73. Meeting Mr Veasna

 

It was the sunglasses, which glinted brightly in the hot Cambodian sunlight that caught my eye when I saw EDC's new chairman, Sann Veasna for the first time. He gave a little wave as he stepped out of his black, chaffeur driven Mercedes at the Electricity Stadium car park, in his pristine pin striped suit, slick black hair and of course those gleaming shades. His arrival was like that of a rock star. Me, Nen Borey and a crowd of sports journalists, including a cameraman from Cambodian Match of The Day were there to greet him and the takeover had caused ripples around the C-League. This was a big story and Sann Veasna was big news..

On first impressions this was a man loved life in the fast lane, with fast cars and probably even faster women, the complete opposite to his predecessor, Hem Vutha who was by default a mild mannered quietly spoken sort, but could have a nasty streak if you got the wrong side of him, as I did on a few occassions. 

On the flip side if Veasna was of this character, perhaps he would be more progressive and ambitious for the club and backed by the right finances could make EDC a lot stronger.. or he could just be a flash in the pan? At this stage it was difficult to judge. He could talk the talk, but could he walk the walk?

The new EDC chairman posed in front of the camera, before giving a brief interview to the waiting journalists. He then took the time to shake hands with me, Nen Borey and other members of the backroom team. 

Although, unlike his rival bidder, who had vowed to get rid of me if he took over, Veasna had been quieter on the subject of my future, although he had indicated during the negociations that he would not be making any immediate changes to the non-playing staff. I would find out in a meeting with him that had been arranged later that day what his thoughts were on this subject 

The opening day defeat to the National Police had not done anything to convince any new chairman that I was the man to take this team forward under a new regime, but the win against Boeung Ket with a much improved performance had hopefully remedied this somewhat.

There was a small, but intimate drinks reception, although I kept off the champagne, as I had to help out with training later that morning. We had a big game against Nagaworld to prepare for, not really the opening game I would have wanted to impress my new boss. The casino would be seeking to spoil the honeymoon period of the new owners.

I took training with the lads, grabbed some lunch and then headed up the stairs to the boardroom. It felt strange being there again. The last time had walked up these stairs I had been on the verge of the sack after my clandestine trip to Malaysia and things had been more than uncertain with Charlotte as well. That tired nauceous feeling I had felt that day will last with me forever. In the time since, results and the performance of the team had worsened and a scrambled 5th placed finish had papered over the cracks a little. 

I knocked on the door and was greeted by his PA, a pretty petite Cambodian woman in a crisp, white blouse and black skirt. Sann Veasna was on the phone. The PA smiled, beckoned me to take a seat to wait until my new boss had finished. Veasna, still wearing his shades was slouched in his chair with his feet on the desk and seemed unaware of my presence. 

I am not normally one to earwig on other people's phone conversations, but I could not help but be interested in the mode of this one.

"We want to sign him.. Bisai.."

"Yeah we'll give you 1.5K.. 1.5K and a £500 signing on fee.. "

Ok and a nice house in a fashionable part of Phnom Penh.. I have just the place in mind" 

Was I hearing right?

On his first day as EDC chairman, was he trying to sign a new player for the team?..  But surely this was my job, or Khim Ravy's our Director of Football. Not his! This was a bit awkward..

"Great that's a deal.. Bring Jefri over next week we'd love to show him around the club. Yeah and his Mrs too of course. "

"Great catch you later Mo " 

I looked around the room. His stuff was still in boxes, but already he was wheeling and dealing like Harry Redknapp on steroids..

He was momentarily surprised to see me sat there, before regaining his composure..

"Jonathan.. nice to finally meet you properly, he smiled bowing in my direction, before holding out his hand for a shake."

"You never guess what he chattered excitedly, I've just signed you a top top player.. he's going to make waves in the C-League,  put bums on seats this guy.. Your gonna love him.."

Ok?

"Anyone I've heard of?" It flashed through my head it could be a name, maybe a relic from the Chinese Superleague looking for a final payday  (like he was ever going to get one at EDC..)

Jefri Hendri Bisai..

Who?

He's an Indonesian midfielder whose tearing it up in his home country but wants to come and play for EDC, his Mrs is Cambodian and she wants to come home.. This will be an amazing signing for the club.. "

Righto..

This was an awkward one. On the one hand if Bisai does actually sign and he turns out to be a good player that will be great, but call me old fashioned, surely the chairman should only provide funds to buy new players at the request of the manager and the recruitment team, not buy the players himself.. This was a strange one and did this set a precedence for what was to come? Was I going to have players foisted on me whether I liked it or not and would the new chairman expect me to play his signings at the expense of more established players at the club? What effect would this have on the dressing room? 

Bisai, should he sign and depending on his style of play, could take the place of someone like Chea Samnang who is my captain and an influential figure in the squad hierachy.

He turned and smiled.

"You'll be pleased to know Jonathan I think you have done a good job here to maintain EDC's status as an established C-League club and are happy for you to continue in your role. Of course you will be judged on results and if things don't go well we may look for a replacement. Like our predecessors, we want a top half finish and a Quarter Final place in the Hun Sen Cup and we will back you financially in order for you to do this."

He stood up and shook my hand again. "I look forward to our first game together against Nagaworld."

I shook his hand politely. He seemed nice enough, but what was all this about, making transfers behind my back?

I would be watching him very closely...

It was 3 in the afternoon and most of my backroom team had left the ground. I needed to find out who this Jefri Hendri Bisai was? My head scout had gone home, but there might be somebody else who may know? Therefore, my next stop was a rare trip to the cupboard where my data analyst and Technical Director Mao Samnang lived. Rumour has it he once spent an entire fortnight in there without coming out except for toilet.. Anyway that's another story.. 

I knocked on his cupboard door. There was a few scuffling noises coming from inside the cupboard. A few moments later the door flung open and a woman in her early 20s of Chinese appearence rushed out holding a dress around her body to cover up her modesty...

I raised my eyebrows as my ruffled data analyst emerged in the cupboard doorway, his glasses steamed up and his hair all over the place..

"Mao! How you doing man?

"What do you want boss? enquired my data analyst obviously annoyed that I had interrupted his little rendez-vous.

Mao, I wanted to pick your brains. Have you heard of an Indonesian footballer called Jefri Hendri Bisai?

He paused suspiciously..

"Hmmm you'd better come in.."

The data analyst's cupboard was a sight for sore eyes. The place was littered with pizza boxes, paper and computers. On the wall was a random poster of Vinny Samways, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and another of Paul Gascoigne's famous free kick against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final.. He was obviously a closet Spurs fan......

Anyway who was Jefri Bisai and what was his pedigree?

After a bit of faffing around we managed to find some data on him..

"Bisai ah here we go.. Plays for Pereswar in Indonesia who I believe are in the Third Division.?"

"Third division?" I responded disapointedly..

"He made 58 appearances for them and scored 11 goals, with 16 assists and an average rating of 7.17

He's done well granted, but only in the Indonesian Third Division."

Yes, Indonesia is a bigger football nation than Cambodia, and have over the years produced some decent footballers who have had good careers in some of the stronger Asian leagues, but they could hardly be called a world footballing powerhouse. Their Third Division would probably be of a similar standard to our Second Division maybe at best...?

Unless Bisai has just started out and is looking to move to a bigger club?

"How old is he?"

"He's 26."

Hmmm

I thanked my data analyst for his help and urged him to keep his extra-curricular activities away from the workplace and to give his cupboard a tidy in case our new chairman popped by for a visit.

I left the cupboard shaking my head..

"Tearing it up in the Indonesian Third Division. " I uttered to myself as I left the ground for the day.. 

"Maybe Jefri Bisai will become an Indonesian Vinny Samways?" joked Charlotte when I told her later that evening...

"I'd rather him be the Indonesian Gascoigne." I laughed in response.

Match 3 – Nagaworld v EDC

Our challenging start to the season continues with a trip to the casino, who strangely lie bottom of the C-League after two defeats in their opening matches. They line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Math Fasal playing as a right wing back. He really won’t like that!!

Team: Som, Konsmarch, Makara, Mol, Ratana, Soksana, Leap Bo, Nhem, Men Samanag, Taboula, Pidor

Match Action

With new chairman, Sann Veasna watching from the VIP box, both sides go hell for leather in the opening exchanges. Taboula and Nhem both register shots on target to Nagaworld’s one in the opening 9 minutes. Taboula then has a volley well saved. We look good here, but can we break the deadlock? No, but Nagaworld can.. A long ball is played up to striker, Chainuth who flicks the ball on to the right foot of Man Ratana who volleys first time past Som. Completely against the run of play.. Like the Aussies and their short ball theory at Lords in the Ashes, Nagaworld’s long ball theory works again as another hoof ball is latched onto Man Ratana who lashes it past Som for 2-0. Two long balls, two chances, two goals.. In the second half we control the game but don’t look like scoring. There’s an air of inevitability about this. I’ve been playing this game long enough... To cut a long story short Sim Daravon crossed in from the right and that man Ratana glanced home a third to cap a miserable trip to the casino for Team Electric.. It’s not like we performed badly, we just couldn’t score and they could.. We actually do find the net when out of almost impatience, Samnang Nhem turned and fired a fierce shot into the bottom corner for a consolation near the end.

Final Score Nagaworld 3-1 EDC

Ratana 28,31,85                      Nhem 86 

Match 4 – Chhlam Samuth v EDC

It’s been a mixed start to the season so far. A terrible performance on the opening day, followed by a good win and performance against Boeung Ket and then defeat to Nagaworld. Which EDC will turn up today? I change to a 4-4-2, with Tuy Oudom back on the right wing and Taboula and Nhem up front. Visal makes his debut in the centre of defence. Samuth have had as bad a start to the season as us and have Chey Chitra in their ranks with a point to prove which makes them dangerous.

Team: Som, Kongsmarch, Visal, Mol, Ratana, Makara, Men Samnang, Oudom, Nhem Taboula, Pidor

It’s fairly even in the opening exchanges. We look good with two wingers but fail to create a chance. Then on nine minutes we win a free kick. Up steps Men Samnang to hit a fierce shot which the keeper can only palm into the top of the net! 1-0. We look in control of the game... until.. In a seemingly innocuous passage of play, where their player has the ball on the wide right, Visal on his debut decided to go in two-footed.. Red card! I sacrifice Taboula for Adekunjo with just Nhem up front. Just what I needed! To make matters worse from the resulting free kick, the ball is worked to Sok Veasna who unleashes a worldie straight into the top bins, Som with no chance.. When it rains it pours.. Seemingly out of nowhere we produce some magic. Substitute Sung Rot picks up the ball and runs with it before sending a perfect through ball to Samnang Nhem. The youngster scores with a lovely places finish seemingly against the odds to restore our lead. We then concede in the stupidest way possible.. a breakaway which leaves Bunsan the entire half of the field to run into and fire past Som. Enter Chey Chitra. The former EDC man looks over at our dugout before galloping past Mol and planting one past Som to turn it around 3-2. We have no answers..

The only answer is to go route one which is what Som does from a goal kick with devastating effect, sending Nhem clear to bag his second. 3-3. Shades of last season. As if this game couldn’t get any crazier it somehow does. Ratana fouls in the box. Penalty! Ratana is already on a yellow card.. Red! Down to 9 men we go.. Ouk Voeun does the rest sending Som the wrong way, 4- flippin 3. I can’t do anything right . Sok Veasna is allowed the freedom of the pitch before firing another bullet into the top corner 5-3. I am fuming! Tuy Oudom does his best to cheer me up by pulling one back with a clever dinked finish after a lovely ball from Sung Rot. 5-4. They see it out though and we lose for the first time to Chllam Samuth. Things have got that bad. I feel low, very low right now. We are rock bottom of the table after 4 matches and feel the whole world, Buddha and the Football Manager gods are conspiring against me...

Final Score Chllam Samuth 5-4 EDC

Match 5 EDC v Kampong Chhnang

You may recall we played Kampong Chhnang in a cup game back in 2021 (see Getting our feet wet) Well they are now newly promoted to the C-League and it’s fair to say they have done better than us so far, lying in second behind the National Police. Whatsmore the fabled Ouch Tony is still there and leading the line for the visitors. You may remember that Ouch Tony very nearly engineered a cup upset almost by himself as he led a comeback that we only just managed to stave off and sneak through to the next round. Now 34, is he ready to repeat his barnstorming second half performance that briefly earned him the nickname, “The Cambodian Messi?” I go in a 4-4-2. Ratana and Visal are both suspended after seeing red in the last game, so in comes Nhem Sophorn at left back and Adekunjo partners Mol in the middle.

Team: Som, Kongsmach, Mol, Adekunjo, Sop horn, Makara, Men Samnang, Oudom, Nhem, Taboula, Pidor

Match Action

An even first fifteen sees Taboula have a well worked goal disallowed and the visitors cause us a few problems with some good attacks, without creating much. Nhem has a header well saved from a Pidor cross, but that’s the closest we have come. Pidor has taken a knock so on comes Sung Rot, with Men Samnang switching to the left flank. We struggle to create, while for once looking fairly solid at the back. Then, out of nothing, left back Nhem Sophorn lofts the ball forward. Taboula flicks the ball on and Nhem, running in behind buries it past the keeper with a smart finish. 1-0.  Adekunjo wins a header above Ouch Tony which finds Sung Rot. He drives forward with a typical Sung Rot run through the middle, before threading a perfectly weighted through ball to the onrushing Nhem, who such is his confidence, lashes the ball home first time without breaking stride to double our advantage. We are on fire now. Sophorn wins a header this time and this finds Taboula who runs at the heart of the Kampong defence. He plays in the unmarked Sung Rot who fizzes the ball into the corner first time to put us three ahead! Into the second half and Kamopong come at us. I bring on Dara for a tiring Oudom, but means I have used all three subs. Then, Sung Rot pulls up.. down to 10 we go. This is the time for another Ouch Tony show, surely.. He doesn’t disappoint. On 69 minutes he waltzes through our defence before teeing up Chan Thera who slides it past Som. Bugger, We look vulnerable until Taboula, now playing on the left wing, dribbles down the flank before sending in a searching ball for Nhem Dara to volley home first time to put a seal on a much needed victory. We climb out the relegation zone into 10^th. and breathe a big sigh of relief.

Final Score EDC 4-1 Kampong Chhnang

Nhem 33,35                          Theara 70

Sung Rot 43

Dara 76

Match 6 EDC v Khemera 02/05/26

Just when I needed a nice easy game to back up the victory in the last match, bloody Khemera roll into town, wing backs, Judas and all.. Yes Maol Daravon has given up on his police career and defected to my bogey team. They are also buoyed by a good start to the season and lie in third on nine points, while we languish in 10^th. To combat their annoying formation I restore the two DMCs, Makara and Leap Bo, with Nhem on the right flank and Taboula as the lone striker. Ratana replaces the impressive Nhem Sophorn who is unlucky to miss out.. Ros Kongsmarch is given another chance in the troublesome right back berth.

Team: Som, Kongsmarch, Mol, Adekunjo, Ratana, Makara, Leap Bo, Men Samnang, Nhem, Taboula, Pidor

Match Action

A  dream start for EDC! On three minutes, Men Samnang swings in a free kick and Pidor rises highest to nod the ball home! 1-0 to the EDC rings round the Electricity Stadium. We look up for this. Men Samnang who has been on fire so far this season lines up another free kick... and fires it in off the inside of the post for 2-0. Brilliant from the youngster! Nhem then stings the hands of the keeper with a rasping shot. We are looking good here. But wait! Panha is through on goal after a brilliant through ball Panha.. thwacks the post. A let off for EDC! “Focus” I scream from the dugout. Men Samnang though is running the show in midfield. He waltzes past his man before unleashing a curling shot just past the upright. 2-0 at the break and we have looked solid and could have lead by more than just the two goals. Into the second half and good move involving the tenacious Leap Bo and Taboula results in the ball being spread wide to Nhem who runs into the box before he is felled by the defender. Penalty! Up steps Ouk Ratana... who fires it straight at the keeper, who parries the ball away.. bugger! No matter. Another nice move results in Pidor waltzing into the box before being felled by the defender. Penalty! I order Taboula to take it instead of Ratana and the Nigerian nonchalantly slots the ball home, sending the keeper the wrong way. 3-0 to the EDC!  Men Samnang almost makes it four when he latches onto a Taboula free kick, but his fierce effort is clawed around the near post by the keeper. But wait. This is Khemera... Ly Ravy gets down the left, outpacing Kongsmarch before floating in a perfect cross for Panha to nod home. 3-1. We are made of sterner stuff this season and there are none of the capitulations which pockmarked last season. Men Samnang (who else) sends in another handgrenade of a free kick and the impressive Mat Mol heads home at the far post to round off a brilliant performance. Judas what’s the score, Judas Judas what’s the score rings round the Electricty Stadium in reference to our old friend, Maol Daravon. There was time for another goal, to Khemera Ravann beat Som to ball to nod home a consolation which took the gloss off a great performance against those perennial bogeymen from Khemera.

Final Score EDC 4-2 Khemera

Pidor 4                             Panha 62

Men Samnang 12           Ravann 90

Taboula 56 (pen)

Mol 77

 

A mixed start to the season for EDC as they start to slowly climb the table to respectability, but will the influence of a new chairman and his liking for dabbling in the transfer market unbalance the team, or will it propel them further up the league table? Find out next time on the Ultimate World FM Game!  

 

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