A-League-winning coach Mulvey courts Thai move
Former A-League-winning manager Mike Mulvey is poised to become the next Australian coach to move to Thailand after the one-time Brisbane Roar mentor arrived in Bangkok last week for talks with two clubs.
Mulvey, who guided Brisbane to the 2013-14 Championship and Premiers’ Plate, follows the lead of ex-Adelaide United boss Aurelio Vidmar who took over at Bangkok Glass in August.
His former Roar captain Matt Smith is one of the key defenders at Bangkok Glass, but sources tell ESPN FC that Mulvey is in talks with a different Thai League side, as well as a team from the second tier.
“I came to Thailand to meet with some people who had a couple of projects they wanted to discuss,” Mulvey said. “Thailand is very progressive and competitive, and has a very healthy football culture.”
As Brisbane Roar boss, Mulvey had a taste of that competitive spirit when the then-reigning champions were knocked out by Thailand’s Buriram United in an AFC Champions League (ACL) qualifier in 2013. After the match finished 0-0 after 120 minutes, Roar lost on penalties, and the Thais advanced to the 2013 ACL group stages.
“It was a game our supporters, and most Australian football fans, expected us to negotiate comfortably,” he said. “I knew it would be far from that. And so it proved. Buriram have since gone deep into the Champions League, as well as won the Thai League several times. Like many clubs here, they are privatised, well-resourced and ambitious.”
Most recently, Mulvey worked in both divisions of Malaysian football, without a great deal of success. In 2015, he was with second-tier side, Sabah, before moving to Terengganu, in the Malaysia Super League (MSL). He left Terengganu at the end of September, and the struggling state side go into this weekend’s final round needing a victory away to Penang to avoid relegation.
“Football coaching is both the beauty, and the beast. One minute you can be experiencing great moments of euphoria: the next you can be getting a kick in the teeth,” he said.
“Malaysia offered me the opportunity to continue coaching, and I’ve enjoyed my two seasons there. But sometimes in football, things happen that are completely out of your control. It got to the stage where it was best for me to move on, but I’m a better coach now.”
Mulvey, 53, arrived in Thailand with the Southeast Asian nation in deep mourning after the passing of His Majesty the King as the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has called an abrupt end to the 2016 season.
The AFC World Cup qualifier in Bangkok on Nov 15 between Thailand and Australia was originally in doubt — Thai officials had asked for the game to be moved — but the match will now go ahead as scheduled.
After topping their group during the previous phase of qualifying, the Thais have suffered four consecutive defeats to begin their third round campaign. But Mulvey warned the Socceroos against taking the War Elephants lightly.
“The fact that the country is in mourning could galvanise them into a strong, and emotional, performance,” he said.
“I’m surprised they haven’t done better as they have some really good, individual players with impressive technical ability. For the Socceroos to win, they have to be well prepared and to be brave.”
Manchester-born Mulvey will make a quick trip to the UK before returning with the intention of watching the Nov 15 game at Rajamangala National Stadium.
He admits that he continues to keep a close on Australian football, including the struggles of his former team, Brisbane, who are winless after their opening two A-League matches.
Mulvey was shown the door by Roar after beginning 2014-15 with five losses in the first six games. Just half a year earlier, he’d lifted the title after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2014 A-League Grand Final.