes via Bluetooth speaker
in the fans park outside, was unusually missing. I located his mates and had a
couple of beers with them before heading inside to our usual vantage point.
I found my friend concentrating on the
team doing their warmups along with his wife, Tuk. Yoa had trials with
the club as a youngster, being brought up over the road from the stadium. He is
well educated from time spent studying at a university in England, and now helps
run the family business.
His
knowledge, helpfulness, and generally great company were a joy to be around. The same applied to the
rest of the gang, who positioned themselves in the corner behind the goal nearest
the main stand.
Port games attract a wide range of fans from different backgrounds
and nations. I find the company of the locals the most comfortable as I get the
chance to practice speaking Thai and learn from them. And they have genuine
passion. It’s their club, whereas I am an expat and a guest.
One of those who stands in the corner never misses a game, home or away. He turns up with large yellow and red cards, which he shows to the referees to offer them advice. I love it.
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Time for half-time beers
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Matchday Anticipation
The visitors
went 1-0 ahead through Ryu Seung-woo midway through the first half. Port striker Lonsana Doumbouya had somehow headed a delicious cross from the
exquisite left foot of Kevin Deeromram over the bar before that.
He made amends
by nodding him stylishly within three minutes of his side going behind. The
hosts were missing opportunities galore, with away goalie Chirawat Wangthaphan
making one superb save.
Time for Beers
Yoa had gone out and returned with some beers. When Madam Pang took on the role of President
of the Thai FA, she handed control of the club to a relative. She was often still seen in her
apartment behind where we stand and even seen at games in her Port colours. Some disapproved, saying that it wasn't a particularly good look for someone who should be maintaining
neutrality.
Once again, beer was allowed back inside the stands. Muangthong
fans were also allowed back in the stadium for the derby after a hiatus of nine years,
while improvements were made to it.
This included an excellent playlist before games to enhance the build-up. It was back to more relaxed times. The wall of portraits of her on the rear
wall of a stand leaves nobody in any doubt about whom to thank.
We went
outside at the break, where Yoa’s mate had a stall. He served our beers and also
sold some superb spicy sausage. The chat and fun were such that we missed the
start of the second half, which included what would prove to be the winning goal
for Khon Kaen United.
Another match. Another Disappointing Result
Port
continued to huff and puff, but the lacklustre performance got no more than it
deserved. The visitors did what should be expected of any team fighting
relegation, as they fought and scrapped and used every trick in the book. If
only the home side showed the same passion. The victors showed just how
ordinary they were when, a few days later, they lost 9-0 away to Buriram United.
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It's A Family Affair at Port
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Enough was
enough for the Port hierarchy. Head coach Rangsan Viwatchaichok had been talked
out of resigning earlier in the season. This time, he was shown the door before
the night was out. It was typical of Port and summed up their previous seasons. A good start with big signings before falling apart. It was a good job that there were so many poor teams in the division.
The Problems Facing a Football Club Owner
But here lies the issue. Port, BG Pathum United, and Bangkok United are relatively unchallenged by the chasing pack, yet they know they have no chance of chasing down Buriram United.
Sacking a coach may need to be done occasionally, not least to indicate to the fans that the owners understand their disappointment. But will it really make a huge difference? I think that the only way is to be honest with fans and create a project over several years. This would mean employing without interfering and being patient. Traits that Thai club owners lack.
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The corner in the B Zone where I watch from
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Drowning Our Sorrows
We were oblivious to the news of the sacking, as we got stuck into more Leo’s, enjoying the evening. There was another home game to come the following
week against Ratchaburi. I was pretty sure that I’d be there, but it looked
like Yoa was double-booked. I'd find a way to have fun regardless, though I'd miss him.
Tuk kindly took pity on me and dropped me at the end of my village, putting up with two heavily-imbibed blokes chatting away. She deserved
the Player of the Match award, as I remembered how lucky I was to have made such good friends to enjoy my football with.
