Football Season Guide

Just about managed to avoid relegation last season, finishing 11th. They weren't involved on the last day but it's a good job, really - their end-of-season form was not nearly good enough to help them out if they were. Changes were needed, so they brought in a new manager - Alexandre Gama. He's a bit too good for them, really - the risk is that he missed most last season at Port FC due to being unwell. As the most successful manager in Thai League One history, though, it's a great appointment. They actively sought out his attacking football. On the face of it, it looks like they lost some big names pre-season. Key striker Bruno Baio headlines the list, and close behind were defenders Djalo and Beresford. The rest were rotation players. Noteworthy losses, but nothing to lose sleep over. Their incomings showed that they really mean business though. Keeping Doloh on loan was good business. Adding Enomoto up front was a brilliant piece of business, as was wide player Buhagiar from Tampines Rovers. Jeong should strengthen their back line substantially too. They took punts - like so many other Thai clubs - on unknown Brazilians to plug the gaps, and it's difficult to know what to expect from them. However, they added some real quality Thai players to their ranks too, bringing in Boonloet from Chonburi, Maikami from Buriram United, Chatthong from Sukhothai, and Yaemsaen from Chiangrai United. Goalkeeper Caique was one of their biggest signings, having impressed with Nam Dinh in the Asian Champions League 2 last season. With Robertinho joining from Nanjing City too, this squad looks more like one that is preparing to deal with playing on multiple fronts rather than just competing domestically. Uthai Thani clearly have lofty aspirations this season. Given the volume of changes, a slow start from them is likely. When the dust settles though, this should be a really good team. They should be in the mixer for a top-half finish, and may even be lucky enough to push for continental football next season, although it's not likely they'll have enough match-winners to see it through.