Marked for Marko Lipp
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 Sep 2030
Only the photograph left for Daniiar Üsenov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Daniiar Üsenov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Tobol the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad23 Sep 2030
Oybek Shomurodov 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. Oybek Shomurodov has, at Tobol, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Squad23 Sep 2030
Roman Asrankulov 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.
Squad23 Sep 2030
Words exchanged at Tobol
Abzal Beysebekov 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.
Squad23 Sep 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Marko Lipp and Tobol agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout23 Sep 2030
Roman Asrankulov has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Tobol will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout23 Sep 2030
The manager has not finished forgetting Yury Zhuravlev'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.
Market23 Sep 2030
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Daniil Ustimenko signs something — a contract at Tobol or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market23 Sep 2030
“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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jan 2030
“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.
Market28 Jan 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market28 Jan 2030
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Patrick Genro Veelma is a Vaprus player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad28 Jan 2030
Usalifa Indi 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 Vaprus this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets28 Jan 2030
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.
Squad28 Jan 2030
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. Vaprus will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
The dugout28 Jan 2030
Tristan Pajo 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 Tristan Pajo is on it.
Market28 Jan 2030
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Vaprus, another week without a signature from Patrick Genro Veelma.
The dugout28 Jan 2030
Marko Lipp is still paying for one afternoon at Vaprus
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
Squad31 Dec 2029
Vladimir Avilov damages knee ligaments — 36 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 36 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.
Squad31 Dec 2029
A falling-out at Vaprus
Tristan Pajo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad31 Dec 2029
Evgeniy Voyna 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad3 Dec 2029
A knee injury of the worst kind for Vladimir Avilov
64 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Vaprus lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market3 Dec 2029
“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.
Squad3 Dec 2029
A falling-out at Vaprus
Tristan Pajo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Boardroom3 Dec 2029
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
Squad3 Dec 2029
Evgeniy Voyna 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.
Squad3 Dec 2029
5 new faces, and Vaprus are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugout3 Dec 2029
Tristan Pajo 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 Tristan Pajo is on it.
The dugout3 Dec 2029
Marko Lipp 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.
The dugout3 Dec 2029
Henri Sulovari 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 Henri Sulovari trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Nov 2029
Vladimir Avilov damages knee ligaments — 93 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 93 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 Nov 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Roman Lisovskiy commits to Vaprus for another 4 years.
Squad5 Nov 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Vaprus this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout5 Nov 2029
Tristan Pajo 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 Tristan Pajo is on it.
Market5 Nov 2029
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Vaprus, another week without a signature from Henri Sulovari.
The dugout5 Nov 2029
Marko Lipp 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
Squad8 Oct 2029
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Vaprus know it.
Squad8 Oct 2029
Usalifa Indi 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 Vaprus this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Oct 2029
Words at Vaprus training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Victory Iboro 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
Uneasy
Market10 Sep 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Vaprus can pretend not to have heard.
Squad10 Sep 2029
A falling-out at Vaprus
Tristan Pajo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Boardroom10 Sep 2029
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
Transfer targets10 Sep 2029
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.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Words at Vaprus training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Henri Sulovari 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 dugout10 Sep 2029
The manager makes an example of Henri Sulovari
“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 dugout10 Sep 2029
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout10 Sep 2029
Marko Lipp 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.
Market10 Sep 2029
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Rosen Koychev has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Vaprus.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Aug 2029
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Nomme Kalju waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Vaprus is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Transfer targets13 Aug 2029
The clubs have shaken hands with Flora; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
Squad13 Aug 2029
A falling-out at Vaprus
Tristan Pajo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets13 Aug 2029
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.
Squad13 Aug 2029
A row about effort at Vaprus
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mathias Palts was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout13 Aug 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Henri Sulovari, and the manager let it.
Transfer targets13 Aug 2029
A loan enquiry to Paide: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout13 Aug 2029
Tristan Pajo 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 Tristan Pajo is on it.
Market13 Aug 2029
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Vaprus, another week without a signature from Henri Sulovari.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Jul 2029
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Vaprus people have started saying his name in the past tense.
The dugout16 Jul 2029
This is not rotation. Moussa Sambe has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Vaprus is pretending otherwise.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Usalifa Indi 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 Vaprus this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets16 Jul 2029
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.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Words at Vaprus training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mathias Palts 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.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Kevin Aloe is not the player he was
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 34 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
The dugout16 Jul 2029
Marko Lipp 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.
The dugout16 Jul 2029
Tristan Pajo 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 Tristan Pajo is on it.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Player of the week, judged against every other man in the division. A small award, and one most careers never collect.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Jul 2029
“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.
Match30 Jun 2029
5 matches without a win for Vaprus
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Vaprus are no longer polite ones.
The dugout2 Jul 2029
Henri Sulovari: 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.” Vaprus have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Transfer targets2 Jul 2029
The deal with Flora is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Market2 Jul 2029
The phone has started ringing about Moussa Sambe again, and this time the name on the line is Nomme Kalju. Vaprus are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad2 Jul 2029
Tempers go at Vaprus
Kirill Semashko 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 targets2 Jul 2029
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.
Squad2 Jul 2029
Mathias Palts 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 dugout2 Jul 2029
“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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Player ratings
Both jobs done by Usalifa Indi — 6.82
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Player ratings
Luciano Sanchez was on a different afternoon to everybody else
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Boardroom
Vaprus sign 6 boys into the academy
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout21 May 2029
Henri Sulovari: 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.” Vaprus have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The dugout21 May 2029
This is not rotation. Moussa Sambe has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Vaprus is pretending otherwise.
Squad21 May 2029
Words exchanged at Vaprus
Tristan Pajo 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.
Squad21 May 2029
A row about effort at Vaprus
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mathias Palts was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout21 May 2029
The manager makes an example of Marko Lipp
“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.
Player ratings21 May 2029
Tristan Pajo beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 14. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout21 May 2029
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Konstantin Dmitrijev chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
Looking ahead21 May 2029
The leaders are next for Vaprus
Flora top the table and they are coming into view. Nothing to lose, which is what every manager says before losing.
Match19 May 2029
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Harju JK Laagri came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market19 Mar 2029
Moussa Sambe has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Vaprus they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
Marko Bachna: 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.” Vaprus have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match17 Mar 2029
After 9 games, Vaprus finally taste it again
The first defeat in 9 matches. The manager will say it had to come; the dressing room will say it did not have to come against Flora; the supporters will say both, in that order, all week.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Words exchanged at Vaprus
Roman Lisovskiy 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.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Mathias Palts 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.
Match17 Mar 2029
Vaprus come up short against Flora
Flora left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings19 Mar 2029
Successful dribbles: 18. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Market19 Mar 2029
No place for Marko Lipp in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Marko Lipp has his answer from Vaprus; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marko Lipp, and the manager let it.
In brief
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
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Squad
Luciano Sanchez named player of the week
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The dugout
The manager has not finished forgetting Henri Sulovari's mistake