Marked for Simone Perucchini
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Jun 2030
Eljon Toci sold, and an era ends
$1.2M from Lecco for Eljon Toci. Money is money, but the dressing room has lost the man it looked to.
Match24 Jun 2030
Forli sink to position 18
18 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market24 Jun 2030
“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.
Market24 Jun 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Forli is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad24 Jun 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market24 Jun 2030
He is 18, and nobody at Forli signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Jun 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Forli can pretend not to have heard.
Market17 Jun 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Forli they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad17 Jun 2030
Tempers go at Forli
Nikolas Giallouros 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.
Market17 Jun 2030
Monza are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Forli will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market17 Jun 2030
Forli have let the market know Simone Perucchini can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad17 Jun 2030
Andrea Orlandi 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 Forli, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom3 Jun 2030
The end came on a Tuesday, as these things usually do: a short meeting, a shorter statement, and Domenico Negri clearing his office by noon. Football’s cruellest ritual, performed to schedule.
Market3 Jun 2030
“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.
Market3 Jun 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market3 Jun 2030
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikolas Giallouros will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Forli the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Boardroom3 Jun 2030
“Somebody picks the team on Saturday. This week it is me, and that is as far as I have thought.” No promises were made in either direction, which is how these usually begin.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Tempers go at Forli
Nikolas Giallouros 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 Jun 2030
16 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Boardroom3 Jun 2030
Wages eat 90% of everything Forli earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Market3 Jun 2030
He is 18, and nobody at Forli signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 May 2030
Forli sink to position 18
18 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market27 May 2030
“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.
Market27 May 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Forli they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad27 May 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market27 May 2030
He is 17, and nobody at Forli signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market27 May 2030
Rahid Garayev is 20, and Forli have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom20 May 2030
Pressure builds in the Forli boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market20 May 2030
“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 May 2030
“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.
Market20 May 2030
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ettore Nicolosi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Forli the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad20 May 2030
The medical room confirms 19 days on the sidelines for Eljon Toci, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad20 May 2030
Tempers go at Forli
Nikolas Giallouros 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
Boardroom22 Apr 2030
Pressure builds in the Forli boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market22 Apr 2030
“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.
Market22 Apr 2030
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ettore Nicolosi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Forli the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad22 Apr 2030
47 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad22 Apr 2030
Tempers go at Forli
Nikolas Giallouros 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.
Match20 Apr 2030
Forli come up short against Pineto
Pineto left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad22 Apr 2030
“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.
Squad22 Apr 2030
Every debut is a small story about the future: Carlo Sartori, 19 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Market22 Apr 2030
3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Forli money.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad15 Apr 2030
There were 10 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.
Match13 Apr 2030
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3‑0 against Campobasso, and it could have been more.
Market15 Apr 2030
“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.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Defences have started doubling up on Nicola Farinelli
13 goals and a season average of 7.51 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Market15 Apr 2030
Giulio Veliaj has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Forli they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad15 Apr 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Marked 9.26 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
A performance of 9.20 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
A performance of 9.21 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom25 Mar 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Forli
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad25 Mar 2030
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.
Market25 Mar 2030
“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.
Match23 Mar 2030
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Market25 Mar 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Forli is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad25 Mar 2030
Defences have started doubling up on Nicola Farinelli
12 goals and a season average of 7.47 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad25 Mar 2030
Tempers go at Forli
Nikolas Giallouros 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.
Match23 Mar 2030
Forli come up short against Ascoli
Ascoli left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad25 Mar 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Michele Voltan, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match4 Mar 2030
Forli are in real trouble now
Position 18, 13 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.
Boardroom4 Mar 2030
Domenico Negri has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Forli can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market4 Mar 2030
“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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market4 Mar 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Forli they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad4 Mar 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Mar 2030
30 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad4 Mar 2030
“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 ratings4 Mar 2030
One of those days for Eljon Toci
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.24, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match2 Mar 2030
Forli share the spoils with Gubbio
A 1‑1 draw with Gubbio leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Feb 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Feb 2030
104 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match9 Feb 2030
A 3‑1 win over Guidonia Montecelio, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings11 Feb 2030
One of those days for Adam Sosna
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.06, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad11 Feb 2030
A season average of 7.37 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings11 Feb 2030
Marked 8.77 — 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.
Loan watch11 Feb 2030
“I watch every Forli game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Catanzaro runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Boardroom11 Feb 2030
Wages eat 85% of everything Forli earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad11 Feb 2030
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Jan 2030
33 matches without a win for Forli
The run now stands at 33, and the questions being asked around Forli are no longer polite ones.
Market14 Jan 2030
“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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad14 Jan 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Jan 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.98, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings14 Jan 2030
Adam Sosna runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 Jan 2030
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Forli are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Match12 Jan 2030
Forli share the spoils with Torres
A 1‑1 draw with Torres leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad14 Jan 2030
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Daniele Di Teodoro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad14 Jan 2030
The manager makes an example of Johan Brunell
“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
Crisis
Match22 Dec 2029
The wait goes on for Forli
30 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.
Market24 Dec 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Forli can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Dec 2029
“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.
Squad24 Dec 2029
Tempers go at Forli
Nikolas Giallouros 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 Dec 2029
Nicola Farinelli scored, and precious little else went right: 2‑4 to Pineto, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings24 Dec 2029
Marked 8.94 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings24 Dec 2029
A performance of 8.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad24 Dec 2029
The manager makes an example of Aman Babakhanov
“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.
Squad24 Dec 2029
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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Dec 2029
29 matches without a win for Forli
The run now stands at 29, and the questions being asked around Forli are no longer polite ones.
Squad17 Dec 2029
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.
Market17 Dec 2029
“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.
Squad17 Dec 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match15 Dec 2029
Eljon Toci scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Campobasso, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad17 Dec 2029
The manager makes an example of Michele Voltan
“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 Dec 2029
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market17 Dec 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Simone Perucchini signs something — a contract at Forli or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market17 Dec 2029
The shop window has Eljon Toci in it
Forli have let the market know Eljon Toci can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Nov 2029
The wait goes on for Forli
26 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.
Squad26 Nov 2029
There were 11 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.
Market26 Nov 2029
“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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad26 Nov 2029
Tempers go at Forli
Filippo Ercolani 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.
Match24 Nov 2029
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Nov 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Eljon Toci, and the manager let it.
Player ratings26 Nov 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings26 Nov 2029
Eljon Toci leaves them behind him
Shots: 13. 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.
Market26 Nov 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Nicola Farinelli signs something — a contract at Forli or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Nov 2029
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
25 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Market19 Nov 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Forli can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Nov 2029
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.
Squad19 Nov 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match17 Nov 2029
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings19 Nov 2029
Nobody could get near Adam Sosna
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Nov 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nicola Mandrelli, and the manager let it.
Squad19 Nov 2029
Eljon Toci 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 Eljon Toci trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market19 Nov 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Simone Perucchini signs something — a contract at Forli or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
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Market
The shop window has Eljon Toci in it
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Boardroom
Forli keep producing them
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 Oct 2029
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
22 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Market29 Oct 2029
“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.
Squad29 Oct 2029
Tempers go at Forli
Nikolas Giallouros 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.
Match27 Oct 2029
A bad afternoon for Forli against Bra
1‑3 to Bra, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad29 Oct 2029
Eljon Toci gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings29 Oct 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings29 Oct 2029
Eljon Toci leaves them behind him
Shots: 11. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Market29 Oct 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Nicola Farinelli signs something — a contract at Forli or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Player ratings29 Oct 2029
A mark of 5.73 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Oct 2029
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
21 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Market22 Oct 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Forli can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Oct 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match20 Oct 2029
Eljon Toci scored, and precious little else went right: 3‑4 to Pianese, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings22 Oct 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.82, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings22 Oct 2029
One of those days for Eljon Toci
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.52, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad22 Oct 2029
“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.
Squad22 Oct 2029
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Michele Voltan knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings22 Oct 2029
Adam Sosna runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Sep 2029
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
17 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Match19 Sep 2029
Forli bow out of the cup
Benevento go through and Forli go home, 1‑2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Market24 Sep 2029
“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 Sep 2029
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.
Squad24 Sep 2029
“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.
Squad24 Sep 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match22 Sep 2029
Livorno left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings24 Sep 2029
A performance of 8.26 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad24 Sep 2029
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market13 Aug 2029
“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 Aug 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Eljon Toci 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 Eljon Toci trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market13 Aug 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Forli know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market13 Aug 2029
The shop window has Eljon Toci in it
Forli have let the market know Eljon Toci can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad13 Aug 2029
The table has started to be checked before the results are in, and that is always the tell. Nobody at Forli says the word out loud, and everybody in the building is thinking it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match7 May 2029
Forli are in real trouble now
Position 17, 25 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.
Market7 May 2029
“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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 May 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Simone Perucchini and Forli agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 May 2029
Diego Rossi 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 Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market7 May 2029
Angelo Caprioli is 19, and Forli have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Squad7 May 2029
The manager makes an example of Carlo De Risio
“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
Market30 Apr 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Forli can pretend not to have heard.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Tempers go at Forli
Davis Mensah 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.
Boardroom30 Apr 2029
88% of the income goes out in wages at Forli
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.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Eljon Toci 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 Forli, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market30 Apr 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Forli know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market30 Apr 2029
Forli have let the market know Michele Voltan can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Apr 2029
“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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market23 Apr 2029
Only the photograph left for Carlo De Risio
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Carlo De Risio will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Forli the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad23 Apr 2029
Davis Mensah 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 Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market23 Apr 2029
Gabriele Barzagli is 20, and Forli have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Squad23 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad23 Apr 2029
“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
Match24 Mar 2029
The wait goes on for Forli
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.
Market26 Mar 2029
“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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market26 Mar 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Forli is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad26 Mar 2029
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Davis Mensah, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings26 Mar 2029
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad26 Mar 2029
Diego Rossi 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 Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match24 Mar 2029
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Mar 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Michele Voltan, and the manager let it.
Squad26 Mar 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Francesco Menarini trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Mar 2029
“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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match17 Mar 2029
The wait goes on for Forli
8 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.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Tempers go at Forli
Diego Rossi 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.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Taha Zidouh 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.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Defences have started doubling up on Nicola Farinelli
6 goals and a season average of 7.29 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Match17 Mar 2029
Forli share the spoils with Ascoli
A 1‑1 draw with Ascoli leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Eljon Toci 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 Eljon Toci trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market19 Mar 2029
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Nicola Farinelli’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings19 Mar 2029
Successful dribbles: 10. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Mar 2029
Every point is an argument now for Forli
Position 16 and 23 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.
Market12 Mar 2029
“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.
Match10 Mar 2029
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Diego Rossi 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 Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Mar 2029
“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 ratings12 Mar 2029
One of those days for Eljon Toci
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.20, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad12 Mar 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Lorenzo Lo Vecchio and Forli agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad12 Mar 2029
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.
Match10 Mar 2029
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market15 Jan 2029
“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.
Match13 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Davis Mensah 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 Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Eljon Toci
“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.
Match13 Jan 2029
Livorno left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
A costly moment from Adam Sosna
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Forli, and it is a cruel one.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Defences have started doubling up on Nicola Farinelli
4 goals and a season average of 7.22 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Nicola Mandrelli 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
Market11 Dec 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.
Match11 Dec 2028
Every point is an argument now for Forli
Position 16 and 13 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.
Squad11 Dec 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Forli may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market11 Dec 2028
Davide Macrì has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Forli they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match9 Dec 2028
4 matches without a win for Forli
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Forli are no longer polite ones.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Tempers go at Forli
Diego Rossi 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.
Match9 Dec 2028
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad11 Dec 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.
Squad11 Dec 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 Forli know it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Nov 2028
Forli taken apart
0‑4 to Ascoli, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market20 Nov 2028
Davide Macrì 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 Forli can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Davis Mensah 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 Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Nov 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.
Boardroom20 Nov 2028
Nobody left the Forli dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Taha Zidouh 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.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Whether it was the goalkeeper or the ten in front of him is the argument that will fill every conversation in town this week. 4 saves does not settle it either way.
Market20 Nov 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Forli know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Oct 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.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Davide Macrì: 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.” Forli have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match28 Oct 2028
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings30 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Tempers go at Forli
Diego Rossi 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.
Squad30 Oct 2028
26 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad30 Oct 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 ratings30 Oct 2028
One of those days for Eljon Toci
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match28 Oct 2028
Forli share the spoils with Gubbio
A 1‑1 draw with Gubbio leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market2 Oct 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.
Squad2 Oct 2028
Tempers go at Forli
Davis Mensah 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.
Match30 Sep 2028
Perugia left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad2 Oct 2028
54 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad2 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Taha Zidouh
“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 Oct 2028
One of those days for Eljon Toci
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.35, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Market2 Oct 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Nicola Farinelli’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
5.73 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.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
5.78 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
Match9 Sep 2028
The wait goes on for Forli
27 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.
Match9 Sep 2028
Nowhere to hide for Forli
0‑4 against Torres, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Market11 Sep 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 Forli, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad11 Sep 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.
The terraces11 Sep 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.” 6 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market11 Sep 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Forli is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad11 Sep 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 Forli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simone Perucchini, and the manager let it.
Boardroom11 Sep 2028
Inquest at Forli
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Aug 2028
No end in sight to Forli's wait for a win
25 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Forli has to find a result from somewhere.
Market28 Aug 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 Forli can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Tempers go at Forli
Simone Perucchini 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.
Squad28 Aug 2028
The medical room confirms 89 days on the sidelines for Luca Martelli, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings28 Aug 2028
A performance of 9.33 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings28 Aug 2028
A performance of 8.87 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad28 Aug 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Eljon Toci, and the manager let it.
Market28 Aug 2028
Everyone has stopped pretending: Giana Erminio will make the call about Carlo De Risio this week. Forli have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Match26 Aug 2028
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.