Patrick Grillitsch

Goalkeeper - Dinamo Minsk
3 Sep 2045
Sunday
Process

Marked for Patrick Grillitsch

954 Edition

The HJK Courier

7 Nov 2044
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Uriel Ramos damages knee ligaments — 82 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 82 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

Ethan Luvambano keeps the receipts

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

Market

Only the photograph left for Andras Dibusz

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Andras Dibusz will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Uriel Ramos stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Uriel Ramos and HJK agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Iivo Nybäck 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 HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Inquest at HJK

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.

In brief

Back issues
926 Edition

The HJK Courier

25 Apr 2044
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Mihael Kelava damages knee ligaments — 32 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 32 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

A brace, and Aaron Issumo takes the afternoon — 9.26

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Aaron Issumo provided it, and the 9.26 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Squad

Cedric Ndoye keeps the receipts

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

Market

Frankie Runham is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Player ratings

Ethan Luvambano, 37, rolls back the years — 7.81

There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.81 at 37, and nobody on the pitch was better.

Match

HJK make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now HJK have 3 straight wins of it.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Iivo Nybäck 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

Frankie Runham 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

HJK get the job done against Ilves

A 3‑1 win over Ilves, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

In brief

920 Edition

The HJK Courier

14 Mar 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Only the photograph left for Mihael Kelava

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Mihael Kelava will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Patrick Grillitsch asks to leave HJK

“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.

Market

HJK turn down Inter Turku for Duje Bilic

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

Market

Eyes on Antonin Masopust again

The phone has started ringing about Antonin Masopust again, and this time the name on the line is IFK Mariehamn. HJK are listening politely and promising nothing.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Iivo Nybäck 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

Steven Pearson stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Steven Pearson and HJK agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

919 Edition

The HJK Courier

7 Mar 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Aatu Koivuporras has been here 18 seasons

48 appearances across 18 seasons in one shirt. Nobody builds a career like that on purpose any more; it happens to a certain kind of footballer at a certain kind of club.

Market

HJK say no — this time

The offer from FC Lahti for Iivo Nybäck 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.

Squad

Patrick Grillitsch breaks a bone — 21 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 21 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Market

Mark Butler 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 HJK can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Iivo Nybäck 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 HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Only the photograph left for Andras Dibusz

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Andras Dibusz will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

In brief

918 Edition

The HJK Courier

29 Feb 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Only the photograph left for Frankie Runham

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Frankie Runham will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Roberts Kukulis 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 HJK, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

A fracture rules Patrick Grillitsch out for 29 days

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

Market

HJK say no — this time

The offer from Inter Turku for Steven Pearson 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

Mihael Kelava’s move to FF Jaro falls through

The deal that would have taken Mihael Kelava to FF Jaro has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to HJK with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Iivo Nybäck 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

  • Squad Words at HJK training over how hard people work
  • Squad Ilkka Soiri out for 15 days
  • Boardroom HJK keep producing them
  • Boardroom The HJK board choose calm
917 Edition

The HJK Courier

22 Feb 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Frankie Runham asks to leave HJK

“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

Patrick Grillitsch breaks a bone — 37 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 37 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

HJK are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 32 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Market

HJK turn down FF Jaro for Mihael Kelava

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

Market

Cedric Vargas is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

IFK Mariehamn watching Steven Pearson

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

In brief

916 Edition

The HJK Courier

15 Feb 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

HJK say no — this time

The offer from Ilves for Frankie Runham 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.

Squad

Patrick Grillitsch breaks a bone — 45 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 45 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Market

Kaan Soiri 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 HJK can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Iivo Nybäck 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 HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at HJK training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Frankie Runham 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.

Market

RoPS expected to open talks for Antonin Masopust

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. HJK will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

915 Edition

The HJK Courier

8 Feb 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

HJK turn down FF Jaro for Iivo Nybäck

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

Squad

A fracture rules Patrick Grillitsch out for 53 days

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

Market

Nathan Hamilton 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 HJK can pretend not to have heard.

Market

VPS watching Antonin Masopust

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

Squad

Aaron Issumo signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Aaron Issumo and HJK agree another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Iivo Nybäck 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

914 Edition

The HJK Courier

1 Feb 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Patrick Grillitsch out for 62 days

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

Market

Mihael Kelava 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 HJK, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Duje Bilic is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Iivo Nybäck 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 HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Uriel Ramos 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.

Market

No place for Roberts Kukulis in the plan

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

In brief

  • Squad The manager makes an example of Ollie Harrison
  • Market Frankie Runham runs his contract down
  • Boardroom The HJK production line keeps running
  • Boardroom The HJK board choose calm
913 Edition

The HJK Courier

25 Jan 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Patrick Grillitsch out for 69 days

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

Match

HJK up to position 3

32 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Iivo Nybäck 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

912 Edition

The HJK Courier

18 Jan 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Patrick Grillitsch out for 76 days

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

Market

Nathan Hamilton has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HJK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Iivo Nybäck 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 HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

911 Edition

The HJK Courier

11 Jan 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Patrick Grillitsch out for 83 days

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

Market

Only the photograph left for Paul Richardson

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Paul Richardson will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Iivo Nybäck 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

  • Squad Mark Thompson gets the move he always wanted
  • Squad Words at HJK training over how hard people work
  • Market HJK shop where it costs nothing
  • Market Édouard Da Silva leaves for nothing
910 Edition

The HJK Courier

4 Jan 2044
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Patrick Grillitsch breaks a bone — 91 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 91 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

The season belongs to Iivo Nybäck

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 HJK have had the benefit of it.

Market

Duje Bilic has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HJK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Aaron Issumo 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 HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ollie Harrison signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ollie Harrison and HJK agree another 2 years.

Market

The clock does Frankie Runham’s negotiating for him

7 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee HJK could ask drops and the wages Frankie Runham can ask rise.

In brief

  • Boardroom The HJK production line keeps running
  • Boardroom The HJK board choose calm
909 Edition

The HJK Courier

28 Dec 2043
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Patrick Grillitsch breaks a bone — 100 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 100 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

HJK up to position 3

32 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Nuño Denayer says HJK 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.

In brief

905 Edition

The HJK Courier

30 Nov 2043
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Uriel Ramos breaks a bone — 27 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 27 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

HJK are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 32 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Market

Andrea Locatelli is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

In brief