EXPECTATIONS ON REID TO DELIVER IN AFF SUZUKI CUP 2008

EXPECTATIONS ON REID TO DELIVER IN AFF SUZUKI CUP 2008

The Peter Reid chapter in the saga of Thai football began in earnest when Thailand kicked-off their T&T Cup campaign against DPR Korea in Hanoi and it won't be long to find out whether the genial Englishman will author an ASEAN success story or whether he will become a footnote of another failed foreign coach.

While Thailand's matches with the North Koreans and Vietnam mark Reid's first in charge, it is December's AFF Suzuki Cup that is key.

The Thais have won the competition three times when it was known as the Tiger Cup and a nation of fans who have seen their country's status as the region's football superpower usurped by Singapore will expect instant success from the former England international.

It's no secret that many Thais enjoy a flutter on football every now and again but investing millions to put the national team's fortunes in the hands of an individual that had not managed a side for almost four years must surely represent a massive gamble.

Or does it?

Eyebrows were raised when, in early September, Reid was officially unveiled as the new national team coach, agreeing a four-year contract worth a reported GBP 4 million.

When he took over the managerial reins from the popular Chanvit Polchivin he had been out of the game since his departure from Coventry in January 2005.

This is too long for some observers, who also point out to a number of disappointing tenures in English club football.

But a flick through the history book of Thai football reveals that their most successful period came under the helm of a coach that in many aspects mirrors Reid.

The similarities between Reid and the man in question, Peter Withe, are uncanny - apart from the obvious in that they share identical first names.

Reid and Withe are both former England internationals who hail from Liverpool. They both took helm of the Thailand national team in their early-fifties and at a time in their career when they had absolutely no experience of coaching in Asia.

But what the Thais are clearly looking for in Reid is the same motivational qualities that the ex-Aston Villa hard man brought to the side.

Withe was well aware that the expletive laden tirades that are par for the course on the pitches of England would not export well to the 'land of smiles' and an overly aggressive approach in Thailand would be about as welcome as a razor blade in a bowl of tom yum goong.

But Withe was still able to add an element of English steel to the Thais' footballing silk and the former Wimbledon manager oversaw an era of unprecedented success, as Thailand won two ASEAN championships and reached the semi-finals of the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games.

Reid has already made the right noises about motivating a side that he believes currently lacks the fitness and stamina to give a full 90 minutes of international football.

"You can't get people's backs up because different cultures react in different ways," Reid said in an interview with Reuters.

"I want to get the best out of these players and you can't do that by shouting at anyone."

The 52-year-old certainly understands the cultural sensitivities when it comes to coaching Thailand.

And in former national team skipper Tawan Sripan as his number two, he has an assistant with bags of experience as a player who is also still young enough to relate to Thailand's team of talented twenty-something on a different level from Reid.

When Reid was officially unveiled as Thailand coach during a press conference in Bangkok he spoke of his mission to build a team capable of qualifying to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.

But his immediate outlook should be regional rather than global.

The Englishman has to re-establish Thailand's place at the top of the ASEAN pecking order and fast.

Because even though his four year contract suggests that the Thais are thinking sustained development, the reality remains that failing to deliver positive results where it matters most could quickly close the book on Reid.