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Contributors Wanted! The Couch Potato Edition

 

Since the last time we at The Sandpit wrote an article titled ‘Contributors Wanted!’ we have had 15 different people write previews, match reports and articles for The Sandpit. Players and managers – not just from Port but from all around the league – have taken part in our interviews. Port fans have sent us their photos, made videos for us and supported us in all sorts of different ways. Of course The Sandpit would not be able to keep up with the mental world of Port in the way that we have without all of your help, and it is always greatly appreciated.

That’s why, before asking more of you lot, we thought it would only be right to acknowledge those who have contributed to The Sandpit so far.

 

Writers

Andy Hailstone, Brian Blanchfield, Dave Barraclough, David Brassington, Dominick Cartwright, Gary Rutland, James Clarke, Joe Kheng, John Spittal, Kevin Machugh, Mike Strunk, Peter Hockley, Tim Russell, myself and Tommie Duncan.

 

Photographers and Videographers

Alisa Suwanrumpha, John Parbury, Kenny Goodbourn, Landry Dunand, Linny Russell, Tim Russell and all the people who take photos for various Port Facebook groups which we occasionally borrow!

 

Interviewees

David Rochela, Jason Withe, Josimar Rodrigues, Mano Polking, Matt Smith, Niran Hansson, Patrick Bentley and all of the fans from other teams who we have quoted in our previews.

 

Big thanks to all of those listed, and anyone else who I’ve forgotten. Of course, we still need all of your continued support to keep on producing the content we do, and we are always excited to welcome new contributors to the fold.

 

Couch Potatoes Wanted

What we’re after now is a particular kind of contributor: the sort that doesn’t really want to do any work, but would rather sit around with a chilled beverage in hand and have a chat about Port. We’re of course talking about our new series of Podcast Interviews called Zone F, which is basically me sitting around with you lot and asking some questions which we hope will help to create a Port-rait (geddit?) of the weird and wonderful Port supporting world. The first interview with Tim is here for you to listen to, and during the remainder of the break I hope to record a few more of these with anyone who fancies participating. Whether I’ve never met you before or see you at every match, whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer you’re welcome to join me for food, booze and a good old chin wag. I’ll send you the questions in advance so you know what to expect, but it’s really just a chat about Port. What could be simpler?

You can get in touch with me through the Thai Port Importz Facebook page, or by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page.

 

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Podcast

The Portcast Episode 13: Transfer Talk with Gian Chansrichawla

 

What happens when fans of Thailand’s two fiercest rivals sit down and talk football?

Well, myself and aspiring journalist Gian Chansrichawla put aside our partisan differences for an hour and took a deep dive in to the world of transfers. Gian dissects transfer strategies from Chiang Rai to Chainat, telling us what has been behind some of Thai football’s biggest success stories.

We also analyze the top transfer stories of the window so far, including of course Heberty’s much discussed loan move from Muangthong to Port, and another big name potentially heading in the same direction.

Big thanks to Gian for joining me, and if you enjoy our conversation please do favourite The Portcast on your app of choice, and share on social media. We’re now on Spotify, Stitcher, Acast, Castbox, Google Podcasts and more, and our podcast can also be downloaded on our website The Sandpit.

 

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The Portcast Episode 12: Zone F Meets Toby Knight

It’s Toby time!

In this podcast, I interview the man behind Zone B’s most unusual superstition. Toby Knight gives us some fascinating insight in to why Toby time works, why Port struggle to beat the best teams in the league, and he also gives some glowing praise to the man who masterminded Port’s first FA Cup win in 10 years.

We go on to talk at length about the fan experience of Toby’s teams in North London, Catalonia and of course Khlong Toei.

We had so much fun recording this conversation that we went for over an hour and half, so as always we hope you enjoy our musings, and tune in again next week for another Portcast!

 

 

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The Portcast Episode 11: Zone F Meets Peter Sheppard

 

The Portcast is back!

It’s been more than a year since our last podcast, but so excited are we with what transpired last season, and with next still season feeling an age away, here we are bringing back our long-form conversations with fans about the fan experience.

What better way to fill the hole left by the off-season than listening to two helpless obsessives talking about what makes the football experience great, whether in the suburbs of Stockholm or the slums of Bangkok?

Our first guest on our return to the airwaves is Peter Sheppard. As well as contributing to The Sandpit, Peter also writes a blog in both Swedish and English about football in Asia. You can find the excellent Far East Football here.

In this podcast, recorded in the traditionally tipsy fashion, we cover a wide range of topics, in search as always of what makes us football fans tick, and why Port is the special club we all know it to be.

 

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The Portcast Episode 10: The Sandpit Meets Sven (Part 1)

 

Yes, it’s been a long time coming, but good things come to wait! Our interview with Sven, the creator of legendary Thai football website www.thai-fussball.com is finally here, so be prepared for some back-in-the-day stories from the Kangaroos of Prague to the Blue Marlins of Sriracha.

Part one features a lot of stadium talk, and a couple of time-honoured debates about Thai football standards vs. European football standards and the social vs. sporting aspect of watching live football.

Then there’s me giving an entirely justifiable torrent of abuse to former Port flop Sompong Soleb for those who just like a good old rant, although the fearless Sven soon turns the tables on us and gives the Sandpit a well-deserved chewing out!

We also discuss Daniel Polomski and Tobias Enkel’s project Football Fans Asia which you can find on their website or their Youtube channel. Their video about a certain Khlongtoei football club is in the making, so make sure to follow their progress.

 

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The Portcast Episode 9: Team Talk with Elias Dolah

 

In this fun quick-fire interview, Tom quizzes defender Elias Dolah on his Port teammates. Ever wondered who drives the fanciest car to training, who has “funny bones” and who Port’s most impressive new signing is? Elias gives us the inside scoop on all that and much more.

Thanks to Elias for being a good sport and answering all of our questions. We hope none of your teammates seek retribution on the training pitch! You can see Elias’ message to Port fans here, and the full interview will be published on The Sandpit tomorrow.

 

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The Portcast Episode 8: Zone F Meets John Spittal

 

We expect that little bit of pizazz from seasoned pros like former radio DJ John Spittal, but within a few seconds of turning the mic on, we were already blown away by John’s silver-tongued introduction. Trust me, you’re going to want to hear this. The rest of the podcast wasn’t bad, either!

John talks us through how he refereed a former World Cup star, accidentally became a Ratchaburi fan for 45 minutes, and is the inaugural participant in Zone F’s new Orwellian ‘two minutes of hate’ segment. And yes, he also tells us just how many teams he supports!

He even brought his ticket collection to look over, so we have posted some pictures of the tickets we talk about in the podcast below.

 

 

 

Many thanks to John for his unrivaled podcast preparation. Any other Port fans who want to follow John on to the Zone F hot-seat, just let us know and we’ll make it happen.

 

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The Portcast Episode 7: Zone F Meets Jim Clarke

 

The Portcast is back! And this week it’s another Zone F, with gamblin’ man and Gillingham fan Jim Clarke.

Jim talks us through his obsession with Carlos Valderrama’s hair, dominates my tricky Stats Quiz and still finds time to make the most concerted effort yet to secure Leo sponsorship for The Sandpit.

If you’d like to sit in the Zone F hot seat, please get in touch!

 

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The Portcast Episode 6: Zone F Meets Kenny Goodbourn

 

In the third of our Zone F interviews with Port fans, we meet Port’s resident Youtuber Kenny Goodbourn. Kenny talks about Honda’s thirsty songthaew drivers, the necessity of mooing in his videos and why he wears his Port shirt when he goes shopping.

You can find his Youtube channel Straight Outta Bangkok here and the Goal of the Season compilation he created for The Sandpit here.

Thanks to Kenny for the interview, and a reminder to anyone else who wants to do a similar interview to contact The Sandpit for more details.

 

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The Portcast Episode 5: Zone F Meets Tommie Duncan

 

Time for another Portcast Zone F episode! This time round, Tom Earls meets Texan Zone A legend Tommie Duncan and gets his thoughts on the differences between US & Thai football, Johnny Rotten’s influence on his football supporting career, his bizarre spurning of free VIP beer, and pre-match “grab-ass”, whatever that may be. The mind boggles.

Want to take part in a Zone F interview? Give us a shout!

 

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The Portcast Episode 2 pt3: Think About the Future

 

In yesterday’s Portcast post we enjoyed Tom’s stats quiz, in which Tim secured a triumphant victory over Dom. Today we look forward to the second half of the season and predict how Port will fare, as well as speculating as to what the June transfer window may have in store. Enjoy, and keep an eye out for Episode 3 coming soon!

 

 

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