Sports Notes - Peter Withe's Soccer Magic - Part II - September 1999

Peter Withe scoring the winning goal in Aston Villa's 1982 European Cup victory over Bayern Munich

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

September, 1999

The Thai's national team's reputation was badly scared from a 1998 Tiger Cup match with Indonesia. Both teams were trying to LOSE the game. Why? The winner would face VIETNAM

Who is Peter Withe?

It took Englishman PETER WITHE only a few weeks on the job to restructure the Thai National soccer team. He took a team that was down and badly beaten only months earlier and made them a proud group of young men who believed in themselves and that they could WIN.

The Thai's national team's reputation was badly scared from a 1998 Tiger Cup match with Indonesia. Both teams were trying not to LOSE the game. Why? The winner would face VIETNAM. Withe changed the program and instilled in his Thai squad THE WILL TO WIN. In doing so he had a request for the team.

"I’m asking them to think with their minds…to play with their heart and to play for their flag," he said.

Withe doesn’t speak Thai. He doesn’t waste time by talking too much. He doesn’t dazzle you with a lot of BULL$#!t. Paranoid, he's not!. If being direct and straightforward could be cashed in for dollars, or in his case pounds, Withe would be a billionaire. The question is… How did he overcome the language barrier to get his message across?

"I’m always a great believer that demonstrations speak a thousand words," he said. "If I can show them, then it (doesn’t) matter. I can speak with them until I’m blue in the face. It’s far easier to demonstrate to them. It’s something that you have to overcome. It’s how you overcome it. I’ve been quite lucky that… expressions and the feeling that I have for football… it speaks in volumes. If you show a passion in the way you talk… the way you raise and lower your voice… it (doesn’t) really matter what language your speaking in, they understand."

During the Asian Games in December, the Thais shocked the soccer world by knocking off World Cup competitors SOUTH KOREA 2-1 in the quarterfinals. They did it with ONLY NINE players. Withe had been on the job for less than TWO MONTHS. It was called, by the Thailand press as being… The BIGGEST VICTORY EVER in Thailand sports history.

Withe said to his players after the game, "Savor this because it will go quickly,"

He was right. The following game the Thai team lost the bronze medal match to Kuwait 3-0. At that same time, Withe was toughening up his teams mental attitude.

In May, the Thais faced the mighty Arsenal squad in a friendly match at Bangkok’s Hua Mark Stadium. The stands were filled to capacity with over 60,000 screaming fans. The crowd was wearing mostly red attire - the color of both squads. Many Thais were wearing Arsenal shirts.

At the outset, the Thai fans cheered as loudly for the visitors as they did for there own side. The Thais are huge fans of the English Premier League. This was truly the match of David versus GOLIATH. It was a test of mental toughness for the gritty Thais.

In a high-energy exciting match, the Thais defeated the powerful English Premiership team, 4-3. The four goals were more than ANY Premier League team had scored against the Arsenal squad all of last season. The Gunners had the BEST DEFENSE in the Premier League with ONLY 17 goals scored against them. Withe’s soccer magic was working. In celebration of the victory he danced a jig in disbelief.

THAVATCHAI SAJAKUL was Thailand’s soccer manger during the Asian Games. Now an MP (Member of Parliament) , Sajakul commented on Withe after the Thai victory over Arsenal.

"He’s got all kind of abilities to handle any team, especially a team like Thailand. I think psychologically he’s very good."

Winning started to become a habit for the Thais. It did became a valid reality when they realized that they could compete with the big boys of soccer by using a combined application of talent, determination, hard work and pride in their country.

In July, the Thais hosted the Kings Cup Tournament. They defeated Confederations Cup competitors New Zealand, 1-0. They then lost a hotly contested match to Brazil in the finals 2-0.

They followed with two friendly match wins over Notts County and Uzbekistan. The Uzbekistan win was after having only two days of practice prior to the game.

Two days of practice!! EXCUSE ME! Get this….. There is no professional soccer league in Thailand. The Thai team is composed of players who have regular jobs. They are all Thai. There are no imports on the team. They are basically amateurs who play international soccer part-time.

They have to receive permission to take time off from their regular jobs to play soccer for their country? They are amateurs who defeated some of the Goliaths of Soccer. The bottom line is the Thai team are amateur players, who face some major obstacles in preparing for a match.

Withe said, "Some of the players that do work (for), companies… the police force… wherever they work, (they) actually give them quite a number (of days) off. There are times when you come to a training session and you want to work and there's a couple of players missing. Either because they’re at the university taking exams or they’ve got to sign some forms, you’ve got to put up with that.

"I knew when I came here that they weren’t full time professionals. It’s a goal that we’re working for. When I came here I said to them (Thai soccer officials), you’ve got to try and have a professional league and it’s got to be a National professional league. We need to get the younger players into those clubs and get them coached. They’re our future stars of tomorrow. There’s some great talent here".

So how does a coach of part time players get them to compete up to the level of BIG TIME competition? Against teams who have some players that are paid millions of dollars? How can he get his David's physically and mentally tough enough to compete against and defeat the Goliath's of soccer? They are overmatched!

"They are," Withe said of his team prior to the SEA Games in August. He then voiced an age-old saying adding a twist of his own, "When the going gets tough the tough get going," he continued. "When the chips are down you have to stand up for yourself and be counted."

The Thais avenged the disgrace of losing to Vietnam by defeating them in the Gold Medal match at the Sea Games in August. Within 10 months, Withe took the team full circle to where they could hold their heads high up with dignity and pride. He led his troops into battle and they won. The Thais believed in Withe…BUT WHY?

In his leadership role Withe drew from his own playing experience. He’s a man’s man. As a player people counted him down and out before he felt he was ready to go. He sucked it up and turned those opinions around.

Withe played for a number of teams in several countries in what he calls a checkered career. After a start in the English 4th Division and some play in South Africa, he moved up to the English Premier League side Nottingham Forest. In his first year with the squad they won the Premier League and the League Cup.

Stints followed with Newcastle, Aston Villa and Sheffield United. The Aston Villa experience was the icing on the cake for Withe. Why? It goes back to his statement, "When the chips are down you have to stand up for yourself and be counted." Withe recalled the attitude that existed towards him prior to his arrival at Villa.

"Every one sort of thought that everything had been written off as far as Peter Withe was concerned," he said. "I proved that wrong. In that season (his first with Villa) I got my first International Cap for my country. The following year we won the European Cup. We were the last team to beat Bayern Munich one-nil (Withe scored the winning goal) before Manchester United did it the end of this season."

While others considered Withe to be down and out he marched to the beat of his own drum. He won another Premier Championship and The Super Cup with the Aston Villa squad.

Soccer took Withe on an International journey where he played in America (Portland Timbers in 1974), to Africa where he coached the Zambia squad. He has worn almost every cap one could wear in soccer, also serving as the manager at Wimbledon and went to hold three positions in three years with Aston Villa. Looking back Withe’s recalled his most memorable moments of his playing career.

"When you get your first International cap…to play for your country the first time," he noted. "It just so happened that it was against Brazil. We played at Wembly stadium in front of 100,000 people. It was a great thrill for me."

Withe came up a loser in that 1-0 match. "I hit the post in the last minute," he recalled. "It could have changed everything."

Withe was man enough to handle a loss and man enough to celebrate a victorious moment with humility.

"I suppose that… to score the only goal in the European Cup final… to beat Bayern Munich one nil (1-0). That ranks with one of the top things. It’s the only time that Aston Villa has won the European Cup.