Seems that uncertainty and troubles still continue to plague Thai Port. From having their stadium gates padlocked last November to being just three days from getting kicked out of the league in February, the Port Lions and their fiery fans have really been put through the mill of late on and off the pitch.

There was more bad news recently when it was revealed that head coach Sasom Pobpraserd was being headhunted by promotion-chasing Buriram F.C of Division 1 (not to be confused with big brother Buriram PEA). ‘The Lava’ will allegedly put 20 million baht on the table for Sasom and Port players Jirawat Makarom, Sompong Soleb, Ekkachai Sumrei and Alef Poh-Ji to jump ship. The Thai media loves rumour-mill stories about the two Buriram clubs, so the story should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt. However, there have definitely been talks between Buriram and Sasom, and the south Isaan side has stated that their current head coach will soon leave to take on the Thai under-16 side.

Travelling Titans
Chiang Rai United and Sisaket won’t be challenging for the title this season. Indeed, one or both may yet find themselves in a relegation fight. But their respective fans will be near the top of the league no matter what. Both clubs regularly have to make the longest journeys of any in the TPL but that didn’t stop their orange-clad fans descending on Bangkok in huge numbers last weekend. Around 1,000 Chiang Rai fans were on hand in Pathum Thani to see their side dramatically lose 3-2 to Bangkok Glass. Meanwhile, down in Khlong Toey, in the region of 1,500 Sisaket fans turned up at the PAT Stadium. A number of these away fans will be Bangkok-based, but these are still very impressive numbers, and it is another hint that the real future powerbase of the TPL could lie outside the capital.