Marked for Saro Loveday
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces21 Aug 2028
Anger at Bayelsa United spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Match21 Aug 2028
Position 18, 30 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.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.62, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
The dugout21 Aug 2028
This is not rotation. Nupe Godstime has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Market21 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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Kenneth Sheddy was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Transfer targets21 Aug 2028
Bayelsa United asked and Niger Tornadoes said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Chinedu Onyinjekwu is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The terraces21 Aug 2028
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces26 Jun 2028
Supporters organise against the Bayelsa United board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Market26 Jun 2028
Saro Loveday 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 Bayelsa United can pretend not to have heard.
Match26 Jun 2028
Position 18, 23 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.
Player ratings26 Jun 2028
A brace, and Chinedu Onyinjekwu takes the afternoon — 8.63
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Chinedu Onyinjekwu provided it, and the 8.63 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Market26 Jun 2028
The offer from Apolonia Fier for Otutu Young 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.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
This is not rotation. Nupe Godstime has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Bayelsa United have done the hard part with Katsina United, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Market26 Jun 2028
Only the photograph left for Isiaq Rasaq
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Isiaq Rasaq will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Bayelsa United the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad26 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bayelsa United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Apr 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Peter Ebimobowei
34 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Bayelsa United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The terraces3 Apr 2028
Supporters organise against the Bayelsa United board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
The dugout3 Apr 2028
This is not rotation. Nupe Godstime has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Kenneth Sheddy 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.
Match1 Apr 2028
Stanley Amon scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑3 to Enyimba, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emmanuel Solomon was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout3 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Chinedu Onyinjekwu, and the manager let it.
Loan watch3 Apr 2028
“I watch every Bayelsa United game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Hearts of Oak runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout3 Apr 2028
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑3 Frank Osayi-Samuel left the room before anybody could ask which.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Mar 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Peter Ebimobowei
42 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Bayelsa United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
This is not rotation. Ikenna Benjamin has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Squad27 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bayelsa United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Chinedu Onyinjekwu falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Victor Peter pulls a muscle — 14 days out
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 14 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hassan Oladimeji, and the manager let it.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
Saro Loveday 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 Saro Loveday trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Hassan Oladimeji is on it.
Market27 Mar 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Bayelsa United know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Mar 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Peter Ebimobowei
49 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Bayelsa United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market20 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.
Match20 Mar 2028
8 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
The dugout20 Mar 2028
This is not rotation. Gabriel Biriduba has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Kenneth Sheddy and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Chinedu Onyinjekwu is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The terraces20 Mar 2028
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Nupe Godstime has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
The dugout20 Mar 2028
“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 ratings20 Mar 2028
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.28 on the card, and the Bayelsa United support went home talking about one name.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad20 Dec 2027
Bina Tombiri breaks a bone — 72 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 72 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market20 Dec 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 Bayelsa United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Kenneth Sheddy and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ikenna Benjamin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Isiaq Rasaq commits to Bayelsa United for another 3 years.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Kelvin Mamozo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
Saro Loveday 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 Bayelsa United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market20 Dec 2027
Bayelsa United have let the market know Gabriel Biriduba can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad6 Dec 2027
Bina Tombiri breaks a bone — 87 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 87 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Bayelsa United can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market6 Dec 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Chinedu Onyinjekwu will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Bayelsa United the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
This is not rotation. Ikenna Benjamin has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Kenneth Sheddy 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 Dec 2027
Ikenna Benjamin falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hassan Oladimeji commits to Bayelsa United for another 1 years.
Loan watch6 Dec 2027
“I did not go to Bloemfontein Celtic to sit and watch. I want to come back to Bayelsa United and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 14 matches say the rest.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Chinedu Onyinjekwu is on it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad29 Nov 2027
Bina Tombiri breaks a bone — 94 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 94 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Boardroom29 Nov 2027
Pressure builds in the Bayelsa United boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
This is not rotation. Gabriel Biriduba has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Chinedu Onyinjekwu and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ikenna Benjamin is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
Kenneth Sheddy 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
Squad1 Nov 2027
122 days out for Bina Tombiri after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Bayelsa United will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Boardroom1 Nov 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Bayelsa United
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
This is not rotation. Gabriel Biriduba has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Kenneth Sheddy and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jeffery Tombiri and Bayelsa United agree another 4 years.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
Every squad is half players the manager chose and half players he inherited. Gabriel Biriduba was chosen, the man who chose him has gone, and he starts again from nothing under the next one.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. David Igbongidi is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
“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.
Market1 Nov 2027
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market27 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 Bayelsa United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Chinedu Onyinjekwu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Ikenna Benjamin falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match25 Sep 2027
Nasarawa United left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout27 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.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑2 Frank Osayi-Samuel left the room before anybody could ask which.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Marked 3.83, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Pinna Sagbamaowei's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Chinedu Onyinjekwu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Loan watch20 Sep 2027
The goals keep arriving from Don-Pedro Samuel’s exile
123 goals in 25 games at Urartu — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Bayelsa United updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Market20 Sep 2027
Moses Anthony 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 Bayelsa United can pretend not to have heard.
Market20 Sep 2027
Otutu Young has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Bayelsa United they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad20 Sep 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 Bayelsa United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces20 Sep 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Emmanuel Solomon has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
The dugout20 Sep 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 ratings20 Sep 2027
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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Solomon Wegba falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Loan watch9 Aug 2027
20 appearances at Urartu and the goals keep coming. Bayelsa United are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
Market9 Aug 2027
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Bayelsa United people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Market9 Aug 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 Bayelsa United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad9 Aug 2027
3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.
Match7 Aug 2027
Whatever happens, Bayelsa United do not lose
8 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.
Market9 Aug 2027
The bid was some way short and Bayelsa United did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Transfer targets9 Aug 2027
Everything agreed with Plateau United, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Kenneth Sheddy and Bayelsa United agree another 3 years.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Kenneth Sheddy and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Loan watch12 Jul 2027
16 appearances away from home and 115 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
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 Bayelsa United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Peter Ebimobowei, 33, rolls back the years — 7.88
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.88 at 33, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Nupe Godstime and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Ikenna Benjamin falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout12 Jul 2027
This is not rotation. Ebiabowei Baker has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Squad12 Jul 2027
50 goals for the club, every one of them filed away in the memory of a supporter somewhere.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
A loan enquiry to Plateau United: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Match10 Jul 2027
A 1‑1 draw with Shooting Stars leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad14 Jun 2027
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Bayelsa United will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market14 Jun 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 Bayelsa United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Nupe Godstime and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Rangers International have kept their man, and Bayelsa United go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Match12 Jun 2027
Bendel Insurance left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout14 Jun 2027
This is not rotation. Ebiabowei Baker has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Bayelsa United is pretending otherwise.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ikenna Benjamin is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Loan watch17 May 2027
The goals keep arriving from Don-Pedro Samuel’s exile
99 goals in 8 games at Urartu — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Bayelsa United updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Market17 May 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 Bayelsa United can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 May 2027
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Peter Ebimobowei is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad17 May 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Chinedu Onyinjekwu and Bayelsa United agree another 4 years.
Match17 May 2027
Half the programme played, position 15, 21 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
The dugout17 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Ikenna Benjamin
“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 ratings17 May 2027
7.46, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Bayelsa United had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.
Match15 May 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.
The dugout17 May 2027
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Frank Osayi-Samuel after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Loan watch10 May 2027
7 appearances away from home and 98 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
Player ratings10 May 2027
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.63, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Match8 May 2027
A 2‑1 win over Nasarawa United, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad10 May 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ikenna Benjamin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad10 May 2027
Chinedu Onyinjekwu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout10 May 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Frank Osayi-Samuel kept it short after the 2‑1 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
The dugout10 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Moses Anthony, and the manager let it.
The dugout10 May 2027
Saro Loveday 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 Bayelsa United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad10 May 2027
Ebiotu Boleigha is the weekend's best young player
At 19 he is being measured against the rest of the division's kids and coming out in front. The senior version of this award is where the club would like this to lead.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
The terraces5 Apr 2027
Supporters organise against the Bayelsa United board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Market5 Apr 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 Bayelsa United, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Bayelsa United may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Nupe Godstime and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Match3 Apr 2027
Three points for Bayelsa United, 2‑1 the final word against Enyimba in a contest settled by the finer margins.
The terraces5 Apr 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 21-year-old it feels ownership of. Stanley Amon has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ikenna Benjamin is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑1, Frank Osayi-Samuel could afford to be generous.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Gabriel Biriduba. Bayelsa United will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market29 Mar 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 Bayelsa United can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
Michael Okoh: 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.” Bayelsa United have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad29 Mar 2027
At 34, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Ikenna Benjamin falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout29 Mar 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.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
Saro Loveday 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.
Looking ahead29 Mar 2027
Enyimba top the table and they are coming into view. Nothing to lose, which is what every manager says before losing.
Looking ahead29 Mar 2027
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Enyimba in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Loan watch22 Mar 2027
3 appearances at Urartu and the goals keep coming. Bayelsa United are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
Match22 Mar 2027
Every point is an argument now for Bayelsa United
Position 20 and 10 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.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
At 33 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.85 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
The terraces22 Mar 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Okardi Inikurogha has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Match20 Mar 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Peter Ebimobowei. 2‑0 against Warri Wolves, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Ikenna Benjamin 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Chinedu Onyinjekwu was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout22 Mar 2027
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑0, Frank Osayi-Samuel could afford to be generous.
The dugout22 Mar 2027
Saro Loveday 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 Bayelsa United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Mar 2027
A fracture rules Highness Manson out for 21 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Bayelsa United will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Bayelsa United may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Nupe Godstime and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Peter Ebimobowei and Bayelsa United agree another 2 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Ikenna Benjamin falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Nobody on the pitch touched Saro Loveday
7.12, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Bayelsa United had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Frank Osayi-Samuel chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Solomon Wegba, and the manager let it.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
Okardi Inikurogha is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Stanley Amon 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 Bayelsa United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Chinedu Onyinjekwu is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Saro Loveday 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.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Dec 2026
Chinedu Onyinjekwu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ikenna Benjamin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Okardi Inikurogha, and the manager let it.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Saro Loveday 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 Bayelsa United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Michael Okoh has had enough of the bench
“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 Bayelsa United will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
Kenneth Sheddy and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Chinedu Onyinjekwu falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Nupe Godstime 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 Nupe Godstime trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Nov 2026
44 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ebiabowei Baker commits to Bayelsa United for another 2 years.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ikenna Benjamin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Saro Loveday 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.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Bayelsa United may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words at Bayelsa United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ikenna Benjamin is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.