Sawadeee Krub, my name is Nick Gorman welcome to our new weekly column Khon Kaen Football Club

President Dr. Kasom Chanawongse has asked me to write for our foreign fan club members, English

speaking supporters and website users. This will be a behind the scenes view of our football club.

• ForeignAffairsandnewforeignsigningsforKKFC

InowhavetworolesatKhonKaenFootballClub,firstlytoassistthesquadasTechnicalCoachandsec-

ondlyasForeignAffairsOfficer.MyroleasTechnicalCoachallowsmetoassistHeadCoachNarongand

hisstaffwithcoachingsessionsonaweeklybasis.AsForeignAffairsOfficerIamalsothelinktothe

foreignplayersattheclub.Myinitialtaskinpre-seasonwastobringintwoforeignplayerstojoinour

squad.SinceourpromotiontoTheThaiPremierLeaguethepastfourmonthshavebeenalotbusier

than you would realize. I have spent countless evenings contacting players from all over the globe. I

have spent time carefully selecting resumes leaving us with only four possible candidates.

Infootballwhenyoumakenewsigningsyoumustaskyourselfcertainquestions1/willtheplayers

improveoursquad.2/willtheplayerwesignprovetobeasgoodasandpossiblybetterthanwhatwe

alreadyhave?Infootballwhenyouarelookingatthepotentialofsigningforeignplayersthequestions

differslightly.1/willtheforeignplayer

improveoursquad.2/willtheforeign

player we sign prove to be as good as

and possibly better than the Thai players

we already have?

It’s impossible to know the answers to

thesequestionsstraightaway.However

it’smyjobtomakethedecisiononthe

recommendation and evidence I have in

frontofme.Solet’slookattheseques-

tions closely. Will the player improve the

team in matches and improve the depth

ofoptionstooursquad.

Firstlyourexpectationofaforeignplayerjoiningourfamilywillalwaysbe:Willtheplayerenjoyliving

in Thailand, will the player be accepted in our family, will the player adapt to our culture and ultimately

will the player settle into our family. So we need someone who will understand and embrace the way

we eat, sleep, travel, train and prepare, to understand our playing system and why we play this particu-

larsystemthroughouttheclub.Hemustbecomfortableinanewenvironment,newcultureandnew

surroundings.

If there is a shred of doubt that the player will be a problem or more hassle than he is worth then there

is no point in taking this risk. Therefore we have been very careful in selecting the correct player for our

club. I want this player to make a positive impact on the team. To encourage the young players not to

come and take a young local players place, to help improve a young Issan players potential. To share

and advise our players from their experiences in the game by coming from a more developed football

country to help develop his new country of residence.

Thereforeit’salltooeasyforcertainclubstotakeaplayerjustbecauseoftheirhistory.Therehistory

raisesbigalarmsbellsforme.Iaskwhytheyhavelefttheirclub.Aretheybeingreleased?Aretheyno

longerwanted?Aretheyaproblemplayer?AretheycomingtoThailandsimplyforapayday?Orsimply

for the wind down of their stop start career?

Thereforeahungryplayeristopofmylist,aplayerwhostillwantstoprovesomething.Aplayerwho

has a football mentality, a player who loves the game, and a player who wants to give his all for his

new team mates. This player will give his time naturally without being asked to do so, to help develop

his younger teammates – the Thai players who are willing to look, listen and learn from seeing his ex-

amples set on and off the training pitch and on match days.

SoIamwaryofhowthesenewsigningsintheTPLwillfair.Ihavewatchedcarefullyhowcertainclubs

in my opinion have made some panic buys. Players that have been signed have actually been on our

radar. I did not feel it was the correct player, at the correct time for our club. I will only recommend a

playertoourPresident,whohasbeenrecommendedtomefromavaluablesource.Andinourcaseour

signingswillbefromaveryvaluablesource.SoIamconfidentbytheendoftheseason,whichforeign

player will have made the most valuable impact on and off the pitch.

It is well documented how mangers are wary of signing foreign players through only seeing the player

byvideo.Andunlessyou’reHarryRedknappyou

can now afford to make this gamble without a

negativeconsequence.Iftheplayerwasnota

success then this would not have affected how

their season has evolved. But in a case like Khon

Kaen FC such a choice on one or two new sign-

ings can make or break a season. Therefore in

our situation it’s not wise to select a player on

video footage.

So we did not go crazy looking at too many

players who passed through our radar. We had

players recommended to us but viewed them

withgreatcaution.Wewereintruth,confident

inourLaosandChineselongtermsignings

with the view to bringing in two British play-

ers. We decided that three of the same nationality can cause a problem. It was very pleasing for me to

seeWilfriedDjokam(Guttuso)keptonforthisseason.Everyonesawhowhardheworkedonhisgame

and how he has created the correct temperament and attitude to be a success and to be appreciated and

enjoyedhere.Hehasearnedtherighttoberegardedasoneoftheboys,sohehasbeenrewardedfor

hishardworkanddesiretolearnthelanguage.It’sjustashameotherscouldnotfollowhisexample.

• AudaciousBidsWithoutwishingtonamedrop,IcontactedanoldfriendatPerthGloryFCinAustraliaandaskedif

therewasapossibilitywecouldsignexLiverpoollegendRobbieFowlerduringtheircloseseason,he

turneditdownflatasthemoneyhemakesthereissohigh.Similarresumesofplayersintheirtwilight

whowoulddemandhugepayincludethelikesofDannyCadamarteriandKeithGillespie.Afterreceiving

theirresumesfromtheirrespectiveagentsIdidenquiretotheirwagedemands,unfortunatelyanother

blind alley for us. But if you don’t ask you don’t get. I will be trying to bring out someone during the

Englishpre-seasontomakeanappearance.DietmarHamann

mayhavecomeuntilhesignedforLeicesterCityFCreturning

to work with Sven-Goran Eriksson. So watch this space I hope

to bring an experienced coach and player to consult the team

beforethesecondhalfofourTPLseason.

LetmemakeitclearIfeelitimportanttogivetheopportu-

nity to our present team who won us promotion and the new

signings who have been here since the start of pre-season

andwenowconsiderasournewlooksquad.Sothetime

could then be right for the new signings to come into the

set up and make an impact and give everyone a lift from the

fans, the board and most importantly Coach Nurong’s team

• Some of my football experience.IhavebeenlivinginKhonKaenfor23months,workingforthefootballcluboverthepast18months.

IpreviouslyworkedwithReadingFootballClubintheEnglishFootballLeague1,Championshipand

F.A.PremierLeague.IwasatReadingFCworkingasaFootballintheCommunityOfficerandAcademy

TeamManageremployedbytheProfessionalFootballersAssociationfor12years.IsawReadingclimb

the leagues, developing players and coaches into managers along the way with the club growing from a

smallclubwithanoldfashionedfootballgroundtowhatitistodaya25,000allseatingstadiumwitha

hotel and a team year on year pushing for promotion

backtotheEPLandinthequartersoftheFACup.I

see remarkable similarities with what is happening in

theearlystageswiththeT-RexandhowtheRoyals

grewfromasmallclubtowhatitistoday.Howafan

base can grow similar to how our club is now growing

withover10,000facebookmembersandupto4,000

supportersfollowingushomeandaway.Afootball

club never sleeps while it builds an ever growing fan

base. The growth at Khon Kaen FC is all down to the

hard work and efforts of everyone associated with the football club.

• Pre-seasonpreparation,FirstthreeTPLgamesandstadiumdevelopmentThe club has had a busy schedule preparing for the big kick-off with several preseason matches in Khon

Kaen,MahasarakhamandLaos.CertaintripsinparticulartoLaoswerevitalinpreparingandgellingnew

players into the team. For the new players to sample an away game altogether is invaluable and the

evidence on return of the team spirit proves how valuable this will be for the team. These trips are also

a great chance to build on the links we have with our

extendedfanbase.AfterthesigningofKhampeng

Sayavutthi and Kanlaya Sysomvang we have now

cementedourlinkwithourLaosneighborstofollow

theirhomegrownplayersintheTPL.Andifitcanbuild

on our fan base then this is a massive positive for the

club.ThesetwoplayersalongwithManoNhouvanna-

sakarenowagreatexampleforyoungLaos’splayers

to follow in their footsteps.

We have extended our fan base as far as China with

the two signings of the Chinese players. They have

bothsettledintoourclubveryquicklyandarebothmakingahugeefforttolearnthelanguage,taking

classesdailyaftertraining.XiangLihasalreadyshowedsomecommandingperformancesandislearning

everydaysowillbeabrightprospectforthefuture.WenxinLihashadfootballer’sbadluck.Thisseems

tohappentonewsigningsmoretimesthanyouwouldexpect.Aninjuryinhisfirstmatchforyourhis

clubisabitterpilltoswallow.Hehastakenitonthechinandhasasmileonhisfaceeveryday.Ithas

been a tough start to his new career but he will come back stronger and it could actually be the making

ofhim.Hewasslightlyoveranxioustoprovehimselftoeveryoneandthismayhavebackfiredonhim.

SonowIfeelhewillbemorepatient,morepreparedforthechallengeshewillnowface.Ontheposi-

tive side he has began running and is using weights to build his strength back up.

Asfarasinjuriesandsuspensionshavegonewedidnotstartthenewseasoninthebestshape.We

lostakeyplayerafterhescoredafabulousfreekickwitharedcardandwehadseveralinjuriesgoing

intoourfirstgame.Youcouldseecertainplayerswerewrappedupincottonwooltomakethestart-

inglineupinourfirstgamewithTOTSC.Afterdefendingwellandsoakingupthepressurewehada

counter attack and could have been

leading0-1athalftime.Agrittysec-

ond half performance with a great cross

fromSupagornKarada(Wat)forCharin

Butrahat(Man)toheadhomeandthen

KhampengSayavutthi(Chang’s)long

range effort hit the bar dropping to

Manwhoshowedgreatcomposureto

makeit0-2andagreatstarttolifein

theTPLbringinghomethreevaluable

pointsinourfirstgame.

1st Historic goal in TPL

Thisistestamenttoourteamsfightingspirit.Oursecondmatchprovedtobealittletoomuchallat

onceforoursquad.WithsomuchenergyexertedinourwinatTOTSCyoucouldfeeltheteamwasat

lowpower.Webelievedthefanclubwouldgetusthroughatoughtesttoatleasttakeapoint.Our

systembackfiredduetoheavylegsandkeyplayersplayingbelowpar,wemissedApisakAsayut(Od)

whowasnotmadeavailabletousfromOsotspaM150-SaraburiaftertheyrefusedtoplayusatMa-

hasarakham we showed no ill feeling to the club and vowed after to get revenge when they come to

KhonKaen.XiangLialsomissedimportanttrainingsessionsbeforeourawaygametoOsotspa.Hehad

to travel back to China for visa purposes. But no excuses, the opposition were better on the day and

had more energy and pace but still

we had nothing to fear after witness-

ing two teams up close. To be honest

afterseeingTOTinthefirstmatchI

felt they might not have enough to

withstandtheTPLandwillbemy

earlytiptogodown.Althoughthings

can change throughout a long season

and it is early days, however I wasn’t

surprisedthey’dlost6-0awayfrom

home in their second match with

Chonburi FC.

SothebuildupandpreparationforOsotspawasn’tideal.Thesesethingscantakeitstollonyourteam

beforesuchabiggame.Wemustkeepourkeyplayersfitandkeepourdisciplinesothelessplayerssus-

pendedthebetter.Wemustshowmorequalitywithourfreekicksinthefinalattackingthirdandwe

mustshowmoredisciplineinnottoconcedingfreekicksinthefinaldefensivethirdasthisseasonwe

willpunishedbydeadballspecialistsifso.InthecaseofourlastgameversusBurirumPEAwewasted

sixdirectandindirectfreekicks,sowemustmakeourqualityshinethroughinthesemoments.Ifelt

Barium had nothing really to scare us and no team has over impressed me yet, so this tells us we can

compete with the top teams.

The manager, President and

coachesnowseethefirstthree

gamesastheresearchintoTPL.

Now the next games will be

the test, whether we can pass

the test remains to be seen. But

withourteamspirit,fitnessand

desirewehaveafightingchance

and for any newly promoted

teamtohave3from9points

you cannot be too disappointed.

Mega Flag at Yamaha Stadium

GoingbacktoTOT,aftertheexcitementofourfirstgameandaway

winatTOTwewerebroughtbackdowntoearthatOsotspa.Itwas

difficulttoplaytwogamesawayfromhomeaftertheexertionof

somuchenergyingainingourfirstthreeTPLpointsaremarkable

achievement for the club to come from humble beginnings to where

wearetodaysincethebeginningoftheclubbackin2005.Wemust

dedicate this win to the fans, presidents, manager, coaching, play-

ing staff and former players. I have been saying to look at Blackpool

for inspiration. They have started the season without use of their

stadiumuntilithasbeenpreparedforEPLmatches.Soasimilarcase

fortheT-Rexwemustgiveourallwhileplayingourhomegames

inMahasarakhamawayfromourKhonKaenfortress.Sothisisjust

a small obstacle in our way. We have the correct attitude concentra-

tion and discipline to make the best of this situation to make it into

apositive.AssoonasIhearanymoreaboutthestadiumsdevelop-

ment I will let you know.

• TeamTraining,matchpreparationandTeamfitness.AtpresentwerotatebetweenourtrainingpitchesatCollegeofAsianscholarsatBanditAsiawhichis

ourWomen’sAcademyandKKFCYouthteamtrainingfacility.Theteamtrainherewhenavailable,other-

wise we train at Kaemkanakorn School while we wait for the development of the stadium. Therefore

thereisalotoftravellingtoandfromtrainingfortheteam.WealsoneedtosetoffforTPLmatches

on a Thursday or go to stay in Ban

PietotrainatMuangPhongfor

homematchesinMahasarakham.

The team therefore make there

way on a Friday for training that

day and on Saturday to prepare

foraSundaygame.Orwebring

the schedule forward a day if we

play on a Saturday we travel to

MahasarakhamonaThursday.

We must therefore be careful

with how much the team train

and how many rest days they are

given after travelling home from

away games. We must be aware how long this season will now be due to the schedule change. This is

veryimportantinourweeklypreparation.Theteamalsousesafitnesscentreforweightsandbodycore

strengthening.

LastseasonIcanhonestlysayIhaveneverseenafitterteam.Wecouldwinanddrawgamesinthefinal

quarterofmatchessimplythroughourfitness.I’msureoncetheteamsettlesintotheTPLtheywillreal-

izehowfittheyareandbecompetingonthesamelevelphysicallyandpsychologically.

• Thailand/FAyouthCupsquadselectionYouthDevelopmentisvitaltoaclublikeKhonKaen.Wearenowcompetingwithclubssuchas

BuriramPea,Chonburi,BECTeroSasanaandMuangThongwhohavecrazymoneytospendonthere

playing and coaching staff. So at Khon Kaen we must build for the future with our focus on our lo-

cal Issan talent as high importance.

Andwhattalentwehaveinthe

northeast.Myfirstintroduction to

the club was assisting Coach Pitch-

ettandCoachOngattheU18sCoke

CupinKalasin2009.Wehadavery

talentedsquadwhowerewelldrilled

by the coaches. I felt I gave the

players some inspiration and felt much appreciated. Coach Pitchett took

theteamallthewaytothefinalandfinishedaswinners.Sothiswas

myfirstexperiencewhichgavemeagreatinsighttoourlocaltal-

ent and then provided me with a platform for my second experience

toworkwiththefirstteaminouraimtogainpromotiontotheTPL.

Now my third experience will be completely different. It will be a long

tough season. There may not be as many highs. But this is football we

must savor the highs and learn from the lows and our mistakes. This

year there will be times when we look to our youth policy and who

knows watch out in the June window for youth players to add to the

firstteamsquad.

OurYouthteamhashadaremarkablestarttotheseason.CoachPitch-

ettandhisstaffhavedoneafabulousjobwithhisteam.Technically

andtacticallywehavegreatsquadforthefuture.Everyplayerunderstandstheirroleinthe3-5-2system

so well. When they come in to the team

they adapt with ease. It was no surprise

to hear that Bangkok Glass FC expressed a

very serious interest in certain key players.

For the clubs sake I hope we can keep this

talented crop of players playing together

for years. The club as a whole would then

be in a very strong position on the playing

fieldforthefuture.SakonwatSakonlais

one player in particular who could step up

ifrequired;hehashadtheexperienceof

playing in last season’s promotion team.

• VisionAsiaandVisionKhonKaenWehavehadmanyseminarswiththeAseanFootballConfederationandpositivemeetingswiththevi-

sionAsiateamtosetupcoachingclinicsandunearthnewplayingandcoachingtalentforthefuture

ofKhonKaenFC,IssanfootballandmostimportantlythedevelopmentoftheFootballAssociationof

Thailand.ThisiswhyIfeelifwebringinforeignplayerstheymusthaveafootballbrainandenjoy

thecultureandlifestylenotjustcomehereforthetwilightortofinishtheircareer.Theyouthplayers

are the future of our club and possibly the future

of Thailand. The foreign players we bring in must

share their experience to give our young players

confidenceandencouragement.Iwouldloveto

see my adopted home playing at the same heights

as South Korea and Japan so we are fully behind

BryanRobsonandSteveDarbyastheyareputting

there all in to bring success to our football crazy

nation!

• T-RexFanclubIcantellyouallthestaffattheclubrealizeshowimportantyouaretoourteam!Youreallyareanex-

traplayertoourteam.GoingbacktomytimeatReadingFCwenamedthesupportersasnumber13on

our team sheet for every game. We feel the same way about you. The way our coaches and club captain

leadtheteamtoyoursongaftermatchesistrulyinspiringandquiteemotional.Iespeciallyenjoyedthe

huddletheteammadeintheawayendbeforethegameatOsotspa.Thisisinspiringfortheteamand

every pass, shot, tackle, header and save is made with you. We are one family. So I leave you with my

favoritefootballanthem.ItwouldbegreattoheartheT-Rexsignthisoneday:

Forit’sagrandoldteamtoplayfor-Forit’sagrandoldteamtoCHEER

Andifyouknowitshistoryitsenoughtomakeyourgrowoohoh-Wedon’tcarewhattheother

teams cheer

What do we care - For we only know

Thatthere’sgonnabeaSHOW-

When the Khon Kaen - Will be

there!!

I have attached a picture of a new

supporter to add to our fan base…

MysonMikowasborn16thFebru-

ary. I hope he can be a part of our

excellentYouthsystemoneday!

So thank you for your ongoing sup-

port and we look forward to your

comments and please share your

T-Rexexperiencesandsongswithus

here.

• FinallyWe hear a great deal about the refereeing standards in the Thai leagues. But I would always encour-

age anyone to support them and be patient not to criticize the ref. I like to praise there good decisions

but will count their mistakes and tell them how many they are making during a game. This has raised a

laugh with the refs but not all see the funny

side and can take it the wrong way. But if we

can make eye contact and connect on their

leveltheymightjusttaketousalittlemore

than the opposition! This is my only power

over referees and speaking only survival Thai

itmakesitdifficult.Asacoachwemustsetan

example to our players to encourage the ref

and never cross the line. It did make me laugh

toseeanEPLgamewithEvertonandBirming-

hamtherefbookMutchfromBirminghamwith

an imaginary card. Fortunately he remembered

his cards at half time and booked three in the

second half. I did wonder if he realized at some point that he hadn’t had his cards or didn’t realize until

the moment he gave the free kick and then went to his pocket and then put himself on the spot. I’m

sure he has thought about this little incident over and over in his mind and how and why he managed

toforget!Simple!Heisonlyhumanandweallmakemistakes.Theimportantthingishowwelearn

from them for the next game.

• FootballFunnyWe were talking about an old physiotherapist from

SwindonTownFC1993promotiondays,whatareal

character this guy was. Characters you rarely see

intoday’sgame.Onematchheranontothepitch

andtreatedtheinjuredplayer,heranbackoffthe

pitch with the ball under his arm and left his bag in

the middle of the pitch. This raised a few laughs for

thecrowdandeveryoneinvolvedwiththematch.A

fewjeersfromtheawayfanswhenhehadtorun

back to give the ball back to the ref and then the

inevitablewalkofshamebacktothedugoutwithhisbag.HetookitallinGreatSpirit.Anothertimehe

sprayed the ice spray right in his eyes instead of the player’s groin, which one would have been more

painful? So he was happy that day as it was only the players who saw this funny episode and not the

whole crowd. I will tell you anther one next week!!!

YoursinFootball

Coach Nick

• ClubStructure&ClubVision

PartOne–ClubExecutives

Khon Kaen Football Club President - Dr. Kasom Chanawongse is also the Deputy Secretary General of the

FootballAssociationofThailand.

Youwillnotfindamorehardworking,honestmaninfootball.Hisastutefootballknowledgeisthedriv-

ingforcebehindtheKhonKaenFCandAFCVisionKhonKaenthatispushingusallforwardinthesame

direction.

WhentheKhonKaenFootballAssociation(KKFA)

helditsfirsteverCongressonSeptember27,2010

in which its new Executive Committee members

wereelected.KKFAPresidentDr.KasomChana-

wongsetoldthewholeofAsianfootballthata

longjourneyhadjuststartedforKhonKaenfoot-

ball.

“WehadourfirsteverCongress,butwedon’t

forgetthatalongjourneyhasjuststartedandwe

arethankfultoAFCVisionAsia.Wewilltryour

besttotakeAFCVA’sadviceandimplementthe

VAprinciples,”hesaid.[1]

Thefirststepwastohostadelegation,headedby

AFCVisionAsiaDirectorMichelleChai,inKhonKaenfromMay4to62010toassessthestatusoffootball

in the province.

Inthenextstage,AFCprovidedadetaileddevelopmentplanforKhonKaenfootball,followedbyawork-

shop to agree on an implementation schedule.

DeputyGovernorofKhonKaenprovince,PayatChanprasertwasfullofconfidenceforProjectKhonKaen.

“VisionThailandProjectKhonKaenwillhelptheprovincebuildastrongfootballbaseinthecountry’s

Northeasternprovince,”saidPayat.

TheAFCVisionAsiateamwasimpressedwithwhattheysawinthenortheastprovinceduringtheiras-

sessmentvisittothisprovince.SincetheKhonKaenFootballAssociation(KKFA)wasrecentlyformed,as-

sessments have been concentrated on its future plans and football activities that take place in the prov-

ince.Onpaper,itiseasierforKhonKaentodevelopitsfootballasthenortheastprovinceisconsidered

thefootballhubofThailandanddubbedasthe“footballacademy”ofThailandnationalteam.

ThroughDr.Chanawongse’spositionKhonKaenisinregularcontactwiththeThailandFootballAssocia-

tion(FAT)andwell-supportedbythelocalgovernmentandeducationalsectorwithintheregion.

SincethatcongresstheKKFAelected14members,consistingoffootballclubs,associationsandeduca-

tioninstitutes,namelytheCollegeofAsianScholars(aneducationalinstitute)whereDr.Chanawongseis

alsoPresident,MuengKoaFurnitureFC,HighWayBanphaiFC,KaenNakornKornKeetFC,SrithongSport

United,KhonKaenWittayayonAlumniAssociation(anassociation),TechnopolFC,KasaePattanaSchool

(aneducationalinstitute),MuangCityFC,NamPongFC,KhonKaenFC,KranuanFC,T-NetAsiaFCand

theDohunTambonAdministrationOrganization(alocaladministrationorganisation).

h

The new Executive Committee members

areasfollows:

Dr. Kasom Chanawonge – President

WeeradetXata-VicePresident

MontreeBoonyaprom-GeneralSecretary

OngarjChutchaiphonrut-Treasurer

Asst.Prof.SukitjaChantachum-Registrar

RitchaiThongking-Member

ArtitChutchaipolrut-Member

MonchaiSriwirailuk-Member

NapakNgamsritan-Member

SommartDangbudda-Member

KKFA,whoseinterimcommittee,isnewly-establishedanditsdevelopmentpossibilitiesarelargelyunex-

plored.TheimpactofProjectKhonKaenisexpectedtobehuge.

The comprehensive football development blueprint for the Thai province of Khon Kaen is now in place

whichisthebeginningoftheimplementationprocessoftheVisionThailand-ProjectKhonKaenpro-

grammebetweenKhonKaenFAandAFCVisionAsiaDepartment.

TheblueprintdocumentcalledProjectKhonKaenStrategicDevelopmentPlan(SDP)wasfinalisedinJanu-

arythisyearafterthedraftplanwasdiscussedbyboththeAFCVisionAsiaDepartmentandKhonKaen

FA(KKFA),duringaPlanningWorkshopinOctober2010.

TheSDPrecommends,amongothers,thattheLeague

RegulationsandClubLicensingRegulationsbeendorsed

and that a Club Development Workshop be held to

educate the teams in the province on the club develop-

mentprocesssothattheywillbecomefull-fledgedclubs

eligibletoplayinthefirstseasonoftheEliteLeague

whichisexpectedtobelaunchedattheendof2011.

TheLeagueRegulationsandClubLicensingRegulations

areexpectedtobeinplacebyFebruary2011followed

bytheClubDevelopmentWorkshopbyMarch2011,

withtheclubsexpectedtobelicensedbyJuly2011.[2]

KhonKaenFAenteredPhase2whichfocusesonthe

transformationofKhonKaenteamsintolegallyregisteredclubs.AccordingtoClubsLicensingRegula-

tionsformulatedbytheAFCVisionAsiaDepartmentforKKFA,clubsmustbelegallyregisteredentities

beforetheycantakepartintheleaguewhichAFCwillhelplaunchintheprovince.

PriortothevisittotheprovincebytheVAteamlastyear,therewasnoFootballAssociationtogovern

footballinKhonKaen,eventhoughtherewereprovisionsinthestatutesofFootballAssociationofThai-

land(FAT)forprovincestoestablishfootballassociations.

InpreparationfortheVAvisit,agroupoflike-mindedfootballfollowersfromacrosstheprovincede-

cidedtoformKKFAtostreamlineallfootballactivitiesintheprovinceunderoneumbrella.

Aninterimexecutivecommitteeconsistingof10memberswasapprovedbythelocalgovernorandKKFA

wasformedwithDr.KasomChanawongsetakingthehelmasthefirstPresidentoftheKKFA.AstheVA

Department’sassessmentvisittookplacelateApril,KKFAwasestablishedinearlyApril2010.

KKFAhasalreadyhelditsfirsteverCongress

inSeptember2010andgotmembershipin

FAT.

KKFAalsoestablishedallthecommittees

recommendedintheProjectKhonKaen

Strategic Development Program along with a

couple of other committees which have been

listed in their statutes.

Afive-full-time-personstaffwasrecruitedand

anewofficespacesecuredattheCollegeof

AsianScholars,AmpurinKhonKaen.

KKFAcalledanExtraOrdinaryCongresson21stJanuary2011toamenditsstatutesaccordingtothe

recommendationbyAFCVisionAsia.PeopleintheThaiprovinceofKhonKaenarelookingforwardto

carryingoutthenextphase,Phase2,oftheimplementationoftheVisionAsia-VisionThailand’chapter

intheprovince,ProjectKhonKaen.

KKFAGeneralSecretaryMontreeBoonyapromsaid:“Weknowthisisonlythefirststep,buttheKhon

Kaen people are very excited to move to the next step. Thank you for your advice and time to help us

finishPhase1.”Boonyapromwascommentingonthecompletionoftheproject’sPhase1,whichfocused

onthecreationoftheFA’sstatutes,bodiesandadministration.[2]

Phase2willpayattentiontoassistingtheFAincreatingclubswhofulfilltheAFCClubsRegulationsand

toestablishaCityLeaguethatisorganisedaccordingtotheAFCLeagueRegulations.

KKFAhasgonethroughalongjourneyincompetingPhase1,havingaccomplishedmanygoalsincluding

conductingitsfirstCongressmeeting,establishingallthenecessarycommittees,recruitingfulltimestaff,

securinganewofficespaceandothers

ThesemilestonesareconsideredgreatachievementsconsideringthefactthatpriortothefirstVisionAsia

team’svisittotheprovincelastyear,therewasnoFootballAssociationtogovernfootballinKhonKaen.

Theapprovalalsomarksthebeginningofthenextphase,Phase2oftheVisionAsiaprogrammeinKhon

Kaen, which focuses on the transformation of teams into legally registered clubs.

TheExtraordinaryCongresswaspresidedoverbyKKFAPresidentDr.KasomChanawongseandattended

by coaches, referees and representatives of clubs and educational institutes.

Amongtheamendmentsrecommendedby

VisionAsiaweremaintainingonlythreecat-

egoriesofmembersofKKFAnamelySports

Associations,ClubsandEducationInstitutes,

as well as the granting of honorary mem-

berships to associations outside the three

categories.

AmongtheitemsontheExtraordinary

Congress’ agenda were mention of the ap-

pointment of the new General Secretary of

KKFA,MontreeBooyaprom,andfivefull-

time staffers.

KKFAalsonowhavestandingcommittees

and each committee has a chairman, deputy

chairmanandmembers.KKFAalsohaveajudicialbodywhichconsistsoftheDisciplinaryandAppeal

Committees.

KKFAhasachievedothermilestonessuchasorganisingitsfirsteverCongressmeetinginSeptember2010.

KhonKaenisoneofseveralThaiprovinceswhichareimplementingVisionAsia,AFC’scontinent-wide

developmentprogram.[3]

TheAFCVisionKhonKaenprojectswillnowhelpraiseawarenessofthepositivesthatfootballcanbring

totheyouthofIssan.Thiswillprovideeducationalopportunitiesinfootball.Raisingjobopportunities

forcoachesandevenunearthinglocaltalentlikeformerplayerIssarapongLilakorn,whowecanallbe

proud of.

• AcademyleagueThe Northeast Football Development Center had previously been set up for grass roots initiatives. Now

alongwithVisionAsia’sblueprinttheAcademyleagueswillbesetupundertheAFCVisionKhonKaen

initiative.

OurdevelopmentofGrassrootsfootballisthemostimportantelementofourclub.OurAcademyleagues

willnowcompetewithThaiPremierLeagueteamsthateventuallyformAcademies.Thiswillallowour

Academycoachesandteammanagerstotraintheirplayersandorganizematchesforthemtocompete

inweektoweek.Inasimilarmannertoourfirstteam,theywilleventuallybecompetingwiththeThai

PremierLeagueelite.TheyoungacademyteamswillrangefromUnder9toUnder16.Thiswilldevelop

thetechnicalstandardofyouthfootball;raisetheawarenessoftactics,withtheimportanceofeducation

as a platform. If a player does not make the grade, they have their education to support them. They

willattendlecturesandadheretoprogramstomaintainandimprovetheirfitnessandhealth.Thiswill

help develop the standard of players, coaches and managers in Thailand. This will improve the standard

of the leagues and national team.

Sonolongerasinthepastifweplayedforexample,inMahasarakham,thecoacheswouldorganize

a game against a fellow coaches local youth team. Now the leagues will be organized in advance with

eventuallyeachclubenteringeveryAcademyagegroupssotheKKFCyouthwillbeplayingthelikesof

BEC Tero Sasana, BKK Glass and Chonburi youth of the future.

[4]

• FourTPLgamesplayedUnfortunatelywesufferedourthirdlossoftheseasonawayatTTMPhitchit.AgainaswiththeBuriram

PEAgameIfeltwedeservedadrawforourefforts.Concedingtwoearlygoalsgaveusanuphillbattle.

Thefirstgoalwasaharshdecision.Itlookedmorelikeballtohand,ratherthanhandball.Butiftheref-

ereedeemsthatthisstoppedthecrossfromreachingitsintendedtarget(theTTMstrikers)thenwehave

toaccepthisdecision.AsIsaidlastweekthereisnopointcomplainingaboutthereferee’s.Iappreciate

how BEC Tero Sasana’s head coach Peter Butler was

feeling, who was frustrated with decisions in their

recentgamewithSamutSongkhram.Howeverthe

referee’sdecisionisfinal!Wemustmoveon.The

second goal saw our sweeper pulled out to his left

very deep trying to recover, our two centre halves

were level with our sweeper and one pass from

the right caused trouble due to what looked like

a communication breakdown between the central

defenders and then our Goalkeeper, who decided to

come out of his box. The striker was on the end of

thepassandsimplyhadtotakeitroundBiyawatInsapim(Mark)andscore.Sonoplayerinparticularto

blame, as no one took responsibility of the situation. We must put it down to the team’s indecisiveness

overall.

It was pleasing to see us score a goal from a set-piece we have been working on at the training

ground. This is actually an old Zola short corner that allowed our captain to collect the ball and turn

with the option to shoot, cross the ball or pull it back to the edge of the box for a shot at goal. In this

case,RermratNgamjaroen(Jo)crossedforSupagornKarada(Wat)whoexecutedafantasticoverhead

kick to score. These are bright moments for us and give us all something to build on. We will be practic-

ing more set-pieces, I have many to offer that are successful however to input them into a Thai team is

not an easy task. It takes a lot more explanation due to the language barrier and practice, practice and

more practice. In today’s game

and playing in the top league

the use of set-pieces and being

organized in set-pieces is vitally

important. In the end we were

unfortunatenottoequalizeby

hitting the post and Charin Bood-

Hard(Man)hadagoodchanceto

addtohistallyoftwoTPLgoals

with a half volley. So overall a

lack of shape cost us the game in

vital moments. But we won the

secondhalf0-1sowemustcon-

tinue where we left off.

We hope to get back to winning

waysathomeonSundayversusSiamNavyatMahasarakham.Confidenceinfootballcanbeeverything.

We must get back to playing with the momentum we showed last season. Every team has played the

firstthreegameswithcautionandtheteamsinformstartedtoshowmoreconfidenceinthefourth

match.YoucouldseethisclearlywithBuriramPEAandOsotspanow.Osotspahavescoredtengoalsin

fourgameswitheightdifferentgoalscorers,showingconfidencealloverthepitch.Twowinsbackto

backinfootballcanchangeeverythingandgivetheteamconfidencetofindthereform.Takingchances

thatarecreatedlikeBuriramPEA’sOhandzabraceandanystrikercantakealeafoutofThailand’s

striker Sarayuth Chaikamdee’s book at BKK Glass who has still managed to score two goals with limited

chances.Weremainconfidentbecauseweknowwehavetheplayerstotakethesechances.Oncethe

confidencecomesbackwithagrittywinthenwewillseeourkeyplayersinandamongstthegoals.

IamnotsurprisedBKKGlasshasn’tsettheworldalightjustyetwiththreedrawsandonewin.Inour

pre-season game you could see they are another team with many new players and probably too many

optionswhichcancreateproblemsforacoach.They,likeusneedtimetosettle.Howeverintopflight

footballyoudon’tgettoomuchtime.Ifyoucompareourgoaldifferenceof-4toTOT’s-11thenweare

in better shape and have nothing to fear. We can improve our goal difference this Sunday with a good

win against Siam Navy to get our season back on track. To do this we must keep our concentration by

not conceding.

The power of football connects us all. No matter where you

come from, what team you follow. In Khon Kaen the love for

football grows day to day that is why it is very important to

the President and his team to connect with everyone who fol-

lows the club. The factory workers, laymen, and the teachers

to the executives we are all on the same level when it comes

to football.

SoIhaveafunstorytofinishwith,myfatherlikesaSkype

staying connected, especially now he can see his new grand-

sonMiko.HeaskedmetowaitathomelastMondayevening

so I was wondering why I couldn’t see him on Skype, when

wehadascareathome.Someonedidn’tjustknockonour

front door, someone knocked on our bedroom door! It was

Miko’sGranddadJohn,givingusabigsurprisevisitfrom

England. It was such a surprise that I thought it was a burglar

when my wife screamed the house down!!

NextweekIwillbringyouPart2ofourClubStructure,which

willfocusontheTeamManagerPongsakTangwanichakapong

andHeadCoachNarongTuamtaisong’sCoachingStaff.

YoursinFootball

Coach Nick

ManygreatthingshavehappenedtoKhonKaenFCsincethelastcolumn,wewilllookateachaspect

inmoredepth.Firstlythemarketingteamareverypleasedtoseeover24,000peoplereadingthefirst

evercolumnforourforeignfanclubviaFacebookandissuu.(Pleasebearinmindsomespellingmaybe

alteredwhenuploadedtoissuu)

• Clubs10gameTargetAfter10TPLgamesplayedtheclubExecutivesandManagementareoverall

verypleasedwiththeteamsstart.Topickupdoublefigureswasourinitial

target.Thereforewith11pointsfromfiveofthefirsttengames,wehave

achievedourfirsttarget.OurPresidenthasalwaysreiteratedthatthefirst5

gameswasourinductiontotheTPL,andthenextfivegameswouldshow

how we would realistically fair for the season. So we are showing the right

signs to give us a strong chance of survival, with a glimmer of hope we

maymakethetopten.Althoughnooneiscountingtherechickensjustyet,

as we realize there is a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead. We

must improve overall on tactical weaknesses we have shown, which we are

showingsignsofespeciallyathome.Thisalltakestimeforanewclubadaptingtoanewprojectwith

new staff and new players.

• Agreatwin!Towin3-2againathomeagainstChiangRaiUnitedFCreallygavethewholeclubbelief.Thefanshave

nowgainedbeliefintheirteam.Theteamhasgainedaddedbeliefintheircoaches.Andmostimpor-

tantlytheManagementcontinuestogivebelief

to their team and coaching staff.

Going into the match, the form guide showed

we were the favorites after they had lost their

previous three games and we had drew, won and

lostrespectively.ButlookingatthepointsCRUFC

wereon8pointsandKKFCwereon9points.

So before the match it proved to be a real six

pointer.

Chapter 03

• Art’sMiracleGoalWellwhatcanyousay?Wasitatackle?Wasitaclearance?Wasitashot?WellknowingArt(No23

JattuponSittilohit)itwasprobablyashot,helovesshootingandheseeshimselfasabitofastriker

in training. But every coach is constantly reminding him he is our sweeper now! But it has to be said it

wasaveryluckyshotthattookamiraclebounceovertheunfortunateChiangRaigoalkeeperMantewa’s

(No30)head.Soluckhasabigsayinfootball.Andwedeservedthisluck,maybe3minutesbeforeour

playerwasinjuredtheirstrikerRolandVargasdidnotwishtothrowtheballbacktoourplayersinstead

heplayedasneakythrowtohisfellowstriker,fortunatelyforustheymissed.Andafewchoicewords

expressedbythecoachingstafftotheplayer.Hedidapologizeafterthematchandweacceptedthathe

maynothavemeanttodothisatthetime.ButwithSouthAmericansasmuchasIlovethemaspeople

youjustneverknowasplayers.Youjusthavetolookhowimportanteachgoalmeanttotheteam,and

this incident emphasized the celebrations and a certain coach Sak and Coach Nick probably got a little

too excited. Still passions run high in football and after working in training all week on crossing and

finishingithelpedimprovethequalityofourfinalballinthismatch.

•

FirstgoalsforKhamphengSayavutthi-TheFirstLaosplayerto

scoreintheTPLEveryonewastalkingaboutArt’sgoalandunfortunatelyforKhampheng(No25)ittookthegloryaway

from his match winning performance. Everyone at the club was so pleased to see him score, you could

see this in our celebrations and with both his well taken goals he shrugged of his teammates to run

allthewaytothebenchtoshowhisdelighttohisManagementandcoacheswhohavehugefaithin

him. I’m sure Chang will now go on to score many goals for the club and prove to be a great signing.

I’mconvincedthesamecanhappenwithYa(KanlayaSysomvangNo10)Ijokedbeforethegamewith

Chang,YaandXiangLi(No5)thatiftheyscoredtoday-therefirstgoal,Iwillgivesomeofmywin

bonusfromthe2-1Sirichagame.Thisisjustafunwaytogetsomebanteroutoftheplayersandraise

alaughtoeaseanytensionbeforethegame.IrememberitworkedlastseasonwhenJeng(AdisakJarat

19)couldn’tfindthenet.

• InjuriestokeyplayersAspecialmentiontoJengandMan(CharinButrahatNo9)whohavebeeninjuredjustwhentheyboth

foundthereform.ItwassodisappointingtoloseJengintheChiangRaimatchaseverythingwasgoing

sowell,hewasonfire.Wewishthembothaspeedyrecoverysotheywillsoonbebacktostrengthen

thesquad.WenxinLi(No17)islookingstrongontheballandsharperintraining.Hehasworkedvery

hardtogetbacktofitness.AspecialmentionmustgotoDoctorAchiraandhisteam,whoworktire-

lesslybringingeachinjuredplayer

backtofullfitness.

• JapanTsunami

andThailandflood

relief by club and

fans.It was devastating to see the

people of Japan lose their lives

in the recent Tsunami. Doctor Ka-

som Chanawongse and his staff

had a fabulous idea to help raise

fundstogotowardstherelieftorebuildSendai,Tokyoandsurroundingtowns.WeusedtheChiangRai

matchtodonatefundsraisedfromthesaleofourT-Rex&JapanTsunamiT-shirts–Asourslogansays

fittinglytoJapan:Youwillneverhurtalone.

Suchadisasteraffectseveryoneandeveryindustry.IthasaffectedtheJapaneseandAsianFootballand

itnowlooksliketheFIFAClubCupwhichStuartKelly’sformerclubAucklandCityFCwillplayinwillbe

moved from Japan to either Brazil or Spain.

Japan is a place my wife and I would always like to visit as we have friends who tell us how wonder-

ful it is. I have always found the Japanese people a special race and can only wish them the best for

the future. Even if you have lost everything please remember after every dark night there is a brighter

day. Through football I hope there sublime national football team can help them forget albeit for a short

while when they play and help lift the spirit of the Japanese people.

TheCharityreliefwasverywellreceivedbytheT-Rexfanclubwiththedonationstobepresentedto

theJapaneseEmbassybyDr.KasomChanawongsehisfatherthefounderofTheCollegeofAsianSchol-

ars Prof.Dr.Krasae Chanawongse.

• Teamunity–game,relieffundraisingKhonKaenFCisaclubofUnityandpassion.Weareseenasaprofessionalclubbutwearerunby

peoplewhohavemanyresponsibilitiesinthereeverydaylife.ForexampleourGeneralSecretaryMr.

Ong-ArjKosinkarIsapoliticianforthepeople,andafamilymanwithapassionforfootballthathelps

him combines all three of his responsibilities. This is a similar case for our coaches and players. We are

notinapositiontobefulltimefootballersorfulltimecoachesjustyet.Wehavetojugglemanyjobs

and wear many separate hats. Therefore you must understand we are preparing for the future of the

club and some days will be concentrating on another responsibility and some days we will be devoted to

theclub100%.Asyoucanseefromourresultsweareachievingthetargetsetbythemanagement,so

we can operate the club as it is at present, to one day be a fully functional fulltime football club. That’s

whywearenottoodisappointedtolose3-1totheTPLchampions.

Althoughonourbestdayswefeelwecanwinsuchagameandintimewhenitallcomestogether,we

willwinsuchgamesandcauseupsetsalongtheway.ThefutureistheTPLandAFCChampionsleague.

WemustsetafutureforKhonKaenforourfriends,parents,sonsanddaughterstobeproudof.And

that is what we are trying to achieve at this club.

• AFCChampionsLeagueFootballDelegates-Welcometo

Khon Kaen ItwasanotherspecialdaytowelcomethedelegatesfromAFCChampionsLeagueFootballtoourhome.

It was an honor for me to be asked to speak after the club President Dr. Kasom Chanawongse on behalf

ofKhonKaenFCinindividualpresentationstotheAFCdirectorTokuakiSuzukiandhisteamatMahas-

sarakhamUniversity.Dr.Kasomgaveanintroductionofhowfartheclubhascomefromthebeginning

towhereweareasaclubtoday.Hespoke

about the courses that the college run using

education as the key to our success, with

the emphasis on the development of our

local players and local coaches. Providing

a natural path for players to step into at

the end of their playing career. Giving the

younger players who have been through

the system an education to fall back on.

Dr. Kasom explained how he was the coach

withthepresentYouthteamcoachhisplay-

erandthepresentHeadcoachhisplayer.A

clubthathasonlyoperatedforsixyears,thathasgrownquicklyintooneofthehighestqualifiedteams

in Thailand. The rise of the team through the leagues using local talent, with star names moving on to

bigger clubs and playing for the National team. The success of youth and women’s football in Issan.

Igaveaninsightintothetechnicalaspectsoftheclub,allthekeypositionsfilledwithinourstructure.

Concentrating on the success of the youth system. The ongoing commitment from the Executives of the

club.HighlightingtheimportanceofourlocalcoachesbeingdrivenbyourClubPresidentwhoisthe

FIFAinstructorforF.A.T.whohasrisentothetoptoworkalongsidethePresidentofFIFASeppBlatter.

Showing how the media, fan club and club

marketing play a vital role in our success.

Wethenansweredquestionsinseparate

meetings with each delegates to inform

themoftherequestedcriteria.Theywent

on to view the stadium before coming to

KhonKaen’sStadiumandofficialclubmer-

chandise shop at Central Plaza. We had a

lunch with the delegates before they left.

We appreciate their support and guidance.

t

I noticed how proud our staff and management were on such an occasion. These are people who have

beenapartoftheclubfromthebeginning,whentheclubwasestablishedin2005.Couldtheyhave

dreamtofsuchaday?InvitingtheheadsofAFCChampionsleaguefootballtothefuturehomeofIssan

football.AgreatdealofcreditmustgotothePresident,Management,KhonKaenFootballAssociation

staff, players, coaches, doctors and the fan club for making such a dream a reality. They will be back in

Octobertoassesshowfaralongtheclubhascome,initspotentialtoplayChampionsleaguefootball.

• ManagementOurmanagementhasbeenaninspirationalfactortoourclubsuccessonaweeklybasisandespeciallyto

the team on match days.

The President The President Dr. Kasom Chanawongse is always encouraging from the bench at home games and

behindtheteamwiththeT-Rexfanclubfamilyonawaygames.Hepassesonhisfootballknowledge,

strength, understanding and passion to the coaches and players before kickoff, at half time and in our

de-brief meetings after each match. But it is not only the work that everyone sees on a match day, you

should all be aware of how hard working and inspired such a man is to act as an excellent role model to

anyoneineverydaylife.IfheisnotbusyrunningcoursesforstudentsattheCollegeofAsianScholars

inKhonKaen,heisfulfillinghisroleasFIFAInstructorfortheFootballAssociationofThailand.Heworks

with complete self motivation for his people, his passion and most importantly his family. This self

motivation must have come from a remarkable Chanawongse family. We are very fortunate to have Dr.

KasomorKCasheisaffectionatelyknowninourranks.UnderKC’sguidancethefutureofIssanfootball

is in very safe hands.

ManagerOurManagerPongsakTangwanichakapongisalwaysthefirstintoourdressingroomhomeandaway

beforethematchorathalftimetoinspiretheplayerswithawinbonusorgoalbonus.Heisalways

there after the match to offer his hand to

the opposition and to clap the players off

thepitchwinloseordraw.Hehasexpecta-

tions of his team’s performance but is very

realistic with the competition before him.

The more I see how they operate the more

admiration I have for there style. I can only

speak for myself in saying they make you

wanttofightforthemtoachieveresults

week in week out.

General Secretary When you see the fantastic sponsors we

haveonourclubshirt.BeerLeo,Thecouncil,CentralPlazaand3K.Thisallgoesdowntothehours

spentbyGeneralSecretaryMr.Ong-ArjKosinkarandhispersonalstafftosecuresuchsponsorsforthe

futureofourclub.Amanwithavisionoffootballmarketing.Hedrivestheclubforwardoffthefield

withhiscloserelationshipwiththePresidentsandManagement.Thereisnobettermaninfootballthan

Mr.Mac.

VicePresidentWeeradetXata-Vice

President is an inspira-

tional character to have

behind the scenes. When

he is not sitting on the

bench gee-ing the team

up in the huddle, kicking

every ball or taking turns

withAjarnPairaton

match days either singing

the Thai National anthem

or making announce-

ments.Youmayfindhim

Directing his Kaemkan-

nakornSchool.Hehas

fantastic football knowledge and is always on hand to give the team advice at training.

• StuartKelly–WelcometotheTPL!StuarthasmadeagreatimpressionsofarwiththeManagement,fanclubandteam.BeingaScots-

man he wasn’t too happy about accidently booking himself into the top hotels in BKK spending a small

fortune!StugotstuckintheBKKtrafficinthemiddleofanotherdownpourandcouldn’tfindanywhere

else and ended up in the executive’s suite

atSiamSiam.Hehadagreatviewofthe

stadium for Saturday. Stuart has already

offered valuable comments in training and

from the bench at the BEC Tero match.

We are very pleased to have an experi-

encedplayerwhoisalsohighlyqualifiedin

coachingtoaddtoourfamily.Hewillhelp

us all.

IfeelStuartcanhelpconnectthemidfield

to our strikers and can be a leader on the

pitch organizing players taking some pres-

sureoffthecaptain.Heisnowsettledin

to his apartment where the Chinese players stay. This will help build the connection with them and be

closertotheThaiplayersfortransferstoandfromtraining.XiangLiandWenxinLihavemadeStuart

feelcomfortableandtakenhimtolunch.AfterourreturntoKhonKaenStualsoenjoyedameal,walk

roundcentralandalightgameofbasketballwithmyfamilyandme.Hewasonthewinningsidewith

oneofmystudentsHighwhobecameclosefriendswithmynephewAaronwhounfortunatelyhadme

onhisside;itwasaclosegame21-18hon-

est!Abigthankyoualsotothecoachingstaff

and Gattusso, who has also helped Stu settle

in.Theyarenowroommatesonawaytrips;

maybe he can help him with his Thai.

HewillbeaplayerthePresidentandManager

canrelyon.Hewillbeaplayerwhoknows

exactly what Coach Nurong wants him to do

whenheistold.Hewillbeaplayerwhocan

also help me pass on instructions and detail at

set-piecesbyshowingtheplayersonthefield.

But we will not be singling him out for any

specialattention.Heissimplyanotherpiece

ofthejigsawpuzzle.ThatisalsohowStuart

wantsittobe.Hebringsanexcellentplaying

pedigree and valuable experience from a

professionalcareerplayingandcoachinginScotlandtoourclub.Hetellsmeingreatdetailofhisre-

centexperienceatAucklandCityinNewZealandandhowitwasabigsuccess.Theyareanorganized

clubwithaProfessionalmentality,aclubthathasbeenoperatinginthismannerforsometime.His

coachesareexcellentandhavebeengivenravereviewsinOceanafootball.Heleavesateamwhohas

justearnedtherighttoplayintheFIFAClubCubwonlastseasonbyBarcelona.Hisformerteamwill

be drawn in the same group as the host. The

tournament will not be held in Japan now

because of the Tsunami. It is possible they

will play in Brazil or Spain. If it is held in

Spain, the host team could be either Barce-

lonaorRealMadrid.IfeitherwinstheUEFA

ChampionsLeaguethenthehighestfinishing

team will be the host team, as both are in

thesemifinalandeithercouldwintheleague

theneitherBarcelonaorRealMadridcouldbe

playingAucklandCityFC.

So you must be wondering why Stuart has

left and how he could possibly miss out

on this prestigious event. It’s simple really.

Football in Thailand is growing fast and

the crowds that the league is attracting are better than New Zealand and he simply wants to play in a

professionalleaguewithmoregamesandstrongmediacoverage.Hewasabigpartoftheteamand

will bring what he has learnt from being involved in an organized and successful team with a style of

playthesameasBarcelona’sthathadravereviewsafterwinningthecupfinal,finishingjointsecondin

theleague.Hewillbeanexcellentadditiontoayoungteam.Hewasabitdevastatedhemustreplace

hispinktrainingtopafterafantookitoffhisshoulderattheBECTEROgame.WeallwishStuartgood

luck for his future with KKFC.

• ClubExposure:

Each week if you are a Khon Kaen FC fan, you can pick up either the Siam Sports magazine, the sports

paperortheNationalpapers.TheyallhaveoutstandingcoverageandfocusoneachPremierLeague

team.LivegamesfeaturedonTVandcrowds

growing week by week. The club is now

gaining exposure which can only be good for

the town. Thai football is a good place to

be and I feel that’s why it will entice better

players and more foreign players to our mar-

ket. So credit must go to the reporters and

photographers who travel the length of the

country to bring you the action.

• BECTEROSasanamatch.OnarainsoakedfieldweweresorrywecouldnotgiveDrKCaperfectbirthday.Iwasn’ttooworried

withBECTeroSasanatheydidn’treallyscareme.Howeverallourcoachesdidfeeltheyplayedbetter

footballthanusandwerefarmoreorganized.Onabetterdaywecouldhavehadaresult.Butitwas

completelydowntohowweplayed.Inthefirsthalfwehadsomebrightpassagesofplayuptothefor-

wards.Butwejuststartedtogetmoreandmorestretchedasthegamewenton.Ourdefensivetriowas

fartoodeep,holdingmidfielderdoingmorethanonejob.Thedefensiveinterchangewastooslow,our

wingbackswerepinnedbacktoactonlyasdefendersandnotattackers.Themidfieldtwowereforcedto

act as defenders.

Thesecondhalfcouldhavebeendifferent.WebroughtnewsigningonStuartKelly.Unfortunatelywe

concededapenaltytooquicklytomakeit3-0.Afterthegoaltheywerestrollingandtherewasnoreal

way back but we became brighter and

themidfieldkepttheballbetter,however

the wingbacks legs were drained by this

time to get forward to support our at-

tacks. They managed to win corners but

couldn’tfindthestrengthtogetpastthe

fullbacks or miss out the fullback with

any crosses when in the right areas. The

strikersandmidfieldlinkeduptoscore,

and managed to hit the target with a few

shots. Gatusso had a golden chance to

head in. But it wasn’t our day. We would

be kidding ourselves on if we thought

itcouldhavebeen3-3becausetheycouldhavescoredanother3.Soontoournextgameanothersix

pointergamethatcanbewonatourMahassarakhamhome.

• NextGamesWe must now look to our forthcoming matches against Police as a chance to get closer to them on

points.WemustalsotreatthegameagainstArmyinasimilarfashiontotheChaingRaigame.These

are games that if we can get points from can make or break how the rest of

ourseasonwillbe.Willwebefightinginarelegationbattlewiththebottom

sixteams?OrWillwebecompetingwiththeteamsinsixthtotwelfthplacefor

amidtablefinish?

Tofinishmidtablewithayoungnewteamandnewstaffstillfindingtheirfeet

in the top league of Thailand, would be a remarkable achievement and make us

even stronger for the next campaign.

Let’sgoouttherewithabigT-RexroarandmaketheExecutives,theManage-

ment and the Fan club proud to say

‘We are Khon Kaen!’

• PersonallyPersonallythishasbeenthebusiesttimeofmylife.My

wife and I have had a baby boy, we are building a home

tolivein,andmyfamily(sister,nephewandneice)vis-

ited the same week our new signing Stuart Kelly arrived. I

havebeenincontactwithStuartconstantlyfor10months

tomakethismovehappenasitismyjobtobringinand

takecareoftheforeignsignings(outsideAsia.)Ibrought

Stuart here as I feel he would be a success on and off the

pitch and he will eventually see what my family and I see.

ThatKhonKaencanbeagreatplacetosettle.Mynephew

AaronwillbegoinghomewithhisTPLstickerbookand

new Khon Kaen FC kit.

So why do I do this… simple football is the only drug I

need.Andthankfullymywifeandsisterunderstand,they

have seen it all before!!

Nick Gorman