From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Oct 2026
11 matches without a win for Grodig
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Grodig are no longer polite ones.
Match5 Oct 2026
Grodig sink to position 10
0 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match3 Oct 2026
A hiding for Grodig
Beaten 1‑4 by Austria Wien, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Squad5 Oct 2026
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.
Market5 Oct 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Grodig can pretend not to have heard.
Match3 Oct 2026
Grodig leaking at the back
6 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Grodig
Sebastian Bauer 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.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Nobody left the Grodig dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Sep 2026
11 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Match26 Sep 2026
The wait goes on for Grodig
10 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.
Match26 Sep 2026
A hiding for Grodig
Beaten 1‑6 by Rapid Wien, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Market28 Sep 2026
David Drljić 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 Grodig can pretend not to have heard.
Match26 Sep 2026
Grodig are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 5 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Mario Pokar 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 Grodig this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Sep 2026
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between Grodig and Rapid Wien, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Words at Grodig training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sebastian Bauer is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mario Pokar, and the manager let it.
In brief
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Match
The half-term report on Grodig
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Boardroom
Inquest at Grodig
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The dugout
The manager’s verdict
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad21 Sep 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 21 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match19 Sep 2026
Chastening afternoon for Grodig
A 1‑6 beating by Red Bull Salzburg was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Match19 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Grodig's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Grodig has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Grodig
Momčilo Mrkaić and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Words at Grodig training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mario Pokar is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match19 Sep 2026
Grodig are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Robert Völkl 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.
Boardroom21 Sep 2026
Nobody left the Grodig dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Sep 2026
A hiding for Grodig
Beaten 0‑4 by Altach, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match12 Sep 2026
8 matches without a win for Grodig
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Grodig are no longer polite ones.
Squad14 Sep 2026
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.
Match12 Sep 2026
The goals have deserted Grodig
6 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Grodig can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Mario Pokar falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lukas Gütlbauer, and the manager let it.
Market14 Sep 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Christoph Ulmer has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market14 Sep 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Sebastian Wimmer is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Sep 2026
Grodig sink to position 10
0 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad7 Sep 2026
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.
Match5 Sep 2026
7 matches without a win for Grodig
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Grodig are no longer polite ones.
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Grodig can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Grodig close the window on a squad of their own making
23 in and 0 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Match5 Sep 2026
5 matches without a goal for Grodig
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Twente is saying, and nobody at Grodig is enjoying the guessing.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Grodig
Philipp Hoffmann and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Sebastian Bauer falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad31 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 11 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match26 Aug 2026
Grodig out of the cup
SV Ried ended it 0‑1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Match29 Aug 2026
A hiding for Grodig
Beaten 0‑3 by Wolfsberger AC, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Market31 Aug 2026
David Drljić 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 Grodig can pretend not to have heard.
Match29 Aug 2026
The wait goes on for Grodig
6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Sporting CP keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Match29 Aug 2026
4 matches without a goal for Grodig
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad31 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 Grodig this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. LNZ have kept their man, and Grodig go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Aug 2026
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.
Match22 Aug 2026
0‑3 to Sturm Graz, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
No deal for Yusuf Demir at that price
Grodig offered $1.2M; Rapid Wien said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Match22 Aug 2026
No end in sight to Grodig's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Grodig has to find a result from somewhere.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Grodig asked and Altach said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Grodig
Sebastian Bauer and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Grodig
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexander Schwaighofer was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match22 Aug 2026
No clean sheets in sight for Grodig
4 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 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.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The offer went to Rapid Wien this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Market17 Aug 2026
Wolfsberger AC did not want to sell and the number is why they did. $700.0K for Lukas Gütlbauer, and the expectation that arrives with him is the kind no amount of settling-in period softens.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Grodig
Alexander Schwaighofer and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The terraces17 Aug 2026
The town asked, and Grodig paid $700.0K
Lukas Gütlbauer was the name on every phone-in, and the club has gone and signed him for $700.0K. For one week the board can do no wrong, which is a week most boards never get.
Squad17 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Grodig
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sebastian Bauer was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match15 Aug 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 Aug 2026
Nowhere to hide for Grodig
1‑8 against Mattersburg, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad10 Aug 2026
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.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Grodig offered $1.2M; Wolfsberger AC said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Match8 Aug 2026
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 9 goals between Grodig and Mattersburg, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Grodig
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexander Schwaighofer was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad10 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 Grodig this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market10 Aug 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Konrad Dragovic is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Philipp Ulmer has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Konrad Weimann has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 10 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match1 Aug 2026
0‑5 to Austria Wien, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
The terraces3 Aug 2026
The stands have turned
“Enough is enough. We have watched this for months.” 5 of the 24 senior players walked off to it, and the message was not aimed at any one of them.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
$1.0M on the table at Wolfsberger AC. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Grodig have gone to Wolfsberger AC with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Robert Völkl and Grodig agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Grodig
Alexander Schwaighofer was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Grodig asked and SV Ried said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Vlado Graboviča
“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.