From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Market28 Feb 2028
Only the photograph left for Faris Krkalić
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Faris Krkalić will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ilves the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Ilves
Stanislav Baranov 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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oliver Pettersson, and the manager let it.
Market28 Feb 2028
Everyone has stopped pretending: KTP will make the call about Elias Tamminen this week. Ilves have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Market28 Feb 2028
The Roope Riski story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Roope Riski signs something — a contract at Ilves or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Feb 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ilves is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market21 Feb 2028
Faris Krkalić 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 Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market21 Feb 2028
RoPS are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Ilves will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“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.
Market21 Feb 2028
The name of Jardell Kanga keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ilves say nothing, which says plenty.
In brief
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Squad
Jesse Kilo asks for a word with the manager
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Squad
A wage question at Ilves
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Feb 2028
“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.
Market14 Feb 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Ilves
Roope Riski 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.
Market14 Feb 2028
Business is business: Teemu Hytönen goes
KuPS paid $480.0K and Ilves took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Market14 Feb 2028
Jesse Kilo is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Ilves has been clear about where Jesse Kilo stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Tatu Miettunen asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Feb 2028
Ilves say no — this time
The offer from SJK for Faris Krkalić was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market7 Feb 2028
“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 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad7 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Matias Rale
“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.
Market7 Feb 2028
Add another name to the list: KTP have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Elias Tamminen. The answer from Ilves has not changed — yet.
Market7 Feb 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ilves will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Jan 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“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
Steady
Market24 Jan 2028
Teemu Hytönen 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 Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad24 Jan 2028
“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
Steady
Market17 Jan 2028
“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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Ilves
Goudouss Bamba 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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Romaric Yapi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market10 Jan 2028
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad10 Jan 2028
22 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad10 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Jan 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad3 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Dec 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Roope Riski 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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Pontus Lindgren, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market20 Dec 2027
Faris Krkalić 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 Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Aniis Machaal: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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
Steady
Squad13 Dec 2027
52 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad13 Dec 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Roope Riski 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 Roope Riski trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market6 Dec 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Market6 Dec 2027
Ilves and Matias Rale are talking past each other
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market29 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 Nov 2027
28 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Goudouss Bamba 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
Steady
Market22 Nov 2027
Faris Krkalić 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 Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Nov 2027
A season average of 7.02 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Ilves know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad22 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Nov 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Goudouss Bamba 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.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oliver Pettersson, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Nov 2027
Roope Riski 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Otso Virtanen, and the manager let it.
Market8 Nov 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Roope Riski’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market1 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Tatu Miettunen: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad1 Nov 2027
58 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad25 Oct 2027
He is 21, he is averaging 7.02, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad18 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tatu Miettunen, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Oct 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Goudouss Bamba and Ilves agree another 4 years.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Joona Veteli 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oliver Pettersson, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 Oct 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sauli Väisänen and Ilves agree another 2 years.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Goudouss Bamba 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
Steady
Market27 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ilves may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad27 Sep 2027
At 21, Jardell Kanga is already the best thing here
An average of 7.02 in a first team he is several years too young for. Ilves have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market20 Sep 2027
Faris Krkalić 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 Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Otso Virtanen asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market13 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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 Sep 2027
Roope Riski 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market6 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad6 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Pontus Lindgren, and the manager let it.
Loan watch6 Sep 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ilves, and 5 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Anton Popovitch. Ilves will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Match4 Sep 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. IFK Mariehamn will be the happier side with the point.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Leo Östman 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 Ilves, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Shots: 7, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ilves may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
At 21, Jardell Kanga is already the best thing here
An average of 7.02 in a first team he is several years too young for. Ilves have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Match28 Aug 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Stanislav Baranov. 3‑1 against KTP, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.99 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.83, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Marked 8.39 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Aug 2027
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.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market23 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Nikola Stanković: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.24, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match21 Aug 2027
It finished 1‑0, and it was Jardell Kanga’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Ilves.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Goudouss Bamba 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.
Market23 Aug 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jardell Kanga signs something — a contract at Ilves or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market16 Aug 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match14 Aug 2027
The wait goes on for Ilves
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.
Match14 Aug 2027
FF Jaro left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Joona Veteli 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.42 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad16 Aug 2027
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Sauli Väisänen will call it something else in private.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Ilves, and it is a cruel one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 34. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market9 Aug 2027
Teemu Hytönen 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 Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ilves may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Joona Veteli 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.
Match7 Aug 2027
A bad afternoon for Ilves against KuPS
0‑1 to KuPS, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad9 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Joona Veteli
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch9 Aug 2027
“I watch every Ilves game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at FC Lahti runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Market9 Aug 2027
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Ilves has been clear about where Nikola Stanković stands, which is more than many ever get.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
The one thing Leo Östman could not do
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 39. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market2 Aug 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ilves may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Market2 Aug 2027
Business is business: Otto Tiitinen goes
SJK paid $200.0K and Ilves took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Otso Virtanen will call it something else in private.
Loan watch2 Aug 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ilves, and 2 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
Marked 7.61 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Ilves had the best player on the pitch.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Andre Raymond
“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
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ilves may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad26 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match24 Jul 2027
Sauli Väisänen scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to FC Lahti, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.56, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Oliver Pettersson commits to Ilves for another 4 years.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lauri Ala-Myllymäki, and the manager let it.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
The one thing Leo Östman could not do
Shots: 4, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
A mark of 5.30 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Match17 Jul 2027
Still nobody has beaten Ilves
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
A performance of 9.50 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match17 Jul 2027
Ilves get the job done against VPS
A 2‑0 win over VPS, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anton Popovitch, and the manager let it.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
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 ratings19 Jul 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Market19 Jul 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Roope Riski’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Jul 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Jul 2027
21 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad12 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Roope Riski 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 ratings12 Jul 2027
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Loan watch12 Jul 2027
“I did not go to FC Lahti to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ilves and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Jul 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
A performance of 9.53 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Joona Veteli 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match3 Jul 2027
It finished 1‑0, and it was Oliver Pettersson’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Ilves.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
A defender's afternoon for Joona Veteli
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
A performance of 8.23 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
Marked 8.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Ilves are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jun 2027
Romaric Yapi 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 Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Jesse Kilo runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Romaric Yapi 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad28 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Pontus Lindgren, and the manager let it.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Defensive actions: 15, 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
Squad21 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Romaric Yapi 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 ratings21 Jun 2027
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.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match19 Jun 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lauri Ala-Myllymäki trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market21 Jun 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Roope Riski’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Jun 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad14 Jun 2027
The medical room confirms 52 days on the sidelines for Anton Popovitch, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Defensive actions: 24, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad14 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.64, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad14 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Väinö Vehkonen
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match12 Jun 2027
It finished 1‑0, and it was Roope Riski’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Ilves.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
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
Crisis
Match7 Jun 2027
Ilves sink to position 11
7 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market7 Jun 2027
“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 Ilves, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match5 Jun 2027
5 matches without a win for Ilves
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Ilves are no longer polite ones.
Player ratings7 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Romaric Yapi commits to Ilves for another 4 years.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Match5 Jun 2027
Inter Turku left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Stanislav Baranov, and the manager let it.
Loan watch7 Jun 2027
“I did not go to GIF Sundsvall to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ilves and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings31 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 30. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 May 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match29 May 2027
The wait goes on for Ilves
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.
Squad31 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match29 May 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad31 May 2027
Roope Riski 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings24 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad24 May 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad24 May 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad24 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Otso Virtanen
“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.
Match22 May 2027
Ilves come up short against KuPS
KuPS left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad24 May 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ilves, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 May 2027
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Faris Krkalić: 3 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Match12 May 2027
The small margins put Ilves out
Out, 1‑1 to VPS, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad17 May 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ilves may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match15 May 2027
HIFK take the points off Ilves
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad17 May 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Joona Veteli 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.
Squad17 May 2027
Romaric Yapi 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 ratings17 May 2027
It was his to settle and he did not settle it. A long walk back to the halfway line, and a considerably longer week.
Loan watch17 May 2027
“I did not go to FC Lahti to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ilves and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad10 May 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad10 May 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Romaric Yapi 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 ratings10 May 2027
Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings10 May 2027
A performance of 9.23 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match8 May 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Maksim Stjopin. 1‑0 against FC Lahti, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad10 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch10 May 2027
“I did not go to GIF Sundsvall to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ilves and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market3 May 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ilves can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 May 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad3 May 2027
Romaric Yapi 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad3 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Väinö Vehkonen, and the manager let it.
Match1 May 2027
It finished 1‑0, and it was Roope Riski’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Ilves.
Player ratings3 May 2027
A performance of 8.42 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad26 Apr 2027
Pontus Lindgren: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Sauli Väisänen
“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.
Match24 Apr 2027
A bad afternoon for Ilves against SJK
0‑1 to SJK, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
“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 Ilves know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Apr 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tatu Miettunen, and the manager let it.
Loan watch19 Apr 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ilves, and 1 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.63 on the card, and the Ilves support went home talking about one name.
Match17 Apr 2027
No goals between Ilves and HJK
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. HJK will be the happier side with the point.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
The one thing Roope Riski could not do
Shots: 4, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 31. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad12 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market12 Apr 2027
The shirt still fits. Juho Karjalainen is back at Ilves, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market12 Apr 2027
As if he never left: Robin Jensen returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Robin Jensen is a Ilves player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market12 Apr 2027
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.
Market12 Apr 2027
As if he never left: Atte Sparv returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Atte Sparv is a Ilves player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Stanislav Baranov commits to Ilves for another 5 years.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Roope Riski 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.
Match10 Apr 2027
RoPS take the points off Ilves
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad5 Apr 2027
37 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Anton Popovitch trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad5 Apr 2027
A new face in his position, and Otso Virtanen suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ilves have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market5 Apr 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Tatu Miettunen signs something — a contract at Ilves or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market5 Apr 2027
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Rodrigo Canseco arrives at Ilves with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market29 Mar 2027
Everyone has stopped pretending: Breidablik will make the call about Oskari Paavola this week. Ilves have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Mar 2027
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Claes Kronberg, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Romaric Yapi 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Oliver Pettersson commits to Ilves for another 5 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Mar 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad15 Mar 2027
45 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad15 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alexander Gonzáles and Ilves agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andre Raymond, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Sauli Väisänen and Ilves agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 Mar 2027
66 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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
Steady
Squad1 Mar 2027
“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 Ilves know it.
Squad1 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nurettin Çakır, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Feb 2027
Anton Popovitch: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad22 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 49 days on the sidelines for Claes Kronberg, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market22 Feb 2027
The fee is $140.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. FF Jaro drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Feb 2027
FC Lahti come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Ilves did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad15 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market15 Feb 2027
Yiandro Raap has left for Inter Turku in a $430.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Ilves would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A new face in his position, and José Rodrigo Lugo suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ilves have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Feb 2027
16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Claes Kronberg 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.
Market8 Feb 2027
Add another name to the list: FF Jaro have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Oskari Paavola. The answer from Ilves has not changed — yet.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Joona Veteli
“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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Claes Kronberg 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.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Joona Veteli asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market18 Jan 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ilves know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Market11 Jan 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Tatu Miettunen signs something — a contract at Ilves or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Andre Raymond 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 Ilves, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad4 Jan 2027
Faris Krkalić: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad4 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market4 Jan 2027
Aniis Machaal is 19, and Ilves 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
Steady
Squad28 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
101% of the income goes out in wages at Ilves
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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Faris Krkalić
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Dec 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Claes Kronberg asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Dec 2026
40 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Claes Kronberg 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Joona Veteli 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Dec 2026
Kalle Wallius: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad7 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Squad30 Nov 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.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
Wages eat 134% of everything Ilves 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Jesse Kilo and Ilves agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad23 Nov 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
Steady
Squad16 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ilves may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad16 Nov 2026
The medical room confirms 69 days on the sidelines for Claes Kronberg, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Sauli Väisänen 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.
Market16 Nov 2026
Veeti Katermaa is 20, and Ilves 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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Sauli Väisänen joins up with his country. Ilves lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
In brief
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Market
The Tatu Miettunen story refuses to die
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Market
Ilves shop where it costs nothing
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Market
Ilves shop where it costs nothing
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market9 Nov 2026
The Roope Riski talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ilves know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad9 Nov 2026
The manager plants his flag on Roope Riski
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Roope Riski’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad2 Nov 2026
The medical room confirms 29 days on the sidelines for Otso Virtanen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Claes Kronberg 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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Anton Popovitch
“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.
In brief
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Boardroom
Wages eat 134% of everything Ilves earn
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Squad
Claes Kronberg knocks on the manager’s door
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Oct 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad26 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lauri Ala-Myllymäki, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Oct 2026
98 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Jesse Kilo: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ilves have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad19 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Oct 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Ilves are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad12 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Oct 2026
The medical room confirms 61 days on the sidelines for Otso Virtanen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Roope Riski 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Kalle Wallius, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Roope Riski 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.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Andre Raymond 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 Ilves, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market28 Sep 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ilves know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Sep 2026
127 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Roope Riski 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anton Popovitch, and the manager let it.
Market14 Sep 2026
The Roope Riski talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ilves know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
48 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Claes Kronberg 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 ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Wages eat 355% of everything Ilves 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.
Match5 Sep 2026
Three points for Ilves, 2‑0 the final word against IFK Mariehamn in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad7 Sep 2026
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Ilves have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Nikola Stanković trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Marked 9.38 — 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.
Match29 Aug 2026
It finished 3‑1, and it was Rudi Vikström’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Ilves.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Marked 8.79 — 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 ratings31 Aug 2026
Marked 8.04 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Marked 8.03 — 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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Nikola Stanković trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad31 Aug 2026
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Ilves would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match19 Aug 2026
Ilves bow out of the cup
HIFK go through and Ilves go home, 0‑1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Claes Kronberg 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.
Squad24 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Roope Riski
“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 Aug 2026
A performance of 8.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad24 Aug 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Otso Virtanen knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at Ilves needed to.
Match22 Aug 2026
It needed Nurettin Çakır to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Inter Turku, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Anton Popovitch trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match15 Aug 2026
Cup progress for Ilves
A 1‑3 win over FF Jaro, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
The terraces17 Aug 2026
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 26 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market17 Aug 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ilves is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Roope Riski 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 ratings17 Aug 2026
Marked 8.54 — 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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matias Rale, and the manager let it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Anton Popovitch trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Ilves
Roope Riski 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 ratings10 Aug 2026
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.
Market10 Aug 2026
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ilves will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lauri Ala-Myllymäki, and the manager let it.
Market10 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Anton Popovitch’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Market10 Aug 2026
Experience through the door at Ilves
Claes Kronberg arrives at 39 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Match8 Aug 2026
Ilves draw a blank against KuPS
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. KuPS defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Market10 Aug 2026
No place for Yiandro Raap in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Yiandro Raap has his answer from Ilves; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match1 Aug 2026
3‑0, and Roope Riski took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Ilves tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market3 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ilves have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Roope Riski and Ilves agree another 2 years.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Roope Riski 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 Ilves this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
A performance of 9.37 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.58, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad3 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.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
A defender's afternoon for Joona Veteli
Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.