For Thai football, the year 2018 came to an end in the same dreary way it started and there wasn't much to cherish in between as well.
The year ushered in an ominous warning for the Thais of what lies ahead and the country's football fans were rewarded for their unwavering love for the War Elephants with heartbreaks on most occasions.
The three straight losses that led to a humiliating first-round exit at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China where regional foes Malaysia and Vietnam grossly outperformed the Thais were just the beginning.
It resulted in the sacking of Zoran Jankovic, a trusted lieutenant of current national team manager Milovan Rajevac, as the youth team coach but it didn't bring much respite.
Here is a look at how the Thai national teams fared in 2018.
Golden silver
The Thais were the favourites to retain the prestigious King's Cup trophy but were denied by Slovakia, who won the final at Rajamangala National Stadium 3-2 in March.
Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac.
Coach Rajevac said he was proud of the way his team played in the title match.
"I am very much proud of my team. Look at the Fifa rankings, Slovakia are 100 places higher than Thailand. We were inferior to Slovakia in every department but the players fought to the best of their ability for the fans," Rajevac said after the match.
"We caused them trouble. The silver medal is like a gold medal."
Thailand entered the final after beating a depleted Gabon side missing their star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of English Premier League club Arsenal.
After a goalless draw in regulation with Gabon, Thailand were lifted by goalkeeper Kawin Thamsatchanan, who made a couple of spectacular saves in the penalty shoot-out, which the hosts won 4-2.
Thai players thank fans after finishing second at the King’s Cup. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
Women power
The Thai women's team were accorded a warm welcome in April after their heroic run at the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2018 earned them the fourth spot in Jordan and a World Cup berth.
Thai players celebrate scoring a goal at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan.
Although Thailand's campaign at the Amman tournament ended in a 3-1 loss to mighty China in the third-place play-off, their coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian rated it as a "success".
Later, the Chaba Kaew have been drawn in a tough group for the 2019 Fifa Women's World Cup first round battles.
The official draw for the finals in Paris this month placed Thailand in Group F along with defending champions the United States, European giants Sweden and first-timers Chile.
Dragons' bite
The Chinese came over to test the mettle of the Thais in a friendly game in June and Wu Lei scored twice as the clinical Dragons got the better of the War Elephants 2-0 on a soggy Rajamangala National Stadium pitch.
The hosts had more possession but China were much sharper up front as Wu was on target in each half.
It was a big test for both Thailand and Rajevac, as the veteran Serbian coach had been brought in by the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) with the particular aim of improving the team's performance against Asian big guns.
Jakarta debacle
The Thais went to the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia with high hopes but were eliminated in the group stage.
The first-round exit of the men's U23 team in Jakarta came about after 1-1 draws with Qatar and Bangladesh and a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the last round-robin game.
Thai players, in blue shirts, play against Bangladesh at the Asian Games.
The Asian Games debacle stirred up a hornet's nest and the sacking of Worrawoot Srimaka, the man who oversaw the War Elephants' failure, followed.
The public clamour stemmed from a string of lacklustre performances by a clueless lot of mediocre players and exposed the dearth of talent that is currently hampering the growth of football in the country.
Farewell to goalkeeper
The month of October provided a couple of bright spots for the Thai national squad.
A trip to Hong Kong yielded a 1-0 win over Hong Kong in an away friendly, and it was followed by a victory by the same scoreline against a "stronger" Trinidad and Tobago in Suphan Buri.
Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool wrapped up his epic international career in Thailand's 1-0 victory over fancied Trinidad and Tobago.
Thailand's Japan-based stars Theerathon Bunmathan, Teerasil Dangda and Chanathip Songkrasin played in Sinthaweechai's testimonial.
Major heartbreak
The 2018 Suzuki Cup, the Southeast Asian football championship, was supposed to be the War Elephants' chance to provide a balm for the suffering fans and they were the hot favourites to retain the crown.
The script unfolded in an unexpected manner and tens of thousands of Thai fans were left staring into the dark in disbelief at Rajamangala National Stadium earlier this month when Malaysia pulled off a 2-2 draw to eliminate the Thais at the semi-final stage on the basis of away goals.
Adisak Kraisorn missed an injury-time penalty to let Malaysia off the hook.
Thailand had held Malaysia to a scoreless draw in the semi-finfal first leg in Kuala Lumpur.
What disappointed the fans the most was the docile way in which the region's undoubted kings of football let the opportunity to complete a hat-trick of the Asean title slip from their hands.
Rajevac's overly defensive tactics were derided across all forms of media and the veteran Serb has been served an ultimatum to deliver at next month's AFC Asian Cup or pack his bags.
Shining stars
Despite all the setbacks, there were some encouraging developments as well.
Crafty playmaker Chanathip Songkrasin became the first Thai ever to be named among the best 11 of the Japanese league this season.
The year also saw the emergence of a talented forward in young Supachai Chaided, giving Thailand the hope of finding a successor to prolific striker Teerasil Dangda.
Moreover, the men's team ended the year ranked 118th in the world, that is 12 places better than the spot they had managed in 2017.
Friends turn foes
In a development which is witnessed rarely in the Thai sports circles, Football Association of Thailand president Somyot Poompunmuang sacked the governing body's secretary-general, his "good friend" Pisan Jundilok.
Somyot Poompunmuang, left, and Pisan Jundilok.
As the ruling became effective on Nov 1, Pol Lt Gen Pisan accused Pol Gen Somyot and his associates of mismanagement and called on the Sports Authority of Thailand to look into the matter.
Somyot hit back, saying he had performed his duty in a straightforward manner. He added that Pisan was fired because a large number of member clubs were not happy with his performance.
Pisan claims he and Somyot are still friends.
Domestic scene
Buriram United comfortably retained the Thai League 1 title with a record 87 points.
Buriram United captain Suchao Nutnum lifts the Thai League 1 trophy.
However, their aim to sweep three major crowns was dashed when they suffered a shock loss to Bangkok Glass in the League Cup semi-finals and were beaten by Chiang Rai United in the FA Cup final.
Chiang Rai were Cup kings as they also won the League Cup.
Fallen giants Bangkok Glass and Police Tero, formerly BEC Tero, were relegated from Thai League 1 along with Ubon UMT, Navy and Air Force Central.