Marked for Andreas Dragovic
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad29 May 2028
An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Mattersburg have had the benefit of it.
Market29 May 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Mattersburg, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout29 May 2028
This is not rotation. Samuel Biek has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Mattersburg is pretending otherwise.
Squad29 May 2028
Jonas Wendlinger 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.
Squad29 May 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Luigi Cendales and Mattersburg agree another 4 years.
Squad29 May 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Valentino Grillitsch was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market29 May 2028
Marko Lienhart comes back from a loan that worked
16 appearances and 0 goals away from here, and a player the manager did not have in August. Loans are sent out hoping for exactly this and most of them do not deliver it.
Market29 May 2028
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Mattersburg, another week without a signature from Wolfgang Ilsanker.
The dugout29 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Martin Hinteregger, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Apr 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Mattersburg, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Ousmane Diawara 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.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Luigi Cendales 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 Apr 2028
Glenn Knorr 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.
The dugout24 Apr 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Florent Hajdini trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout24 Apr 2028
The manager makes Xaver Weimann a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Mattersburg. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Mar 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Mattersburg, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad27 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mattersburg this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolaus Wurmbrand was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thiago Pereira, and the manager let it.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Mattersburg will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
“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
Steady
Market28 Feb 2028
“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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Mattersburg this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Glenn Knorr is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 18 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 Feb 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolaus Wurmbrand was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad28 Feb 2028
At 36, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andreas Dragovic, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Feb 2028
Jonas Wendlinger and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ousmane Diawara was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets21 Feb 2028
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.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Manuel Haas pulls a muscle — 15 days out
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 15 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
“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.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Mattersburg know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Jan 2028
Wolfgang Ilsanker damages knee ligaments — 21 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 21 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.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Nikolaus Wurmbrand 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 targets24 Jan 2028
Mattersburg asked and Red Bull Salzburg said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Luigi Cendales 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 dugout24 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Florent Hajdini
“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.
Transfer targets24 Jan 2028
Admira Wacker 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
Squad10 Jan 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Wolfgang Ilsanker
36 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Mattersburg lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market10 Jan 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Mattersburg, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
This is not rotation. Samuel Biek has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Mattersburg is pretending otherwise.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Jonas Wendlinger 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.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Words at Mattersburg training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ousmane Diawara 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.
Transfer targets10 Jan 2028
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Rapid Wien have kept their man, and Mattersburg go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad10 Jan 2028
A muscle injury sidelines Peter Wimmer for 14 days
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. Mattersburg will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
“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.
Market10 Jan 2028
7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Mattersburg money.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Jan 2028
43 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Mattersburg lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market3 Jan 2028
“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.
Squad3 Jan 2028
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. Mattersburg had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Jonas Wendlinger was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Words at Mattersburg training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolaus Wurmbrand 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.
Transfer targets3 Jan 2028
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.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Xaver Weimann
“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.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
Open for business: Mattersburg 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.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
Andreas Dragovic 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
Steady
Market15 Nov 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 Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout15 Nov 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Mattersburg may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad15 Nov 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 Mattersburg this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Words at Mattersburg training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolaus Wurmbrand is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout15 Nov 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.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Peter Haring and Mattersburg agree another 1 years.
Looking ahead15 Nov 2027
SV Ried next, and one man in the Mattersburg dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.
Market15 Nov 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Xaver Weimann has had enough of the bench
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Mattersburg will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Oct 2027
It had gone 12 games. The players did not celebrate like men who had won a match; they celebrated like men who had been let out of something.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Nikolaus Wurmbrand did not need any: 7.88, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Jonas Wendlinger and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Nikolaus Wurmbrand 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 terraces25 Oct 2027
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Match24 Oct 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Ousmane Diawara. 2‑0 against Rapid Wien, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.73, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Looking ahead25 Oct 2027
Grodig next, and both sides can do the sum. Win and the table looks different; lose and it looks the way everybody has been fearing.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Jonas Auer beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 15. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 May 2027
Ignacio Zabal breaks a bone — 118 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 118 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
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 Mattersburg this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 May 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Florian Laimer was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad10 May 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Shqipon Bektasi and Mattersburg agree another 1 years.
Loan watch10 May 2027
“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 Mattersburg, and 13 appearances in 39 say he has earned the hearing.
The dugout10 May 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.