NRFC – What’s gone wrong?
A team surfing on the back of two promotions.
A team finishing a creditable 8th place in their inaugural season in the top flight.
A team attracting crowds which most TPL teams can only dream of.
A team now languishing in the bottom three, crowds diving to a lowly 7000 from a first match day attendance of 32 000 and demos protesting at the way in which the team is run. So what has gone wrong?
Let’s be straight, last year’s 8th place was an overachievement and a situation which I foresaw as hard to follow. A pretty ordinary team, who by dint of weak opposition in Division 1 in their Championship season had got into the winning habit who used this momentum and confidence to make a successful assault in the Premiership.
Pundits were making comments about the coaching methods or lack thereof Sugao Kambe and were baying for his removal. Rumours were circulating about the player’s discontent at the lack of rigorous training and coaching…but still the performances last season masked the underlying problems.
A word here on the fans. Swatcat fans are not used to seeing their team lose at home. Regional League and Division 1 home losses were extremely rare. In fact Premiership home losses were rare too – with only a couple of losses and a home draw with Buriram bolstering the home fan’s enthusiasm and support. It really is no great surprise that the attendances have plummeted. One home win so far and far from entertaining football on view. If Bangkok United played in Korat the 80th Anniversary Stadium would be full every week – Korat is a real football City.
This season the wheels have apparently come off. The loss of Lee Tuck was a blow. The acquisition of new striker Tagbajumi has yet to blossom and the returning Adeyeah does not appear to be the answer to our goalscoring problems. Kambe has gone and in the two matches since his departure there has been a real improvement – both in attitude and tactics.
So what has gone wrong… well nothing really. An overachieving team in their first season in the top flight who really should have finished in the bottom five is going to finish….in the bottom five. Shock, horror!!
One final point. If The Swatcats are relegated – and in my opinion this is a real possibility, it will be a real loss to the TPL. A moderately successful Korat team will attract 20 000 plus attendances. The TPL needs well supported teams if it is to flourish. Here’s hoping that the new coach, whoever he may be, can turn things around and help to maintain the Swatcat’s Premier League status.