Saeid Khodadad

Goalkeeper - Siah Jamegan
24 Sep 2028
Sunday
Process

Marked for Saeid Khodadad

112 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

18 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Saeid Nekounam damages knee ligaments — 137 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 137 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.

Player ratings

No sign of nerves from Masoud Taremi at 21 — 7.73

The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Masoud Taremi did not need any: 7.73, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.

Market

Karl Møller 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Nobody wants to play Siah Jamegan right now

3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Vouria Gholizadeh

“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.

Match

Morteza Cheshmi sends Siah Jamegan past Saba

It finished 1‑0, and it was Morteza Cheshmi’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Siah Jamegan.

Player ratings

Majid Karimi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ahmad Karimi 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.

In brief

Back issues
111 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

11 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Saeid Nekounam

144 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Siah Jamegan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

Cup progress for Siah Jamegan

A 2‑1 win over Sepahan, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Match

Siah Jamegan run riot against Malavan

3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.

Match

Ahmad Taremi wins it after the whistle should have gone

107 minutes played. Ahmad Taremi found the finish in time that only existed because of earlier delays, and Sepahan went from a point to nothing inside one movement.

Player ratings

Ahmad Taremi scores twice — 8.92

Two goals and a mark of 8.92 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi scores twice — 8.05

Two goals and a mark of 8.05 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Squad

Saman Mehrabizadeh keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Siah Jamegan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Reza Hosseini signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Reza Hosseini and Siah Jamegan agree another 5 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

In brief

110 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

4 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Saeid Khodadad

61 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Siah Jamegan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

No end in sight to Siah Jamegan's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Siah Jamegan has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Mehdi Ebrahimi 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Real improvement from Henrique Salomoni at Siah Jamegan

Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Henrique Salomoni is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Milad Beiranvand 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.

In brief

109 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

28 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Saeid Khodadad damages knee ligaments — 69 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 69 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.

Market

Thiago Henrique puts it in writing

“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 Siah Jamegan, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

The wait goes on for Siah Jamegan

4 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.

Squad

Real improvement from Christos Palaiologou at Siah Jamegan

Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Christos Palaiologou is 22, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.

Squad

Milad Beiranvand 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Majid Karimi has improved at 25, which nobody expected

Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.

In brief

108 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

21 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Saeid Khodadad damages knee ligaments — 76 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 76 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Morteza Cheshmi

Successful dribbles: 41. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Karl Møller asks to leave Siah Jamegan

“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.

Squad

Real improvement from Ahmad Ghoddos at Siah Jamegan

Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Ahmad Ghoddos is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

A late step up for Morteza Cheshmi

At 27 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.

Match

Point won or two lost for Siah Jamegan?

Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Gostaresh Foulad? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.

Market

The Reza Hosseini talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Siah Jamegan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Majid Ghoddos leaves for nothing

Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Majid Ghoddos leaves Siah Jamegan the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.

In brief

107 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Saeid Khodadad damages knee ligaments — 83 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 83 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Morteza Cheshmi

Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Christos Palaiologou 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Real improvement from Morteza Beiranvand at Siah Jamegan

Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Morteza Beiranvand is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.

Squad

Reza Hosseini 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A late step up for Walberto Agámez

At 25 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.

In brief

106 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

7 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Saeid Khodadad

91 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Siah Jamegan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Walberto Agámez

There were 10 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.

Match

Siah Jamegan taken apart

1‑5 to Persepolis, 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.

Squad

Real improvement from Milad Beiranvand at Siah Jamegan

Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Milad Beiranvand is 22, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.

Squad

Othmane Benhamza stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Othmane Benhamza and Siah Jamegan agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

6 goals as Siah Jamegan and Persepolis go for it

Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Siah Jamegan and Persepolis, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.

Boardroom

Graduation day at Siah Jamegan

5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.

Market

Siah Jamegan promote Omid Azmoun from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Omid Azmoun 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.

Market

One of our own: Saeid Mohammadi joins the Siah Jamegan first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Saeid Mohammadi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

In brief

105 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

31 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Saeid Khodadad damages knee ligaments — 99 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 99 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.

Squad

Masoud Taremi is a better footballer than he was

Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

In brief

104 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

24 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Saeid Khodadad

107 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Siah Jamegan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Market

Nelson Eliseche asks to leave Siah Jamegan

“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.

Squad

Real improvement from Ahmad Ghoddos at Siah Jamegan

Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Ahmad Ghoddos is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Morteza Cheshmi has improved at 26, which nobody expected

Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.

Market

The Reza Hosseini talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Siah Jamegan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

103 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

17 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Saeid Khodadad

114 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Siah Jamegan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Siah Jamegan

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Siah Jamegan is running low.

Market

Karl Møller puts it in writing

“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 Siah Jamegan, and it is not being withdrawn.

In brief

102 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

10 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Saeid Khodadad

121 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Siah Jamegan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Market

Christos Palaiologou 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Milad Beiranvand is a better footballer than he was

Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 22 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.

In brief

98 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

12 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Karim Jahanbakhsh damages knee ligaments — 120 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 120 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.

Market

Siah Jamegan turn down Cruz Azul for Reza Hosseini

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Karl Møller 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

In brief

97 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

5 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Karim Jahanbakhsh damages knee ligaments — 127 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 127 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.

Boardroom

Hossein Ebrahimi has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Siah Jamegan can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Market

Toshiki Ando 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

The season belongs to Morteza Cheshmi

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 Siah Jamegan have had the benefit of it.

Market

Cruz Azul watching Reza Hosseini

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Siah Jamegan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Market

Alireza Karimi comes home

The shirt still fits. Alireza Karimi is back at Siah Jamegan, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Othmane Benhamza

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Othmane Benhamza, and the manager let it.

Market

A long bet from Siah Jamegan on Karl Møller

He is 20, and nobody at Siah Jamegan signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

In brief

93 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

8 May 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Christos Palaiologou 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Squad

Reza Hosseini 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.

In brief

92 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

1 May 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mahmoud Talaat

“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.

In brief

91 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Siah Jamegan

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Mido Mostafa

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mido Mostafa, and the manager let it.

In brief

90 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Vouria Gholizadeh keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Siah Jamegan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Reza Hosseini 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.

In brief

84 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

6 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Othmane Benhamza

“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.

In brief

81 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

14 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Siah Jamegan's wait for a win

9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Siah Jamegan has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Karim Jahanbakhsh breaks a bone — 15 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 15 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad keeps Siah Jamegan in it on his own

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.

Squad

Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

Masoud Taremi 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Siah Jamegan come up short against Tractor

Tractor left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

In brief

78 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

24 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Majid Karimi

Successful dribbles: 38. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

A fracture rules Karim Jahanbakhsh out for 37 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Siah Jamegan will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Match

No end in sight to Siah Jamegan's wait for a win

6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Siah Jamegan has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Mahmoud Talaat keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Siah Jamegan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Thiago Henrique is a Siah Jamegan player

The fee is $370.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Naft Tehran drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The terraces

Siah Jamegan spend $370.0K on the signing the town wanted

It is the rarest sequence in football: supporters ask for something, and the club goes and does it. $370.0K for Thiago Henrique, and for one week nobody is complaining about anything.

Boardroom

Siah Jamegan beat the market to Nikitas Synolakis from Saba

Saba will keep picking him until June and will get nothing for him after it. Nikitas Synolakis has pre-agreed a move to Siah Jamegan, and the only people who lose in that arrangement are the ones who let the contract run down.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Reza Hosseini 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.

In brief

77 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

17 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Siah Jamegan make Walberto Agámez the dearest name in their history

$510.0K. Fees like that buy a footballer and rent a debate: every touch will be measured against the number for a season at least.

Market

Siah Jamegan say no — this time

The offer from Persepolis for Morteza Cheshmi 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.

Market

Nelson Eliseche puts it in writing

“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 Siah Jamegan, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

A fracture rules Karim Jahanbakhsh out for 44 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Siah Jamegan will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad keeps Siah Jamegan in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

The wait goes on for Siah Jamegan

5 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.

Squad

Siah Jamegan lose Othmane Benhamza

27 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

The terraces

$510.0K for Walberto Agámez, and Siah Jamegan supporters approve

Boards get told what they have done wrong for years and hear nothing on the days they get it right. This is one of those days: Walberto Agámez from Malavan for $510.0K, and a ticket office having a very good morning.

In brief

75 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Siah Jamegan taken apart

0‑3 to Saba, 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.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 30. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Siah Jamegan boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

Morteza Cheshmi is named among the best

There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Siah Jamegan will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

Faisal Al-Shamrani stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Faisal Al-Shamrani and Siah Jamegan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Siah Jamegan dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

Loan watch

Ashkan Nekounam has seen enough of Malavan

“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 Siah Jamegan, and 0 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

73 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

20 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Chastening afternoon for Siah Jamegan

A 0‑4 beating by Sepahan was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Mahmoud Talaat

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mahmoud Talaat, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Inquest at Siah Jamegan

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.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

72 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

13 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Squad

Reza Hosseini 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.

Match

Siah Jamegan see off Foolad

Three points for Siah Jamegan, 1‑0 the final word against Foolad in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

No hiding place for Majid Karimi

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Majid Karimi, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Morteza Cheshmi

7.94, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Siah Jamegan had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.

Player ratings

Masoud Taremi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

71 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Milad Beiranvand, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 8.43

A mark of 8.43 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Siah Jamegan

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Saeid Khodadad commits to Siah Jamegan for another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Milad Beiranvand 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.

Match

Siah Jamegan find a way past Gostaresh Foulad

Gostaresh Foulad made Siah Jamegan work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

The terraces

Siah Jamegan supporters have found a favourite in Masoud Taremi

There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Masoud Taremi has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.

Loan watch

Ashkan Nekounam wants to come home

“I did not go to Malavan to sit and watch. I want to come back to Siah Jamegan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Morteza Cheshmi

Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

70 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Saeid Khodadad keeps Siah Jamegan in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Reza Hosseini 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.

Match

Esteghlal take the points off Siah Jamegan

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

In brief

69 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Siah Jamegan win it in stoppage time

The board had gone up, the arguing had started, and then the ball was in the net in the 91th minute. Persepolis will replay every second of the added time for a week.

Player ratings

A brace, and Morteza Cheshmi takes the afternoon — 8.23

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Morteza Cheshmi provided it, and the 8.23 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Market

Omid Gholizadeh asks to leave Siah Jamegan

“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.

Match

Siah Jamegan see off Persepolis

Three points for Siah Jamegan, 3‑2 the final word against Persepolis in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Majid Karimi 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 terraces

Siah Jamegan supporters have found a favourite in Nelson Eliseche

There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Nelson Eliseche has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Saeid Khodadad

“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 ratings

Vouria Gholizadeh was on a different afternoon to everybody else

8.07. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.

In brief

66 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Mahmoud Talaat puts it in writing

“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 Siah Jamegan, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Morteza Cheshmi

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

A bad afternoon for Siah Jamegan against Tractor

2‑3 to Tractor, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Reza Hosseini

“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.

In brief

64 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Henrique Salomoni asks to leave Siah Jamegan

“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.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad keeps Siah Jamegan in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Player ratings

Up for the corner, and Nelson Eliseche delivers — 7.00

Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Nelson Eliseche scored, was marked 7.00, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

No end in sight to Siah Jamegan's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Siah Jamegan has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Milad Beiranvand 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Naft Tehran take the points off Siah Jamegan

Beaten 2‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Reza Hosseini 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Saeid Khodadad

“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.

In brief

59 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

7 matches without a win for Siah Jamegan

The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Siah Jamegan are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Ahmad Ghoddos says Siah Jamegan went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Milad Beiranvand 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.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Siah Jamegan come up short against Malavan

Malavan left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

A muscle injury sidelines Masoud Moharrami for 17 days

Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. Siah Jamegan will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.

Market

No place for Shahriar Ghoddos in the plan

“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Shahriar Ghoddos has his answer from Siah Jamegan; what he does with it is the next window’s story.

Player ratings

Omid Gholizadeh never got going

5.64 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.

Market

The clock runs on Shanazar Muhammetnazarov's contract

36 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

In brief

57 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Saeid Khodadad keeps Siah Jamegan in it on his own

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.

Market

Omid Gholizadeh 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 Siah Jamegan can pretend not to have heard.

Match

4 matches without a win for Siah Jamegan

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Siah Jamegan are no longer polite ones.

Match

4 matches without a goal for Siah Jamegan

The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Milad Beiranvand 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.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Siah Jamegan against Foolad

0‑1 to Foolad, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Nelson Eliseche 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.

In brief

54 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Karim Jahanbakhsh breaks a bone — 63 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 63 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Nelson Eliseche signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nelson Eliseche commits to Siah Jamegan for another 4 years.

Squad

Milad Beiranvand 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Siah Jamegan against Persepolis

0‑2 to Persepolis, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

53 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Karim Jahanbakhsh breaks a bone — 70 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 70 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Market

Omid Gholizadeh puts it in writing

“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 Siah Jamegan, and it is not being withdrawn.

Boardroom

The Siah Jamegan board want somebody sold

The instruction has come from upstairs rather than from the dugout, which is the version of this conversation no manager enjoys. Somebody in that squad is now available whether the man who picks the team thinks so or not.

Boardroom

Graduation day at Siah Jamegan

5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.

Squad

Nelson Eliseche signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nelson Eliseche commits to Siah Jamegan for another 4 years.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Milad Beiranvand 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.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Morteza Beiranvand steps up from the Siah Jamegan academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Morteza Beiranvand 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.

Market

One of our own: Milad Cheshmi joins the Siah Jamegan first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Milad Cheshmi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

In brief

52 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Karim Jahanbakhsh breaks a bone — 77 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 77 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ahmad Karimi 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.

In brief

47 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Ahmad Taremi is a better footballer than he was

Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 22 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.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Vouria Gholizadeh 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.

In brief

46 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Siah Jamegan sell their best player to Sepahan

$1.3M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.

Squad

A fracture rules Masoud Moharrami out for 14 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Siah Jamegan will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

The terraces

Supporters turn on the $1.3M sale of Ehsan Taremi

He is going to Sepahan, the club has $1.3M it did not have on Friday, and the phone-ins have already decided how they feel about that. Selling well and selling somebody they loved are not the same skill.

In brief

45 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Masoud Moharrami out for 21 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Siah Jamegan will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Market

Masoud Moharrami puts it in writing

“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 Siah Jamegan, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Siah Jamegan turn down Jagiellonia for Reza Hosseini

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Morteza Mohammadi is a better footballer than he was

Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 23 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.

Squad

A muscle injury sidelines Nelson Eliseche for 14 days

Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. Siah Jamegan will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.

Market

Sepahan are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Siah Jamegan will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

In brief

43 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Masoud Moharrami out for 35 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Siah Jamegan will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Ehsan Taremi 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.

Squad

Saeid Khodadad 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 Siah Jamegan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

37 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Words at Siah Jamegan training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ehsan Taremi 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Saeid Khodadad 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ahmad Karimi

“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.

In brief

17 Edition

The Siah Jamegan Herald

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Siah Jamegan

Ahmad Karimi 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.

Squad

Ehsan Taremi 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.

Match

Saeid Nekounam rescues a point for Siah Jamegan

It needed Saeid Nekounam to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Esteghlal, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

Squad

Salvatore Medici 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 Siah Jamegan, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Player ratings

Morteza Cheshmi runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

The plan did not have a place for Saeid Khodadad

Nobody at Siah Jamegan 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.

In brief