The Rudes Chronicle
Squad24 Jul 2028
Felipe Curcio damages knee ligaments — 92 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 92 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.
Match22 Jul 2028
Nowhere to hide for Rudes
0‑4 against NK Osijek, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad24 Jul 2028
A one-man rearguard from Karlo Kralj
There were 9 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.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Ante Sušak 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.
Market24 Jul 2028
Slaven Belupo come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Rudes did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Karlo Kralj 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 Rudes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom24 Jul 2028
5 academy graduates step up at Rudes
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Transfer targets24 Jul 2028
Botafogo tell Rudes: Cássio Acosta is not for sale
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.
Market24 Jul 2028
Dario Livaja steps up from the Rudes academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Dario Livaja 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.
In brief
- Market Rudes promote Matej Colak from within
- Market Goran Kovac steps up from the Rudes academy
- The dugout Karlo Kralj gets it from the manager