Last season`s topic slowly died before the end of the season, but I`m starting a new season topic in case someone would like to have one.

The 2015-season is only a few weeks away. How many teams there will be in the North-Eastern region this year is not clear yet, as there are 17 teams in total from Isan, but 1 or 2 might be moved to North or Central-East. Loei City is the most likely team to move to the Northern league.

The 17 clubs are:
Roi Et United (relegated from D1)
Khon Kaen (relegated from D1)
Ubon UMT
Udon Thani
Loei City
Surin City
Mahasarakham United
Kalasin
Nong Khai
Amnat Town
Chaiyaphum United
Nakhon Phanom
Sisaket United
Nong Bua Lamphu (I think they are renamed Nong Bua Pitchaya)
Sakhon Nakhon
Mukdahan City
Yasothon United (returning after a year without football)

The League Cup is scheduled to kick-off in 9 days with qualification round(s), so there should be a draw in a few days. Last year we had 2 qualification rounds away from home, so let`s hope for a home game this season.

Looks like a very difficult league to get out of this season .. on the bright side Sven The Udon Tap is offereing a 10% discount for all supporters wearing an Udon team shirt who come for a drink BEFORE HOME GAMES.

Good luck to UDFC for the up coming season .

Are the home games still played at the Physical Education place near The Tap ?

They will play at the Physical Education stadium until the new stadium is finished, probably some time in 2016.

Yes, DM, it wil be very hard to finish the season in one of the top 2 spots. At least 4-5 teams is playing for promotion, and UDFC has to be better than last season to get there. Right now they only have 20 confirmed players, where only 6 played in the 2nd half of last season. I would guess that the squad will have 25-30 players, so a few more signings is expected.
The transferwindow in Thailand closes on January 28, in 10 days, so not much more time to do business.

Well done Svein for kicking off a new topic.
Last night would have been special for many fans here with the visit of Premier League club Muang Thong for a friendly game. An all-ticket game and sold out. Videos and photos show it was a great time and the Club clearly worked hard to welcome the opposition and do Udon proud. With the result not that important with players not fully committed and numerous use of substitutes, Udon actually won 1-0. More significant was the occasion put the Club more 'on the map', selling points perhaps for future sponsorship, players wanting to sign etc. A new ground is on the horizon, lots of new players who hopefully will prove quality and the coming season may really be 'take off' time for the Club.

I must confess I feel a little guilty that I didn't make the effort to buy a ticket, go last night and show support. My excuse is that I don't find friendly games enthuse me without real competition and, like the UK, my only interest in 'big' teams and 'star' players is beating them! . When the real stuff starts, I'll be there for all home games and several too, I hope, wife permitting. :-" Support your local team!

Looking at the current squad of 19 players, I have a few questions.

Why have they only signed 4 of the 19 who played most games last year? They`ve only signed numbers 3, 4, 7 and 35. Why none of the others?
They`ve also signed number 20, but he only played 4 (2+2) games last season. Why sign him at all?

It would make more sense if they had kept the 8-10 best players from last year, and added better players to the squad.
But maybe it`s the players who wants to leave, and not the club who don`t want them. But if so, why do they want to leave a club who want promotion to D1, who has almost a full house on every homegame, who has great fans and is building a new 10.000-seater stadium? I`m also almost sure that the club don`t pay good players any less than other clubs.

PS! Number 8 Yuyun was included in my previous mentioned 20-man squad, after both him and the club confirmed that he would stay in Udon, but now it looks like he`ll be leaving too.

Whoops! The end of my last post should have read "several AWAY too".

An update of the clubs in North/East this season. We should know this or next week if 1 or more clubs are moved to other leagues.

Now 18 clubs:
Roi Et United (relegated from D1)
Khon Kaen (relegated from D1)
Ubon UMT United (renamed with United at the end)
Udon Thani
Loei City
Surin City
Mahasarakham United
Kalasin
Nong Khai
Amnat Town
Chaiyaphum United
Nakhon Phanom
Sisaket United
Nong Bua Lamphu (I think they are renamed Nong Bua Pitchaya)
Sakhon Nakhon
Mukdahan City
Yasothon United (returning after a year without football)
Ubon Ratchathani (new club)

EDIT:
Breaking news: The league will kick off on February 14th.

Two Ubon Clubs, under this incentive to allow two Clubs per province?
Rules to ensure they're financed, administered separately, players can only be registered for one Club etc?
Or, are we to find that players move between the two regularly and one is really a 'feeder' for the other?
I suppose it happens already with e.g. Surin and Phichit having links with Buriram. I did find it odd these teams playing in kit with a Buriram logo on.

The new Ubon club is also playing with Buriram on their shirts.

The fixture list will be out on Wednesday, according to Thai-Fussball on twitter, so in 2 days we will know who we`re gonna play this season and when.
And as I said earlier today, the league starts on February 14th.

The RL-event tomorrow will be held in Prae in the evening, after a friendly game. There`s around 84 clubs, which should mean 14 clubs in each of the 6 leagues. If so, 4 clubs from Isan might be moved to other leagues.
In 2014 there was 83 clubs, with 13 clubs in South and 14 in each of the 5 other regions.

I would guess that Loei and Chaiyaphum are being moved, and maybe also the new Ubon-club, so there won`t be 2 clubs from the same place together in the league. But I might be very wrong, and since this is Thailand, nothing will surprise me tomorrow.

Svein66 wrote:..... since this is Thailand, nothing will surprise me tomorrow.

Perhaps Udon to play in the south region? Heh, we could have that chartered plane experience, like Phichit away, every second week.

Playing in South would disappoint more than surprise, Brian, but going on a plane with those girls would be ok.

Some UDFC transfer stats:

2013: 18 players signed in January/February and 5 in the summer. Only 1 player left in the summer, while 21 was leaving after the season. So 23 players in and 22 out.
2014: 20 players signed in January/February and 9 in the summer. 17 players left in the summer and it seems as 20 players is leaving after last season. That means 29 players in and 37 out in 2014.
2015 (so far): 14 players in.

In total so far, UDFC has signed 66 new players in the current season, and previous 2 seasons, and 59 has left in the previous 2 seasons. And they still need 8-10 players before the transfer window closes.

Since January 2013, there has been 125 transfers to and from UDFC. And there will be many more in the next 7 days. How to build a team this way??

Those who enjoy looking at stats, they can find some here:
2013: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Udon ... .C._season
2014: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Udon ... .C._season
2015: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Udon ... .C._season

[quote="Svein66"]How to build a team this way?? /quote]

Most people would surely say NO. But, as you reminded me recently, players here usually have only one season, even half-season contracts and changing clubs is, I guess, easier and more common than in Europe. Overseas players, often the mainstay of teams, are certainly journeymen, usually in Thailand only for the purpose of playing football and securing the best money they can. I'm not criticising them, certainly (and perhaps it's more a case with African players) if families back home have to be supported.

But looking at the stats you do an excellent job in maintaining, it does appear there are eight Thai players who have appeared for the Club for three or more seasons, so some consistency there.

All 18 clubs listed above is in the North Eastern league. That means 34 league games. Crazy!
First game is at home to Loei City on Feb 14.

Just to make the 18-team league even more crazy. Here`s the number of teams in the 5 other leagues:

North: 14
East-Central: 14
Bangkok: 14
West-Central: 13
South: 10

I`m thinking/guessing that North-East will get 3 teams in Champions League, or probably number 3 to play number 2 in South for the last spot, like they did in 2013.

We can say for sure that North-East won`t get a break this season, unless they play many midweek games. They didn`t have a break in 2013 when there was 30 matchdays, and now there will be 34.
The current 19-man squad needs to get a lot bigger with all these games.

There is approx 32 weekends in the league season (Feb 14-Sep 20), and normally 2 weekends are not used around Songkran, so it looks like there will be at least 4 midweek games, more if they want a mid-season break.

So if UDFC are getting promoted this season, they will play 34 league games, 10 play-off games, 2 games to decide 1st to 4th place in RL, maybe 2 extra play-off games if 3rd North-East has to play 2nd South + at least 1 League Cup game. Don`t know if they also enter the FA-cup (they normally don`t). Anyway, that`s 49 games, and with a good cuprun, or 2, there will be more.

In 2013, when they had the great run in the League Cup, UDFC played 46 games. Except for 2 weekends off around Songkran, they didn`t have a break until the 3 weeks from the league ended to CL started.

But good for us fans as there will be a lot of games to attend. Just hope that we will win most of them...

EDIT:
UDFC`s chairman has just said on FB that Adriano Pellegrino will sign a contract within 2-3 days.

Svein66 wrote:All 18 clubs listed above is in the North Eastern league. That means 34 league games. Crazy!
.....

Bloody hell. When wife wakes, I'll tell her I'm off to football and will see her sometime around next December. Wish me well.

There was a change in my list of clubs this season. Yasothon is still not having a team, and Khon Kaen United (another new club) is the 18th club.
https://www.facebook.com/KhonkaenUTD

So this year there will be 2 trips to Ubon and 2 trips to Khon Kaen.

I am new to Udon thani but train on the track of Udon Thani FC. I suggest we meet up at the TAP Udon before games (no need to drink alcohol if you do not want).

Macanello

mackatwijan wrote:I am new to Udon thani but train on the track of Udon Thani FC. I suggest we meet up at the TAP Udon before games (no need to drink alcohol if you do not want).

Macanello

And get a 10% discount if wearing an Udon Team shirt ... (BEFORE GAMES ONLY)