{"id":23540,"date":"2020-07-30T14:00:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T05:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/?p=23540"},"modified":"2020-07-30T14:28:16","modified_gmt":"2020-07-30T05:28:16","slug":"tribe-talk-ayutthaya-united-coach-santi-chaiyaphuak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/2020\/07\/30\/tribe-talk-ayutthaya-united-coach-santi-chaiyaphuak\/","title":{"rendered":"TRIBE TALK: Ayutthaya United Head Coach Santi Chaiyaphuak"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Credit – Ayutthaya United Official<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After honing his craft at one of Thailand\u2019s biggest clubs, coach Santi Chaiyaphuak has embarked on a mission to take his hometown club to the top flight.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

March 11th 2018 marked the end of an era for one of Thailand\u2019s biggest clubs. Muangthong United, who had steamrolled their way to Thai League domination over the past two seasons, had just been drowned in the waterlogged pitch of the Sam Ao Stadium, home to newly promoted PT Prachuap FC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The four-time champions shipped six goals in a game whose impacts continue to reverberate today. It brought to an end the reign of coach Totchtawan Sripan, and arguably began the stagnation which continues at the club today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, for long-time Kirin assistant coach Santi Chaiyaphuak, it was the sign of a new beginning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the manager of his hometown club Ayutthaya United, Santi is preparing to come into his own, using the vast experience he built up during his time at the SCG Stadium. As he embarks on this new chapter in his journey, his first step into the limelight two years earlier remains a potent memory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the players were shocked when we lost to Prachuap,\u201d Santi reflected. \u201cIn the press conference, Totchtawan said he was leaving Muangthong. All the players and I didn\u2019t know because we were on the bus already.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the season had started slowly for the Kirin, there was no indication that Totchtawan\u2019s time was nearing an end prior to this game. The coach was adored for his free-flowing possession football and had been highly successful over the past two seasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a good character for a coach, and he has a good style,\u201d Santi explained of his former boss. Drawn to his flexible football and possession-based system, suddenly being asked to replace Totchtawan appeared to be a very daunting task.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSarach (Yooyen) called me, and asked \u2018what happened?\u2019 He asked me to try and get Totchtawan to stay but it was too late already,\u201d Santi reflected on his conversation with Muangthong\u2019s captain. \u201cThen in the morning, the president called me and told me to replace Totchtawan.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, this was nowhere near the true beginning of Santi\u2019s story. Born in Ayutthaya in 1978, Santi came through the ranks at the now-defunct Sinthana FC, spending four full seasons in the Thai top flight before moving to Singaporean side Tampines Rovers. Upon his return to Thailand in 2009, the left midfielder enjoyed spells with Pattaya United, as well as future employers Muangthong United and Suphanburi. After retiring from football in 2012, the then 33-year-old joined Muangthong\u2019s coaching staff. With his strong English ability and willingness to learn, he quickly climbed the ranks at the club, completing an apprenticeship with some truly remarkable mentors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I was an assistant to Jorka (Slavisa Jokanovic),\u201d Santi remembers, citing the former Watford and Fulham boss as a key inspiration. Jokanovic made waves in Thailand, leading the Kirin to become the Thai League\u2019s first unbeaten champions in 2016. The fact that his future exploits, including winning two promotions to the Premier League, started from such humble beginnings remains a point of pride for Muangthong fans and for Santi. \u201cHe is very good, he taught me many things,\u201d he reflects, \u201cI learned a lot from Jorka.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Credit – SCG Muangthong United Official<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With his apprenticeship now over, 39-year-old Santi\u2019s first test as head coach came against Ubon UMT just a few days later, on March 17th.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI tried my best, I didn\u2019t take on too much pressure, and I knew about the quality of the players because I had been at Muangthong for a long time,\u201d Santi reflected on his feelings before his first game. \u201cMe and the players, we can talk like friends, which is why we had no [pressure].\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two second half goals saw Muangthong emerge triumphant, calming the nerves for the new caretaker boss and his clearly rattled squad. \u201cWe [had] to wait until the club chooses a new coach to replace Totchtawan,\u201d he reflected, \u201cthe players knew the situation, so they tried their best.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The limited time frame didn\u2019t stop Santi from experimenting with a number of tactical tweaks. His decision to move renowned attacking midfielder Charyl Chappuis into a deep-lying playmaker role remains a notable innovation, as was moving right-back Tristan Do further up the pitch. His choice to field youngsters Patcharapol Intanee, Suksan Mungpao and Sorawit Panthong also turned out to be a fruitful one, as they looked eager to repay his faith in them during this short spell. The early manifestations of his flexible football and emphasis on youth were already beginning to show themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Santi\u2019s seven-year association with the Kirin would come to a halt later that season, as Muangthong\u2019s higher-ups secured the coveted signature of former Serbia national team boss Radovan Curcic, who proceeded to lead the team in an entirely new direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Curcic came, he bought many assistants,\u201d Santi reflects on the difficult decision he had to make. However, having tried his hand at managing, and emerging with an impressive six-game unbeaten run, returning to a smaller role in the backroom seemed like the wrong step at a crucial moment in his career. It was time to return home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A short spell as an assistant coach at Suphanburi punctuated his two periods with Ayutthaya United. Santi marked the first by helping his side secure their place in Thai League 2, arriving in time to lead the side to victory over Narathiwat in the third-division playoff. By the time he returned, Ayutthaya had finished bottom of the league in 2019, but were inexplicably saved by the folding and dissolution of both Thai Honda FC and Army, and the disqualification of Ubon, giving him the chance to take charge of the side in T2 once again.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Credit – Ayutthaya United Official<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI was born in Ayutthaya, which is why it is easy for me to help them,\u201d Santi explained. \u201cThey have a good city, near Bangkok and everything. They have good fans also, who support [the team]. I want to [bring] Ayutthaya up [in terms of] football.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Santi has wasted no time in getting the wheels turning on that particular project, using his old Muangthong connections to recruit new players for the squad. Having already reunited with Kirin legend Datsakorn Thonglao and former South Korea international Lee Ho, two incredible signings for a club in T2, the emphasis is now turning towards youth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the young players, when they don\u2019t have a chance to play, they try to speak with me.\u201d Santi described his plans to bring budding stars from his former club, as well as other top-flight clubs with excesses of talent. \u201cThey want to show [their ability]. Some players are 22 or 23 years old, and they want to play.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His emphasis on youth demonstrates his desire to lead the club for the long term, but Santi is not getting ahead of himself. \u201cI like [to stay] with a club, like I did with Muangthong\u201d he explained. \u201cI don\u2019t like to change clubs, I\u2019d prefer to stay longer. I will try my best to stay at Ayutthaya.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, he was quick to add: \u201cFootball can change every day. You could have a contract for six years, but if you lose five or six games you can\u2019t stay in that contract. That is why I try my best [to get] good results.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With just over a month left to prepare his side for the Thai League restart, Ayutthaya United\u2019s recent moves could make them outside contenders for a playoff spot. However, the focus remains on the long term; with Santi\u2019s approach to tactics, recruitment and player development, as well as the vast experience he accumulated during his years at Muangthong, it appears that the future of football in the Ayutthaya province is in good hands. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After honing his craft at one of Thailand\u2019s biggest clubs, coach Santi Chaiyaphuak has embarked on a mission to take his hometown club to the top flight.\u00a0 March 11th 2018 marked the end of an era for one of Thailand\u2019s biggest clubs. Muangthong United, who had steamrolled their way to Thai League domination over the past two seasons, had just been drowned in the waterlogged pitch of the Sam Ao Stadium, home to newly promoted PT Prachuap FC.\u00a0 The four-time champions shipped six goals in a game whose impacts continue to reverberate today. It brought to an end the reign of coach Totchtawan Sripan, and arguably began the stagnation which … Continue reading “TRIBE TALK: Ayutthaya United Head Coach Santi Chaiyaphuak”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":23555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,1627],"tags":[2114,104,2113,95,200,1831,68],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23540"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23572,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23540\/revisions\/23572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}