PHUKET: The team behind Phuket FC is quietly confident of victory on Phuket this weekend - because the Thai Premier League has banished noisy fans to the outer.

Phuket FC's most avid fans, the ones who beat the drums, blow the trumpets and make a lot of noise on behalf of their team, have been told to head for the far side.

Yes, that's right. The Thai Premier League has ordered Phuket's followers via a letter to the club this week to shut it or move it.

Apparently, VIPs in the stand at Phuket's home ground of Surakul Stadium in Phuket City have been disturbed by their noisy support.

The result: the loud fans have been told to move their clackers and bangers away from the grandstand to the other side of the stadium, on the outer.

Saturday's home match - third for a season that Phuket has begun with two draws - will be the first under the new ''silence is golden'' rule.

What if Phuket scores a goal and nobody makes a sound? What if there's a controversial penalty decision and you can hear a pin drop?

We think the game against Sriracha Suzuki FC should be stimulating for some, but perhaps not loud enough to interrupt the conversations of the VIPs in the grandstand.