Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Wigan Athletic waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Charlton Athletic is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Diesel Herrington will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Charlton Athletic the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The deal with Watford is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Charlton Athletic have gone to Fulham with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Brentford have kept their man, and Charlton Athletic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Maxwell Moses 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.
Add another name to the list: Stoke City have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Dries Vanaken. The answer from Charlton Athletic has not changed — yet.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Leonardo Colombo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Charlton Athletic can pretend not to have heard.
The deal with Sunderland is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Andrew Matthews will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Charlton Athletic the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Alfie Brooks 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Brighton have kept their man, and Charlton Athletic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
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.
Charlton Athletic have made the call to Watford. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Charlton Athletic, another week without a signature from Leni Peternac.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Andrew Matthews will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Charlton Athletic the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Charlton Athletic this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Charlton Athletic will quote 14 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gabriel López 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.
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 Dries Vanaken is on it.
A new face in his position, and Kiano Dyer suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Charlton Athletic have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Charlton Athletic. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
3 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Charlton Athletic could ask drops and the wages Diesel Herrington can ask rise.
In brief
The dugoutRomano Gallo knocks on the manager's door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Charlton Athletic they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tobi Akapo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“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 Charlton Athletic know it.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 1‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Leonardo Colombo’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Charlton Athletic needing him to play as if none of it matters.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Lukas Haubenwaller will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Charlton Athletic the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Alfie Brooks 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tobi Akapo 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.
Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
The dugout14 Apr 2036
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.” Jon Camacho chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Derby County? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
“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 Charlton Athletic, and it is not being withdrawn.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Charlton Athletic they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Alfie Brooks 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mordecai Jones 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.
“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; Charlton Athletic are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Charles Clarke has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Charlton Athletic is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Charlton Athletic this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 Mar 2036
Tobi Akapo 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.
“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; Charlton Athletic are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Charlton Athletic, another week without a signature from Leon Ivanović.
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Charlton Athletic has to find a result from somewhere.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Charlton Athletic is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Charlton Athletic this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tobi Akapo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Andrew Matthews will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Charlton Athletic the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Charles Clarke 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tobi Akapo 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.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Charlton Athletic, another week without a signature from Leon Ivanović.
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Something was said to Leon Ivanović and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Josh Jeffries will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Charlton Athletic the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mordecai Jones was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Charlton Athletic can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Charlton Athletic is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Charles Clarke 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.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Marco Rivas. 1‑0 against Gillingham, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Everton next, and the two sides the division is watching meet each other. Whoever wins will be told nothing is decided in the same breath as being congratulated.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Máximo Guzmán 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.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Charlton Athletic can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation Charlton Athletic are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.
28 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Charlton Athletic lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Pavlos Karvounis will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Charlton Athletic the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Michael Golding 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.
Leonardo Colombo 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.
8 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.
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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Charlton Athletic know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Charlton Athletic, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The words a physio says slowly. 87 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Kiano Dyer scored, was marked 7.91, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Charlton Athletic is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Marco Rivas. 2‑1 against Cardiff City, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Leonardo Colombo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Máximo Guzmán was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“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; Charlton Athletic are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
102 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Charlton Athletic lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Tobi Akapo is living that version at Charlton Athletic, and it tends to show in the first month.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Charlton Athletic is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Jack Harris has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Michael Golding 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.
A 2‑1 win over Doncaster Rovers, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Dries Vanaken 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.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Salford City they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. Salford City will try again when the window opens; Southampton may not be selling by then.
Squad10 Sep 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
Gerrard Buabo 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.
“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 dugout10 Sep 2035
The manager has not finished forgetting Teguh Trisnanda'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.
In brief
MarketThe clock does Finley Taylor’s negotiating for him
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Finley Taylor had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
“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 Salford City, and it is not being withdrawn.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Salford City will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Salford City is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Salford City have gone to Leicester City with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Salford City have gone to Stockport County with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Reading have kept their man, and Salford City go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Oxford United waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Salford City is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The clubs have shaken hands with Brentford; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Salford City have done the hard part with Barrow AFC, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Manchester City is saying, and nobody at Salford City is enjoying the guessing.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Crystal Palace have kept their man, and Salford City go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Salford City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and William Okine trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Salford City is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“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 Salford City, and it is not being withdrawn.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Salford City have done the hard part with Brentford, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Salford City offered $1.0M; Southampton said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Salford City have gone to Derby County with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Middlesbrough have kept their man, and Salford City go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad16 Jul 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
Dario Bisengambi 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 offer from Preston for Finley Taylor 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.
Brentford have accepted the money. What Salford City do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
“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 Salford City, and it is not being withdrawn.
Salford City offered $460.0K; Middlesbrough said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Devonte Ferguson 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.
Salford City asked and Norwich City said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Salford City have made the call to Watford. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Salford City people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“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 Salford City, and it is not being withdrawn.
The offer went to Manchester United this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Salford City have gone to Middlesbrough with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Finley Taylor 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 approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad18 Jun 2035
Words at Salford City training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jonny Scriven 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Salford City, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Salford City they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Salford City have done the hard part with Exeter City, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
The bid was some way short and Salford City did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Transfer targets11 Jun 2035
$470.0K settles it between the clubs for Daniel Barnes
Milton Keynes Dons have accepted the money. What Salford City do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
Salford City asked and Manchester United said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Salford City can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Squad11 Jun 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Salford City they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Tobi Akapo has agreed terms with Charlton Athletic for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
Devonte Ferguson 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 May 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Salford City has been clear about where Raymond Meyer stands, which is more than many ever get.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Salford City, and both men came out saying it was fine.
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Finley Taylor has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
Squad7 May 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
Patrick Maswanganyi 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 most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Salford City will quote 15 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Salford City, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jonny Scriven signs something — a contract at Salford City or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
MarketThe clock does Tobi Akapo’s negotiating for him
The terracesThe Finley Taylor rumours reach the terraces
18 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Salford City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Katia Kouyaté and Salford City agree another 3 years.
“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; Salford City are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A 1‑0 win over Oldham Athletic, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Salford City, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The words a physio says slowly. 25 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Salford City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Katia Kouyaté and Salford City agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Apr 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Fabian Østigård Ness trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
In brief
BoardroomThe Salford City production line keeps running
32 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Salford City lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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.
The words a physio says slowly. 39 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
At 36 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.96 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Salford City have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad19 Mar 2035
Words at Salford City training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jonny Scriven 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.
Patrick Maswanganyi 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.
46 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Salford City lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
At 36 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.18 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Finley Taylor and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad12 Mar 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
A 1‑0 win over Walsall, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The dugout12 Mar 2035
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.” Interim Coach kept it short after the 1‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
Somebody watched every match in the division at the weekend and decided he was the best thing in any of them. A small honour, and most careers end without one.
In brief
Player ratingsKatia Kouyaté beats them one at a time
53 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Salford City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
There is a particular helplessness in conceding 2 times before the twentieth minute. Accrington Stanley tried to reorganise, Salford City did not allow it, and the result was written long before it was confirmed.
The words a physio says slowly. 60 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
At 36, 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.
Finley Taylor 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 2‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
67 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Salford City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Devonte Ferguson provided it, and the 8.85 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Salford City have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad19 Feb 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
A midfielder is measured on whether the team functions when he is on the pitch, which is nearly impossible to see and completely obvious in retrospect. 12 actions, 7.10, and a manager who will not be substituting him again in a hurry.
Salford City ran out of time with Crewe Alexandra. The paperwork was open when the deadline passed, and a transfer that was almost done is now a transfer that never happened.
74 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Salford City lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
At 36 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.99 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Salford City offered $690.0K; Crystal Palace said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Devonte Ferguson 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 approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad12 Feb 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
Salford City ran out of time with Queens Park Rangers. The paperwork was open when the deadline passed, and a transfer that was almost done is now a transfer that never happened.
The words a physio says slowly. 81 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The deal that would have taken Finley Taylor to Oxford United has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Salford City with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Boardroom5 Feb 2035
Salford City close the window on a squad of their own making
0 in and 3 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Salford City have done the hard part with Queens Park Rangers, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
The offer went to Crewe Alexandra this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Salford City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Salford City asked and Manchester United said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“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; Salford City are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
In brief
SquadJonny Scriven falls out with a teammate over standards
88 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Salford City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The offer from Mansfield Town for Finley Taylor 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.
Salford City and Newcastle United have settled on $1.3M. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
$260.0K on the table at Queens Park Rangers. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
$420.0K was the most the club would pay and Nottingham Forest were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Bournemouth have kept their man, and Salford City go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad29 Jan 2035
Jonny Scriven 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.
95 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Salford City lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Everything agreed with Wigan Athletic, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
The offer went to Nottingham Forest this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
The offer went to Middlesbrough this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Salford City offered $600.0K; Brentford said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Salford City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
102 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Salford City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Salford City have lost him in all but the paperwork.
At 36 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.96 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Salford City can pretend not to have heard.
Salford City have gone to Brentford with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
$510.0K was the most the club would pay and Brentford were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
109 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Salford City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Everything agreed with Birmingham, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Transfer targets8 Jan 2035
$140.0K settles it between the clubs for Andrew Ross
Wigan Athletic have accepted the money. What Salford City do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.93 at 36, and nobody on the pitch was better.
“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 Salford City, and it is not being withdrawn.
The offer went to Brentford this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
116 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Salford City lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
6 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.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Salford City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Minute 91, against Barnet, and a goal that felt like a win to everybody who had stayed. It was a draw. Nobody leaving the ground will describe it as one.
Position 15, 28 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.
123 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Salford City lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
2 goals to the good, and then a slow surrender of everything that had been earned. Nicolò Baldo will not be the one blamed for it, but nobody at Salford City escapes the conversation that follows a collapse like this.
Two goals and a mark of 8.54 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Devonte Ferguson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Dec 2034
Words at Salford City training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jonny Scriven 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.
130 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Salford City lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Salford City they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Salford City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Dec 2034
Words at Salford City training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jonny Scriven 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 supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
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.
In brief
The dugoutFinley Taylor knocks on the manager's door
Successful dribbles: 20. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jonny Scriven was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Patrick Maswanganyi 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.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Stephen Matthews and Salford City agree another 3 years.
It needed Devonte Ferguson to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Oldham Athletic, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Interim Coach after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
The team at the top of the table next, and the honest measure of where this side actually is. Anybody can beat the club below them; the question is what happens against Leicester City.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Salford City can pretend not to have heard.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad13 Nov 2034
Words at Salford City training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jonny Scriven 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.
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 35 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for Salford City is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Salford City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Interim Coach after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.