The big game on Saturday is at the Yamaha Stadium, Nonthaburi as 2009 and 2010 champions Muangthong host former champions BEC Tero Sasana (6pm). Tero who have been on a promising run of late could move back up to third and within two points of Chonburi if they can win. Muangthong, meanwhile, will want to get back to winning ways after their disappointing defeat at Chiang Rai. The title looks beyond them, but they may still feel capable of catching Chonburi in second. Certainly, a draw wouldn’t really help either side.

Last week we reported on the mounting problems faced by Khlong Toey’s Thai Port F.C. The club’s principal backers ‘Super Rich Co Ltd’ were threatening to pull the plug on their big-money backing because they were unhappy with the terms of an MoU which the Port Authority wanted the company to sign. At the peak of the crisis, it looked like Port would lose the bulk of their first team and their head coach. It was also reported that the players hadn’t been paid in March or April. Now it seems there might be light at the end of the tunnel.

In this week’s fixtures troubled Thai Port (see our last blog) are at home to Samut Songkhram on Saturday (True Sport 2, 4pm). TOT are away at TTM Phichit (True 69, 6pm, Saturday), and in the most attractive draw of the weekend, third-place BEC Tero are away at second-place Chonburi, also at 6pm on Saturday (True Sport 2).

In what is already proving an up and down season Thai Port’s ownership problems have dramatically resurfaced—just as fans thought the worst was behind them. During the close-season, they nearly disappeared because of a dispute over who actually owned the club. That tangle was supposedly straightened out when Super Rich Co Ltd took over the running of last year’s League Cup champions.

There was a rare round of midweek fixtures in the TPL on Wednesday night. The big winners on Coronation Day were Buriram PEA who bolstered their position at the top of the table with a 2-0 win at troubled Bangkok Glass. BEC Tero Sasana have moved up to second place at Chonburi’s expense after beating Chiang Rai Utd 3-1 in the capital, whilst the Sharks drop to third after being held 2-2 at home by Samut Songkhram. Last season’s champions Muangthong United comfortably saw off TTM Phichit 3-0 at the Yamaha Stadium and Army United drew 1-1 at Osotspa-Saraburi.

An AFC delegation – officially termed a ‘Special Mission Team’ – recently completed a tour of all the TPL clubs and departed the Kingdom with a clear message for the FAT and TPL: “you’ve improved, but you’ve still got a lot to do”. The SMT was here to assess whether Thai clubs meet the required standards to host AFC Champions League games: generally speaking, they don’t.

A capacity crowd of 17000 were treated to an entertaining but ultimately goalless encounter as last year's champions Muangthong took on these year's current league leaders Buriram at the Yahama Stadium. The draw on Saturday did allow another Bangkok club, in the form of BEC Tero, to move within a point of Chonburi and into second place after the Fire Dragons recorded a straightforward 3-0 win against the struggling Sisaket FC.

‘Away’ is the new ‘Home’

Five TPL matches will be played in the capital this weekend, and the pick of them is at the PAT Stadium in Khlong Toey as Thai Port host Army United in another Bangkok derby. The Army have been one of the surprise packages this season, but a 1-1 home draw with Sisaket last weekend suggests they’re quite not the finished article. The Port Lions, meanwhile, were held 1-1 at home by Bangkok Glass last week, and a fascinating match should be on the cards this Sunday (kick off: 4pm).

It’s perhaps no surprise to see Buriram PEA at the top of the league. Nor is it shocking to find TOT and Siam Navy occupying the bottom two places. But that’s where the predictability ends in the 2011 TPL. Army United, the team that finished rock bottom in 2010 is in third place, and look good value for that high position having won two and drawn two. A 3-0 home win over Muangthong definitely being their most impressive result to date. Osotspa-Saraburi – an average mid-table side last year – sit in second spot after their 5-1 destruction of Muangthong last week.