Gian Chansrichawla
Football Tribe SEA Editor
Thai League outfit Nakhon Ratchasima have parted ways with their long-serving coach Milos Joksic, after a poor run of form has left them just four points clear of the relegation zone with five games remaining in the season.
After impressively finishing in seventh place last season, Nakhon Ratchasima invested in the squad with the intention of pushing on and finishing higher this season. The side were sitting in the same position in the halfway mark this season, but a run of one win in ten games during the second leg of the season has seen them plummet into the thick of the relegation zone.
A 5-1 defeat to then-bottom club Chiangmai FC sealed Joksic’s fate, and he resigned from his position with the club just four places and two points clear of the relegation zone.
Joksic had been at the helm of the club since midway through the 2016 season, where he replaced coach Sugao Kambe and guided the side to safety, ultimately finishing 11th. During his time in Korat, he has been on the touchline for 126 games, recording 47 wins, 29 draws and 50 losses, yielding a win rate of 37%.
The Serbian boss has been replaced by Chalermwut Sa-ngapol, who guided Sukhothai to safety last season before enduring an unsuccessful spell at Ayutthaya United in T2 earlier this season. After the international break, he has five games to keep the Swatcats up in a tight battle with Chainat, Suphanburi, Chiangmai, and his former club Sukhothai.
Chalermwut will begin his tenure on the 14th of September with an away game against Port FC.