Marked for Ebenezer Shamo
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match9 Sep 2028
19 matches without a win for RoPS
The run now stands at 19, and the questions being asked around RoPS are no longer polite ones.
Market11 Sep 2028
Márton Antal 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 RoPS can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Tempers go at RoPS
Alexander Milošević 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 ratings11 Sep 2028
A performance of 8.36 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad11 Sep 2028
No place for Otto Huttunen on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at RoPS pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Match9 Sep 2028
RoPS share the spoils with VPS
A 1‑1 draw with VPS leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ebenezer Shamo, and the manager let it.
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
Nobody could get near Adam Mekki
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market11 Sep 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Jimi Tauriainen’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Jul 2028
The wait goes on for RoPS
12 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.
Match24 Jul 2028
RoPS sink to position 12
8 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market24 Jul 2028
Tomas Varhi 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 RoPS can pretend not to have heard.
Market24 Jul 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Tempers go at RoPS
Jimi Tauriainen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match22 Jul 2028
RoPS come up short against FF Jaro
FF Jaro left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad24 Jul 2028
The manager makes an example of Aapo Savolainen
“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 ratings24 Jul 2028
Nobody could get near Adam Mekki
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Shots: 4. 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
Steady
Match10 May 2028
Cup progress for RoPS
A 1‑0 win over FC Lahti, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Match13 May 2028
A hiding for RoPS
Beaten 0‑4 by Inter Turku, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad15 May 2028
Tempers go at RoPS
Jimi Tauriainen 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.
Squad15 May 2028
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Tatu Lakela, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad15 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Juho Pirttijoki, and the manager let it.
Boardroom15 May 2028
Doors closed at RoPS
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Player ratings15 May 2028
A defender's afternoon for Josep Nuorela
Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom13 Mar 2028
The scrutiny sharpens at RoPS
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at RoPS is running low.
Squad13 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market13 Mar 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. RoPS will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom14 Feb 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at RoPS
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Aapo Savolainen commits to RoPS for another 4 years.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Tempers go at RoPS
Alexander Milošević 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.
Market14 Feb 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. RoPS will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad14 Feb 2028
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at RoPS has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Márton Antal asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom31 Jan 2028
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Berekum Chelsea is running low.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Berekum Chelsea may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Seth Paintsil 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.
Match29 Jan 2028
A 1‑0 win over New Edubiase United, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad31 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Samuel Amofa
“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 ratings31 Jan 2028
A performance of 8.48 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Defensive actions: 18, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Defensive actions: 18, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Jan 2028
Kingsley Braye: 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.” Berekum Chelsea have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market24 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 Berekum Chelsea, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Jan 2028
The medical room confirms 41 days on the sidelines for Ebenezer Assifuah, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Richmond Lamptey 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.
Market24 Jan 2028
Great Olympics are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Berekum Chelsea will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad24 Jan 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rahman Abdul and Berekum Chelsea agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
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 Berekum Chelsea, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market3 Jan 2028
The bid was some way short and Berekum Chelsea did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
Pressure builds in the Berekum Chelsea boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Match1 Jan 2028
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Berekum Chelsea are no longer polite ones.
Squad3 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Berekum Chelsea this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match1 Jan 2028
0‑2 to Liberty Professionals, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Johnson Amuzu, and the manager let it.
Market3 Jan 2028
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Ebenezer Shamo has his answer from Berekum Chelsea; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 30. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad6 Dec 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 Berekum Chelsea this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Dec 2027
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Rahman Abdul, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“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.
Match4 Dec 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ebenezer Shamo and Berekum Chelsea agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match9 Aug 2027
Position 15, 19 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market9 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Seth Paintsil 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 65 days on the sidelines for Benjamin Abaidoo, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad9 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Marvin Owusu
“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.
Market9 Aug 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Richmond Lamptey’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Jun 2027
Emmanuel Sarpong: 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.” Berekum Chelsea have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad21 Jun 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 Berekum Chelsea this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Yaw Dankwah
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 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 Berekum Chelsea this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Johnson Amuzu, and the manager let it.
Market24 May 2027
The shop window has Samuel Amofa in it
Berekum Chelsea have let the market know Samuel Amofa can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Apr 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.
Market26 Apr 2027
The bid was some way short and Berekum Chelsea did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad26 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 Berekum Chelsea this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market29 Mar 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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Seth Paintsil 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 ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.88, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad29 Mar 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.
Match27 Mar 2027
A 2‑2 draw with Aduana Stars leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
5.79 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad29 Mar 2027
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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Mahmoud Labib 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 ratings29 Mar 2027
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Mohamed Atwa 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match27 Feb 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation New Edubiase United did not have in the autumn.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Lefa Hlongwane 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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mahmoud Labib, and the manager let it.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.39 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Francis Amoah in trouble away from the ground
Every paper's favourite story and every manager's least. What happened is being dealt with internally, which is the phrase clubs use when they would rather nobody asked again.
Market1 Mar 2027
“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.
Match27 Feb 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Two players, one bad tackle and a session that had to be stopped. It was over in a minute; it was outside the gates in an hour.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
Nobody could get near Thabo Mile
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
35 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Lefa Hlongwane 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 ratings18 Jan 2027
Marked 8.98 — 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.
Squad18 Jan 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
6 goals and a season average of 7.37. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match30 Dec 2026
A 2‑1 win over Ashanti Gold, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Market4 Jan 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.
Boardroom4 Jan 2027
Pressure builds in the Berekum Chelsea boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad4 Jan 2027
There were 7 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.
Market4 Jan 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 ratings4 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Seth Paintsil 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
The medical room confirms 78 days on the sidelines for Emmanuel Sarpong, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.