Despite living in Asia for several years it took me a long time to really get into the local football scene which, looking back, does seem a bit odd.

Back in my early days I lived in Bangkok. The dominant force in Thai football was Thai Farmers Bank though I never knew till recently how dominant. I knew about them primarily because they had a Club Shop in Siam Square selling pennants and other nick nacks. I didn't know where they played, who their top players were or what the competition was like, the Bangkok Post rarely touched upon Thai football and I couldn't read Thai at the time. Of course there was no internet then!

In the 1990's Thai Farmers Bank strode majestically across not just the Thai scene but also Asia. They won the Thai League four times in six years (90, 92, 93, 95) and the Queen's Cup four times (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997).

They also won the Asian Champions League twice in 1994 and 1995, the only South East Asian to have triumphed. Indeed no team has won the trophy more than TFB though several have also won it twice. Selangor from Malaysia were beaten finalists in the inaugral tournament losing to Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel!