Christophe Kabongo

Attacking Midfielder (R) - Viktoria Plzen
14 Feb 2029
Wednesday
Process

Marked for Christophe Kabongo

133 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

12 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 3

64 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Iván Cabrera 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 The request is on a desk at Viktoria Plzen, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

At 21, Jiří Panoš is already the best thing here

An average of 7.58 in a first team he is several years too young for. Viktoria Plzen have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský says Viktoria Plzen 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.

Player ratings

Lukáš Červ shuts the door

Defensive actions: 26, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Market

Dávid Krčík is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Václav Jemelka 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

In brief

Back issues
132 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

5 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Indrit Tuci: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alexandr Sojka

Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Khalid Omar asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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

Denis Višinský is carrying Viktoria Plzen

10 goals and a season average of 7.40. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Player ratings

One of those days for Jiří Panoš

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.65, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo in the eights

A performance of 8.39 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Merchas Doski

“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

Václav Drchal leaves them behind him

Shots: 11. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

130 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Lukáš Červ shuts the door

Defensive actions: 32, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Dominik Ťapaj

There were 7 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.

Market

Mykyta Minchev 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

Nobody could get near Alexandr Sojka

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

Market

Indrit Tuci is a Viktoria Plzen player

The fee is $1.3M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Sparta Prague drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Market

Viktoria Plzen turn down CFR Cluj for Indrit Tuci

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

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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.

Player ratings

Tomáš Vlček shuts the door

Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Market

Teplice join the queue for Dávid Krčík

Add another name to the list: Teplice have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Dávid Krčík. The answer from Viktoria Plzen has not changed — yet.

In brief

127 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

1 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Daiki Hashioka 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

Nobody could get near Christophe Kabongo

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

Squad

Adam Hrdina: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

The season belongs to Václav Drchal

An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Viktoria Plzen have had the benefit of it.

Squad

Václav Jemelka 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Tomáš Vlček wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Loan watch

Viktor Baier counts the days

“I watch every Viktoria Plzen game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at NK Maribor runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Dominik Ťapaj

“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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Viktoria Plzen against Slovan Liberec

0‑1 to Slovan Liberec, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

In brief

126 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Mykyta Minchev asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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

A one-man rearguard from Dominik Ťapaj

There were 6 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.

Squad

Josef Kolářík says Viktoria Plzen 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Bohemians 1905

A 2‑1 win over Bohemians 1905, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo in the eights

A performance of 8.62 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Alexandr Sojka

Marked 8.11 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Václav Drchal in the eights

A performance of 8.05 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Merchas Doski

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

In brief

123 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

4 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Martin Jedlička: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alexandr Sojka

Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Daiki Hashioka asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Jiří Panoš raises the bar for Viktoria Plzen

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Viktoria Plzen heard it as anything else.

Squad

Václav Jemelka 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Mykyta Minchev wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Viktoria Plzen know it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Cheick Oumar Souaré

“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.

Loan watch

Viktor Baier wants to come home

“I did not go to NK Maribor to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.

Match

Václav Drchal rescues a point for Viktoria Plzen

It needed Václav Drchal to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Teplice, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

122 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

27 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Jiří Panoš sends Viktoria Plzen through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Jiří Panoš obliged against Mlada Boleslav. 4‑1 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Viktoria Plzen.

Market

Mykyta Minchev 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.

Squad

Khalid Omar keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Viktoria Plzen may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Jiří Panoš

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 10.00, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Dávid Krčík in the eights

A performance of 9.26 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Danijel Šturm

Marked 9.11 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Zbrojovka Brno take the points off Viktoria Plzen

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

In brief

121 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

20 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Iván Cabrera asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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

Iván Cabrera says Viktoria Plzen 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.

Squad

Martin Jedlička keeps Viktoria Plzen in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Remember the name: Jiří Panoš

He is 21, he is averaging 7.48, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.

Squad

Jiří Panoš signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jiří Panoš and Viktoria Plzen agree another 5 years.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo in the eights

A performance of 8.83 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Adrian Zeljković runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

The one thing Václav Drchal could not do

Shots: 13, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Match

Viktoria Plzen share the spoils with Jablonec

A 1‑1 draw with Jablonec leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

116 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

16 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Viktoria Plzen cannot stop winning

9 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Match

Viktoria Plzen refuse to drop out of the race

Position 1, 35 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Market

Khalid Omar 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lukáš Červ

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

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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

Viktoria Plzen see off Banik Ostrava

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 2‑1 the final word against Banik Ostrava in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Christophe Kabongo

Marked 8.89 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Denis Višinský in the eights

A performance of 8.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

111 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

11 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Khalid Omar keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Viktoria Plzen may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Match

Viktoria Plzen make it 4 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Viktoria Plzen have 4 straight wins of it.

Squad

Dominik Ťapaj signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Dominik Ťapaj commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 4 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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.

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. 9.27, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Loan watch

Viktor Baier counts the days

“I watch every Viktoria Plzen game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at NK Maribor runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Match

Christophe Kabongo the difference as Viktoria Plzen beat Bohemians 1905

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Christophe Kabongo. 2‑0 against Bohemians 1905, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Václav Jemelka

Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Lukáš Červ

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

In brief

110 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

4 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Dominik Ťapaj

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.

Market

Jiří Panoš wants more than Viktoria Plzen are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Václav Jemelka 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Alexandr Sojka the difference as Viktoria Plzen beat Slovacko

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Alexandr Sojka. 4‑2 against Slovacko, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Squad

Dušan Stevanović signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Dušan Stevanović commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 2 years.

Player ratings

Jiří Panoš in the eights

A performance of 9.29 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo 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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Alexandr Sojka

Marked 9.02 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

One of those days for Václav Jemelka

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.71, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

109 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

28 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Josef Kolářík sends Viktoria Plzen through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Josef Kolářík obliged against Zlin. 3‑2 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Viktoria Plzen.

Match

Whatever happens, Viktoria Plzen do not lose

11 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Squad

Viktoria Plzen count the cost of losing Matěj Vydra

14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

At 20, Jiří Panoš is already the best thing here

An average of 7.02 in a first team he is several years too young for. Viktoria Plzen have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Squad

Viktoria Plzen lose Tomáš Ladra

45 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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

Viktoria Plzen find a way past Mlada Boleslav

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

Player ratings

One of those days for Matěj Vydra

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.14, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Filip Špatenka in the eights

A performance of 9.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

104 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

24 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Jerson Malagón asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Martin Koscelník is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Ricardinho moves on

Banik Ostrava pay $1.6M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Boardroom

Viktoria Plzen tie Pavel Masopust down

A new deal for the man in the dugout, and the clearest thing a board can say without calling a press conference about it. Stability is cheap to promise and expensive to deliver.

Squad

Václav Jemelka 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Jiri Coufal comes home

The shirt still fits. Jiri Coufal is back at Viktoria Plzen, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Jiří Panoš

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Alexandr Sojka in the eights

A performance of 8.39 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Costly mistake from Martin Jedlička

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Martin Jedlička knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

In brief

95 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

22 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 3

55 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Martin Koscelník is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Matěj Vydra 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Matěj Vydra linked with a move away

The name of Matěj Vydra keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Václav Drchal 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

3 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

15 appearances at Voluntari and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Market

Martin Koscelník runs his contract down

3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Viktoria Plzen money.

Squad

Jan Paluska has settled at Viktoria Plzen

The shrug has gone, the language is coming, and he now argues in training like somebody who expects to be here next year. Half a signing's value is this and none of it appears on a fee.

Squad

The manager comes out for Lukáš Červ

Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Lukáš Červ has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.

In brief

95 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

22 May 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Voluntari count the cost of losing Mihai Roman

52 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Alexandru Şuteu 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 Alexandru Şuteu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

94 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

15 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Matěj Vydra 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

Danijel Šturm 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

Anton Salétros 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

94 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

15 May 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Diadé Camara out for 20 days

The medical room confirms 20 days on the sidelines for Diadé Camara, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Nerves in the Voluntari squad

Luka Kukić has been around long enough to know what the spring feels like when it goes wrong, and he can feel it. A dressing room that is frightened plays like one.

In brief

93 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

8 May 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Every point is an argument now for Voluntari

Position 9 and 19 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Squad

Andrei Piţian out for 106 days

The medical room confirms 106 days on the sidelines for Andrei Piţian, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

92 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

1 May 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Voluntari

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Voluntari is running low.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

No hiding place for George Merloi

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

In brief

91 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Merchas Doski says Viktoria Plzen 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

Viktoria Plzen refuse to drop out of the race

Position 3, 55 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Market

Martin Koscelník is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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.

Market

Matěj Vydra linked with a move away

The name of Matěj Vydra keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Denis Višinský 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

Christophe Kabongo keeps scoring at Voluntari

15 appearances away from home and 3 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Market

Still no signature from Martin Koscelník

4 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Viktoria Plzen could get for him.

Squad

Karel Spáčil keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Karel Spáčil plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

In brief

91 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Voluntari count the cost of losing Mihai Roman

83 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

The manager plants his flag on Lovro Cvek

“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Lovro Cvek’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.

90 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Denis Višinský keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Viktoria Plzen may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Sampson Dweh 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Dušan Stevanović

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

In brief

90 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Diadé Camara out for 51 days

The medical room confirms 51 days on the sidelines for Diadé Camara, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Andrei Keseru is not doing himself any favours

A manager forgives a bad Saturday far more readily than a bad Tuesday, because one of them he can explain and the other one he chose. The reports this week have not been good.

In brief

89 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

10 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Voluntari are in real trouble now

Position 9, 19 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

Squad

Voluntari count the cost of losing Tudor Băluţă

45 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

88 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

3 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

The manager makes an example of Alexandru Şuteu

“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.

Squad

The academy watches Ion Gheorghe sit

28 years old, every age group at this club behind him, and a borrowed player of much the same standard in front of him every Saturday. The parents in the stand have noticed, and so has every kid below him.

In brief

87 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

27 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 55 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Bryan Ouanda: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Martin Koscelník is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Sampson Dweh 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

No hiding place for Danijel Šturm

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

Market

Matěj Vydra linked with a move away

The name of Matěj Vydra keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

87 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

27 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Alexandru Şuteu says Voluntari 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.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Voluntari lose Mihai Roman

114 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

86 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

20 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Voluntari count the cost of losing Diadé Camara

84 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mihael Onişa

“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

85 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

13 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Voluntari sink to position 9

19 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Fabian Hallidri signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Fabian Hallidri commits to Voluntari for another 4 years.

In brief

84 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

6 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Lovro Cvek stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Lovro Cvek and Voluntari agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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.

Market

Voluntari buy the years ahead of Fabian Hallidri

He is 19, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alexandru Şuteu

“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.

Boardroom

Voluntari sign a deal worth $231.0K a year

Commercial news is the news nobody sings about and everything else is paid for with. The board will call it a partnership; the accountants will call it the difference between this squad and a smaller one.

Squad

The academy watches Remus Guţea sit

21 years old, every age group at this club behind him, and a borrowed player of much the same standard in front of him every Saturday. The parents in the stand have noticed, and so has every kid below him.

In brief

83 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

28 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 55 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Ricardinho says Viktoria Plzen 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.

Market

Martin Koscelník is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Matěj Vydra 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Dušan Stevanović

“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.

Market

Matěj Vydra linked with a move away

The name of Matěj Vydra keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

83 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

28 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of George Merloi

“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.

Squad

A season on the outside for Letsie Koapeng

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Voluntari has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

In brief

82 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

21 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Voluntari lose Diadé Camara

117 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

No hiding place for Radu Crişan

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

In brief

81 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

14 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Voluntari are in real trouble now

Position 9, 19 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Giovanni Petcu

“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

80 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

7 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Giovanni Petcu: 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.” Voluntari have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Estevão Spencer signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Estevão Spencer and Voluntari agree another 4 years.

In brief

79 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

31 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Daniel Dekhtiar signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Daniel Dekhtiar commits to Voluntari for another 3 years.

Squad

A season on the outside for Letsie Koapeng

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Voluntari has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

In brief

78 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

24 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

The manager makes an example of George Merloi

“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.

Market

Voluntari sign Daniel Dekhtiar, one for the future

Daniel Dekhtiar is 20, and Voluntari have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.

Squad

Daniel Dekhtiar signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Daniel Dekhtiar and Voluntari agree another 3 years.

Market

Eric Herensperger brings the grey hairs Voluntari lacked

At 37, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.

Market

Experience through the door at Voluntari

Letsie Koapeng arrives at 36 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.

In brief

77 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

17 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Every point is an argument now for Voluntari

Position 9 and 19 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Daniel Hagi

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

Squad

George Merloi 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 Voluntari, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Somebody is after Christophe Kabongo’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Christophe Kabongo suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Voluntari have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Market

Voluntari borrow Andrei Keseru

A season-long look at somebody else’s player: Andrei Keseru arrives from Viitorul with something to prove and a return ticket in the drawer. Good loans make everybody richer; this one starts Saturday.

In brief

76 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

10 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

No hiding place for Matei Popa

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

Squad

Andrei Piţian 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 Andrei Piţian trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

  • Squad Lovro Cvek has seen what the next man earns
75 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Gabriel David says Voluntari 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.

Squad

Tudor Băluţă signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tudor Băluţă commits to Voluntari for another 4 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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.

In brief

74 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

27 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Anton Salétros runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Sampson Dweh 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

A bad afternoon for Viktoria Plzen against Bohemians 1905

0‑1 to Bohemians 1905, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Viktoria Plzen

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

Squad

No hiding place for Danijel Šturm

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

Squad

Lukáš Červ is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.27 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

The Matěj Vydra question follows Viktoria Plzen around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Matěj Vydra’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Player ratings

The one thing Ricardinho could not do

Shots: 6, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Merchas Doski

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

74 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

27 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mihael Onişa

“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.

Squad

Radu Crişan 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 Voluntari, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

73 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

20 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Voluntari sink to position 9

19 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Remus Guţea 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

72 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

13 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Konstantin Teniste keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Voluntari may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Gennady Bragin 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

71 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Steven N'Guessan out for 64 days

The medical room confirms 64 days on the sidelines for Steven N'Guessan, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of George Merloi

“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

70 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Dávid Krčík says Viktoria Plzen 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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sampson Dweh

Marked 9.62 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Daniel Vašulín sends Viktoria Plzen past Zbrojovka Brno

It finished 3‑1, and it was Daniel Vašulín’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Viktoria Plzen.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Tomáš Ladra

Marked 8.57 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Matěj Vydra in the eights

A performance of 8.38 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alexandr Sojka

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

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Adrian Zeljković 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

Sampson Dweh is carrying Viktoria Plzen

6 goals and a season average of 7.33. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

The Matěj Vydra question follows Viktoria Plzen around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Matěj Vydra’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

70 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Andrei Piţian

“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.

Squad

Luka Kukić 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 Luka Kukić trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

69 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Voluntari are in real trouble now

Position 9, 19 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

Match

9 matches without a win for Voluntari

The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Voluntari are no longer polite ones.

Match

The small margins put Voluntari out

Out, 1‑2 to Universitatea Craiova, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.

Squad

Daniel Toma says Voluntari 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

No hiding place for Luka Kukić

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

Match

CFR Cluj take the points off Voluntari

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

Player ratings

A masterclass from Radu Crişan

Marked 8.10 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Giovanni Petcu runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

67 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Voluntari's wait for a win

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

Squad

An unwelcome headline for Paul Dragusin

He will be fined, he will apologise, and he will play on Saturday. The order of those three tells you everything about what a football club actually values.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Florin Haită’s goal not enough for Voluntari

Florin Haită scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Astra, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Florin Haită

Marked 8.92 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Lovro Cvek 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

Raised voices on the training ground at Voluntari

It involved Paul Dragusin, it was loud enough to reach the car park, and it was over by lunch. Dressing rooms run hot; the ones that should worry you are the silent ones.

Player ratings

Ion Gheorghe runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Luka Kukić

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

In brief

66 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Whatever happens, Viktoria Plzen do not lose

14 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alexandr Sojka

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

Squad

David Puškáč keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Viktoria Plzen may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Sampson Dweh 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

Tin Jedvaj wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Viktoria Plzen know it.

Squad

No hiding place for Martin Jedlička

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

Player ratings

One of those days for Sampson Dweh

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.93, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Matěj Vydra

Marked 8.11 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Honours even between Viktoria Plzen and Pribram

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

66 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for Voluntari

5 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.

Squad

Paul Dragusin in trouble away from the ground

Every paper's favourite story and every manager's least. What happened is being dealt with internally, which is the phrase clubs use when they would rather nobody asked again.

Squad

Voluntari count the cost of losing Lovro Cvek

19 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Voluntari against FCSB

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

Player ratings

A masterclass from Christophe Kabongo

Marked 8.40 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Raised voices on the training ground at Voluntari

It involved Paul Dragusin, it was loud enough to reach the car park, and it was over by lunch. Dressing rooms run hot; the ones that should worry you are the silent ones.

Player ratings

Florin Haită in the eights

A performance of 8.10 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Doru Andrei

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

In brief

65 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

4 matches without a win for Voluntari

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

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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.

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. 9.00, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Luka Kukić 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.

Player ratings

Ion Gheorghe runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Voluntari share the spoils with Pandurii

A 1‑1 draw with Pandurii leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

64 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Tudor Băluţă

Defensive actions: 50. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

George Merloi keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Voluntari may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Christophe Kabongo

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Matei Popa

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

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Mihailo Oreščanin

Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

63 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Luka Kukić keeps Voluntari in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Florin Haită

Marked 9.03 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for Gennady Bragin

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

Squad

“I want to play”: Matei Popa speaks

“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.

Match

Honours even between Voluntari and Dinamo Bucharest

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

62 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Lovro Cvek out for 47 days

The medical room confirms 47 days on the sidelines for Lovro Cvek, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Christophe Kabongo

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Universitatea Craiova take the points off Voluntari

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

Squad

The manager makes an example of George Merloi

“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.

Squad

Konstantin Teniste signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Konstantin Teniste commits to Voluntari for another 1 years.

In brief

61 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Voluntari refuse to drop out of the race

Position 2, 16 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Squad

Steven N'Guessan: 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.” Voluntari have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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

Christophe Kabongo the difference as Voluntari beat Petrolul

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

Player ratings

One of those days for Ion Gheorghe

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.35, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Luka Kukić 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.

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. 8.65, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Matko Babić in the eights

A performance of 8.05 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Ion Gheorghe finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Voluntari have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

60 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Christophe Kabongo

Successful dribbles: 23. 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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Eric Klein shuts the door

Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Radu Crişan shuts the door

Defensive actions: 18, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Tudor Băluţă

A mark of 7.56, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Squad

Mihael Onişa 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

59 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Luka Kukić

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.

Player ratings

Tudor Băluţă shuts the door

Defensive actions: 26, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

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.

Player ratings

Mihailo Oreščanin shuts the door

Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Match

Voluntari find a way past Viitorul

Viitorul made Voluntari work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Radu Crişan in the eights

A performance of 8.28 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

58 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Tudor Băluţă

Defensive actions: 38. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Voluntari lose Lovro Cvek

77 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ion Gheorghe

“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

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.

Player ratings

Mihailo Oreščanin shuts the door

Defensive actions: 17, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

In brief

57 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

Tudor Băluţă 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

FCSB take the points off Voluntari

Beaten 3‑4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Christophe Kabongo 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

No hiding place for Mihailo Oreščanin

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

Player ratings

Doru Andrei in the eights

A performance of 8.68 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Matko Babić

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

56 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Nothing got past Tudor Băluţă

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 38 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Match

Voluntari through in the cup

A 1‑0 win over Pandurii, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Match

Răzvan Neag sends Voluntari through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Răzvan Neag obliged against Pandurii. 2‑1 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Voluntari.

Player ratings

Radu Crişan shuts the door

Defensive actions: 31, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Remus Guţea says Voluntari 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

Mihailo Oreščanin 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.

Player ratings

Florin Haită in the eights

A performance of 9.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

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. 8.72, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Matko Babić

“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

55 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Christophe Kabongo

Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Alexandru Şuteu keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Voluntari may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at Voluntari

Tudor Băluţă 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

No hiding place for Andrei Piţian

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

Match

Voluntari share the spoils with Botosani

A 1‑1 draw with Botosani leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Player ratings

Matko Babić leaves them behind him

Shots: 10. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

54 Edition

The Voluntari Sentinel

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Luka Kukić

There were 6 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.

Squad

Voluntari lose Lovro Cvek

112 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tudor Băluţă 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 Voluntari this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Florin Haită

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.18, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Doru Andrei

Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Lovro Cvek

“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

Lovro Cvek gives it away

There was no pressure on him and nowhere he had to be. Voluntari lost a goal to a decision that took half a second and will be discussed all week.

Match

Voluntari and Dinamo Bucharest take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Player ratings

Matko Babić keeps on missing

Shots: 5, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

52 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Teplice come back empty-handed

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

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 12. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Martin Jedlička keeps Viktoria Plzen in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Václav Jemelka 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.

Market

Viktoria Plzen sell Marián Tvrdoň for $240.0K

Marián Tvrdoň has left for Banik Ostrava in a $240.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Matěj Vydra

Marked 9.06 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Tomáš Ladra runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Cheick Oumar Souaré 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.

Market

The Christophe Kabongo conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Dinamo Minsk will make the call about Christophe Kabongo this week. Viktoria Plzen have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

51 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Haladas come back empty-handed

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

Squad

Daniel Vašulín 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

As if he never left: Patrik Vydra returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Patrik Vydra is a Viktoria Plzen player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Market

As if he never left: Daniel Darida returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Daniel Darida is a Viktoria Plzen player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Market

Ondrej Masopust is a Viktoria Plzen player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Boardroom

Viktoria Plzen are making the ground bigger

Work is signed off on a capacity of 11916. It is the sort of decision a club is judged on twenty years later, by people who were not there when it was taken.

In brief

47 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

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

Mlada Boleslav lose Matěj Hybš

56 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Jonathan Segura

“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

46 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Filip Černý 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

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.

Market

Mlada Boleslav sell Jiří Floder for $480.0K

Jiří Floder has left for Jihlava in a $480.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Michal Reichl signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Michal Reichl and Mlada Boleslav agree another 1 years.

Market

Slovan Liberec are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Mlada Boleslav will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

No hiding place for Matěj Hybš

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

In brief

45 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

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

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.

Market

Jiří Floder attracts admirers

The name of Jiří Floder has come up in conversations Mlada Boleslav were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

The manager makes an example of David Kozel

“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.

Market

Jan Buryán is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Mlada Boleslav has been clear about where Jan Buryán stands, which is more than many ever get.

Market

The Matouš Krulich talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mlada Boleslav know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

45 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 2

63 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Viktoria Plzen say no — this time

The offer from Sparta Prague for Matěj Vydra 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

Patrik Hrošovský 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

Matěj Vydra wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Market

Viktoria Plzen sign Adam Hrdina for $450.0K

The paperwork is done: Adam Hrdina joins from Zbrojovka Brno in a deal worth $450.0K. Now comes the harder part.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Prince Adu Kwabena 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

Alexandr Sojka signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Alexandr Sojka commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 4 years.

Squad

The month belongs to Jan Paluska

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Viktoria Plzen have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Squad

Alexandr Sojka 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

44 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

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.

Market

The Roman Macek talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mlada Boleslav know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

A season on the outside for Adrián Fernández De Lara

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Mlada Boleslav has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

In brief

41 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 2

63 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Sampson Dweh 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 Viktoria Plzen this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Andrija Novaković

“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.

Market

The Matěj Vydra story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Matěj Vydra signs something — a contract at Viktoria Plzen or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

24 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Market

Still no signature from Matěj Valenta

2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Viktoria Plzen could get for him.

In brief

40 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

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 manager makes an example of Jiří Floder

“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.

Market

The Roman Macek talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mlada Boleslav know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

39 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

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

Matěj Hybš 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.

Market

The David Pech question follows Mlada Boleslav around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with David Pech’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

38 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

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

Lukáš Bránecký 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.

Loan watch

Jan Buryán has seen enough of Karpaty

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Mlada Boleslav, and 1 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

37 Edition

The Mlada Boleslav Chronicle

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

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

No hiding place for Jonathan Segura

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

Loan watch

Stefan Jovanoski counts the days

“I watch every Mlada Boleslav game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Bohemians 1905 runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

Ezequiel Orbe 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.

Market

The Martin Králik question follows Mlada Boleslav around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Martin Králik’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Market

The shop window has Jonathan Segura in it

Mlada Boleslav have let the market know Jonathan Segura can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.

In brief

37 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 2

63 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Tempers go at Viktoria Plzen

Sampson Dweh 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

No hiding place for Dávid Krčík

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

Market

Matěj Vydra linked with a move away

The name of Matěj Vydra keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Václav Drchal 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 Václav Drchal trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

24 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief