Marked for Stanley Joseph
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 May 2028
Only the photograph left for Samson Olasupo
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Samson Olasupo will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad8 May 2028
Sodiq Oshidero 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 ratings8 May 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.07, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad8 May 2028
Joseph Abah is the month’s best young player
At 20 he was better than everybody his age in the division for four weeks running, which is harder than one good afternoon. Remo Stars will try not to make too much of it.
Squad8 May 2028
A row about effort at Remo Stars
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Samson Olasupo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad8 May 2028
A place in the month's best eleven for Ntando Nkosi
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Ntando Nkosi has come out of that comparison in the side, and Remo Stars have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
Match6 May 2028
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
The dugout8 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Stanley Joseph, and the manager let it.
The dugout8 May 2028
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Osayi Simon was not hiding it after 1‑1, and nobody in the Remo Stars dressing room was either.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market1 May 2028
Biola Sabitu 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 Remo Stars can pretend not to have heard.
Market1 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad1 May 2028
Joseph Abah is the real thing at 20
A season average of 7.05 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Remo Stars know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad1 May 2028
Sodiq Oshidero 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 dugout1 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Olaniyi Saheed, and the manager let it.
Squad1 May 2028
Stanley Joseph slips down the pecking order
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Stanley Joseph is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Match29 Apr 2028
It needed Adama Goïta to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Kwara United, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad1 May 2028
It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.
The dugout1 May 2028
Osayi Simon: “We have to be better”
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Apr 2028
Remo Stars are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 25 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market17 Apr 2028
Emmanuel Olisa has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match15 Apr 2028
1‑2 to Bayelsa United, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Adam Mustapha 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 dugout17 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Biola Sabitu, and the manager let it.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samson Olasupo 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 dugout17 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 1‑2 Osayi Simon left the room before anybody could ask which.
The terraces17 Apr 2028
Every touch weighed, every quote parsed, every mistake replayed. Some players grow into that; some are quietly finished by it; nobody knows which until afterwards.
The dugout17 Apr 2028
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Apr 2028
Only the photograph left for Samson Olasupo
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Samson Olasupo will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Hadi Haruna 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 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Samson Olasupo, and the manager let it.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
Half-satisfied: Osayi Simon on the draw
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lekan Malik 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.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“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 Remo Stars will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Joseph Abah is the weekend's best young player
At 20 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.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
The plan did not have a place for Sodiq Oshidero
Nobody at Remo Stars is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
Match8 Apr 2028
Point won or two lost for Remo Stars?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Ikorodu City? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match4 Mar 2028
Whatever happens, Remo Stars do not lose
22 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.
Market6 Mar 2028
Samuel Anakwe has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Antonio Galeano and Remo Stars agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Olaniyi Saheed and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Player ratings6 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Joseph Abah is the division's best young player this month
At 20 he has spent a month being better than everybody his age in the league, which is a different and harder thing than one good afternoon. Remo Stars will try very hard not to make too much of it.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Stanley Joseph, and the manager let it.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samson Olasupo 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.
Player ratings6 Mar 2028
A mark of 7.68, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match26 Feb 2028
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 21 matches without defeat is a foundation Remo Stars did not have in the autumn.
Match26 Feb 2028
15 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Market28 Feb 2028
Hosea Michael has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Adam Mustapha 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.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Biola Sabitu
“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 ratings28 Feb 2028
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.30 on the card, and the Remo Stars support went home talking about one name.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
Osayi Simon: “We have to be better”
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
Squad28 Feb 2028
A row about effort at Remo Stars
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Lekan Malik was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“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
Steady
Match1 Jan 2028
Whatever happens, Remo Stars do not lose
13 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.
Market3 Jan 2028
The bid was some way short and Remo Stars did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
Stanley Joseph: 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.” Remo Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad3 Jan 2028
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. Remo Stars had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
Market3 Jan 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 Remo Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match1 Jan 2028
11 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Market3 Jan 2028
Hosea Michael has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Adama Goïta commits to Remo Stars for another 4 years.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
7 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Dec 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Olalekan Adeleye will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Sodiq Oshidero 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.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
Hadi Haruna back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Remo Stars has worked with Hadi Haruna before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Stanley Joseph, and the manager let it.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
Ntando Nkosi 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 Remo Stars, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Azeez Agboola 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
Market1 Nov 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Sodiq Oshidero 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.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
Hadi Haruna back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Remo Stars has worked with Hadi Haruna before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Samson Olasupo 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.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Too much change too quickly at Remo Stars
6 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
Squad1 Nov 2027
It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match25 Oct 2027
Remo Stars are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 70 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market25 Oct 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The dugout25 Oct 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Remo Stars may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ahmed Akinyele and Remo Stars agree another 4 years.
Squad25 Oct 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 Remo Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout25 Oct 2027
Hadi Haruna back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Remo Stars has worked with Hadi Haruna before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match27 Sep 2027
69 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Match25 Sep 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Remo Stars did not have in the autumn.
Market27 Sep 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Hadi Haruna and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Antonio Galeano was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.31. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
Hadi Haruna back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Remo Stars has worked with Hadi Haruna before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Mark Gibson and Remo Stars agree another 3 years.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Antonio Galeano
6 goals and a season average of 7.26 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Samson Olasupo 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
Crisis
Market15 Feb 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Remo Stars have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market15 Feb 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match13 Feb 2027
3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Hadi Haruna 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 Remo Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Marked 6.80 on 12 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
Match13 Feb 2027
0‑1 to Niger Tornadoes, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad15 Feb 2027
53 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Osayi Simon after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Remo Stars will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad25 Jan 2027
The knee: Oche Ejuke out for 27 days
27 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Remo Stars lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market25 Jan 2027
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Sodiq Oshidero had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Market25 Jan 2027
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Remo Stars people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
Chaka Coulibaly, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 8.06
A mark of 8.06 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Market25 Jan 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 Remo Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market25 Jan 2027
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Ikorodu City moved on, Ibrahim Obansa reports back to Remo Stars, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
Jérôme Bonou: 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.” Remo Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Transfer targets25 Jan 2027
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Plateau United is saying, and nobody at Remo Stars is enjoying the guessing.
The terraces25 Jan 2027
He is 22 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.