Marked for Eli Johnson
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Aug 2026
Marco Waine 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 Waitakere United can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Auckland City is saying, and nobody at Waitakere United is enjoying the guessing.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Words at Waitakere United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Eli Johnson 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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Josh Shaw 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Noah Lockyer may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Noah Sutton, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 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 The request is on a desk at Waitakere United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market24 Aug 2026
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Waitakere United have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market24 Aug 2026
The bid was some way short and Waitakere United did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad24 Aug 2026
The medical room confirms 55 days on the sidelines for Monty Singh, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Eli Johnson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
Eli Johnson 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
Squad17 Aug 2026
Eli Johnson 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 dugout17 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Kosta Kirwan
“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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Luis Martín and Waitakere United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market17 Aug 2026
Ryan Kirwan’s agent stirs the pot again
“Ambitious players need ambitious projects. Draw your own conclusions.” Ryan Kirwan’s representative said it with a smile, and made sure everyone wrote it down.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Luis Martín 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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Questions about Tim Singh on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.