The club formerly known as Bangkok Glass looked on in frustration as Muangthong United and Buriram United achieved what seemed like instant success.
Like the other two clubs, they had built one of the finest stadiums in Thailand, and brought in some fine players and coaches, but they consistently failed to mount a sustained challenge for the Thai League title.
In 2018, after 10 years and just one major domestic honour, Bangkok Glass made significant investment in the squad, starting the season with the likes of Thailand international midfielders Thitipan Puangchan and Tanaboon Kesarat, while Macedonian playmaker Mario Gjurovski was brought in to provide the X-factor.
The new signings added to a squad which already had the quality of Australian centre-back Matt Smith, Costa Rican international striker Ariel Rodriguez and Spanish winger Daniel ‘Toti’ Rodriguez.
Leaving nothing to chance, a fortune teller was allegedly consulted on what the club should do to become the best in the country.
Bangkok Glass’ traditional green-and-white colors were apparently replaced by blue as a result of this consultation. Another significant change was the introduction of a grass pitch, having preferred an artificial surface for many years.
The result was relegation to T2.
The top tier was downsizing from 18 teams to 16 and five teams went down in 2018. BG finished 14th and went down due to an inferior head-to-head record with Chainat.
There were a number of freakish elements to that season and BG’s goal difference of +9 was better than any other team outside the top six. Gjurovski’s issues with fitness in the early stages of the season prevented him from making an impact and he was not registered for the second leg of the season. Striker Frederic Mendy was another signing that had failed to work out.
There was also a highly controversial refereeing performance on the final Matchday. Chainat’s 2-1 victory at Suphanburi enabled them to draw level on points with BG and go above them on the head-to-head record. Both Chainat’s goals came from debatable penalty decisions – one in added time to grab the winner.
But, ultimately, taking just one point from the final three matches condemned the side that seemed too strong to go down, to go down.
It was undoubtedly one of the biggest shocks in the modern history of Thai football and it still seems shocking that such a strong squad suffered relegation.
But the club licked its wounds and accepted its fate. It made another change and this time it was the team’s name instead of its colors. With the club located a significant distance from the city limits, the club became BG Pathum United. The BG part kept the link to the previous name, while ‘Pathum’ was considered more appropriate in a geographical sense as the home stadium is in the province of Pathum Thani to the north of Bangkok.
Thitiphan was allowed to join J.League club Oita Trinita on loan for the T2 season, while the club lost the experience and leadership of Smith. But Toti remained at BG and midfielder Chaowat Veerachat returned from a loan spell at Cerezo Osaka U23.
Some key signings were also made. Barros Tardeli was a proven striker at the T2 level, while Thailand international keeper Chatchai Budprom dropped down a division from Chiangrai United. At centre-back, young Singaporean Irfan Fandi was an eye-catching addition to a squad that had a good balance of youth and experience.
As expected, BG ran away with the 2019 T2 title, finishing 13 points ahead of second-placed Police Tero.
With the goal of an immediate return to T1 achieved, attention turned to making a big impact. There was no temptation to go for a big name to oversee the T1 challenge and head coach Dusit Chalermsan kept his job.
The playing squad was boosted by the arrivals of four-time T1 champion Andres Tunez in defence and the return of Thitipan from his loan spell in Japan.
At 33, Tunez had left Buriram United and was expected to try and find a club in Spain, but BG tempted him back for a new challenge in Thailand.
Another important piece in the jigsaw was the Brazilian centre-back Victor Cardozo. He had surprisingly left Chiangrai United for PTT Rayong in 2019, but PTT’s demise made him a much sought after free agent.
An attacking midfield addition was 33-year-old Sumanya Purisai, who had been playing the best football of his career in his thirties.
Under the radar, right-back Santhipap Changgom was signed from Police Tero and would prove an inspired bit of business.
So there were three quality centre-backs in Irfan, Tunez and Cardozo, in front of a Thai international keeper. Santhipap and Saharat Pongsuwan offered solid options at wing-back.
Thitipan and Chaowat were two strong options in central midfield, while Toti, and Sumanya promised flair and creativity going forward.
But the biggest question hanging over the team that Dusit was building was who would score the goals. Tardeli had been prolific for various T2 clubs but had no T1 experience. Siroch Chatthong offered a physical presence and hard work up front, but little goal threat. Malaysian Norshahrul Idlan came with a big reputation but was another forward without a great recent track record in scoring goals.
Veterans Chatree Chimtalay and Surachat Sareepim were always likely to play a backup role, so it was impossible to see who would be the 15-20 goal a season striker that champion sides almost always possess.
There was, nevertheless, a positive start to the 2020 T1 campaign as BG rallied to beat Muangthong 2-1 at home. BG took seven points from the next three matches, conceding none in the process. After four games came the league’s first enforced lockdown and BG had 10 points and had conceded just one goal – from a penalty kick.
The defensive solidity that would define the season was evident from a very early stage. Perhaps this gave Dusit the confidence to loan Tardeli (no goals in four games to Samut Prakan City), while the only striker to arrive during the six-month Covid-enforced break was Chenrop Samphaodi. Chenrop, like Siroch, was more renowned for his work ethic than his scoring.
To strengthen options in midfield, Sarach Yooyen was signed from Muangthong. The ability of BG to take one of the Kirins’ key players was another big statement of intent. One-time Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mitsuru Maruoka then arrived from Cerezo Osaka, looking for a revival in a career that had lost direction.
When the league finally resumed following a six-month break, BG started in style, winning 1-0 at Port – the team expected by many to challenge for the title. If beating Port was impressive, following up by winning 2-0 at Bangkok United and 1-0 at home to Buriram United confirmed that Dusit’s side were serious challengers for the title as they moved into top spot.
They didn’t just win these games. They kept their opponents at arm’s length and won rather comfortably. Cardozo scored at Bangkok United and Tunez netted against Buriram as the two centre-backs proved the most dependable scorers.
It was clear that Dusit had a system and the players he had fitted it perfectly. In Thailand, talented centre-backs are scarce, so most clubs use their foreign quota to bring in one or two. BG had three towering foreign defenders, complemented by two hard running wing-backs.
Two of the best central midfielders in the country provided a strong shield in the midfield and Sumanya was proving a key player with his set piece delivery.
After a 2-2 draw at home to Samut Prakan City on Matchday Nine, BG went on an 11-match winning streak that effectively sealed the title. Port hung on to hopes of overhauling them until they were beaten 2-1 at the Leo Stadium in February.
By this point, BG had splurged on the quality strikers that most observers felt were necessary for a title challenge. Diogo Luis Santo and Teerasil Dangda arrived to much fanfare and when Diogo set up Teerasil to score on his debut at Police Tero, it sent a strong message that not only were BG out in front, but they were there to stay.
Teerasil soon picked up an injury and missed the run-in, while Diogo was used sparingly, though he made a spectacular impact when his stunning strike was the only goal of the match against his former club Buriram.
The truth is that BG would surely have won the title without what seemed a dream strike duo.
There were six matches remaining when BG clinched the T1 title with a straightforward 2-0 victory at home to Sukhothai. Fittingly, both goals were in line with how they had scored all season – Sumanya scoring direct from a free kick, while Cardozo netted a penalty.
There was also yet another clean sheet. In 30 league matches, there were 19 of them.
The fact that Teerasil and Diogo did not need to come in and make a significant difference was testament to the unit that Dusit had built. One of the best examples of his ability to make the most of his resources was in his use of Chatree at center-back when Irfan was injured. Chatree had played in the position earlier in his career and Dusit had tapped into those qualities in T2.
This meant that when any of the central defenders were injured or suspended, the three-at-the-back system remained in place. Chatree’s status as a club legend was enhanced when he scored his 100th goal for the club in the game in which Teerasil scored his first.
There was a slightly frustrating end to the campaign when they were denied an invincible season when Muangthong United beat them 1-0 on the final matchday. However, that will be considered a minor setback against all of the other astonishing statistics they record. The 77-point total was 14 above runners-up Buriram and 19 points more than the winning total of Chiangrai United in 2019.
What happens next is intriguing. BG look well equipped to make an impact in the AFC Champions League given they have such a settled side and system with positive momentum. Club president Pavin Bhirombhakdi has already indicated that they are likely to continue with the successful three-at-the-back for the tournament.
Next season, they will likely need to freshen up as their rivals look to beat the system that almost every team struggled against. BG surely can’t count on Tunez and Cardozo to score a combined 21 goals again. The core of the side is not getting any younger, with Tunez, Cardozo, Sumanya, Diogo and Teerasil all their early to mid-thirties.
Having walked away with titles in different divisions in consecutive seasons, however, BG deserve to bask in the glory of their first league title a little longer before addressing how to stay on top in 2021-22.
Photo: BG Pathum United
Listen to Paul Murphy and Gian Chansrichawla discuss the coaching merry-go-round from earlier in the Thai League season. on Episode 61 of The Asian Game podcast.
