When Peter Reid was unveiled as Thailand's national team coach last year, he admitted that he did not know much about Asian football in general or Thai football in particular.
To become successful in Thailand, the English coach knew that he needed a right-hand man with knowledge of football - and other things - in the region.
In came his compatriot, Steve Darby who was hand-picked by the former England midfielder. Both hail from Liverpool.
Darby has vast experience as a coach and instructor in Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand.
Furthermore, he has a Vietnamese wife who is a former Miss Hanoi, and is a part-time commentator for ESPN Star Sport.
"Peter called me when I was in Vietnam and I accepted the role as his assistant," said Darby.
They have since formed a relatively successful partnership with Thailand, who held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw in a recent friendly in Bangkok.
"I gave him local knowledge, not only about football but other stuff like culture," said Darby.
"I told him what he should and should not do here. You can do one things in England but you can't do it here such as touching one's head. It's not about which is right or wrong. It's about different culture."
Reid began his reign as Thailand's coach without an assistant. In the initial stages, he travelled a lot to watch local matches in the capital and other provinces.
As Reid did not have information about overseas-based Thai stars, most players in his squad were those who played in the local league.
When Darby arrived, he told Reid about Thai players who are playing abroad like Sutee Suksomkit who is with Tampiness Rovers in Singapore and Datsakorn Thonglao of Vietnam's Hoang Anh Gia Lai.
"Nobody told him about this and Thailand become stronger with their presence," Darby said.
Darby wrote a handbook for local players and coaches, part of which has been translated into Thai. In fact, he has written several books and articles.
In the early stages of their partnership, Reid and Darby agreed that Thai players had technique but lacked physical strength so Darby helped introduced a workout programme which is now part of their training.
"They train in the gym and many now have six packs and can cope with big players," added Darby.
Darby also wants the players to have a ˜quality rest"™ after a rigorous training session.
"We train only 90 minutes a day but Peter's training programme is high tempo so the players need a quality rest," he said.
The players are advised to swim and avoid junk food while carbonated and alcoholic drinks are banned in the training camp.
"There aren't any fizzy drinks in the camp and we have only water and milk," he said.
Dried salty beef is popular among Thai players as it can go well with both rice and alcoholic drinks.
But it is banned in the training camp as it could make the players dehydrate fast.
However, the management are not the police and there are no "stupid rules" in the training camp, Darby says.
"We act like men and the players act like men," he said.
"I know that Thais like whiskey and if the players want some outside the training camp, they can have it.
"We do not have any disciplinary problems. Nobody misses training for stupid reasons."
He says the players have become more professional and want to train. For example, Surat Sukha joined the training camp when his wife was about to deliver their child so he was asked to go home to look after her.
"You give them respect and they give you their heart," he said.
Darby has high praise for Thai players particularly Sutee and Surachai Jaturapattarapong who played for Singapore's Home United when Darby was the coach.
"They are never late for training. They are true professionals, leaders on the pitch who can die for you," Darby said.
As for young stars, Darby sees a bright future for striker Teerasil Dangda - he normally calls him by his nickname "Mui" - who was once on Manchester City's books.
Teerasil is probably the hottest Thai striker at the moment. He started the Liverpool match alongside Teerathep Winothai.
Darby also likes SEA Games side goalkeeper Kavin Thammasajjanan who is big and agile and could be Thailand's number one in the future.
Another star to watch, in Darby's eyes, is Thai-Swiss Peter Laeng who made his Thailand debut in a warm-up against Pakistan last month and was used as a substitute in the Liverpool game.
Laeng, whose mother is Thai, is playing for FC Schaffhausen in Switzerland's second division.
He has played for that country at every level from U-15 to U-21 before switching to Thailand.
Darby says Laeng, 23, is the first player to get a call-up to the national team in his search for foreign players with Thai blood, and many may follow in his footsteps.
"I have a lot of friends around the world in football or are journalists," he said.
"So I sent them emails asking them to look for players with a Thai connection."
There are several players with this connection in Australia, Britain, Finland and Norway who may be good enough to play for Thailand, Darby says.
"There is one in Australia who was born just inside the Thai border with Laos. He has a Lao passport," he said.
Darby is happy to work with young players. He coached the likes of Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill, Marc Bosnich and Brett Emerton while they were young.
"After being the boss at several clubs, I am happy with the role in Thailand. Peter is the boss here and he is taking all the sh**," joked Darby.
When there is a coaching job available in England, Reid's name is often mentioned as a possible candidate.
The former Manchester City, Sunderland, Leeds and Coventry manager has said that he wants to return to England but only after his four-year contract with Thailand expires.
However, anything can happen in football. Reid may quit Thailand and take a coaching job in his home country. If that happens, Darby is ready to take over the Thailand's coach job if offered.
He says one has to be ambitious but that he always sees out his contract.
"Unless Manchester United or Liverpool call me!" he joked.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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