An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. André Moreira knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at CFR Cluj pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
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.
A 1-0 win over De Graafschap, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Tidiane Keita will call it something else in private.
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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
In brief
The terracesThe press cannot get enough of Sheriff Sinyan
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. CFR Cluj have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
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.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at CFR Cluj pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. André Moreira knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at CFR Cluj pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Universitatea Craiova defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” CFR Cluj have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Mohammed Kamara has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. CFR Cluj know, and have known for weeks.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 11 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” CFR Cluj have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” CFR Cluj have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. CFR Cluj have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
“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.
The fee is $1.5M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Universitatea Craiova drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
5 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
The shirt still fits. Ianis Nita is back at CFR Cluj, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Paul Nita is back at CFR Cluj, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Cosmin Mihaila is back at CFR Cluj, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Mohammed Kamara plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at CFR Cluj has been clear about where Ilija Mašić stands, which is more than many ever get.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at CFR Cluj has been clear about where Ovidiu Perianu stands, which is more than many ever get.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at CFR Cluj pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The language is coming and there is somebody to talk to in the dressing room. A footballer who feels at home plays like one, and it never shows up in a scouting report.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Mohammed Kamara plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
“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 CFR Cluj, and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. André Moreira has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Karlo Muhar has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
“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 CFR Cluj, and 0 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
“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 CFR Cluj, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The deal that would have taken Alin Fică to FCSB has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to CFR Cluj with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” CFR Cluj have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
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.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at CFR Cluj has been clear about where Christopher Braun stands, which is more than many ever get.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” CFR Cluj have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” CFR Cluj have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
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.
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.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. André Moreira knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
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.
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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
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.
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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CFR Cluj know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CFR Cluj, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Voluntari defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
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.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
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.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
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.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CFR Cluj can pretend not to have heard.
The fee is $540.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Universitatea Craiova drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
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.
A new face in his position, and Luka Zahovič suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. CFR Cluj have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
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.
The deal that would have taken Ovidiu Perianu to Petrolul has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to CFR Cluj with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
36 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
The name of Ovidiu Perianu has come up in conversations CFR Cluj were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.