Marked for Yoann Cathline
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Dec 2027
Beaten 0‑4 by Excelsior, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Boardroom27 Dec 2027
Doors closed at Utrecht
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Shots: 9, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Adrian Blake 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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Victor Jensen is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.23 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
The one thing Grejohn Kyei could not do
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
The terraces27 Dec 2027
Everybody has an opinion about Vasilis Barkas
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match12 Dec 2027
14 unbeaten for Utrecht
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 14 matches without defeat is a foundation Utrecht did not have in the autumn.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match12 Dec 2027
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3‑0 against Djurgarden, and it could have been more.
Squad13 Dec 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Utrecht may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Squad13 Dec 2027
A season average of 7.59 with 7 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
Marked 9.26 — 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.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
Marked 8.96 — 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.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.74, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match29 Nov 2027
Utrecht are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 33 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad29 Nov 2027
There were 7 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.
Match28 Nov 2027
11 unbeaten for Utrecht
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Utrecht did not have in the autumn.
Squad29 Nov 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Utrecht may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Zidane Iqbal left out for the big one
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Zidane Iqbal will call it something else in private.
Match28 Nov 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Match27 Nov 2027
Utrecht and Roda take a point apiece
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match20 Nov 2027
3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Defensive actions: 32. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad22 Nov 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.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Defensive actions: 25, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad22 Nov 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Nov 2027
A season average of 7.53 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
A performance of 9.31 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Marked 9.12 — 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.
Squad22 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Matthew Craig
“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
Triumph
Match10 Nov 2027
Utrecht march on in the cup
NEC are out and Utrecht go through, 2‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 28 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 27 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Nobody could get near David Min
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
A defender's afternoon for Zidane Iqbal
Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match13 Nov 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Matisse Didden. 1‑0 against Willem II, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad15 Nov 2027
A season average of 7.47 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Siebe Horemans, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 Nov 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match7 Nov 2027
Whatever happens, Utrecht do not lose
6 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Match7 Nov 2027
Three points for Utrecht, 2‑1 the final word against Valerenga in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
A performance of 8.94 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.77, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
Marked 8.36 — 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.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
A performance of 8.37 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad8 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Noah Ohio
“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.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Miliano Jonathans commits to Utrecht for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad1 Nov 2027
3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.
Match1 Nov 2027
Utrecht up to position 3
25 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Market1 Nov 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.
Match30 Oct 2027
Nobody wants to play Utrecht right now
4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Market1 Nov 2027
“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Match30 Oct 2027
Three points for Utrecht, 3‑2 the final word against De Graafschap in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad1 Nov 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.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.79, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad18 Oct 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Utrecht may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Match16 Oct 2027
ADO Den Haag made Utrecht work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.04, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.89, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.67, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.54, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad18 Oct 2027
A season average of 7.39 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad18 Oct 2027
43 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Oct 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad11 Oct 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings11 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad11 Oct 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.
Match9 Oct 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Yoann Cathline
4 goals and a season average of 7.31 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match3 Oct 2027
Still nobody has beaten Utrecht
The unbeaten run reaches 15. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Michael Brouwer commits to Utrecht for another 2 years.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Match3 Oct 2027
A 3‑2 win over Djurgarden, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
Marked 9.35 — 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.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Vasilis Barkas
“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 ratings4 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.94, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
A performance of 8.12 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad27 Sep 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match25 Sep 2027
13 unbeaten for Utrecht
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Utrecht did not have in the autumn.
Squad27 Sep 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.91 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch27 Sep 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Utrecht, and 3 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad27 Sep 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.
Match25 Sep 2027
A 1‑1 draw with Heerenveen leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad27 Sep 2027
A season average of 7.23 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match19 Sep 2027
12 unbeaten for Utrecht
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation Utrecht did not have in the autumn.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alonzo Engwanda and Utrecht agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Marked 10.00 — 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.
Match19 Sep 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Yoann Cathline. 4‑2 against Olympiacos, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Match18 Sep 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Grejohn Kyei. 3‑1 against Vitesse, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Marked 9.12 — 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.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Marked 9.04 — 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Grejohn Kyei, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad13 Sep 2027
There were 7 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.
Match11 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Utrecht
The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Michael Brouwer, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad13 Sep 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.95, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad13 Sep 2027
25 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.34, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match11 Sep 2027
Utrecht share the spoils with AZ
A 2‑2 draw with AZ leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 11. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match4 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Utrecht
The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A performance of 9.22 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match4 Sep 2027
Cambuur made Utrecht work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.60 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Marked 8.35 — 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.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Shots: 11, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
$14.4M on the table at Utrecht
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jessey Sneijder and Utrecht agree another 5 years.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market30 Aug 2027
Bryan Linssen 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 Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
Match28 Aug 2027
Still nobody has beaten Utrecht
The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad30 Aug 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 19 days on the sidelines for Noah Ohio, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad30 Aug 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad30 Aug 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.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.75, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.52 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match28 Aug 2027
3‑3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match21 Aug 2027
Nobody wants to play Utrecht right now
4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Market23 Aug 2027
NEC pay $1.0M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Match21 Aug 2027
Twente made Utrecht work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.24, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.52, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.35, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Teun Promes and Utrecht agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 30, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad16 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.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad16 Aug 2027
48 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad16 Aug 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Yoann Cathline and Utrecht agree another 4 years.
Match14 Aug 2027
Nobody wants to play Utrecht right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad16 Aug 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market16 Aug 2027
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Quincy Gravenberch is a Utrecht player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market16 Aug 2027
As if he never left: Marten Depay returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Marten Depay is a Utrecht player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Jul 2027
The medical room confirms 86 days on the sidelines for Noah Ohio, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Yoann Cathline 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.
Market5 Jul 2027
Willem II pay $560.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad5 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Yoann Cathline
“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.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Alonzo Engwanda 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.
Market5 Jul 2027
The Grejohn Kyei story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Grejohn Kyei signs something — a contract at Utrecht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Jun 2027
Yoann Cathline: 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.” Utrecht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market28 Jun 2027
Twente come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Utrecht did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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
Uneasy
Market21 Jun 2027
Utrecht say no — this time
The offer from Ajax for Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Squad21 Jun 2027
119 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market21 Jun 2027
Only the photograph left for Bryan Linssen
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Bryan Linssen will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Utrecht the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad21 Jun 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Grejohn Kyei
“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.
Loan watch21 Jun 2027
33 appearances away from home and 5 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 2027
Utrecht say no — this time
The offer from PSV for Yoann Cathline 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Utrecht may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad7 Jun 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Bryan Linssen, and the manager let it.
Market7 Jun 2027
“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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Zidane Iqbal 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom17 May 2027
Qualification is done, and next season the floodlights come on for something bigger. A stage for the players, oxygen for the accounts and a passport for everybody else.
Squad17 May 2027
Massien Ghaddari: 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.” Utrecht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad17 May 2027
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 Utrecht have had the benefit of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad10 May 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 May 2027
The medical room confirms 36 days on the sidelines for Daeley Naber, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad10 May 2027
Yoann Cathline 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 May 2027
“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Utrecht heard it as anything else.
Squad3 May 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Loan watch3 May 2027
“I watch every Utrecht game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Portimonense runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad3 May 2027
Yoann Cathline 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 Yoann Cathline trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Loan watch3 May 2027
The goals keep arriving from Geronimo Venloo’s exile
5 goals in 29 games at De Graafschap — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Utrecht updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Squad3 May 2027
The manager plants his flag on Alonzo Engwanda
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Alonzo Engwanda’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market29 Mar 2027
Bryan Linssen has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Utrecht may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Michael Brouwer 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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Yoann Cathline
8 goals and a season average of 7.50 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Match27 Mar 2027
It finished 3‑1, and it was Sami Bouhoudane’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Utrecht.
Squad29 Mar 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.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Marked 8.87 — 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.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.36, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Mar 2027
3 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 33 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match20 Mar 2027
No end in sight to Utrecht's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utrecht has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad22 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad22 Mar 2027
10 goals and a season average of 7.32. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.
Loan watch22 Mar 2027
“I did not go to Twente to sit and watch. I want to come back to Utrecht and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 35. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Michael Brouwer and Utrecht agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match6 Mar 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Miguel Rodríguez
8 goals and a season average of 7.32 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad8 Mar 2027
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Utrecht pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
The terraces8 Mar 2027
Everybody has an opinion about Grejohn Kyei
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 5.60, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 5.75, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
Defensive actions: 33. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market1 Mar 2027
Only the photograph left for Bryan Linssen
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Bryan Linssen will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Utrecht the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
8 goals and a season average of 7.52. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
Marked 9.20 — 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.
Match27 Feb 2027
Three points for Utrecht, 2‑1 the final word against De Graafschap in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.87, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match27 Feb 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Victor Jensen. 1‑0 against Kayserispor, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Feb 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Feb 2027
10 goals and a season average of 7.34. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Marked 8.94 — 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Grejohn Kyei 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.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.74, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Marked 8.05 — 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Loan watch22 Feb 2027
“I did not go to Twente to sit and watch. I want to come back to Utrecht and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Match20 Feb 2027
It needed Gjivai Zechiël to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Groningen, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Feb 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match13 Feb 2027
A 3‑2 win over ADO Den Haag, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.17, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
A performance of 9.10 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
A performance of 8.87 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad15 Feb 2027
6 goals and a season average of 7.46. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Loan watch15 Feb 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Utrecht, and 1 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Feb 2027
There were 7 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.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Defensive actions: 25. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Defensive actions: 25, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad8 Feb 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.14, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Loan watch8 Feb 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Utrecht, and 0 appearances in 26 say he has earned the hearing.
Match6 Feb 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Yoann Cathline. 1‑0 against Feyenoord, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Marked 8.20 — 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A season average of 7.41 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 33. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad25 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Grejohn Kyei 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.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
A performance of 8.53 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
A performance of 8.47 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Miguel Rodríguez
8 goals and a season average of 7.30 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad25 Jan 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Match23 Jan 2027
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The terraces25 Jan 2027
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match13 Jan 2027
The small margins put Utrecht out
Out, 0‑3 to AZ, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 33. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Defensive actions: 31. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Boardroom18 Jan 2027
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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A season average of 7.35 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad18 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Matisse Didden
“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 ratings18 Jan 2027
Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad11 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.35, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
A performance of 9.17 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match9 Jan 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Gjivai Zechiël. 2‑1 against AZ, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Market11 Jan 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Utrecht have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad11 Jan 2027
8 goals and a season average of 7.33. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.10, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad11 Jan 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Michael Brouwer knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad11 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Ángel Alarcón
“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
Market4 Jan 2027
PSV come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Utrecht did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad4 Jan 2027
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 Utrecht have had the benefit of it.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Defensive actions: 18, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sébastien Haller, and the manager let it.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Miguel Rodríguez
7 goals and a season average of 7.23 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Loan watch4 Jan 2027
“I watch every Utrecht game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at ADO Den Haag runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Defensive actions: 14. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Dec 2026
There were 6 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Neal Viereck: 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.” Utrecht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad28 Dec 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Marked 9.11 — 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.
Match26 Dec 2026
Excelsior made Utrecht work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Grejohn Kyei 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.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
A performance of 8.85 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Marked 8.32 — 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.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 Dec 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Dec 2026
33 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.47, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Marked 9.15 — 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Alonzo Engwanda
“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.
Match12 Dec 2026
A 2‑0 win over Zwolle, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Match12 Dec 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Dec 2026
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Loan watch7 Dec 2026
“I did not go to ADO Den Haag to sit and watch. I want to come back to Utrecht and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
A mark of 7.70, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Matisse Didden
“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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
4 goals and a season average of 7.21. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad7 Dec 2026
A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Utrecht lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match28 Nov 2026
4‑1, and Grejohn Kyei took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Utrecht tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Squad30 Nov 2026
There were 6 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.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad30 Nov 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Marked 9.11 — 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Grejohn Kyei, and the manager let it.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.54 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.42, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad30 Nov 2026
The team sheet said everything about Miguel Rodríguez
Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Miguel Rodríguez.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.67, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match21 Nov 2026
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad23 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Neal Viereck
“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 ratings23 Nov 2026
Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Victor Jensen 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.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
The one thing Grejohn Kyei could not do
Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Loan watch23 Nov 2026
12 appearances at De Graafschap and the goals keep coming. Utrecht are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Oct 2026
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
A performance of 9.20 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match24 Oct 2026
Jagiellonia made Utrecht work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.01, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Grejohn Kyei 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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Marked 8.63 — 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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.17, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match24 Oct 2026
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad26 Oct 2026
The team sheet said everything about Dani de Wit
Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Dani de Wit.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match17 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Utrecht's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utrecht has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad19 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.66, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matisse Didden, and the manager let it.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Off the bench and decisive: Ángel Alarcón
The substitution nobody applauded turned out to be the whole story. Utrecht were going nowhere until he came on.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Shots: 11. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
The terraces19 Oct 2026
The spotlight tightens on Zidane Iqbal
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad5 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match3 Oct 2026
PSV take the points off Utrecht
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.71, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.12, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Gjivai Zechiël will call it something else in private.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
93% of the income goes out in wages at Utrecht
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Jesper Karlsson
“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 terraces5 Oct 2026
Everybody has an opinion about Grejohn Kyei
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 29 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad21 Sep 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match19 Sep 2026
Vitesse made Utrecht work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Marked 9.19 — 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.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.09, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match19 Sep 2026
Three points for Utrecht, 1‑0 the final word against Club Brugge in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.30, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Miguel Rodríguez will call it something else in private.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matisse Didden, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Sep 2026
Utrecht say no — this time
The offer from PSV for Yoann Cathline 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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Sep 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market7 Sep 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Utrecht have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 8.91 — 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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Grejohn Kyei 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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 8.60 — 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.
Match5 Sep 2026
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Utrecht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Utrecht now.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Aug 2026
PSV come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Utrecht did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market24 Aug 2026
Zidane Iqbal 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 Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Aug 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match22 Aug 2026
Victor Jensen scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Twente, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sébastien Haller, and the manager let it.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Marked 8.67 — 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.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad24 Aug 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Market17 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market17 Aug 2026
The chase for Grejohn Kyei ended with $5.7M changing hands and Standard Liege out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Market17 Aug 2026
Niklas Vesterlund has left for Feyenoord in a $2.6M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Miguel Rodríguez 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.
Market17 Aug 2026
Business is business: Mees Eppink goes
NEC paid $940.0K and Utrecht took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.90, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match15 Aug 2026
It finished 2‑0, and it was Miguel Rodríguez’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Utrecht.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A performance of 8.56 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sébastien Haller commits to Utrecht for another 2 years.
Squad3 Aug 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 Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market3 Aug 2026
The phone has started ringing about Kevin Gadellaa again, and this time the name on the line is ADO Den Haag. Utrecht are listening politely and promising nothing.
Market3 Aug 2026
No place for Zidane Iqbal in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Zidane Iqbal has his answer from Utrecht; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Vasilis Barkas 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.
Market3 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Siebe Horemans’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.