Booth in the hot seat

PPCFC's new Head Coach, David Booth

Phnom Penh Crown have appointed a new Head Coach for the remainder of the current season. As I wrote the official press release that was given to the media at the press conference this morning, I'll simply repeat it here. We had six television stations send their cameramen, so watch out for it on tonight's news, on CTN, Apsara, Bayon, TV5, TV3 and TV9. Anyway, here goes:

Phnom Penh Crown FC are very pleased to announce the appointment of David Booth as the club's Head Coach until the end of the current season. David, 62, is a widely-travelled British-born football coach who has been in charge of three different national teams - Brunei, Myanmar and Laos - and who has coached club teams in three continents and ten different countries. His enthusiasm for the game knows no bounds, having spent the past 20 years overseas, after he began his career as a tough-tackling defender with Barnsley and Grimsby Town in the English Football League in the 1960s and 1970s. A knee injury forced him to quit playing and he went onto manage English clubs Grimsby and Darlington before his first appointment overseas in Ghana in 1990.

Success with his team Goldfields in Ghana during his five years there was followed by a three year stint in charge of the Brunei national team, another spell in Ghana with Asante Kotoko and then three years as coach of the Myanmar national team, who he took to 3rd place in the SEA Games in 2001. More success followed in India with Mahindra United, in Vietnam with Khanh Hoa, in Thailand with BEC Tero Sasana, in the Maldives with Valencia FC and two more clubs in India, Mumbai FC and a return to Mahindra United, where he was voted Indian coach of the year in 2010. His third period in charge of a national team was a 7-month spell last year with Laos, who he guided through as AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying champions before moving into the Thailand Premier League with Sisaket at the start of 2011. He parted company with Sisaket in April and is now looking forward to the immediate future with Phnom Penh Crown FC, the reigning Cambodian League Champions and current league leaders. David will be in charge for the second half of the Metfone C-League season as well as Crown's forthcoming AFC President's Cup games that will take place in Chinese Taipei in September.

Phnom Penh Crown FC President, Rithy Samnang said; "We chose David because of his record of success and his well-established reputation in Asia. He has coached the national teams of Brunei, Myanmar and Laos and many other club teams too. He comes to us with a wealth of experience and a proven track record and we are fortunate to secure his services for the rest of the Metfone League season, as well as the important AFC President's Cup matches that lie ahead. These are exciting times for Phnom Penh Crown FC and we are very happy to have David join with us." Phnom Penh Crown FC would like to record its appreciation to Bouy Dary, who has been in charge of the first-team since the departure of former coach Bojan Hodak at the beginning of June and who will now revert back to his main duties as Head Coach of the club's successful Elite Football Academy, who recently returned from an international tournament in Singapore, as well as providing support for the new first-team coach.
More from the press conference later today.

PPCFC President Rithy Samnang and his new Head Coach, David Booth at today's press conference