Things looking up for Thai football under talismanic coach

It was all the more impressive when looking back over the past year, as few could have envisaged 2014 would be such a great year for Thai football, or in particular coach Kiatisak Senamuang, even if the success at the SEA Games in Myanmar the year before had provided positive signs of what was to come.

The SEA Games triumph in December, 2013, engineered by former national striker Kiatisak was the first for the country in six years and their 14th overall but the success at the under-23 level failed to convince the Football Association of Thailand to immediately hand over the reins of the senior side to the 41-year-old. 

The Khon Kaen native then proved his worth by helping the same under-23 side to equal the best result in the Asian Games, the continent’s own Olympics, by clinching the fourth spot in September in Incheon, South Korea. The achievement surprised everyone as people thought the SEA Games-winning squad would struggle when competing on the bigger stage.

Inevitably, the FAT offered the senior team’s job to Kiatisak just a little over a month before the Championship began in late November. Despite repeatedly asking for a formal contract to be signed, Kiatisak agreed to lead the Thai team at the region’s showpiece tournament under a “gentleman’s” agreement with the Thai FA, though.

Yet again Kiatisak confounded his doubters by making the seamless transition to coaching the senior side at the event where the Thais last tasted victory more than a decade ago. His decision to go to the tournament with a youthful side with an average age of less than 23 was fully justified as his young side ended a 12-year wait to reclaim the trophy.

Not only did they lift the trophy for the first time since 2002, Kiatisak’s side also won over admirers around the Southeast Asia region by producing an attractive brand of football based on quick passes.  While his predecessors struggled to get the best out of Thai players, Kiatisak had no such problem. As a former national player, he seemed to know exactly what his players wanted in order to deliver the goods.  

It’s no surprise that several players excelled while playing under Kiatisak’s guidance. The most notable example was BEC Tero Sasana’s midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin, who has worked with him since the Incheon Asian Games. 

The fact he was named on BBC’s list of 50 possible moves that could happen in January’s transfer window highlighted what a tournament Chanathip had with the Thai team. Kiatisak, himself, was also awarded the contract he had long asked for, reportedly putting his signature to a four-year deal with a seven-figure salary.  There is not much time for the Thai side to celebrate their achievement as the action comes thick and fast in 2015 with four major tournaments starting with the King’s Cup next month, then the SEA Games in Singapore, the Olympics and the World Cup qualifiers later in the year. 

With talismanic coach Kiatisak in charge, Thai fans can approach the year with a new-found belief that a bright future lies ahead of the national side.