Marked for Chisom Ogbun
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Warri Wolves's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Warri Wolves has to find a result from somewhere.
Boardroom23 Aug 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Warri Wolves
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market23 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market23 Aug 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Warri Wolves is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad23 Aug 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 Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Aug 2027
8 goals and a season average of 7.51. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Market23 Aug 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Warri Wolves have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
One of those days for Seth Mayi
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.94, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Aug 2027
11 matches without a win for Warri Wolves
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Warri Wolves are no longer polite ones.
Match9 Aug 2027
22 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market9 Aug 2027
Chisom Ogbun 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 Warri Wolves can pretend not to have heard.
Market9 Aug 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad9 Aug 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 Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Marked 7.48 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Warri Wolves had the best player on the pitch.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad9 Aug 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom31 May 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Warri Wolves
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Warri Wolves is running low.
Market31 May 2027
Chisom Ogbun 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 Warri Wolves can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad31 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Ezekiel Oroh
“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.
Squad31 May 2027
Seth Mayi is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.39 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Apr 2027
22 matches without a win for Warri Wolves
The run now stands at 22, and the questions being asked around Warri Wolves are no longer polite ones.
Market12 Apr 2027
Oussama Gatal 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 Warri Wolves can pretend not to have heard.
Market12 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Warri Wolves is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Apr 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 Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match10 Apr 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Emmanuel Bakare
“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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Vincent Edafe lets one through his hands
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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Oussama Gatal 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 Warri Wolves, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Feb 2027
14 matches without a win for Warri Wolves
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Warri Wolves are no longer polite ones.
Market15 Feb 2027
Oussama Gatal 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 Warri Wolves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Oussama Gatal: 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.” Warri Wolves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market15 Feb 2027
Only the photograph left for Peter Dakka
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Peter Dakka will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Warri Wolves the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Warri Wolves know it.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Othuke Egbo 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 Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 Feb 2027
El-Kanemi Warriors left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Marked 8.59 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match6 Feb 2027
13 matches without a win for Warri Wolves
The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Warri Wolves are no longer polite ones.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Vincent Edafe: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Match3 Feb 2027
1‑1 against Ikorodu City, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Market8 Feb 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 Warri Wolves can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Oussama Gatal 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vincent Edafe, and the manager let it.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
The kick that got away from Chisom Ogbun
Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.
Match6 Feb 2027
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match16 Jan 2027
No end in sight to Warri Wolves's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Warri Wolves has to find a result from somewhere.
Market18 Jan 2027
Chisom Ogbun 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 Warri Wolves can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Jan 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 Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ezekiel Oroh, and the manager let it.
Match16 Jan 2027
0‑1 to Nasarawa United, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Chisom Orji asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
The one thing Seth Mayi could not do
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
Chisom Ogbun: 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.” Warri Wolves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Oussama Gatal 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 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Bassey Bassey and Warri Wolves agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Nov 2026
“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 Warri Wolves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad23 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tejiri Emonena, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oussama Gatal, and the manager let it.
Market28 Sep 2026
The Peter Dakka talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Warri Wolves know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Sep 2026
Whatever happens, Warri Wolves do not lose
9 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.
Match12 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Warri Wolves's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Warri Wolves has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Efe Obiomo 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 Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of David Joseph
“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 ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
A defender's afternoon for Ekene Olisema
Defensive actions: 14. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 13 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match12 Sep 2026
Point won or two lost for Warri Wolves?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Barau? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Seth Mayi leaves them behind him
Shots: 5. 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match12 Aug 2026
A 2‑1 win over Ikorodu City, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Squad17 Aug 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A defender's afternoon for Alimi Adebayo
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Warri Wolves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.10, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad17 Aug 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.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Marked 8.36 — 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.