Marked for Modestas Simkus
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Transfer targets10 Jan 2028
Everything agreed with Zalgiris, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Rokas Satkus in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Trakai this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets10 Jan 2028
Trakai asked and Siauliai said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market10 Jan 2028
The name of Deividas Kazlauskas has come up in conversations Trakai were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Words at Trakai training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Justas Jankauskas 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.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rúben Cabral and Trakai agree another 4 years.
Squad10 Jan 2028
44 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
Lukas Dubickas 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 Trakai, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saulius Simkus, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces3 Jan 2028
The mood at Trakai has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Market3 Jan 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Trakai can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Rokas Satkus in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Trakai this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Lukas Dubickas 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.
Market3 Jan 2028
Donatas Kuklys is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Trakai has been clear about where Donatas Kuklys stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Rúben Cabral, and the manager let it.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Squad3 Jan 2028
It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Dec 2027
Words exchanged at Trakai
Rokas Satkus 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.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Žygimantas Baltrūnas 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 dugout20 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.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Trakai. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Market20 Dec 2027
Trakai have made Modestas Simkus available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
The manager plants his flag on Modestas Dapkus
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Modestas Dapkus’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad6 Dec 2027
Rokas Satkus in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Trakai this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Donatas Kuklys 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.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Words at Trakai training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lukas Dubickas 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.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Arvydas Slavickas commits to Trakai for another 2 years.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Edgaras Dubickas is on it.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
Modestas Dapkus 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
Squad22 Nov 2027
Words exchanged at Trakai
Rokas Satkus 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 Nov 2027
Lukas Dubickas 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 dugout22 Nov 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
The dugout22 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Duarte Oliveira, and the manager let it.
The dugout22 Nov 2027
Lukas 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.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Trakai will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Nov 2027
Rokas Satkus in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Trakai this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Lukas Barauskas and Trakai agree another 3 years.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Words at Trakai training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Žygimantas Baltrūnas is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout8 Nov 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Edgaras Dubickas is on it.
The dugout8 Nov 2027
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Trakai told Modestas Dapkus something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
Squad8 Nov 2027
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Trakai would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Oct 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 Trakai, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Tempers go at Trakai
Rokas Satkus 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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
A row about effort at Trakai
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Žygimantas Baltrūnas was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match4 Oct 2027
Trakai are in real trouble now
Position 7, 12 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.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Danko Kiković commits to Trakai for another 2 years.
Squad4 Oct 2027
A falling-out at Trakai
Rokas Satkus and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Words at Trakai training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lukas Dubickas 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
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 dugout4 Oct 2027
Lukas Dubickas 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 Trakai, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 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 Trakai can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Nikola Stojković 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
A falling-out at Trakai
Veljko Bogićević 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
26 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Edvinas Cernych commits to Trakai for another 3 years.
The dugout20 Sep 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 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 Trakai can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Sep 2027
A falling-out at Trakai
Denis Popović and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets13 Sep 2027
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. Trakai will try again when the window opens; Atlantas may not be selling by then.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Words at Trakai training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Justas Jankauskas 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.
Squad13 Sep 2027
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Trakai know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jun 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 targets28 Jun 2027
$64.0K settles it between the clubs for Lukas Sernas
Atlantas have accepted the money. What Trakai do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
Market28 Jun 2027
Trakai say no — this time
The offer from Atlantas for Deividas 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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Trakai
Innokentiy Yermakov 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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Juliusz Rafalski is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Nikola Stojković 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad26 Apr 2027
37 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Trakai lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
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 Trakai this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Apr 2027
The half-term report on Trakai
Position 7, 6 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.
Squad26 Apr 2027
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Modestas Simkus, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Words at Trakai training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mantas Girdvainis is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout26 Apr 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.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 11. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad15 Mar 2027
80 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Trakai lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Trakai
Innokentiy Yermakov 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 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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Donatas Eliosius, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Mantas Girdvainis 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.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Nov 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Vikintas Eliosius
33 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Trakai lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
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 Trakai this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Trakai training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Marko Stanković 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.
Loan watch16 Nov 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Trakai, and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
The dugout16 Nov 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 dugout16 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Deividas Kazlauskas trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.