Marked for Samir Mammadov
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom27 Feb 2034
The scrutiny sharpens at Shimal
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Shimal is running low.
Market27 Feb 2034
“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.
Squad27 Feb 2034
Words exchanged at Shimal
Kevin Rüegg 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.
Squad27 Feb 2034
A row about effort at Shimal
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Cavanşir Şahbazli was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad27 Feb 2034
46 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
The dugout27 Feb 2034
Kevin Rüegg 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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces20 Feb 2034
The mood at Shimal has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Market20 Feb 2034
“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.
Squad20 Feb 2034
17 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad20 Feb 2034
A falling-out at Shimal
Elmin Bayramov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout20 Feb 2034
Lucas Roman gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Lucas Roman is on it.
Market20 Feb 2034
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout20 Feb 2034
The manager has not finished forgetting Aleksandro Skënderaj's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout20 Feb 2034
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Samir Mammadov, and the manager let it.
Market20 Feb 2034
3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Shimal money.