Marked for Steve Hoffman
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Oct 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.
Squad7 Oct 2030
Edwin Jumba 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.
Boardroom7 Oct 2030
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Squad7 Oct 2030
Bidco United 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.
Squad7 Oct 2030
Salah El Nenny 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.
Squad7 Oct 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Albert Boakye, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Sep 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.
Squad23 Sep 2030
15 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Squad23 Sep 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 Sep 2030
It finished 2‑0, and it was Salah El Nenny’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Bidco United.
Player ratings23 Sep 2030
Marked 8.08 — 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 ratings23 Sep 2030
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.
Squad23 Sep 2030
The manager makes an example of Akbar Tanjung
“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 Sep 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 14 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad23 Sep 2030
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Bidco United have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Sep 2030
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad9 Sep 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Steve Hoffman commits to Bidco United for another 2 years.
Player ratings9 Sep 2030
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.
Squad9 Sep 2030
Edwin Jumba 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.
Boardroom9 Sep 2030
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Squad9 Sep 2030
14 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Steve Hoffman has given nobody the chance.
Squad9 Sep 2030
“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 ratings9 Sep 2030
Defensive actions: 17, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Match7 Sep 2030
Point won or two lost for Bidco United?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Sofapaka? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Sep 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom2 Sep 2030
Pressure builds in the Bidco United boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market2 Sep 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Bidco United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad2 Sep 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Steve Hoffman and Bidco United agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Sep 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings2 Sep 2030
A performance of 9.73 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad2 Sep 2030
Getting past Steve Hoffman has become the hardest job in the division
13 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Match31 Aug 2030
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Prince Ndubuisi. 1‑0 against Posta Rangers, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings2 Sep 2030
Successful dribbles: 17. 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
Uneasy
Market12 Aug 2030
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market12 Aug 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad12 Aug 2030
Salah El Nenny 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.
Boardroom12 Aug 2030
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Squad12 Aug 2030
Simon Munala 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.
Squad12 Aug 2030
The medical room confirms 41 days on the sidelines for Luther Jali, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad12 Aug 2030
Getting past Steve Hoffman has become the hardest job in the division
12 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Player ratings12 Aug 2030
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.
Market12 Aug 2030
Adam Tokindang is 18, and Bidco United have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Aug 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.
Squad5 Aug 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings5 Aug 2030
Marked 9.18 — 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.
Market5 Aug 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Bidco United have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match3 Aug 2030
Three points for Bidco United, 1‑0 the final word against Tusker in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad5 Aug 2030
Getting past Steve Hoffman has become the hardest job in the division
11 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Market5 Aug 2030
He is 19, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Market5 Aug 2030
He is 18, and nobody at Bidco United signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad5 Aug 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Albert Boakye commits to Bidco United for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market29 Jul 2030
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad29 Jul 2030
Salah El Nenny 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.
Match27 Jul 2030
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings29 Jul 2030
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market29 Jul 2030
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Bidco United will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad29 Jul 2030
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Steve Hoffman knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad29 Jul 2030
Harun Kamau 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 ratings29 Jul 2030
A mark of 5.24 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Market29 Jul 2030
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Simon Munala’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Jul 2030
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Jul 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Jul 2030
10 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Steve Hoffman has given nobody the chance.
Loan watch22 Jul 2030
“I watch every Bidco United game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Gor Mahia runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings22 Jul 2030
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings22 Jul 2030
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad22 Jul 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to John Kelwishi, and the manager let it.
Match20 Jul 2030
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Kenya Police will be the happier side with the point.
Market22 Jul 2030
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Bidco United know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Jul 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.
Squad1 Jul 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Salah El Nenny commits to Bidco United for another 3 years.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 ratings1 Jul 2030
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Getting past Steve Hoffman has become the hardest job in the division
9 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Market1 Jul 2030
Posta Rangers are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Bidco United will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market1 Jul 2030
He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Match29 Jun 2030
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Salah El Nenny 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 Bidco United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Jun 2030
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Jun 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Newton Ochieng and Bidco United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market24 Jun 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Bidco United have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad24 Jun 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings24 Jun 2030
A performance of 8.67 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad24 Jun 2030
The manager makes an example of Edwin Jumba
“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 ratings24 Jun 2030
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad24 Jun 2030
Steve Hoffman lets one through his hands
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.
Match22 Jun 2030
2‑2, 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
Uneasy
Squad17 Jun 2030
There were 11 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.
Market17 Jun 2030
Hugo Perez 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom17 Jun 2030
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Match15 Jun 2030
It finished 3‑1, and it was Christopher Raila’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Bidco United.
Player ratings17 Jun 2030
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.
Player ratings17 Jun 2030
A performance of 8.05 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad17 Jun 2030
Akbar Tanjung 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 watch17 Jun 2030
“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 Bidco United, and 0 appearances in 0 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad17 Jun 2030
The manager makes an example of Luther Jali
“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
Uneasy
Market3 Jun 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 Jun 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market3 Jun 2030
The name of Martin Karisa has come up in conversations Bidco United were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad3 Jun 2030
The manager makes an example of Simon Munala
“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 ratings3 Jun 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad3 Jun 2030
9 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Player ratings3 Jun 2030
A defender's afternoon for Edwin Jumba
Defensive actions: 14. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings3 Jun 2030
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match1 Jun 2030
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Gor Mahia came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad27 May 2030
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market27 May 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.
Squad27 May 2030
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Bidco United may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match25 May 2030
Bandari left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad27 May 2030
“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 May 2030
Francis Chege 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 ratings27 May 2030
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market27 May 2030
The Simon Munala talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Bidco United know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Player ratings27 May 2030
Marked 5.79, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 May 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.
Player ratings20 May 2030
A performance of 9.94 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad20 May 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom20 May 2030
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Match18 May 2030
Three points for Bidco United, 1‑0 the final word against APS Bomet in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings20 May 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings20 May 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings20 May 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.16, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad20 May 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hugo Perez, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match11 May 2030
10 matches without a win for Bidco United
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Bidco United are no longer polite ones.
Match8 May 2030
0‑2 against Kakamega Homeboyz, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
The terraces13 May 2030
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 7 of the 31 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market13 May 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.
Market13 May 2030
Only the photograph left for Martin Karisa
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Martin Karisa will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Bidco United the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad13 May 2030
Emmanuel Lwangu 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.
Match11 May 2030
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad13 May 2030
The manager makes an example of Steve Hoffman
“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 ratings13 May 2030
Marked 8.16 — 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
Crisis
Match4 May 2030
8 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.
Market6 May 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.
Squad6 May 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Simon Munala and Bidco United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match4 May 2030
Posta Rangers left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad6 May 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings6 May 2030
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.
Squad6 May 2030
“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.
Squad6 May 2030
Getting past Steve Hoffman has become the hardest job in the division
7 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Market6 May 2030
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Thomas Wainaina signs something — a contract at Bidco United or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 Apr 2030
7 matches without a win for Bidco United
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Bidco United are no longer polite ones.
Market29 Apr 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.
Squad29 Apr 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 Apr 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simon Munala, and the manager let it.
Match27 Apr 2030
0‑1 to Kakamega Homeboyz, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings29 Apr 2030
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market29 Apr 2030
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Christopher Raila’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings29 Apr 2030
Marked 5.60, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Player ratings29 Apr 2030
Marked 5.77, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad15 Apr 2030
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.
Market15 Apr 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.
Match13 Apr 2030
5 matches without a win for Bidco United
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Bidco United are no longer polite ones.
Market15 Apr 2030
Only the photograph left for Martin Karisa
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Martin Karisa will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Bidco United the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
A performance of 8.69 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad15 Apr 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thomas Wainaina, and the manager let it.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Baboucarr Jatta 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
Market8 Apr 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Match6 Apr 2030
4 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.
Squad8 Apr 2030
“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 Bidco United know it.
Squad8 Apr 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Apr 2030
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.
Boardroom8 Apr 2030
Wages eat 86% of everything Bidco United earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad8 Apr 2030
7 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Squad8 Apr 2030
The manager makes an example of Harun Kamau
“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 ratings8 Apr 2030
A defender's afternoon for Francis Chege
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
Crisis
Market1 Apr 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Match30 Mar 2030
0‑1 to Ulinzi Stars, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad1 Apr 2030
John Kelwishi 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 Apr 2030
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Steve Hoffman knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings1 Apr 2030
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.
Squad1 Apr 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to John Kelwishi, and the manager let it.
Squad1 Apr 2030
Simon Munala 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.
Market1 Apr 2030
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Christopher Raila’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings1 Apr 2030
5.62 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Mar 2030
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market18 Mar 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Bidco United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad18 Mar 2030
Baboucarr Jatta 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.
Squad18 Mar 2030
“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 Bidco United know it.
Player ratings18 Mar 2030
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad18 Mar 2030
“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 ratings18 Mar 2030
Defensive actions: 14, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings18 Mar 2030
Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad18 Mar 2030
Getting past Steve Hoffman has become the hardest job in the division
6 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Mar 2030
There were 10 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.
Market11 Mar 2030
Luis Cordova 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings11 Mar 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings11 Mar 2030
A defender's afternoon for Edwin Jumba
Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings11 Mar 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.98, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad11 Mar 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Harun Kamau and Bidco United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad11 Mar 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Mar 2030
“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
Crisis
Squad18 Feb 2030
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.
Market18 Feb 2030
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market18 Feb 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Bidco United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match16 Feb 2030
0‑1 to KCB, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad18 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Emmanuel Lwangu
“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.
Squad18 Feb 2030
Baboucarr Jatta 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.
Squad18 Feb 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Amos Rupia and Bidco United agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market18 Feb 2030
The Simon Munala story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Simon Munala signs something — a contract at Bidco United or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Feb 2030
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.
Market11 Feb 2030
Luis Cordova 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Feb 2030
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Christopher Raila and Bidco United agree another 4 years.
Match9 Feb 2030
It finished 1‑0, and it was Simon Munala’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Bidco United.
Player ratings11 Feb 2030
A performance of 8.10 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad11 Feb 2030
John Kelwishi 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.
Squad11 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Francis Chege
“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 ratings11 Feb 2030
Defensive actions: 14, 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
Uneasy
Match2 Feb 2030
9 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.
Market4 Feb 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.
Squad4 Feb 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Steve Hoffman commits to Bidco United for another 2 years.
Market4 Feb 2030
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market4 Feb 2030
As if he never left: Victor Kamau returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Victor Kamau is a Bidco United player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market4 Feb 2030
The shirt still fits. Amos Amuka is back at Bidco United, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad4 Feb 2030
Edwin Jumba 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 Feb 2030
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.
Player ratings4 Feb 2030
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Sep 2029
No end in sight to Bidco United's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Bidco United has to find a result from somewhere.
Market24 Sep 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
The terraces24 Sep 2029
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market24 Sep 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Bidco United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad24 Sep 2029
Simon Munala 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.
Match22 Sep 2029
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad24 Sep 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Emmanuel Lwangu, and the manager let it.
Player ratings24 Sep 2029
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Match15 Sep 2029
7 matches without a win for Bidco United
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Bidco United are no longer polite ones.
Squad17 Sep 2029
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.
Market17 Sep 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Bidco United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad17 Sep 2029
The medical room confirms 22 days on the sidelines for Pentjie Zulu, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad17 Sep 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings17 Sep 2029
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.
Boardroom17 Sep 2029
123% of the income goes out in wages at Bidco United
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.
Player ratings17 Sep 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Aug 2029
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.
Market27 Aug 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.
Match25 Aug 2029
4 matches without a win for Bidco United
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Bidco United are no longer polite ones.
Squad27 Aug 2029
Simon Munala 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 ratings27 Aug 2029
A performance of 8.61 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Market27 Aug 2029
Mara Sugar are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Bidco United will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Match25 Aug 2029
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Player ratings27 Aug 2029
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market27 Aug 2029
The name of Thomas Wainaina keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Bidco United say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match11 Aug 2029
Beaten 0‑4 by AFC Leopards, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Market13 Aug 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.
Squad13 Aug 2029
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.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Simon Munala 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 Aug 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.
Market13 Aug 2029
The name of Joseph Kahata has come up in conversations Bidco United were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Player ratings13 Aug 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Boardroom13 Aug 2029
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Boardroom13 Aug 2029
The numbers do not look good at Bidco United
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Aug 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad6 Aug 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market6 Aug 2029
Add another name to the list: KCB have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Clinton Asiago. The answer from Bidco United has not changed — yet.
Squad6 Aug 2029
38 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Steve Hoffman, and the manager let it.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Newton Ochieng commits to Bidco United for another 3 years.
Match4 Aug 2029
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The terraces6 Aug 2029
Everybody has an opinion about Steve Hoffman
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.
Market6 Aug 2029
The name of Simon Munala keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Bidco United say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market23 Jul 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad23 Jul 2029
78 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market23 Jul 2029
As if he never left: Titus Mutongoi returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Titus Mutongoi is a Bidco United player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad23 Jul 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings23 Jul 2029
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match21 Jul 2029
1‑3 to Kenya Police, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market23 Jul 2029
The name of Martin Karisa has come up in conversations Bidco United were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad23 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Pentjie Zulu
“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.
Boardroom23 Jul 2029
111% of the income goes out in wages at Bidco United
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 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.
Squad9 Jul 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Bidco United may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad9 Jul 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Steve Hoffman and Bidco United agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad9 Jul 2029
Thomas Wainaina 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.
Squad9 Jul 2029
The medical room confirms 66 days on the sidelines for Clinton Asiago, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match7 Jul 2029
It finished 2‑1, and it was Klinsman Omulanga’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Bidco United.
Player ratings9 Jul 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.21, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings9 Jul 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market9 Jul 2029
The name of Simon Munala keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Bidco United say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match2 Jul 2029
Position 17, 17 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.
Market2 Jul 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match30 Jun 2029
6 matches without a win for Bidco United
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Bidco United are no longer polite ones.
Market2 Jul 2029
Only the photograph left for Clinton Asiago
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Clinton Asiago will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Bidco United the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Steve Hoffman and Bidco United agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Jul 2029
Simon Munala 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 Jun 2029
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market2 Jul 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Bidco United will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad2 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Daniel Kakai
“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
Crisis
Market18 Jun 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match16 Jun 2029
4 matches without a win for Bidco United
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Bidco United are no longer polite ones.
Squad18 Jun 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Pentjie Zulu
“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.
Match16 Jun 2029
0‑1 to KCB, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Boardroom18 Jun 2029
The numbers do not look good at Bidco United
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
Squad18 Jun 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Emmanuel Lwangu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The terraces18 Jun 2029
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.
Player ratings18 Jun 2029
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market11 Jun 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad11 Jun 2029
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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings11 Jun 2029
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad11 Jun 2029
94 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Match9 Jun 2029
1‑2 to Shabana, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad11 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Edwin Jumba
“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 terraces11 Jun 2029
The spotlight tightens on Elly Saenyi
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
Market28 May 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.
Squad28 May 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 May 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.
Match26 May 2029
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Boardroom28 May 2029
Wages eat 95% of everything Bidco United earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Player ratings28 May 2029
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad28 May 2029
Elly Saenyi 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 Bidco United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings28 May 2029
Elly Saenyi leaves them behind him
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.
Market28 May 2029
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Thomas Wainaina’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market23 Apr 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad23 Apr 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match21 Apr 2029
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad23 Apr 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.
Squad23 Apr 2029
Steve Hoffman lets one through his hands
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.
Boardroom23 Apr 2029
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Player ratings23 Apr 2029
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad23 Apr 2029
Emmanuel Lwangu 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.
The terraces23 Apr 2029
Everybody has an opinion about Thomas Wainaina
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
Uneasy
Market9 Apr 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad9 Apr 2029
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.
Market9 Apr 2029
Only the photograph left for Clinton Asiago
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Clinton Asiago will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Bidco United the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad9 Apr 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings9 Apr 2029
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 ratings9 Apr 2029
A performance of 8.96 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match7 Apr 2029
A 2‑0 win over Tusker, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings9 Apr 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.63, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings9 Apr 2029
A defender's afternoon for Edwin Jumba
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Mar 2029
12 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.
Market2 Apr 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad2 Apr 2029
Simon Munala 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.
Match31 Mar 2029
Ulinzi Stars left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad2 Apr 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Elly Saenyi, and the manager let it.
Boardroom2 Apr 2029
Wages eat 93% of everything Bidco United earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
The terraces2 Apr 2029
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.
Squad2 Apr 2029
Michael Bodo is not saying it is over
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 37 with 105 appearances behind him, and Bidco United have to plan for both answers.
Boardroom2 Apr 2029
$6.1K a year onto the Bidco United books
A new partner, a signature and a photograph nobody will remember. It funds a fortnight of wages, which is more than most headlines on this page can say for themselves.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Feb 2029
Michael Bodo 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Match24 Feb 2029
7 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.
Squad26 Feb 2029
The medical room confirms 30 days on the sidelines for Steve Hoffman, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings26 Feb 2029
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings26 Feb 2029
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.77 on the card, and the Bidco United support went home talking about one name.
Squad26 Feb 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Kakai, and the manager let it.
Boardroom26 Feb 2029
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Match24 Feb 2029
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Mara Sugar came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market29 Jan 2029
Michael Bodo 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 Bidco United can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 Jan 2029
61 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Simon Munala 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 Bidco United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market29 Jan 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Bidco United will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market29 Jan 2029
He is 18, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Squad29 Jan 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Pejman Hosseini and Bidco United agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Jan 2029
“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 Bidco United, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad1 Jan 2029
90 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Thomas Wainaina 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.
Boardroom1 Jan 2029
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Bidco United now.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Elly Saenyi 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 Elly Saenyi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad1 Jan 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.