Marked for Simon Audouin
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Nov 2032
Only the photograph left for Patrick Moura
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Patrick Moura will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaves the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad15 Nov 2032
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Chaves can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Squad15 Nov 2032
Words exchanged at Chaves
Luís Gomes 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.
Squad15 Nov 2032
Words at Chaves training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rob Street 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 dugout15 Nov 2032
Keven 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.
Market15 Nov 2032
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Chaves, another week without a signature from Bogdan Racoviţan.
The dugout15 Nov 2032
Simon Audouin gets picked when it counts
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 Simon Audouin is on it.
Looking ahead15 Nov 2032
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Patrick Moura’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Chaves needing him to play as if none of it matters.
Squad15 Nov 2032
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Chaves would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market11 Oct 2032
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Manuel Sulbarán will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaves the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Market11 Oct 2032
“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.
Squad11 Oct 2032
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Chaves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Oct 2032
“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 Chaves know it.
Squad11 Oct 2032
Words at Chaves training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Bogdan Racoviţan 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 dugout11 Oct 2032
“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.
Market11 Oct 2032
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout11 Oct 2032
Simon Audouin gets picked when it counts
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 Simon Audouin is on it.
Looking ahead11 Oct 2032
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Luís Gomes’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Chaves needing him to play as if none of it matters.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market26 Jul 2032
Patrick Moura has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Chaves they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Transfer targets26 Jul 2032
No deal for Manuel Baldé at that price
Chaves offered $850.0K; Rio Ave 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.
Transfer targets26 Jul 2032
An offer of $110.0K for Dudu
Chaves have gone to Estoril Praia 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.
Transfer targets26 Jul 2032
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.
Squad26 Jul 2032
A row about effort at Chaves
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Rob Street was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market26 Jul 2032
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Chaves have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad26 Jul 2032
A falling-out at Chaves
Artūr Dolžnikov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets26 Jul 2032
A loan enquiry to Porto: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout26 Jul 2032
Simon Audouin has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Chaves will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market28 Jun 2032
Patrick Moura has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Chaves they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2032
Everything agreed with Feirense, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad28 Jun 2032
A falling-out at Chaves
Antonio Espigares and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2032
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.
Squad28 Jun 2032
Bogdan Racoviţan 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.
Market28 Jun 2032
Add another name to the list: Marco 09 have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Wessel van der Heijden. The answer from Chaves has not changed — yet.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2032
A loan enquiry to Alverca: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2032
A loan enquiry to Porto: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout28 Jun 2032
“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
Upbeat
Market31 May 2032
Patrick Moura has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Chaves they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad31 May 2032
A falling-out at Chaves
Antonio Espigares and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad31 May 2032
A row about effort at Chaves
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Rob Street was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout31 May 2032
Simon Audouin has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Chaves will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Market31 May 2032
The shop window has Rob Street in it
Chaves have let the market know Rob Street can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad31 May 2032
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Chaves would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad3 May 2032
14 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Chaves lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market3 May 2032
“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 Chaves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market3 May 2032
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaves is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad3 May 2032
Tempers go at Chaves
Daniele Salvano 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 May 2032
Bogdan Racoviţan 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.
Squad3 May 2032
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Chaves can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Market3 May 2032
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
The dugout3 May 2032
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
The dugout3 May 2032
Simon Audouin has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Chaves will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market5 Apr 2032
Only the photograph left for Patrick Moura
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Patrick Moura will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaves the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad5 Apr 2032
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Chaves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2032
“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 Chaves know it.
Squad5 Apr 2032
Bogdan Racoviţan falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout5 Apr 2032
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.
Market5 Apr 2032
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Squad5 Apr 2032
The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Marvin Mehlem 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 dugout5 Apr 2032
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout5 Apr 2032
Simon Audouin gets picked when it counts
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 Simon Audouin is on it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 Mar 2032
Aleks Ristić gets the move he always wanted
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Aleks Ristić has just signed for Chaves, and for once the answer mattered.
Market8 Mar 2032
Patrick Moura has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Chaves they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad8 Mar 2032
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Chaves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Mar 2032
No place for Aleks Ristić in the new shape
He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation Chaves are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.
The dugout8 Mar 2032
The manager has not finished forgetting Federico Coletta'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.
Squad8 Mar 2032
Marvin Mehlem 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.
Market8 Mar 2032
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout8 Mar 2032
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Wojciech Jakubik, and the manager let it.
The dugout8 Mar 2032
Simon Audouin has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Chaves will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad9 Feb 2032
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Chaves will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market9 Feb 2032
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaves is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad9 Feb 2032
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Chaves can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Squad9 Feb 2032
Words exchanged at Chaves
Antonio Espigares 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.
Transfer targets9 Feb 2032
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Trofense have kept their man, and Chaves go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad9 Feb 2032
Manuel Sulbarán falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout9 Feb 2032
Federico Coletta is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
Market9 Feb 2032
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout9 Feb 2032
“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
Triumph
Market25 Aug 2031
Chaves say no — this time
The offer from Maritimo for João Valido 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.
Market25 Aug 2031
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Chaves have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market25 Aug 2031
“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 Chaves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match23 Aug 2031
Nobody wants to play Chaves right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Transfer targets25 Aug 2031
$180.0K on the table at Estrela da Amadora. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
Squad25 Aug 2031
A falling-out at Chaves
Rob Street and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Player ratings25 Aug 2031
Successful dribbles: 22. 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.
Transfer targets25 Aug 2031
Chaves asked and Maritimo said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad25 Aug 2031
A row about effort at Chaves
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Henrique was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Apr 2031
A falling-out at Chaves
Gabriel Furtado and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout21 Apr 2031
This is not rotation. Jackson Jaramillo has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Chaves is pretending otherwise.
Squad21 Apr 2031
A row about effort at Chaves
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Matija Mitrović was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad21 Apr 2031
7 new faces, and Chaves are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
Squad21 Apr 2031
“The easiest signature of my career.” Marko Prenkpalaj and Chaves agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout21 Apr 2031
Edin Hušković gets picked when it counts
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 Edin Hušković is on it.
The dugout21 Apr 2031
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Chaves, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market21 Apr 2031
Chaves shop where it costs nothing
Lorenzo Prso signs, and the fee column stays empty. Deals like this look small in July and clever by March — or they are never mentioned again.
Market21 Apr 2031
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Marko Prenkpalaj arrives at Chaves with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.