BANGKOK // The former England midfielder Peter Reid insists he has long-term plans to remain as coach of the Thai national team, despite missing out on silverware in his first tournament. Reid watched Thailand dominate both legs of the South-east Asian Championship final against Vietnam before a stoppage time goal in Hanoi on Sunday earned his opponents a 3-2 aggregate victory. He said the defeat was a blow but stressed his plans for the football-mad kingdom were long term.
"Losing was a setback but I've no intention to go anywhere just yet," Reid said. "The players have been brilliant, the people are great, everything's going well." Reid signed a lucrative four-year contract in September to steer the success-starved side to their first World Cup finals in 2014. His next focus will be reaching the 2011 Asian Cup, for which qualifiers start next month. The Thais contest a tricky group with Jordan, regional powerhouse Iran and archrivals Singapore.
"I think this side has a lot of potential and we have to build on what we've done," added the former Manchester City boss, who recently ruled out a return to another of his former Premier League clubs, Sunderland. "There's plenty of work to do and improvements to be made but they're all young lads and they're a committed bunch. I'm delighted with the way they've conducted themselves." *Reuters
