Christophe Kabongo

Attacking Midfielder (R) - Mlada Boleslav
28 Jan 2027
Thursday
Process

Marked for Christophe Kabongo

26 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A fracture rules Ondřej Rittenauer out for 23 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Mlada Boleslav will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Player ratings

Lukáš Letenay scores twice — 9.22

Two goals and a mark of 9.22 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Match

Lukáš Letenay breaks Pribram hearts

Some goals win a match and some take one off somebody else. Lukáš Letenay scored in the 87th minute, Pribram had already begun thinking about the journey home, and Mlada Boleslav took the lot.

The dugout

Maxim Kalabus: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mlada Boleslav have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Ondřej Karafiát and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Match

Mlada Boleslav find a way past Pribram

Pribram made Mlada Boleslav work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Martin Králik falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Chijioke Aniagboso

Mlada Boleslav asked and Chornomorets said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

The terraces

The crowd has taken to Christophe Kabongo

At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.

In brief

Back issues
26 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Terms done: Lukáš Červ is going

Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Zlin waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.

Market

Sampson Dweh puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Viktoria Plzen, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

A brace, and Karel Spáčil takes the afternoon — 8.41

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Karel Spáčil provided it, and the 8.41 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Player ratings

Akinkunmi Amoo was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 24. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Squad

Words exchanged at Viktoria Plzen

Denis Vavro and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Lukáš Provod

Viktoria Plzen asked and Slavia Prague said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

The terraces

Viktoria Plzen supporters have found a favourite in Karel Spáčil

There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Karel Spáčil has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.

Match

Viktoria Plzen find a way past Banik Ostrava

Banik Ostrava made Viktoria Plzen work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Loan watch

The goals keep arriving from Christophe Kabongo’s exile

13 goals in 26 games at Mlada Boleslav — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Viktoria Plzen updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.

In brief

25 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Martin Králik hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mlada Boleslav can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

A fracture rules Ondřej Rittenauer out for 30 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Mlada Boleslav will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

A falling-out at Mlada Boleslav

Ondřej Karafiát and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Words at Mlada Boleslav training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christophe Kabongo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Transfer targets

Levski tell Mlada Boleslav: Juan Perea is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

Match

Jiří Klíma the difference as Mlada Boleslav beat Jihlava

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Jiří Klíma. 1‑0 against Jihlava, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Christophe Kabongo

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

The dugout

No place for Martin Králik on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Mlada Boleslav pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Player ratings

David Pech was the difference for Mlada Boleslav

Marked 7.76. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.

In brief

24 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

39 days out for Ondřej Rittenauer after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Mlada Boleslav will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Market

Filip Matoušek asks to leave Mlada Boleslav

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Jiří Floder stands alone

6 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.

Market

MFK Skalica come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Mlada Boleslav did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Ondřej Karafiát in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mlada Boleslav this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Christophe Kabongo’s goal not enough for Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo scored, and precious little else went right: 2‑3 to Banik Ostrava, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Squad

Words at Mlada Boleslav training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christophe Kabongo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Filip Vaško

Mlada Boleslav asked and Slovacko said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Market

Martin Barak steps up from the Mlada Boleslav academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Martin Barak has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.

In brief

24 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Amar Memić

24 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Viktoria Plzen lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Market

Not going: Lukáš Červ stays at Viktoria Plzen

“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Birmingham had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.

Market

Lukáš Červ hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Viktoria Plzen turn down MSK Zilina for Patrik Hrošovský

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Match

The run is over for Viktoria Plzen

11 matches without defeat, and then Zlin. Nobody at the ground pretended it would go on forever; nobody expected it to stop here either.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Akinkunmi Amoo

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Denis Vavro falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Filip Vaško

Viktoria Plzen asked and Slovacko said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

The dugout

Denis Vavro gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

23 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Adam Kadlec

15 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Mlada Boleslav lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

Chastening afternoon for Mlada Boleslav

A 0‑3 beating by Dukla Prague was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

A fracture rules Ondřej Rittenauer out for 47 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Mlada Boleslav will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Market

David Kozel hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mlada Boleslav can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near David Pech

Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Martin Králik was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for Martin Králik

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Martin Králik, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

The game went through Christophe Kabongo — 6.62

Marked 6.62 on 9 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.

In brief

  • Boardroom Nobody left the Mlada Boleslav dressing room in a hurry
  • The dugout The manager’s verdict
  • Transfer targets A loan move for Filip Vaško is in the works
22 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

The knee: Adam Kadlec out for 24 days

24 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Mlada Boleslav lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Match

Mlada Boleslav strike at the death to beat Zlin

There were 89 minutes on the clock and Zlin had all but banked the point. Football rarely reads the room, and Mlada Boleslav did not stop to explain themselves.

Player ratings

A brace, and Lukáš Letenay takes the afternoon — 8.77

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Lukáš Letenay provided it, and the 8.77 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Ondřej Karafiát and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

Stefan Jovanoski is a better footballer than he was

Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 20 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.

Squad

Christophe Kabongo falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Match

Mlada Boleslav find a way past Zlin

Zlin made Mlada Boleslav work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Match

Another one collected away from home

3 on the bounce on the road for Mlada Boleslav. The coaches leave early, arrive at unlovely grounds in the dark, and keep coming home with three points.

Player ratings

Solomon John was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 19. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

In brief

21 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Adam Kadlec

31 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Mlada Boleslav lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

Chastening afternoon for Mlada Boleslav

A 0‑3 beating by Sigma Olomouc was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Market

Martin Králik hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mlada Boleslav can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Martin Králik and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Christophe Kabongo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for Jiří Floder

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jiří Floder, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

David Pech was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Mlada Boleslav dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

The dugout

The view from the dugout

“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑3 defeat, delivered by Ales Stanek to a room that had heard them before.

In brief

21 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Amar Memić

45 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Viktoria Plzen lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

Viktoria Plzen are top

50 points and nobody above them. The word is not being said around the ground yet, and it is being thought in every seat.

Match

Nobody wants to play Viktoria Plzen right now

7 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Player ratings

Karel Spáčil beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 29. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Match

Viktoria Plzen keep winning on the road

5 away wins in a row. Travelling support is the truest kind, and this season it is being repaid in the only currency that counts.

Squad

A row about effort at Viktoria Plzen

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Vavro was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Bohemians 1905

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 1‑0 the final word against Bohemians 1905 in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

Amar Memić was on a different afternoon to everybody else

8.38. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.

Loan watch

Christophe Kabongo keeps scoring at Mlada Boleslav

21 appearances away from home and 11 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

20 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Adam Kadlec damages knee ligaments — 39 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 39 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Jiří Floder

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

Mlada Boleslav leave it late against Slovan Liberec

Ninety minutes of very little, and then everything at once. The winner arrived in the 88th, and Slovan Liberec spent what remained of the match appealing to the referee rather than chasing the ball.

Player ratings

David Pech was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 30. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Squad

Christophe Kabongo takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Squad

A falling-out at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

Mlada Boleslav see off Slovan Liberec

Three points for Mlada Boleslav, 4‑3 the final word against Slovan Liberec in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

One of those days for Christophe Kabongo

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.61, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Jan Paluska

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

  • The dugout The manager’s verdict
  • The dugout Jiří Floder asks for a word with the manager
  • The dugout The plan did not have a place for Martin Králik
19 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Tempers go at Mlada Boleslav

Ondřej Karafiát was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Solomon Obed arrives at the club he grew up with

Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Solomon Obed has, at Mlada Boleslav, and the first month will show what that does to a man.

Squad

Words at Mlada Boleslav training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christophe Kabongo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Match

A bad afternoon for Mlada Boleslav against Viktoria Plzen

1‑2 to Viktoria Plzen, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

The dugout

No hiding place for Martin Králik

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Martin Králik, and the manager let it.

The dugout

Mlada Boleslav keep their word to Jan Paluska

Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.

The dugout

The view from the dugout

“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Ales Stanek to a room that had heard them before.

Squad

Jan Paluska named in the team of the month

A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Jan Paluska is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.

The dugout

Jan Paluska asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

18 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Both of them David Kozel's — 8.19

2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.19, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.

Squad

Tempers go at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

The drought breaks for Mlada Boleslav

6 without a win is the sort of run that changes how a town talks about its club, and Slovacko were the afternoon it stopped. Nothing is fixed by one result and everything feels different by one.

The terraces

One of their own: Marek Havran

He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.

Match

David Kozel sends Mlada Boleslav past Slovacko

It finished 2‑0, and it was David Kozel’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Mlada Boleslav.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Maxim Kalabus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Ondřej Karafiát

17 defensive actions and a clean sheet at the end of them. A defender's afternoon can only be told by what did not happen, which is why nobody makes a highlights package out of one and every manager in the division would take it.

Player ratings

David Pech was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 16. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Donát was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

17 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

A hiding for Mlada Boleslav

Beaten 0‑3 by Bohemians 1905, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.

Match

The wait goes on for Mlada Boleslav

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Solomon John

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Christophe Kabongo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mlada Boleslav this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Mlada Boleslav training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Martin Králik is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

No hiding place for Samuel Grygar

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Samuel Grygar, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Mlada Boleslav dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

The dugout

Ales Stanek: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑3, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

The dugout

Martin Králik knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mlada Boleslav, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

16 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The dugout

Martin Králik says Mlada Boleslav went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

No end in sight to Mlada Boleslav's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Mlada Boleslav has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Ondřej Karafiát in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mlada Boleslav this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Solomon John runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Words at Mlada Boleslav training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christophe Kabongo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Filip Špatenka

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The dugout

Half-satisfied: Ales Stanek on the draw

“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.

Squad

No place for Sani Mubarak in the new shape

He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation Mlada Boleslav are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.

Match

No goals between Mlada Boleslav and Teplice

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Teplice will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

15 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Jiří Floder

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

4 matches without a win for Mlada Boleslav

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Mlada Boleslav are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Match

Mlada Boleslav come up short against Zbrojovka Brno

Zbrojovka Brno left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

David Pech beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 18. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

The dugout

Adam Kadlec gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

The half-term report on Mlada Boleslav

Position 9, 18 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.

Squad

Dominik Mareš signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Dominik Mareš and Mlada Boleslav agree another 4 years.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Donát was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

14 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Jiří Floder stands alone

6 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.

Squad

Tempers go at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Martin Králik falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Match

Jablonec take the points off Mlada Boleslav

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

David Pech beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 18. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

The dugout

Okechukwu Azubuike gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

The dugout

Ales Stanek faces the questions

“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Ales Stanek after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.

Squad

Denis Donát is no longer first choice

The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Denis Donát has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.

Market

Still no ink between Mlada Boleslav and Maxim Kalabus

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Mlada Boleslav, another week without a signature from Maxim Kalabus.

In brief

13 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Mlada Boleslav taken apart

1‑4 to Slavia Prague, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Market

Martin Králik hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mlada Boleslav can pretend not to have heard.

The dugout

Jan Harušťák: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mlada Boleslav have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Martin Králik and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Christophe Kabongo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Player ratings

David Pech runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

The dugout

No hiding place for Jan Paluska

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jan Paluska, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Mlada Boleslav

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

The dugout

Ales Stanek: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑4, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

In brief

12 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nobody could get near David Pech

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

A falling-out at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

Sparta Prague take the points off Mlada Boleslav

Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

The dugout

Jiří Floder gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Denis Donát falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

The dugout

Ales Stanek: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑3, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

The dugout

Jan Paluska knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Jan Paluska trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

Samuel Mathias is a square peg at Mlada Boleslav

The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.

Looking ahead

David Pech faces his old club

Slavia Prague next, and one man in the Mlada Boleslav dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.

In brief

12 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Akinkunmi Amoo beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 47. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Match

Viktoria Plzen run riot against Jihlava

3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.

Match

Viktoria Plzen are at home on the road

6 straight away victories. Sides that win away are usually sides that can defend and can counter, and the table has begun to reflect what those journeys have earned.

Squad

A row about effort at Viktoria Plzen

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Vavro was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Player ratings

One of those days for Lukáš Červ

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.07, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

The dugout

Viktoria Plzen keep their word to Sampson Dweh

Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.

Loan watch

Viktor Baier wants to come home

“I did not go to FCSB to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

The dugout

A satisfied Karel Sykora

“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 3‑0, Karel Sykora could afford to be generous.

The dugout

Sampson Dweh has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Viktoria Plzen will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

In brief

11 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Solomon John runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 39. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

A brace, and Jiří Klíma takes the afternoon — 8.82

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Jiří Klíma provided it, and the 8.82 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

Martin Králik falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

The terraces

The crowd has taken to Samuel Grygar

At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.

Match

Mlada Boleslav see off Pribram

Three points for Mlada Boleslav, 2‑0 the final word against Pribram in a contest settled by the finer margins.

The dugout

Martin Králik gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Goal number 50 for Jiří Klíma

50 goals in these colours now, every one of them somebody’s memory. There is a supporter in the stand who can tell you where he was for most of them.

The dugout

A satisfied Ales Stanek

“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑0, Ales Stanek could afford to be generous.

In brief

10 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

David Pech was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 30. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Squad

A falling-out at Mlada Boleslav

Martin Králik and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Words at Mlada Boleslav training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christophe Kabongo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Market

Martin Králik told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Martin Králik has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Mlada Boleslav.

The terraces

One of their own: Christophe Kabongo

He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.

The dugout

No hiding place for Maxim Kalabus

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Kalabus, and the manager let it.

Match

Two points walk out of the ground

Level with 89 minutes on the clock, after an afternoon Mlada Boleslav had all but put away. Jihlava will call it a point earned; the home dressing room will call it two given away, and both of them are right.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.99 on the card, and the Mlada Boleslav support went home talking about one name.

Squad

Too much change too quickly at Mlada Boleslav

11 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.

In brief

9 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Christophe Kabongo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mlada Boleslav this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The step up is real for Stefan Jovanoski

At 20 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.

Match

Mlada Boleslav come up short against Banik Ostrava

Banik Ostrava left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Jiří Klíma reaches 200 appearances

200 games in the shirt. Nobody sets out to build a record like that; it happens to a certain kind of player at a certain kind of club, and this town knows what it has.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Donát was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for Denis Donát

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Denis Donát, and the manager let it.

The dugout

Ales Stanek answers for it

“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.

Player ratings

Lukáš Letenay runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

The dugout

Martin Králik knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Martin Králik trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

8 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

David Pech runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 34. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

A brace, and Lukáš Letenay takes the afternoon — 9.07

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Lukáš Letenay provided it, and the 9.07 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Squad

A falling-out at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

Mlada Boleslav see off Dukla Prague

Three points for Mlada Boleslav, 2‑0 the final word against Dukla Prague in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Donát was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

A promise honoured for Martin Králik

It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Mlada Boleslav told Martin Králik something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Ales Stanek kept it short after the 2‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Filip Špatenka

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The dugout

The plan did not have a place for Martin Králik

Nobody at Mlada Boleslav is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.

In brief

7 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Solomon John beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 26. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Squad

Martin Králik in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mlada Boleslav this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Transfer targets

Too dear: Mlada Boleslav walk away from Jakub Klíma

$120.0K was the most the club would pay and Zbrojovka Brno were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Christophe Kabongo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Transfer targets

Shakhtar tell Mlada Boleslav: Dmytro Ledvii is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

The dugout

Okechukwu Azubuike gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

The dugout

Ales Stanek: “We have to be better”

“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.

Squad

Maxim Kalabus: “I am not a substitute”

“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Mlada Boleslav will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.

Match

Point won or two lost for Mlada Boleslav?

Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Zlin? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.

In brief

6 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Martin Králik hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mlada Boleslav can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

David Pech beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 26. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Boardroom

Window shuts: 5 in, 4 out at Mlada Boleslav

The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 5 arrived, 4 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.

Transfer targets

Too dear: Mlada Boleslav walk away from Aziz Kayondo

$560.0K was the most the club would pay and Slovan Liberec were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.

Squad

Tempers go at Mlada Boleslav

Christophe Kabongo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Transfer targets

Slovacko tell Mlada Boleslav: Pavel Juroška is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

The terraces

One of their own: Christophe Kabongo

He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.

The dugout

Jan Paluska gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

A row about effort at Mlada Boleslav

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Donát was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

4 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Mlada Boleslav taken apart

1‑4 to Viktoria Plzen, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Match

The cup run ends for Mlada Boleslav

1‑2 against Sigma Olomouc, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.

Squad

8 saves: Jiří Floder was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Market

Mlada Boleslav turn down MSK Zilina for Jan Paluska

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Transfer targets

Mlada Boleslav bid $750.0K for Filip Vaško

The offer went to Slovacko this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.

Transfer targets

Mlada Boleslav make their move for Aziz Kayondo

$560.0K on the table at Slovan Liberec. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.

Boardroom

Mlada Boleslav go back to the board over Filip Vaško

The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $834.4K — a club that wants Filip Vaško enough to be asked twice.

Player ratings

A hand in 2 of them from Maxim Kalabus — 7.20

Marked 7.20. There is a kind of forward whose value only shows up when you count what he was involved in rather than what he finished, and this is the day that argument makes itself.

Squad

Tempers go at Mlada Boleslav

Martin Králik was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

3 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Mlada Boleslav come from 2 down to beat Slovacko

At 2 goals adrift this was a formality, and the formality lasted right up until it did not. Mlada Boleslav found something the first half had given no notice of, and Slovacko could not hold what they had.

Player ratings

A brace, and Lukáš Letenay takes the afternoon — 9.11

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Lukáš Letenay provided it, and the 9.11 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Market

Mlada Boleslav say no — this time

The offer from Viktoria Plzen for Ondřej Karafiát was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Market

Mlada Boleslav get their man

The chase for Jan Paluska ended with $1.4M changing hands and Viktoria Plzen out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.

Squad

Martin Králik in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mlada Boleslav this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Lukáš Letenay the difference as Mlada Boleslav beat Slovacko

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Lukáš Letenay. 3‑2 against Slovacko, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Transfer targets

Mlada Boleslav rebuffed over Dominik Ťapaj

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Viktoria Plzen have kept their man, and Mlada Boleslav go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo in the eights

A performance of 8.94 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Matěj Hybš

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

2 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near David Pech

Successful dribbles: 31. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Transfer targets

Fee done, terms next for Jan Paluska

Mlada Boleslav and Viktoria Plzen have settled on $1.4M. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.

Market

Not going: Tomáš Horák stays at Mlada Boleslav

“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” FK Senica had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.

Boardroom

Mlada Boleslav go back to the board over Jan Paluska

The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $1.5M — a club that wants Jan Paluska enough to be asked twice.

Squad

Words exchanged at Mlada Boleslav

Martin Králik and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Match

A bad afternoon for Mlada Boleslav against Bohemians 1905

1‑2 to Bohemians 1905, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Adam Kadlec reaches 100 appearances

100 games in the shirt. Nobody sets out to build a record like that; it happens to a certain kind of player at a certain kind of club, and this town knows what it has.

Squad

Adam Zouhar signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Adam Zouhar and Mlada Boleslav agree another 5 years.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑2 Ales Stanek left the room before anybody could ask which.

In brief

1 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo scores twice — 8.82

Two goals and a mark of 8.82 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Squad

David Pech stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” David Pech and Mlada Boleslav agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

A falling-out at Mlada Boleslav

Martin Králik and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Christophe Kabongo falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Match

Mlada Boleslav get the job done against Teplice

A 2‑1 win over Teplice, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

The terraces

One of their own: Christophe Kabongo

He is 22 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.

Market

FK Senica join the queue for Tomáš Horák

Add another name to the list: FK Senica have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Tomáš Horák. The answer from Mlada Boleslav has not changed — yet.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Marek Havran

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Nobody at Mlada Boleslav has picked up the phone to Martin Králik

36 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

In brief