The Balzan Post
Market26 Jun 2028
Yousuf Toure 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 Balzan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Jun 2028
A row about effort at Balzan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Herick was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Tempers go at Balzan
Luis Gabriel 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.
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
Balzan cannot sign anybody
The embargo bars a fee being paid for a player, whatever the manager thinks the squad needs. Every rumour printed about this club between now and its lifting is a rumour about a deal that cannot happen.
Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
Balzan ask about Oltis Shabani
A loan enquiry to Tarxien Rainbows: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
Balzan ask about Louis Vital
A loan enquiry to Valletta: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
Herick knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Herick trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
Jake Engerer 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.
Market26 Jun 2028
Herick linked with a move away
The name of Herick keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Balzan say nothing, which says plenty.
In brief
- Market The shop window has Clive Gauci in it
- The dugout Oluwatobiloba Dimeji Awosanya keeps his manager's vote
- Squad Alex Mintoff is fit again