Marked for Modestas Klimavicius
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Oct 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Words at Utenis training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Marius Kazlauskas 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.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Vikintas Kuklys and Utenis agree another 1 years.
The dugout11 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Stefan Dimitrijevic, and the manager let it.
The dugout11 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Oct 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 Oct 2027
Words at Utenis training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Marius Kazlauskas 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.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tadas Girdvainis commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
The dugout4 Oct 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.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Sep 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Sep 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Marius Mikoliunas was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad27 Sep 2027
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match20 Sep 2027
Every point is an argument now for Utenis
Position 8 and 4 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market20 Sep 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Rokas Eliosius gets the move he always wanted
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Rokas Eliosius has just signed for Utenis, and for once the answer mattered.
Transfer targets20 Sep 2027
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. Utenis will try again when the window opens; Atlantas may not be selling by then.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Marius Kazlauskas 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rokas Sernas and Utenis agree another 3 years.
Market20 Sep 2027
He is 17, and nobody at Utenis signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market20 Sep 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Novak Bogdanovic has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Utenis.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Sep 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 targets13 Sep 2027
The clock did what Zalgiris would not, and ended it. Supporters who watched the countdown will spend the next window doing it again.
Squad13 Sep 2027
33 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market13 Sep 2027
Flavio Incelli is 20, and Utenis have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Flavio Incelli and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad13 Sep 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Justas Lasickas was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Donatas Simkus, and the manager let it.
Market13 Sep 2027
Utenis spent the window trying to move Edvinas Cernych on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Sep 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market6 Sep 2027
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Aidas Klimavicius reports back to Utenis with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Transfer targets6 Sep 2027
Utenis and Zalgiris have settled on $770.0K. 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.
The dugout6 Sep 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Transfer targets6 Sep 2027
Everything was agreed with Stumbras and then the doctor spoke. Utenis have walked away from a signing on the advice of somebody who never saw him play, which is how it is supposed to work.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
Deadline passes with 5 signed and 8 gone
That is the business done at Utenis until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
Transfer targets6 Sep 2027
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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Modestas Klimavicius and Utenis agree another 2 years.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 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.
The dugout30 Aug 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Market30 Aug 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Utenis have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Utenis have done the hard part with Kauno Zalgiris, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad30 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market30 Aug 2027
Trakai are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match23 Aug 2027
Every point is an argument now for Utenis
Position 8 and 4 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
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.
Transfer targets23 Aug 2027
Utenis and Kauno Zalgiris have settled on $550.0K. 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.
Transfer targets23 Aug 2027
The deal with Zalgiris 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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets23 Aug 2027
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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Justas Lasickas 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.
Market23 Aug 2027
Utenis have let the market know Marius Kazlauskas can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
Donatas Simkus 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Aug 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Trakai waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Utenis is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market16 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
Everything agreed with Kauno Zalgiris, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 targets16 Aug 2027
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Paulius Kazlauskas trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Market9 Aug 2027
Utenis say no — this time
The offer from Trakai for Paulius Kazlauskas 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.
Transfer targets9 Aug 2027
$770.0K settles it between the clubs for Nemanja Mihajlović
Zalgiris have accepted the money. What Utenis do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Transfer targets9 Aug 2027
Everything agreed with Kauno Zalgiris, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Edgaras Dubickas and Utenis agree another 2 years.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
“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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
The table has started to be checked before the results are in, and that is always the tell. Nobody at Utenis says the word out loud, and everybody in the building is thinking it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Aug 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad2 Aug 2027
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 14 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
Squad2 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets2 Aug 2027
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets2 Aug 2027
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Jul 2027
Every point is an argument now for Utenis
Position 8 and 4 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market26 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad26 Jul 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jul 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Utenis have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market19 Jul 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.
Transfer targets19 Jul 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, and a scan that said otherwise. He goes back to Kauno Zalgiris; Utenis go back to the market; and both will insist there is no story here.
Transfer targets19 Jul 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Utenis have done the hard part with Atlantas, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Lukas Kuklys 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.
Transfer targets19 Jul 2027
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The dugout19 Jul 2027
“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.
Market19 Jul 2027
Utenis have let the market know Marius Kazlauskas can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jul 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.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
The clubs have shaken hands with Kauno Zalgiris; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
Everything agreed with Stumbras, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Market12 Jul 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Words at Utenis training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lukas Kuklys is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match28 Jun 2027
Utenis sink to position 8
4 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market28 Jun 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Jun 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Stumbras have kept their man, and Utenis go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words at Utenis training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lukas Kuklys 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.
Market28 Jun 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Donatas Girdvainis may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Jun 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Utenis have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market21 Jun 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets21 Jun 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Utenis have done the hard part with Kauno Zalgiris, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad21 Jun 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Squad21 Jun 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Lukas Kuklys was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets21 Jun 2027
Stumbras have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
Edgaras Dubickas 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.
Market21 Jun 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Marius Kazlauskas may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Paulius Kazlauskas plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Jun 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
Utenis asked and Zalgiris said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 Jun 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
A loan move for Darius Satkus is in the works
Utenis have made the call to Atlantas. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Squad14 Jun 2027
He goes off to be somebody else’s player for a fortnight. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him returned in the condition he left.
Squad14 Jun 2027
He goes off to be somebody else’s player for a fortnight. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him returned in the condition he left.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Linas Novikovas joins up with his country. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Market14 Jun 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Paulius Kazlauskas may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad7 Jun 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 15 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad7 Jun 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Saulius Lasickas
18 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Utenis lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match5 Jun 2027
Nowhere to hide for Utenis
0‑3 against Zalgiris, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Match7 Jun 2027
Full time on the season at Utenis
Position 8 on 4 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.
Market7 Jun 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets7 Jun 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Utenis have done the hard part with Zalgiris, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad7 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout7 Jun 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Modestas Cernych was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad31 May 2027
25 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match31 May 2027
Every point is an argument now for Utenis
Position 8 and 4 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Match29 May 2027
It had gone 14 games. The players did not celebrate like men who had won a match; they celebrated like men who had been let out of something.
Market31 May 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.
Squad31 May 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match29 May 2027
Three points for Utenis, 1‑0 the final word against Atlantas in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad31 May 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Lukas Kuklys was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings31 May 2027
7.33, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Utenis had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.
The dugout31 May 2027
“That is what I want every week. Not the result, the way they went about it.” The manager, after 1‑0, already talking about the next one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 May 2027
No end in sight to Utenis's wait for a win
14 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utenis has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad24 May 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Saulius Lasickas
32 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Utenis lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad24 May 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match22 May 2027
Nowhere to hide for Utenis
0‑3 against Trakai, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
The dugout24 May 2027
Tadas Kazlauskas: 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.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match22 May 2027
Utenis leaking at the back
6 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Squad24 May 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 dugout24 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tomas Dubickas, and the manager let it.
Looking ahead24 May 2027
Utenis face Atlantas in the game that matters most
Two sides from the bottom of the table, three points, and an afternoon that will be described afterwards as a relegation decider by whoever loses it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 May 2027
The wait goes on for Utenis
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.
Squad10 May 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 11 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The dugout10 May 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad10 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match8 May 2027
A bad afternoon for Utenis against Suduva
1‑3 to Suduva, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Match8 May 2027
Utenis are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Looking ahead10 May 2027
Everything rides on Stumbras
Both clubs in the mire, one fixture between them, and a ground that will be louder and more frightened than at any point in the season. Utenis know what is at stake and so does everybody in the away end.
The dugout10 May 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Andrius Novikovas after 1‑3, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Squad10 May 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Lukas Kuklys was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match1 May 2027
11 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Match3 May 2027
Every point is an argument now for Utenis
Position 8 and 1 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market3 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 May 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Squad3 May 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match1 May 2027
A bad afternoon for Utenis against Siauliai
1‑2 to Siauliai, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout3 May 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.
Squad3 May 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Modestas Cernych was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout3 May 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Andrius Novikovas to a room that had heard them before.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad26 Apr 2027
There were 12 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.
Match24 Apr 2027
The wait goes on for Utenis
10 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.
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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 dugout26 Apr 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.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑3 Andrius Novikovas left the room before anybody could ask which.
Squad26 Apr 2027
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tadas Valskis was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad26 Apr 2027
At 18 he was the best of everybody his age in the division for one weekend. Nobody should build a career on it and everybody quietly does.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Apr 2027
11 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Match17 Apr 2027
No end in sight to Utenis's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utenis has to find a result from somewhere.
Match17 Apr 2027
0‑3 to Zalgiris, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market19 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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Match19 Apr 2027
Utenis at the halfway mark
Half the programme played, position 8, 1 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
Boardroom19 Apr 2027
Doors closed at Utenis
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑3 Andrius Novikovas left the room before anybody could ask which.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Words at Utenis training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lukas Kuklys is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 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.
Match10 Apr 2027
The wait goes on for Utenis
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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match10 Apr 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Andrius Novikovas after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Tadas Valskis
“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 ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“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 dugout12 Apr 2027
Nobody at Utenis is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Apr 2027
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 1 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.
Match31 Mar 2027
Utenis bow out of the cup
Zalgiris go through and Utenis go home, 0‑3 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Market5 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.
Match3 Apr 2027
7 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
The terraces5 Apr 2027
A cup hiding at Zalgiris leaves Utenis explaining themselves
0-3, and long before the end the away end had switched from encouragement to something considerably more pointed. Nobody rings a phone-in about losing narrowly.
Squad5 Apr 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.
Squad5 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match3 Apr 2027
Trakai left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Paulius Kazlauskas, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market22 Mar 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Mar 2027
7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Marked 7.72 at 18, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Match20 Mar 2027
No end in sight to Utenis's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utenis has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Match20 Mar 2027
Aidas Klimavicius scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑3 to Suduva, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Match20 Mar 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Utenis
4 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
The dugout22 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
25 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Mar 2027
Nowhere to hide for Utenis
0‑3 against Siauliai, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market15 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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match13 Mar 2027
3 matches without a goal for Utenis
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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Tadas Valskis 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 dugout15 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.
Boardroom15 Mar 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match6 Mar 2027
0‑3 to Kauno Zalgiris, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market8 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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Aidas Klimavicius and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 Mar 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom8 Mar 2027
5 academy graduates step up at Utenis
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Market8 Mar 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Justas Kazlauskas has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market8 Mar 2027
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Tadas Girdvainis has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market8 Mar 2027
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Donatas Slavickas has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout1 Mar 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.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Aidas Klimavicius trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad1 Mar 2027
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
Squad1 Mar 2027
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Utenis has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Market1 Mar 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Eden Onana may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
53 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Eden Onana commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Marius Kazlauskas trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Eden Onana, and the manager let it.
Market22 Feb 2027
The shop window has Lukas Kuklys in it
Utenis have let the market know Lukas Kuklys can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
Utenis asked and Atlantas said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Edgaras Slavickas and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Rokas Sernas
“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.
Market15 Feb 2027
Utenis spent the window trying to move Edvinas Cernych on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
Market15 Feb 2027
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad8 Feb 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market8 Feb 2027
Utenis spent the window trying to move Paulius Kazlauskas on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Linas Valskis is 35, with 0 appearances behind him, and Utenis will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
Squad8 Feb 2027
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Utenis has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Rokas Sernas 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
Squad1 Feb 2027
Tadas Kazlauskas damages knee ligaments — 14 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 14 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.
Market1 Feb 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.
Transfer targets1 Feb 2027
Everything was agreed with Atlantas and then the doctor spoke. Utenis have walked away from a signing on the advice of somebody who never saw him play, which is how it is supposed to work.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Deadline passes with 0 signed and 0 gone
That is the business done at Utenis until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
Transfer targets1 Feb 2027
The deal with Stumbras 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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Transfer targets1 Feb 2027
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.
Transfer targets1 Feb 2027
A loan enquiry to Atlantas: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“I will play as long as the body lets me and stop the day it does not.” He is 34, with 0 appearances behind him, and the club has to plan for a decision that is not yet made.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Jan 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Tadas Kazlauskas
21 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Utenis lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market25 Jan 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets25 Jan 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Utenis have done the hard part with Atlantas, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 dugout25 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
“He needs to be playing at a level that matches him, and we are open to conversations.” Nobody says that by accident, and nobody at Utenis misheard it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
28 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market18 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Utenis have done the hard part with Atlantas, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
No thanks: Darius Satkus rejects the move
Utenis had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Atlantas, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Atlantas have kept their man, and Utenis go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Tadas Kazlauskas
35 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Utenis lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market11 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.
Squad11 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Donatas Girdvainis and Utenis agree another 3 years.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Kauno Zalgiris have kept their man, and Utenis go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Market11 Jan 2027
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Utenis has been clear about where Marius Kazlauskas stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Donatas Girdvainis, and the manager let it.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
A loan move for Darius Satkus is in the works
Utenis have made the call to Atlantas. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Atlantas have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Jan 2027
42 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
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.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Utenis have done the hard part with Kauno Zalgiris, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Market4 Jan 2027
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Edvinas Cernych has his answer from Utenis; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
Atlantas have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
A loan enquiry to Atlantas: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Donatas Girdvainis trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Boardroom4 Jan 2027
Open for business: Utenis enter the window
The registration window is open and the phone has started. Between now and the deadline this club will be linked with forty players and sign three, which is the usual ratio.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
49 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 dugout28 Dec 2026
Rokas Sernas 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
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Tadas Kazlauskas damages knee ligaments — 56 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 56 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Rokas Sernas 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
Squad14 Dec 2026
Tadas Kazlauskas damages knee ligaments — 63 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 63 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.
Market14 Dec 2026
“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.
Squad14 Dec 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Aidas Klimavicius commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“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.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Aidas Klimavicius trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Dec 2026
70 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Modestas Klimavicius and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad30 Nov 2026
77 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market30 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Nov 2026
84 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad23 Nov 2026
He came through the session, took part in everything and finished it smiling. Utenis will not rush him, and he will spend the next fortnight trying to rush them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Nov 2026
Tadas Kazlauskas damages knee ligaments — 91 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 91 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.
Squad16 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marius Kazlauskas, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
98 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Utenis lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market9 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 Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Nov 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Tadas Kazlauskas
105 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Utenis lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market2 Nov 2026
Lukas Kuklys 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Oct 2026
Tadas Kazlauskas damages knee ligaments — 112 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 112 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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad26 Oct 2026
He came through the session, took part in everything and finished it smiling. Utenis will not rush him, and he will spend the next fortnight trying to rush them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Tadas Kazlauskas
119 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Utenis lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Rokas Sernas is 19, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad19 Oct 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Tadas Kazlauskas
126 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Utenis lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A bad Saturday is forgiven; a bad Tuesday is chosen. Standards have slipped and in a building where everybody watches everybody, it has been noticed.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Oct 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Modestas Klimavicius and Utenis agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The training reports on Lukas Kuklys are not good
A bad Saturday is forgiven; a bad Tuesday is chosen. Standards have slipped and in a building where everybody watches everybody, it has been noticed.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market28 Sep 2026
Utenis have let the market know Paulius Kazlauskas can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Linas Valskis, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market21 Sep 2026
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Mantas Valskis may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Linas Valskis 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
Market7 Sep 2026
“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.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Utenis close the window on a squad of their own making
0 in and 0 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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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 targets7 Sep 2026
Utenis asked and Kauno Zalgiris said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“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.
Market7 Sep 2026
The window shut and Mantas Valskis is still in the building
Utenis spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
Market7 Sep 2026
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Paulius Paulauskas may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Aug 2026
“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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Trakai have kept their man, and Utenis go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 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 Utenis this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Utenis asked and Atlantas said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout24 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.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A muscle injury and 14 days out for Eden Onana
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Utenis will quote 14 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Atlantas have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Lukas Cernych and Utenis agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Aug 2026
Utenis out of the cup
Zalgiris ended it 0‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Kauno Zalgiris have kept their man, and Utenis go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Edvinas Cernych
“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.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Novak Bogdanovic commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Squad17 Aug 2026
A first team debut at 18 for Rokas Sernas
Off the academy pitches and into a senior shirt, at 18. The parents in the stand will keep the programme, and so will he.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mantas Valskis commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Utenis asked and Kauno Zalgiris said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout10 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.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Utenis
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Modestas Cernych was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Aug 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 Utenis, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Utenis
Modestas Klimavicius 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.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Modestas Cernych 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.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Trakai have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
Mantas Valskis knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mantas Valskis trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.