Marked for Daniel Vernattus
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Aug 2028
Elias Telles: 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.” Kolos have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market14 Aug 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Tempers go at Kolos
Danyil Alefirenko 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.
Match12 Aug 2028
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Danyil Alefirenko. 2‑1 against Oleksandriya, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings14 Aug 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.99, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings14 Aug 2028
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“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.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Artem Husol 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 Kolos, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market14 Aug 2028
The Artem Husol story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Artem Husol signs something — a contract at Kolos or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
The scrutiny sharpens at Kolos
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Kolos is running low.
Market26 Jun 2028
“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 The request is on a desk at Kolos, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market26 Jun 2028
Zorya paid $2.0M and Kolos took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Market26 Jun 2028
The fee is $510.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Metalist drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad26 Jun 2028
154 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market26 Jun 2028
The fee is $200.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Metalist drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
Pressure builds in the Metalist boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market26 Jun 2028
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market26 Jun 2028
Metalist say no — this time
The offer from Vorskla for Lucas Villagra 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.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Market26 Jun 2028
Daniel Vernattus has left for Kolos in a $510.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Market26 Jun 2028
Kolos pay $200.0K, 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market19 Jun 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market19 Jun 2028
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market19 Jun 2028
Kolos are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Metalist will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market19 Jun 2028
Artem Kozak linked with a move away
The name of Artem Kozak keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Metalist say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Vasyl Lutsiv 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Jun 2028
“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.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Petro Lutsiv 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 Metalist, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
It is over: Metalist are relegated
The arithmetic ran out, and everybody could see it coming from a distance. The hard summer starts now, and next season's fixtures will be full of unfamiliar names.
Market5 Jun 2028
“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.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Metalist may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market5 Jun 2028
“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Metalist heard it as anything else.
Squad5 Jun 2028
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Orest Kuzyk and Metalist agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom29 May 2028
The scrutiny sharpens at Metalist
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Metalist is running low.
Market29 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Metalist is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market29 May 2028
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad29 May 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad29 May 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladyslav Ostrovskyi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market29 May 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vasyl Kravets signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market15 May 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Metalist can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 May 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad15 May 2028
Orest Kuzyk 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom1 May 2028
Pressure builds in the Metalist boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market1 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Metalist is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market1 May 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Metalist can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 May 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad1 May 2028
Nejc Viher still has not settled
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Metalist would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market1 May 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vasyl Kravets signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match10 Apr 2028
Metalist sink to position 15
15 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market10 Apr 2028
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Bohdan Porokh, and the manager let it.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladyslav Ostrovskyi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market10 Apr 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Metalist know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Apr 2028
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market3 Apr 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Metalist they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Mar 2028
Oleksandriya ended it 1‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Match15 Mar 2028
The wait goes on for Metalist
7 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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Vasyl Lutsiv: 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.” Metalist have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The terraces20 Mar 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 7 of the 34 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market20 Mar 2028
Nazarii Nych 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 Metalist can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Martin Ruskov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings20 Mar 2028
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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Denys Ihnatenko knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Mar 2028
Metalist sink to position 15
15 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market13 Mar 2028
“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.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market13 Mar 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Metalist know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad13 Mar 2028
The table has started to be checked before the results are in, and that is always the tell. Nobody at Metalist says the word out loud, and everybody in the building is thinking it.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Yuriy Kravchuk 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 Metalist, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Mar 2028
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market6 Mar 2028
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Daniel Vernattus will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Metalist the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Yuriy Kravchuk commits to Metalist for another 2 years.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Vasyl Lutsiv 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.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“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 Metalist know it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Feb 2028
“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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Feb 2028
27 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kerem Kayaarası, and the manager let it.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Petro Lutsiv 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.
Market28 Feb 2028
Artem Kozak linked with a move away
The name of Artem Kozak keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Metalist say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market21 Feb 2028
“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.
Player ratings21 Feb 2028
Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match19 Feb 2028
6 matches without a win for Metalist
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Metalist are no longer polite ones.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Market21 Feb 2028
Poltava pay $70.0K, 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.
Squad21 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Denys Ihnatenko
“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.
Match19 Feb 2028
A bad afternoon for Metalist against Veres
0‑1 to Veres, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market21 Feb 2028
Livyi Bereh are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Metalist will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Player ratings21 Feb 2028
Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at Metalist needed to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad7 Feb 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 13 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market7 Feb 2028
Petro Lutsiv 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 Metalist can pretend not to have heard.
Market7 Feb 2028
Metalist say no — this time
The offer from Obolon for Lucas Villagra 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.
Match5 Feb 2028
No end in sight to Metalist's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Metalist has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Match5 Feb 2028
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“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.
Market7 Feb 2028
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Víctor Guajardo has his answer from Metalist; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Player ratings7 Feb 2028
The one thing Vasyl Lutsiv could not do
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Jan 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market31 Jan 2028
“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.
Squad31 Jan 2028
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.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
A defender's afternoon for Nejc Viher
Defensive actions: 25. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 Jan 2028
60 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market31 Jan 2028
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Metalist have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Jan 2028
“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.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Match22 Jan 2028
A bad afternoon for Metalist against LNZ
0‑2 to LNZ, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad24 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vladyslav Ostrovskyi, and the manager let it.
Squad24 Jan 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Denys Ihnatenko knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings24 Jan 2028
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.
The terraces24 Jan 2028
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.
Market24 Jan 2028
The Artem Kozak story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Artem Kozak signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Player ratings24 Jan 2028
The one thing Artem Kozak could not do
Shots: 7, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Metalist may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad3 Jan 2028
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.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad3 Jan 2028
92 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Match1 Jan 2028
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market3 Jan 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vasyl Kravets signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
Marked 5.53, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
5.57 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Dec 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Metalist is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad27 Dec 2027
The match ball belongs to Daniel Adjessa, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Market27 Dec 2027
“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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match25 Dec 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Daniel Adjessa. 3‑2 against Kryvbas, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Marked 9.14 — 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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“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 ratings27 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Every debut is a small story about the future: Maksym Orikhovskyi, 21 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Dec 2027
Every point is an argument now for Metalist
Position 16 and 7 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.
Squad20 Dec 2027
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.
Match18 Dec 2027
No end in sight to Metalist's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Metalist has to find a result from somewhere.
Market20 Dec 2027
“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.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Metalist may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Artem Kozak 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 ratings20 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match18 Dec 2027
Dynamo Kyiv left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad20 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Orest Kuzyk
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Nov 2027
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market29 Nov 2027
Kyrylo Dihtiar has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Metalist they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match27 Nov 2027
No end in sight to Metalist's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Metalist has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 Nov 2027
“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 ratings29 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match27 Nov 2027
Point won or two lost for Metalist?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Epicentr? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Market29 Nov 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Artem Kozak’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Nov 2027
Metalist are in real trouble now
Position 16, 6 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.
Market22 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Metalist can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Artem Kozak 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 ratings22 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.68, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.09, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad22 Nov 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad22 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Yuriy Kravchuk
“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.
Match20 Nov 2027
It needed Kyrylo Dihtiar to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Kolos, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Oct 2027
Metalist sink to position 16
4 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match23 Oct 2027
The wait goes on for Metalist
9 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.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Artem Kozak 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.
Squad25 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Vasyl Kravets
“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.
Match23 Oct 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Shots: 6. 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.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Vasyl Lutsiv 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.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
A mark of 5.61 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Market25 Oct 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Metalist know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad4 Oct 2027
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.
Match2 Oct 2027
6 matches without a win for Metalist
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Metalist are no longer polite ones.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“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.
Market4 Oct 2027
Kyrylo Dihtiar has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Metalist they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Serhiy Bolbat commits to Metalist for another 2 years.
Match2 Oct 2027
A bad afternoon for Metalist against Rukh
0‑1 to Rukh, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market4 Oct 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Artem Kozak’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 Sep 2027
Metalist sink to position 16
3 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match25 Sep 2027
5 matches without a win for Metalist
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Metalist are no longer polite ones.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“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 ratings27 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Artem Kozak 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.
Match25 Sep 2027
Obolon left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“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.
Squad27 Sep 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Denys Ihnatenko knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
5.53 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market20 Sep 2027
Metalist say no — this time
The offer from Chernihiv for Kyrylo Dihtiar 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.
Match18 Sep 2027
The wait goes on for Metalist
4 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Orest Kuzyk 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.
Match18 Sep 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad20 Sep 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Denys Ihnatenko knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Daniel Vernattus 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.
Market20 Sep 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vladyslav Ostrovskyi signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market13 Sep 2027
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Artem Kozak 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.
Market13 Sep 2027
The name of Kyrylo Dihtiar has come up in conversations Metalist were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Match11 Sep 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“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 ratings13 Sep 2027
Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Daniel Vernattus trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market13 Sep 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vasyl Kravets signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad6 Sep 2027
“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.
Market6 Sep 2027
The name of Daniel Vernattus has come up in conversations Metalist were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match4 Sep 2027
Dynamo Kyiv left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Vasyl Lutsiv
“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 ratings6 Sep 2027
Shots: 8. 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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Metalist will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Shots: 8. 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.
Market6 Sep 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Artem Kozak’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad23 Aug 2027
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.
Market23 Aug 2027
Probiy come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Metalist did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match21 Aug 2027
6 matches without a win for Metalist
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Metalist are no longer polite ones.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad23 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Orest Kuzyk
“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.
Match21 Aug 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Yuriy Kravchuk 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.
Market23 Aug 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vladyslav Ostrovskyi signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market9 Aug 2027
Zorya come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Metalist did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad9 Aug 2027
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.
Market9 Aug 2027
The name of Daniel Vernattus has come up in conversations Metalist were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Match7 Aug 2027
4 matches without a win for Metalist
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Metalist are no longer polite ones.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Marked 8.27 — 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Petro Lutsiv 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.
Match7 Aug 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market2 Aug 2027
Add another name to the list: Zorya have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Vladyslav Ostrovskyi. The answer from Metalist has not changed — yet.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Vasyl Kravets 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.
Market2 Aug 2027
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Bohdan Malynovskyi is a Metalist player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market2 Aug 2027
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.
Market2 Aug 2027
As if he never left: Ihor Matvienko returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Ihor Matvienko is a Metalist player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.84 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Vasyl Kravets
“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 ratings2 Aug 2027
Marked 8.20 — 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Jul 2027
Metalist say no — this time
The offer from Probiy for Daniel Vernattus 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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market26 Jul 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Metalist will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Daniel Vernattus 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.
Market26 Jul 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vladyslav Ostrovskyi signs something — a contract at Metalist or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Jul 2027
“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 Metalist, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market12 Jul 2027
Everyone has stopped pretending: Probiy will make the call about Daniel Vernattus this week. Metalist have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“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.
Boardroom12 Jul 2027
86% of the income goes out in wages at Metalist
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Market12 Jul 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Artem Kozak’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Jun 2027
Metalist say no — this time
The offer from Probiy for Daniel Vernattus 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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Jun 2027
“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 Metalist know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom31 May 2027
Mathematically certain, and nobody in this town is going to bed early. Whatever else happened this season, it finishes a division above where it started.
Squad31 May 2027
There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Metalist will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.
Squad31 May 2027
Artem Kozak 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 Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Metalist this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch3 May 2027
“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 Metalist, and 1 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad3 May 2027
“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.