Marked for Mikko Rantala
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces13 Sep 2027
The mood at RoPS 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.
Market13 Sep 2027
“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.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad13 Sep 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad13 Sep 2027
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Robin Book was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The division's best last weekend was a RoPS man
It is a small honour and it is not nothing: somebody watched every match in the division and decided that Onni Suutari was the best thing in any of them.
Market13 Sep 2027
Mikko Rantala is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at RoPS has been clear about where Mikko Rantala stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Valtteri Viiri, and the manager let it.
Market13 Sep 2027
The Onni Suutari talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. RoPS know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match30 Aug 2027
RoPS are in real trouble now
Position 10, 14 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Match28 Aug 2027
No end in sight to RoPS's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at RoPS has to find a result from somewhere.
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at RoPS
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at RoPS is running low.
Market30 Aug 2027
“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 RoPS, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout30 Aug 2027
“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.
Match28 Aug 2027
4 matches without a goal for RoPS
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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Tempers go at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt 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.
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. RoPS will try again when the window opens; Inter Turku may not be selling by then.
Squad30 Aug 2027
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Robin Book was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces24 May 2027
The mood at RoPS 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.
Market24 May 2027
“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.
The dugout24 May 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad24 May 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad24 May 2027
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Robin Book 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.
Match22 May 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad24 May 2027
45 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout24 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mikko Rantala, and the manager let it.
The dugout24 May 2027
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces26 Apr 2027
Supporters organise against the RoPS board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Squad26 Apr 2027
16 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. RoPS lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market26 Apr 2027
Topias Listo 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 RoPS can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 36 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad26 Apr 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match24 Apr 2027
RoPS come up short against KuPS
KuPS left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Topias Listo
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Apr 2027
Mikko Rantala damages knee ligaments — 23 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 23 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.
Market19 Apr 2027
“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 RoPS, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad19 Apr 2027
There were 8 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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
A fracture rules Oskari Haanpää out for 44 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason RoPS will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
A brace, and Tomas Varhi takes the afternoon — 8.31
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Tomas Varhi provided it, and the 8.31 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
“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.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad19 Apr 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match17 Apr 2027
It finished 3‑2, and it was Tomas Varhi’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to RoPS.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad12 Apr 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Mikko Rantala
31 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. RoPS lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 52 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market12 Apr 2027
Only the photograph left for Tino Korhonen
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Tino Korhonen will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around RoPS the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Robin Book 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 RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Apr 2027
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aapo Savolainen was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match10 Apr 2027
Ilves take the points off RoPS
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market12 Apr 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Saku Joronen 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.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“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.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
In brief
-
The dugout
The manager has not finished forgetting Tomas Varhi's mistake
-
Boardroom
No investment in the facilities at RoPS
-
Player ratings
Onni Suutari keeps on missing
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad5 Apr 2027
Mikko Rantala damages knee ligaments — 38 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 38 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.
Squad5 Apr 2027
A fracture rules Oskari Haanpää out for 59 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason RoPS will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market5 Apr 2027
“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 RoPS, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom5 Apr 2027
RoPS close the window on a squad of their own making
5 in and 0 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Market5 Apr 2027
KTP come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and RoPS did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad5 Apr 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Robin Book and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets5 Apr 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Ilves have kept their man, and RoPS go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Juuso Polvi 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.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mikko Rantala, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces29 Mar 2027
The mood at RoPS 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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Mikko Rantala damages knee ligaments — 45 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 45 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.
Boardroom29 Mar 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at RoPS
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market29 Mar 2027
“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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
66 days out for Oskari Haanpää after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. RoPS will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad29 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Robin Book 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.
Transfer targets29 Mar 2027
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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad22 Mar 2027
53 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. RoPS lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market22 Mar 2027
“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 RoPS, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Mar 2027
74 days out for Oskari Haanpää after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. RoPS will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Tempers go at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Aapo Savolainen 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.
The dugout22 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jonne Koistinen, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad15 Mar 2027
61 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. RoPS lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 82 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Robin Book 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 RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets15 Mar 2027
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.
Market15 Mar 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Urho Soiri 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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Valtteri Viiri commits to RoPS for another 3 years.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Tomas Varhi is still paying for one afternoon at RoPS
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Tatu Lakela 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.
Market15 Mar 2027
The name of Onni Suutari keeps appearing in other people's back pages. RoPS say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad8 Mar 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Mikko Rantala
68 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. RoPS lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad8 Mar 2027
89 days out for Oskari Haanpää after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. RoPS will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market8 Mar 2027
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around RoPS people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Market8 Mar 2027
“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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Robin Book and RoPS agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Tempers go at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces1 Mar 2027
Anger at RoPS spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Squad1 Mar 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Mikko Rantala
76 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. RoPS lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Boardroom1 Mar 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at RoPS
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 97 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market1 Mar 2027
“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.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad1 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aapo Savolainen 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.
Transfer targets1 Mar 2027
A loan move for David Ezeh is in the works
RoPS have made the call to HJK. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad22 Feb 2027
83 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. RoPS lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market22 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what RoPS can pretend not to have heard.
Market22 Feb 2027
Tino Korhonen has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around RoPS they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Transfer targets22 Feb 2027
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: VPS keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Tempers go at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Juuso Polvi was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
Tatu Lakela 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.
Market22 Feb 2027
He is 20, and nobody at RoPS signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Lorenzo Caronti and RoPS agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad15 Feb 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Mikko Rantala
90 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. RoPS lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt 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.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
Ilves wanted more than $57.0K and the board would not go there. Walked away, for now, which in a transfer window means until somebody blinks.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kimi Isometsä commits to RoPS for another 4 years.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Robin Book 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.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“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.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Tomas Varhi'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 dugout15 Feb 2027
Mikko Rantala 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.
Market15 Feb 2027
The name of Onni Suutari keeps appearing in other people's back pages. RoPS say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad8 Feb 2027
Mikko Rantala damages knee ligaments — 98 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 98 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.
Market8 Feb 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and KTP waiting with a shirt. Nobody at RoPS is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
“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.
Market8 Feb 2027
“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 RoPS, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets8 Feb 2027
Everything agreed with KTP, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Robin Book and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets8 Feb 2027
RoPS have gone to Ilves with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Fabio Deviardi gets the move he always wanted
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Fabio Deviardi has just signed for RoPS, and for once the answer mattered.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aapo Savolainen 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad1 Feb 2027
The knee: Mikko Rantala out for 106 days
106 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. RoPS lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The terraces1 Feb 2027
Anger at RoPS spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at RoPS
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market1 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what RoPS can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad1 Feb 2027
Pietro La Ruffa arrives at the club he grew up with
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Pietro La Ruffa has, at RoPS, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Juuso Polvi 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.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Veeti Katermaa, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Jan 2027
The knee: Mikko Rantala out for 114 days
114 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. RoPS lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market25 Jan 2027
“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.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
“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.
Squad25 Jan 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Jan 2027
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Robin Book was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Mikko Rantala
121 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. RoPS lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” RoPS may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Robin Book 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 RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aapo Savolainen 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Weeti Wimmer, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
Tomas Varhi is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
The knee: Mikko Rantala out for 128 days
128 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. RoPS lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad11 Jan 2027
A falling-out at RoPS
Robin Book and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market11 Jan 2027
One of our own: Jasse Sparv joins the RoPS first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Jasse Sparv is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market11 Jan 2027
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Paulus Karjalainen 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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Juuso Polvi 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.
Market11 Jan 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Aapo Savolainen’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Mikko Rantala has written the date down.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
Eelis Taskila 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 RoPS, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market11 Jan 2027
RoPS have let the market know Arttu Leppänen can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces4 Jan 2027
Supporters organise against the RoPS board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Boardroom4 Jan 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at RoPS
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at RoPS is running low.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad4 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Jan 2027
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Robin Book was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Weeti Wimmer in trouble away from the ground
Every paper's favourite story and every manager's least. What happened is being dealt with internally, which is the phrase clubs use when they would rather nobody asked again.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Training ground row involving Weeti Wimmer
Tempers went at RoPS this week. Nothing a hard session and a quiet word cannot repair, though the story got out all the same.
Boardroom4 Jan 2027
$1.8M taken back off the RoPS table
What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.
Market4 Jan 2027
The shop window has Topias Listo in it
RoPS have let the market know Topias Listo can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Dec 2026
“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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Robin Book 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 RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Veeti Katermaa commits to RoPS for another 3 years.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Juuso Polvi was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mikko Rantala, and the manager let it.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Tomas Varhi is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” RoPS may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Tempers go at RoPS
Alexander Berntsson 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Benjamin Simsek and RoPS agree another 3 years.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Robin Book 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.
Market14 Dec 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Juha Jensen 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.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Juuso Polvi 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 RoPS, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces7 Dec 2026
Supporters organise against the RoPS board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Juuso Polvi was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tatu Lakela, and the manager let it.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Lloyd Ojo commits to RoPS for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Nov 2026
Topias Listo 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 RoPS can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” RoPS may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Tempers go at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Juuso Polvi 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.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Valtteri Vatanen, and the manager let it.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
Tatu Lakela 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 Tatu Lakela trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Nov 2026
A falling-out at RoPS
Robin Book and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Nov 2026
A muscle injury sidelines Simo Roiha for 17 days
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. RoPS will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aapo Savolainen 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.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mikko Rantala, and the manager let it.
Market16 Nov 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Aapo Savolainen’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at RoPS. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Market9 Nov 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Antti Ojala 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.
Market9 Nov 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Amos Hradecky 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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Juuso Polvi 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.
Market9 Nov 2026
The shop window has Topias Listo in it
RoPS have let the market know Topias Listo can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager makes Mikko Rantala a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at RoPS. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” RoPS may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad2 Nov 2026
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Robin Book was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at RoPS
Veeti Katermaa 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.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Tomas Varhi 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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
RoPS will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Squad2 Nov 2026
A strip of cloth that decides nothing on the pitch and tells the dressing room whose opinion counts. The manager has made a statement without making one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Kimi Isometsä: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” RoPS have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Robin Book 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 RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Joel Niska and RoPS agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aapo Savolainen 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.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Oskari Väistö 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 Oskari Väistö trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Tomas Varhi is still paying for one afternoon at RoPS
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” RoPS may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A falling-out at RoPS
Robin Book and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Juuso Polvi was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
RoPS are still strangers to each other
9 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
Oskari Väistö 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 RoPS, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Oct 2026
“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.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” RoPS may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad12 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Robin Book 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.
Market12 Oct 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Eero Ojala 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.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kimi Isometsä, and the manager let it.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
Arttu Leppänen 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 Arttu Leppänen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Mikko Rantala has written the date down.
Market12 Oct 2026
RoPS have let the market know Arttu Leppänen can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Oct 2026
“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 RoPS, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Tempers go at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aapo Savolainen was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“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.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
Arttu Leppänen 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 Arttu Leppänen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and RoPS will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Sep 2026
Robin Book 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 RoPS this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Juuso Polvi 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.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager has not finished forgetting Tomas Varhi'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 dugout28 Sep 2026
“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.
Market28 Sep 2026
The name of Onni Suutari keeps appearing in other people's back pages. RoPS say nothing, which says plenty.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Sep 2026
Tempers go at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt 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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Robin Book 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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Too much change too quickly at RoPS
9 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Tomas Varhi 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.
Market21 Sep 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Aapo Savolainen’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The manager makes Mikko Rantala a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at RoPS. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Sep 2026
9 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what RoPS can pretend not to have heard.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Tempers go at RoPS
Robin Book 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.
Match5 Sep 2026
At last: RoPS win one
6 matches without a win, and then this, against VPS. Relief is a strange noise in a football ground and it was the only noise at the end.
The terraces7 Sep 2026
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Match5 Sep 2026
RoPS get the job done against VPS
A 1‑0 win over VPS, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Juuso Polvi 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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 8.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jonne Koistinen, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match29 Aug 2026
The wait goes on for RoPS
6 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.
Match29 Aug 2026
The goals have deserted RoPS
5 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at RoPS can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at RoPS
Finn Heiserholt 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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
A row about effort at RoPS
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Robin Book was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alexander Berntsson, and the manager let it.
Match29 Aug 2026
SJK take the points off RoPS
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑1 Saku Sparv left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Mikko Rantala
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
Tomas Varhi is still paying for one afternoon at RoPS
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 15 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match22 Aug 2026
No end in sight to RoPS's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at RoPS has to find a result from somewhere.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
No deal for Pyry Mentu at that price
RoPS offered $530.0K; HJK said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Match22 Aug 2026
RoPS cannot find the net
4 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Market24 Aug 2026
The shirt still fits. Weeti Wimmer is back at RoPS, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A falling-out at RoPS
Robin Book and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Words at RoPS training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aapo Savolainen 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.
Match22 Aug 2026
HJK take the points off RoPS
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“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
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Squad
Too much change too quickly at RoPS
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The dugout
Saku Sparv faces the questions
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The dugout
Mikko Rantala dropped after a run of poor form