FCI Tallinn

Estonian Meistriliiga
16 Nov 2031
Sunday
Process
276 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

10 Nov 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Frank Pikk damages knee ligaments — 20 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 20 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

The dugout

Rauno Dmitrijev keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FCI Tallinn may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Frank Pikk has plateaued

At 21 nothing has moved for months. Not backwards, which would at least be a conversation — simply nowhere, and somebody at the club has to decide whose fault that is.

The dugout

Kirill Slozhenikin 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.

In brief

Back issues
275 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

3 Nov 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Frank Pikk out for 28 days

28 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Market

Rauno Dmitrijev puts it in writing

“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 The request is on a desk at FCI Tallinn, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nikita Solonovich and FCI Tallinn agree another 4 years.

In brief

274 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

27 Oct 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Frank Pikk

35 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Remember the name: Mousa Fellaini

He is 19, he is averaging 7.06, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.

The dugout

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Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

The dugout

A door opens for Ivan Kravchenko

He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.

In brief

273 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

20 Oct 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Frank Pikk out for 42 days

42 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Marek Ainsalu signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Marek Ainsalu and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

The dugout

Marek Ainsalu 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 FCI Tallinn, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Roman Zhoglo question follows FCI Tallinn around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Roman Zhoglo’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

272 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

13 Oct 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Frank Pikk

49 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mousa Fellaini 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 dugout

The manager makes an example of Japhet Matondo

“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.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov out for 53 days

The medical room confirms 53 days on the sidelines for Alexey Meschaninov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

The dugout

Mousa Fellaini 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 FCI Tallinn, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

271 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

6 Oct 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Frank Pikk damages knee ligaments — 56 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 56 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Market

Rauno Dmitrijev 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Aleksander Iljin signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Aleksander Iljin commits to FCI Tallinn for another 4 years.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Market

Mattis Karis told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Mattis Karis has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at FCI Tallinn.

In brief

270 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

29 Sep 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Frank Pikk damages knee ligaments — 64 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 64 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini is the real thing at 19

A season average of 7.06 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. FCI Tallinn know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.

The dugout

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Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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 dugout

Ivan Kravchenko 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.

In brief

269 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

22 Sep 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Frank Pikk

73 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich 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.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mousa Fellaini was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad

Marek Antonov out for 44 days

The medical room confirms 44 days on the sidelines for Marek Antonov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

The Roman Zhoglo question follows FCI Tallinn around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Roman Zhoglo’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

The dugout

Karol Kruglov 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 Karol Kruglov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

268 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

15 Sep 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Frank Pikk out for 80 days

80 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

267 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

8 Sep 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Frank Pikk out for 88 days

88 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ebrima Jatta and FCI Tallinn agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

266 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

1 Sep 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Frank Pikk out for 95 days

95 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Boardroom

FCI Tallinn close the window on a squad of their own making

8 in and 5 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.

Squad

At 19, Mousa Fellaini is already the best thing here

An average of 7.06 in a first team he is several years too young for. FCI Tallinn have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

The dugout

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Squad

Nikita Solonovich 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini 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.

In brief

265 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

25 Aug 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Frank Pikk damages knee ligaments — 102 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 102 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

The dugout

Japhet Matondo 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 FCI Tallinn, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

264 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

18 Aug 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Frank Pikk damages knee ligaments — 110 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 110 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

The dugout

Japhet Matondo says FCI Tallinn went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich 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 dugout

Mousa Fellaini 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 Mousa Fellaini trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

The dugout

The manager makes Ivan Kravchenko a promise

Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at FCI Tallinn. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.

Squad

Questions about Marius Vister on the training pitch

The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.

In brief

263 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

11 Aug 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Frank Pikk

117 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

The dugout

Karol Kruglov: 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.” FCI Tallinn have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini 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.

The dugout

Rauno Dmitrijev 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.

The dugout

The manager makes Ivan Kravchenko a promise

Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at FCI Tallinn. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.

In brief

262 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

4 Aug 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Frank Pikk

124 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

The dugout

Rauno Dmitrijev: 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.” FCI Tallinn have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Remember the name: Mousa Fellaini

He is 19, he is averaging 7.06, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Egor Troyakov signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Egor Troyakov and FCI Tallinn agree another 2 years.

Market

No place for Matvey Kudryavtsev in the plan

“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Matvey Kudryavtsev has his answer from FCI Tallinn; what he does with it is the next window’s story.

In brief

261 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

28 Jul 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Market

The Roman Zhoglo question follows FCI Tallinn around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Roman Zhoglo’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

The dugout

The manager makes Ivan Kravchenko a promise

Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at FCI Tallinn. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.

In brief

260 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

21 Jul 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mousa Fellaini 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 dugout

The manager makes an example of Ivan Kravchenko

“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

259 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

14 Jul 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Ivan Kravchenko out for 17 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

258 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

7 Jul 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Ivan Kravchenko out for 25 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

At 19, Mousa Fellaini is already the best thing here

An average of 7.06 in a first team he is several years too young for. FCI Tallinn have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Boardroom

4 new boys at the FCI Tallinn academy

Signed today, seen by nobody for years, and one of them may one day be the reason the club exists. That is the whole of the argument for an academy, and it is a good one.

The dugout

Karol Kruglov 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.

In brief

257 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

30 Jun 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

FCI Tallinn finish in position 7

16 points, and the season has a number on it. Whatever it felt like from the inside, this is what it will look like in a book.

Squad

A fracture rules Ivan Kravchenko out for 32 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

7 saves: Roman Zhoglo was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mousa Fellaini 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for FCI Tallinn against Levadia

0‑1 to Levadia, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Japhet Matondo

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The dugout

Erik Pikk faces the questions

“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Erik Pikk after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.

The dugout

Mousa Fellaini 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 FCI Tallinn, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

256 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

23 Jun 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Ivan Kravchenko breaks a bone — 39 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 39 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for FCI Tallinn against Sillamae Kalev

0‑1 to Sillamae Kalev, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Aleksander Iljin runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Andrei Dobrynin stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Andrei Dobrynin and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

The dugout

Erik Pikk faces the questions

“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Erik Pikk after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Egor Troyakov

“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.

Looking ahead

A test against the best for FCI Tallinn

The team at the top of the table next, and the honest measure of where this side actually is. Anybody can beat the club below them; the question is what happens against Levadia.

In brief

255 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

16 Jun 2031
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Nikita Vekhtev leads the rout of Parnu

4‑0, and Nikita Vekhtev took the headlines on an afternoon when everything FCI Tallinn tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Match

The cup run ends for FCI Tallinn

0‑4 against Paide, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.

Player ratings

Nikita Vekhtev scores twice — 9.48

Two goals and a mark of 9.48 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Player ratings

A brace, and Rauno Dmitrijev takes the afternoon — 9.29

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Rauno Dmitrijev provided it, and the 9.29 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Squad

8 saves: Roman Zhoglo was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Squad

46 days out for Ivan Kravchenko after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. FCI Tallinn will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

The terraces

FCI Tallinn are taken apart by Paide — and the town wants answers

It finished 0-4. A cup exit is a disappointment; this was a public dismantling, and the difference between the two is the number of people who will still be talking about it in August.

Player ratings

Mousa Fellaini, 19, plays like he has been here for years — 8.08

A mark of 8.08 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 19-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

254 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

9 Jun 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

9 saves: Roman Zhoglo was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 9 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Squad

Ivan Kravchenko breaks a bone — 54 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 54 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini is the real thing at 19

A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. FCI Tallinn know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn bid $75.0K for Aron Jukaj

The offer went to Tammeka 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.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

FCI Tallinn come up short against Paide

Paide left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑2 Erik Pikk left the room before anybody could ask which.

The dugout

No hiding place for Kirill Slozhenikin

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kirill Slozhenikin, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Aleksander Iljin was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 13. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

In brief

253 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

2 Jun 2031
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Roman Zhoglo keeps FCI Tallinn in it on his own

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.

Squad

A fracture rules Ivan Kravchenko out for 63 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Match

Nobody wants to play FCI Tallinn right now

3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The terraces

The crowd has taken to Sander Ojamaa

At 18 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.

Match

FCI Tallinn get the job done against Narva Trans

A 1‑0 win over Narva Trans, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

The dugout

No hiding place for Japhet Matondo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Japhet Matondo, and the manager let it.

The dugout

The view from the dugout

“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Erik Pikk, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.

In brief

252 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

26 May 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

FCI Tallinn tear Tulevik apart

Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 4‑1 against Tulevik, and it could have been more.

Player ratings

A brace, and Nikita Vekhtev takes the afternoon — 9.26

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Nikita Vekhtev provided it, and the 9.26 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Player ratings

Both of them Aleksander Iljin's — 8.54

2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.54, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.

Player ratings

Mousa Fellaini, 19, steals the show — 8.31

Marked 8.31 at 19, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

The terraces

FCI Tallinn supporters have found a favourite in Ebrima Jatta

There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Ebrima Jatta has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Roman Seredyuk

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

The dugout

Erik Pikk: “That is the standard”

“That is what I want every week. Not the result, the way they went about it.” The manager, after 4‑1, already talking about the next one.

In brief

251 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

19 May 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

No mercy from FCI Tallinn

Tammeka will want this one forgotten quickly: 4‑1, every duel lost, and a long ride home. FCI Tallinn were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Player ratings

Nikita Vekhtev scores twice — 9.60

Two goals and a mark of 9.60 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Player ratings

Both of them Aleksander Iljin's — 8.42

2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.42, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.

The dugout

Oleg Polivoda: 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.” FCI Tallinn have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mousa Fellaini was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

A satisfied Erik Pikk

“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 4‑1, Erik Pikk could afford to be generous.

The dugout

FCI Tallinn pick somebody else ahead of Liliu Mets

There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.

The dugout

A promise honoured at FCI Tallinn

Something was said to Mattis Karis and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.

In brief

250 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

12 May 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Roman Zhoglo keeps FCI Tallinn in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 14 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Roman Seredyuk 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Match

The wait goes on for FCI Tallinn

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.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

FCI Tallinn leaking at the back

4 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.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Match

Nomme Kalju take the points off FCI Tallinn

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Ivan Kravchenko signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ivan Kravchenko commits to FCI Tallinn for another 2 years.

Looking ahead

FCI Tallinn face Tammeka in the game that matters most

Two sides from the bottom of the table, three points, and an afternoon that will be described afterwards as a relegation decider by whoever loses it.

In brief

249 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

5 May 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Nowhere to hide for FCI Tallinn

0‑4 against Flora, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.

Match

FCI Tallinn sink to position 9

4 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Market

Markus Kruglov 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta 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.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini is the month’s best young player

At 19 he was better than everybody his age in the division for four weeks running, which is harder than one good afternoon. FCI Tallinn will try not to make too much of it.

Boardroom

Nobody left the FCI Tallinn 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.

Player ratings

Mousa Fellaini was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 16. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

The dugout

Erik Pikk: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑4, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

In brief

  • The dugout The manager has not finished forgetting Roman Zhoglo's mistake
  • Squad Frank Pikk makes the team of the month
  • The dugout Somebody else is better right now than Liliu Mets
248 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

28 Apr 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Nowhere to hide for FCI Tallinn

1‑4 against Levadia, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.

Market

Aleksander Iljin asks to leave FCI Tallinn

“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.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mousa Fellaini was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad

Goal number 50 for Nikita Vekhtev

50 goals in these colours now, every one of them somebody’s memory. There is a supporter in the stand who can tell you where he was for most of them.

The dugout

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Match

No time for Levadia to settle

The goal that put Levadia ahead was still being replayed on the concourse when FCI Tallinn equalised, 2 minutes later. Leads are only worth what you do with them.

Player ratings

The game went through Roman Seredyuk — 6.87

Marked 6.87 on 9 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.

Match

FCI Tallinn at the halfway mark

Half the programme played, position 9, 4 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.

In brief

247 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

21 Apr 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

A hiding for FCI Tallinn

Beaten 0‑5 by Sillamae Kalev, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Boardroom

Nobody left the FCI Tallinn 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.

The dugout

Erik Pikk answers for it

“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑5, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.

Squad

A long afternoon for Roman Zhoglo

Beaten 5 times, with 3 saves for company. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines on their record whoever actually caused them, which is the quiet injustice of the job.

The dugout

FCI Tallinn pick somebody else ahead of Liliu Mets

There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.

Squad

A FCI Tallinn teenager takes the young player award

Mousa Fellaini is 19, and for one weekend he was the best of everybody his age in the division. Nobody should build a career on it and everybody quietly does.

Looking ahead

Rauno Dmitrijev goes back to face Levadia

Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Rauno Dmitrijev’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and FCI Tallinn needing him to play as if none of it matters.

In brief

246 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

14 Apr 2031
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Mousa Fellaini, 19, plays like he has been here for years — 8.25

A mark of 8.25 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 19-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.

Match

The drought breaks for FCI Tallinn

7 without a win is the sort of run that changes how a town talks about its club, and Parnu were the afternoon it stopped. Nothing is fixed by one result and everything feels different by one.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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 terraces

The crowd has taken to Mousa Fellaini

At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.

Match

Mousa Fellaini sends FCI Tallinn past Parnu

It finished 2‑0, and it was Mousa Fellaini’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to FCI Tallinn.

Player ratings

Aleksander Iljin runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Aliaksandr Sivakov signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Aliaksandr Sivakov commits to FCI Tallinn for another 3 years.

The dugout

Erik Pikk has his say

“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Erik Pikk on a 2‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.

In brief

245 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

7 Apr 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Chastening afternoon for FCI Tallinn

A 2‑5 beating by Paide was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Match

FCI Tallinn throw away a 2-goal lead

2 in front and in complete control, and it finished with Paide the happier side. There is no version of this afternoon that FCI Tallinn will enjoy reviewing.

Market

Markus Kruglov 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

A brace, and Nikita Vekhtev takes the afternoon — 8.98

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Nikita Vekhtev provided it, and the 8.98 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Match

FCI Tallinn sink to position 8

1 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Match

No end in sight to FCI Tallinn's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at FCI Tallinn has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo stands alone

6 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.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini 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.

In brief

244 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

31 Mar 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for FCI Tallinn

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.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for FCI Tallinn against Narva Trans

0‑2 to Narva Trans, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Roman Seredyuk runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

The dugout

No hiding place for Mattis Karis

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mattis Karis, and the manager let it.

The dugout

Erik Pikk: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

The dugout

Somebody else is better right now than Hendrik Hein

The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.

The dugout

Mousa Fellaini 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 FCI Tallinn, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

243 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

24 Mar 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Mousa Fellaini beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 31. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Match

No end in sight to FCI Tallinn's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at FCI Tallinn has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Match

Tulevik take the points off FCI Tallinn

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

The dugout

Erik Pikk answers for it

“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.

The dugout

Mousa Fellaini 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 FCI Tallinn, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Player ratings

Nikita Vekhtev keeps on missing

Shots: 11, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Squad

Artur Dmitrijev, 17, is the weekend’s best young player

Measured against every other kid in the division and first among them. The senior award is where FCI Tallinn would like this to lead.

In brief

242 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

17 Mar 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Japhet Matondo beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 24. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Match

4 matches without a win for FCI Tallinn

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around FCI Tallinn are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini 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.

Match

Tammeka snatch it back from FCI Tallinn

A goal on 91 minutes turned three points into one and a good afternoon into an argument about game management that will run until Saturday.

Player ratings

Sander Ojamaa ran the game

Chances created: 12. Not on the scoresheet and not remotely anonymous — a passing performance that pulled a defence apart without leaving a mark on the column that gets read.

The dugout

The manager has not finished forgetting Nikita Vekhtev's mistake

Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.

Player ratings

Nikita Vekhtev gives it away

There was no pressure on him and nowhere he had to be. FCI Tallinn lost a goal to a decision that took half a second and will be discussed all week.

Match

Honours even between FCI Tallinn and Tammeka

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

241 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

10 Mar 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Rauno Liivak damages knee ligaments — 17 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 17 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Match

Chastening afternoon for FCI Tallinn

A 0‑3 beating by Nomme Kalju was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta 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.

Match

FCI Tallinn 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Boardroom

Doors closed at FCI Tallinn

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑3 Erik Pikk left the room before anybody could ask which.

Squad

Martin Igonen stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Martin Igonen and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

The dugout

Frank Pikk 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.

In brief

240 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

3 Mar 2031
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Rauno Liivak

24 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

Chastening afternoon for FCI Tallinn

A 0‑4 beating by Flora was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo stands alone

8 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.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Boardroom

5 academy graduates step up at FCI Tallinn

Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Market

Martin Igonen steps up from the FCI Tallinn academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Martin Igonen 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.

Market

One of our own: Karol Kruglov joins the FCI Tallinn first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Karol Kruglov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

Market

One of our own: Liliu Mets joins the FCI Tallinn first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Liliu Mets is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

In brief

239 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

24 Feb 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Rauno Liivak

31 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini 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.

Squad

Andrei Dobrynin pulls a muscle — 15 days out

The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 15 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.

Market

The Roman Zhoglo story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Roman Zhoglo signs something — a contract at FCI Tallinn or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Market

Still no ink between FCI Tallinn and Aliaksandr Balanovich

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at FCI Tallinn, another week without a signature from Aliaksandr Balanovich.

In brief

238 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

17 Feb 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Rauno Liivak damages knee ligaments — 38 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 38 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

237 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

10 Feb 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Rauno Liivak damages knee ligaments — 46 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 46 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Japhet Matondo signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Japhet Matondo and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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 targets

Evgeniy Ermola stays at Paide as time runs out

A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. FCI Tallinn will try again when the window opens; Paide may not be selling by then.

Market

Rauno Dmitrijev is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at FCI Tallinn has been clear about where Rauno Dmitrijev stands, which is more than many ever get.

In brief

236 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

3 Feb 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

FCI Tallinn close the window on a squad of their own making

3 in and 2 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.

Squad

Nikita Vekhtev signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nikita Vekhtev and FCI Tallinn agree another 4 years.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Transfer targets

Paide tell FCI Tallinn: Liliu Puri is not for sale

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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mousa Fellaini 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.

Market

No place for Japhet Matondo in the plan

“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Japhet Matondo has his answer from FCI Tallinn; what he does with it is the next window’s story.

In brief

235 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

27 Jan 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Transfer targets

The paperwork begins on Kirill Yakuta

A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. FCI Tallinn have done the hard part with Sillamae Kalev, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Mihkel Ojamaa

FCI Tallinn asked and Flora said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

In brief

234 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

20 Jan 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Transfer targets

Evgeniy Ermola due for a FCI Tallinn medical

Everything agreed with Paide, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.

Market

As if he never left: Liliu Igonen returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Liliu Igonen is a FCI Tallinn player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Justus Ohanu

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Levadia have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Liliu Igonen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Liliu Igonen commits to FCI Tallinn for another 3 years.

In brief

233 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

13 Jan 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Marek Igonen

19 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Boardroom

Antonio Aliaj will join FCI Tallinn for nothing

The paperwork is done long before the player is. Antonio Aliaj has agreed terms to come here when his current deal runs out, which means FCI Tallinn have spent a summer's transfer budget on a phone call.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Kirill Yakuta

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Sillamae Kalev have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kirill Slozhenikin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Market

FCI Tallinn sign Mousa Fellaini, one for the future

Mousa Fellaini is 19, and FCI Tallinn 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.

Squad

Mousa Fellaini signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mousa Fellaini commits to FCI Tallinn for another 4 years.

The dugout

Japhet Matondo asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

The dugout

FCI Tallinn keep their word to Ryan Van Dijk

Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.

In brief

232 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

6 Jan 2031
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Egor Troyakov out for 19 days

19 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

231 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

30 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Egor Troyakov out for 27 days

27 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

230 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

23 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Egor Troyakov damages knee ligaments — 34 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 34 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Market

Denis Sibul asks to leave FCI Tallinn

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich 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.

Match

FCI Tallinn have something to play for

Position 6 on 22 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.

Squad

Questions about Mattis Karis on the training pitch

The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.

In brief

229 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

16 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Egor Troyakov damages knee ligaments — 41 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 41 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

228 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

9 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Egor Troyakov

49 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

227 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

2 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Rauno Mets 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Egor Troyakov 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.

In brief

226 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

25 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov damages knee ligaments — 20 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 20 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Market

Denis Sibul 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for Japhet Matondo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Japhet Matondo, and the manager let it.

Match

Continental football is in reach for FCI Tallinn

22 points from position 6. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.

In brief

225 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

18 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 27 days

27 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

224 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

11 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Alexey Meschaninov

34 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

The division’s best young player: Sander Ojamaa

A whole season of being the finest 17-year-old anybody in this league could put on a pitch. FCI Tallinn have him, and everybody else now knows it.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

In brief

223 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

4 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov damages knee ligaments — 41 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 41 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Market

Rauno Mets 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

222 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

28 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 48 days

48 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Market

Denis Sibul 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Match

Continental football is in reach for FCI Tallinn

22 points from position 6. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.

Boardroom

The FCI Tallinn production line keeps running

51 graduates out of an academy now rated 3 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.

In brief

221 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

21 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Alexey Meschaninov

56 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

FCI Tallinn lose Hendrik Hein

15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Erik Klavan stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Erik Klavan and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

220 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

14 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov damages knee ligaments — 63 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 63 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

219 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

7 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 71 days

71 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

The dugout

Japhet Matondo: 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.” FCI Tallinn have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

218 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

30 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Alexey Meschaninov

78 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Egor Troyakov 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.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Mattis Karis

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The dugout

Japhet Matondo 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 Japhet Matondo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

“I want to play”: Mattis Karis speaks

“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.

In brief

217 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

23 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 85 days

85 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

In brief

216 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

16 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 92 days

92 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Market

Ryan Van Dijk puts it in writing

“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 FCI Tallinn, and it is not being withdrawn.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Nikita Ivanov

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Nomme Kalju have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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 dugout

Marek Ainsalu 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.

In brief

215 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

9 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov damages knee ligaments — 99 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 99 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Mattis Karis stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Mattis Karis and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

214 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

2 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 106 days

106 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Transfer targets

Fee done, terms next for Sander Marin

FCI Tallinn and Flora have settled on $13.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.

Boardroom

Deadline passes with 8 signed and 7 gone

That is the business done at FCI Tallinn until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

FCI Tallinn count the cost of losing Ryan Van Dijk

28 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

In brief

213 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

26 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 115 days

115 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Market

Tulevik come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and FCI Tallinn did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Transfer targets

No thanks: Nikita Ivanov rejects the move

FCI Tallinn had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Nomme Kalju, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikita Solonovich 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 dugout

Mattis Karis 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.

In brief

212 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

19 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 123 days

123 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Market

Ryan Van Dijk 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Transfer targets

Nomme Kalju tell FCI Tallinn: Nikita Ivanov is not for sale

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.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ebrima Jatta and FCI Tallinn agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Egor Troyakov 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.

In brief

211 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

12 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Alexey Meschaninov

131 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Sander Marin

FCI Tallinn asked and Flora said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

In brief

210 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

5 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The knee: Alexey Meschaninov out for 139 days

139 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo 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.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich is no longer first choice

The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Nikita Solonovich has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.

The dugout

Marek Ainsalu 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 Marek Ainsalu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Match

Continental football is in reach for FCI Tallinn

22 points from position 6. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.

In brief

209 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

29 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Transfer targets

No thanks: Nikita Ivanov rejects the move

FCI Tallinn had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Nomme Kalju, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich 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.

In brief

208 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

22 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Ryan Van Dijk asks to leave FCI Tallinn

“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.

Transfer targets

An offer of $920.0K for Nikita Ivanov

FCI Tallinn have gone to Nomme Kalju 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.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Nikita Ivanov

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Nomme Kalju have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Egor Troyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Market

Hendrik Baranov leaves for nothing

Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Hendrik Baranov leaves FCI Tallinn the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.

In brief

207 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

15 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Transfer targets

Flora tell FCI Tallinn: Sander Marin is not for sale

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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikita Solonovich 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 dugout

The manager makes an example of Sander Hein

“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.

Squad

Japhet Matondo still has not settled

A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at FCI Tallinn would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.

The dugout

Ryan Van Dijk 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.

In brief

206 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

8 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich 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.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Roman Kravchenko

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Flora have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Egor Troyakov 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.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Mattis Karis

“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.

Boardroom

Intake day at the FCI Tallinn academy

4 arrivals, an average age nobody would call a squad, and a set of parents being shown around a building their sons will spend more time in than at home. The scouting has already happened; today is only the paperwork.

Squad

A place in the month's best eleven for Ebrima Jatta

Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Ebrima Jatta has come out of that comparison in the side, and FCI Tallinn have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.

In brief

205 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

1 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Chastening afternoon for FCI Tallinn

A 1‑4 beating by Levadia was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Match

Full time on the season at FCI Tallinn

Position 6 on 22 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo stands alone

6 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.

Player ratings

Marek Igonen, 20, steals the show — 7.73

Marked 7.73 at 20, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Roman Zhoglo and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Egor Troyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Boardroom

Doors closed at FCI Tallinn

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑4 Erik Pikk left the room before anybody could ask which.

In brief

204 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

24 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A day Nikita Vekhtev will not forget

3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.

Player ratings

No sign of nerves from Marek Antonov at 20 — 8.02

The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Marek Antonov did not need any: 8.02, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Nikita Vekhtev

17 goals and a season average of 7.40 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Market

Ryan Van Dijk puts it in writing

“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 FCI Tallinn, and it is not being withdrawn.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Nikita Ivanov

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Nomme Kalju have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nikita Vekhtev

Marked 9.97 — 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.

Match

6 goals as FCI Tallinn and Sillamae Kalev go for it

Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between FCI Tallinn and Sillamae Kalev, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.

Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

Nikita Vekhtev the difference as FCI Tallinn beat Sillamae Kalev

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Nikita Vekhtev. 4‑2 against Sillamae Kalev, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

In brief

203 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

17 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

The small margins put FCI Tallinn out

Out, 0‑3 to Paide, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo stands alone

7 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.

The terraces

A cup hiding at Paide leaves FCI Tallinn explaining themselves

0-3, and long before the end the away end had switched from encouragement to something considerably more pointed. Nobody rings a phone-in about losing narrowly.

Transfer targets

$29.0K settles it between the clubs for Andrey Agapov

Parnu have accepted the money. What FCI Tallinn do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.

The dugout

Rauno Pikk: 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.” FCI Tallinn have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Aleksander Iljin

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Nikita Vekhtev

14 goals and a season average of 7.31 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikita Solonovich 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.

In brief

202 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

10 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Roman Zhoglo

There were 11 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

A hiding for FCI Tallinn

Beaten 1‑4 by Paide, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.

Transfer targets

Nikita Ivanov is a medical away from FCI Tallinn

The deal with Nomme Kalju is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.

The dugout

Marek Ainsalu: 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.” FCI Tallinn have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta 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.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Nikita Vekhtev

13 goals and a season average of 7.27 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Andrey Agapov

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Parnu have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Egor Troyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Boardroom

Doors closed at FCI Tallinn

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

In brief

  • The dugout The view from the dugout
  • Player ratings An own goal to forget for Rauno Dmitrijev
  • The dugout The manager makes an example of Rauno Pikk
201 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

3 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Roman Zhoglo

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.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikita Solonovich was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Match

A bad afternoon for FCI Tallinn against Narva Trans

0‑1 to Narva Trans, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Sander Hein is the division's best young player this month

At 19 he has spent a month being better than everybody his age in the league, which is a different and harder thing than one good afternoon. FCI Tallinn will try very hard not to make too much of it.

The dugout

Erik Pikk faces the questions

“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Erik Pikk after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.

The dugout

FCI Tallinn keep their word to Mattis Karis

Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.

Market

Dimitar Petrov told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Dimitar Petrov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at FCI Tallinn.

Boardroom

FCI Tallinn can sign again

The window is open, and with it the only month of the year when a supporter’s hopes are limited by nothing but arithmetic. The board know the arithmetic; the supporters know the hopes.

In brief

200 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

27 May 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Nikita Vekhtev leads the rout of Tulevik

4‑0, and Nikita Vekhtev took the headlines on an afternoon when everything FCI Tallinn tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Squad

Nikita Vekhtev takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Market

Ryan Van Dijk puts it in writing

“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 FCI Tallinn, and it is not being withdrawn.

The dugout

Ryan Van Dijk keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FCI Tallinn may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Sander Hein, 19, plays like he has been here for years — 7.85

A mark of 7.85 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 19-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nikita Vekhtev

Marked 9.96 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Nikita Vekhtev

12 goals and a season average of 7.26 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich 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.

In brief

199 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

20 May 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

A brace, and Nikita Vekhtev takes the afternoon — 8.96

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Nikita Vekhtev provided it, and the 8.96 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Match

4 matches without a win for FCI Tallinn

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around FCI Tallinn are no longer polite ones.

Match

Nobody could stop scoring

6 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about FCI Tallinn and Tammeka in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Nikita Solonovich 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.

Match

FCI Tallinn 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.

Squad

Egor Troyakov 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.

Squad

Frank Pikk out for 39 days

The medical room confirms 39 days on the sidelines for Frank Pikk, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Match

Honours even between FCI Tallinn and Tammeka

3‑3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Kirill Slozhenikin stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Kirill Slozhenikin and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

198 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

13 May 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

8 saves: Roman Zhoglo was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Squad

A fracture rules Alexey Meschaninov out for 17 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta 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.

Match

3 matches without a goal for FCI Tallinn

The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikita Solonovich 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.

Match

Nomme Kalju take the points off FCI Tallinn

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Sander Hein

Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Sander Hein

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The dugout

Erik Pikk: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

In brief

197 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

6 May 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 18 days

18 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Match

A hiding for FCI Tallinn

Beaten 0‑4 by Flora, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Roman Zhoglo

There were 9 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.

Squad

A fracture rules Alexey Meschaninov out for 24 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Mattis Karis

“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.

Boardroom

Nobody left the FCI Tallinn 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.

The dugout

The view from the dugout

“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑4 defeat, delivered by Erik Pikk to a room that had heard them before.

The dugout

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

196 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

29 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Roman Zhoglo keeps FCI Tallinn in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 11 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Dimitar Petrov damages knee ligaments — 25 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 25 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Match

Chastening afternoon for FCI Tallinn

A 0‑4 beating by Levadia was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov breaks a bone — 31 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 31 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Market

Ryan Van Dijk asks to leave FCI Tallinn

“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.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Roman Zhoglo

“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.

Match

FCI Tallinn at the halfway mark

Half the programme played, position 6, 12 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.

Boardroom

Nobody left the FCI Tallinn 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.

In brief

195 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

22 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 32 days

32 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov breaks a bone — 39 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 39 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

A day Nikita Vekhtev will not forget

3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Roman Zhoglo

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Player ratings

Ninety minutes of Nikita Vekhtev at his very best

Marked 9.92. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at FCI Tallinn.

Match

FCI Tallinn see off Sillamae Kalev

Three points for FCI Tallinn, 3‑1 the final word against Sillamae Kalev in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

Aleksander Iljin runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Erik Pikk kept it short after the 3‑1 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.

Looking ahead

The leaders are next for FCI Tallinn

Levadia top the table and they are coming into view. Nothing to lose, which is what every manager says before losing.

In brief

194 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

15 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Dimitar Petrov

39 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov breaks a bone — 48 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 48 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Player ratings

No sign of nerves from Sander Ojamaa at 17 — 8.50

The hardest thing about being 17 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Sander Ojamaa did not need any: 8.50, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.

Player ratings

Aleksander Iljin runs at them all day

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.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikita Solonovich 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 terraces

The crowd has taken to Sander Hein

At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.

Match

FCI Tallinn find a way past Parnu

Parnu made FCI Tallinn work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nikita Vekhtev

Marked 8.41 — 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.

In brief

193 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

8 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 46 days

46 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

55 days out for Alexey Meschaninov after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. FCI Tallinn will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Player ratings

A brace, and Nikita Vekhtev takes the afternoon — 9.07

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Nikita Vekhtev provided it, and the 9.07 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo stands alone

6 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.

Squad

Nikita Solonovich signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nikita Solonovich and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years.

Match

6 goals as FCI Tallinn and Paide go for it

Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between FCI Tallinn and Paide, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.

Match

FCI Tallinn come up short against Paide

Paide left with the points after a 2‑4 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Market

No place for Oleg Polivoda in the plan

“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Oleg Polivoda has his answer from FCI Tallinn; what he does with it is the next window’s story.

The dugout

The view from the dugout

“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 2‑4 defeat, delivered by Erik Pikk to a room that had heard them before.

In brief

192 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

1 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The interim tag comes off Erik Pikk

FCI Tallinn interviewed the field and appointed the corridor: Erik Pikk keeps the job he had been doing in all but title. Sometimes the safest pair of hands is the one already holding the wheel.

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 55 days

55 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

A fracture rules Alexey Meschaninov out for 62 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Roman Seredyuk signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Roman Seredyuk and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years.

Player ratings

Roman Seredyuk beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 20. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Match

A bad afternoon for FCI Tallinn against Narva Trans

1‑2 to Narva Trans, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Market

Nikita Solonovich is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at FCI Tallinn has been clear about where Nikita Solonovich stands, which is more than many ever get.

Match

No time for Narva Trans to settle

The goal that put Narva Trans ahead was still being replayed on the concourse when FCI Tallinn equalised, 2 minutes later. Leads are only worth what you do with them.

In brief

191 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

25 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Dimitar Petrov damages knee ligaments — 62 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 62 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Player ratings

Sander Hein beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 36. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Match

FCI Tallinn run riot against Tulevik

3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.

Squad

A fracture rules Alexey Meschaninov out for 69 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

The terraces

FCI Tallinn supporters have found a favourite in Rauno Dmitrijev

There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Rauno Dmitrijev has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.

Player ratings

Nikita Vekhtev in the eights

A performance of 8.73 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Aleksander Iljin

Marked 8.14 — 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.

Squad

Egor Troyakov 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.

In brief

190 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

18 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Dimitar Petrov damages knee ligaments — 69 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 69 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Match

No mercy from FCI Tallinn

Tammeka will want this one forgotten quickly: 3‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. FCI Tallinn were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov breaks a bone — 76 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 76 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Player ratings

A brace, and Aleksander Iljin takes the afternoon — 8.15

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Aleksander Iljin provided it, and the 8.15 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

The dugout

Sander Hein says FCI Tallinn went back on their word

“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 ratings

Marek Antonov, 20, steals the show — 8.14

Marked 8.14 at 20, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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 terraces

The crowd has taken to Marek Antonov

At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Egor Troyakov 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.

In brief

189 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

11 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 76 days

76 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Match

FCI Tallinn taken apart

0‑3 to Nomme Kalju, 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.

Squad

A fracture rules Alexey Meschaninov out for 83 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason FCI Tallinn will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Roman Zhoglo

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.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

FCI Tallinn still without a manager

10 days since the seat came open, a list of names doing the rounds, and nobody has signed anything. Every week this drags on the shortlist gets shorter.

Match

FCI Tallinn cannot find the net

3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Roman Zhoglo

“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.

Boardroom

Doors closed at FCI Tallinn

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

In brief

188 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

4 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Marek Sorga is out at FCI Tallinn

Four paragraphs on the club website, none of them about football. The board thanked him, wished him well, and had the search under way before the page went up.

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Dimitar Petrov

83 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

Chastening afternoon for FCI Tallinn

A 0‑5 beating by Flora was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov breaks a bone — 90 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 90 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Boardroom

Erik Pikk steps up at FCI Tallinn for now

“Somebody picks the team on Saturday. This week it is me, and that is as far as I have thought.” No promises were made in either direction, which is how these usually begin.

Squad

Roman Zhoglo keeps FCI Tallinn in it on his own

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.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

5 academy players handed senior numbers at FCI Tallinn

The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.

Market

One of our own: Sergei Sappinen joins the FCI Tallinn first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Sergei Sappinen is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

In brief

187 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

25 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Dimitar Petrov damages knee ligaments — 90 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 90 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov breaks a bone — 97 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 97 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

In brief

186 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

18 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 97 days

97 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov breaks a bone — 104 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 104 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta 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.

In brief

185 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

11 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Dimitar Petrov

104 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Ebrima Jatta 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn baulk at the price for Artem Denisenko

Levadia wanted more than $50.0K and the board would not go there. Walked away, for now, which in a transfer window means until somebody blinks.

Transfer targets

Matvey Dubatovka stays at Flora as time runs out

A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. FCI Tallinn will try again when the window opens; Flora may not be selling by then.

Squad

Egor Troyakov 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.

Squad

Marek Antonov signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Marek Antonov and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years.

In brief

184 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

4 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 112 days

112 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Transfer targets

Fee done, terms next for Matvey Dubatovka

FCI Tallinn and Flora have settled on $370.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.

Boardroom

FCI Tallinn close the window on a squad of their own making

3 in and 4 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.

The dugout

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Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Ebrima Jatta and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Transfer targets

Flora tell FCI Tallinn: Sander Marin is not for sale

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.

Market

Mattis Karis told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Mattis Karis has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at FCI Tallinn.

Squad

Alexey Meschaninov stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Alexey Meschaninov and FCI Tallinn agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Sander Hein is no longer first choice

The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Sander Hein has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.

In brief

183 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

28 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Dimitar Petrov

120 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

Market

Marek Igonen already looking beyond FCI Tallinn

He signed expecting a bigger stage than the one he found. It has not taken long, and it has not taken the dressing room long to notice either.

Market

A long bet from FCI Tallinn on Marek Igonen

He is 20, and nobody at FCI Tallinn signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

Squad

Marek Igonen stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Marek Igonen and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

The dugout

Nikita Vekhtev gets picked when it counts

Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Nikita Vekhtev is on it.

The dugout

No hiding place for Roman Seredyuk

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Roman Seredyuk, and the manager let it.

The dugout

Ebrima Jatta 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 Ebrima Jatta trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

182 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

21 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Dimitar Petrov

127 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. FCI Tallinn lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn agree $11.0K for Sander Marin

The clubs have shaken hands with Flora; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Roman Zhoglo 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.

Transfer targets

Flora tell FCI Tallinn: Matvey Dubatovka is not for sale

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.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Egor Troyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Market

Talks stall between FCI Tallinn and Yaroslav Stavrov

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

In brief

181 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

14 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The knee: Dimitar Petrov out for 134 days

134 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. FCI Tallinn lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Market

Idalécio Dias puts it in writing

“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 FCI Tallinn, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Idalécio Dias 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.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn baulk at the price for Artem Denisenko

Levadia wanted more than $50.0K and the board would not go there. Walked away, for now, which in a transfer window means until somebody blinks.

Boardroom

FCI Tallinn agree a free transfer for Nikita Prokhorov

Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.

Squad

Sander Hein is a square peg at FCI Tallinn

The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.

Squad

Aliaksandr Sivakov stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Aliaksandr Sivakov and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

The dugout

Aleksander Iljin gets picked when it counts

Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Aleksander Iljin is on it.

The dugout

FCI Tallinn keep their word to Rauno Dmitrijev

Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.

In brief

180 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

7 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Nikita Vekhtev honoured for the season

The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. FCI Tallinn had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.

Transfer targets

Sander Hein due for a FCI Tallinn medical

Everything agreed with Flora, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.

The dugout

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Squad

Tempers go at FCI Tallinn

Idalécio Dias 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.

Squad

Ryan Van Dijk gets the move he always wanted

Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Ryan Van Dijk has just signed for FCI Tallinn, and for once the answer mattered.

Transfer targets

FCI Tallinn rebuffed over Sulyman Krubally

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Parnu have kept their man, and FCI Tallinn go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Japhet Matondo 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.

Market

FCI Tallinn buy the years ahead of Ryan Van Dijk

He is 18, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.

Boardroom

Open for business: FCI Tallinn enter the window

The registration window is open and the phone has started. Between now and the deadline this club will be linked with forty players and sign three, which is the usual ratio.

In brief

179 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

31 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Yuriy Kallaur 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

The dugout

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Squad

Idalécio Dias 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 FCI Tallinn this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at FCI Tallinn training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Egor Troyakov 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.

Squad

Dimitar Petrov stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Dimitar Petrov and FCI Tallinn agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

The dugout

When it matters, Nikita Vekhtev plays

It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.

In brief

178 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

24 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The dugout

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Squad

A falling-out at FCI Tallinn

Idalécio Dias and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Yuriy Kallaur 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.

In brief

177 Edition

The FCI Tallinn Chronicle

17 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Idalécio Dias 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 FCI Tallinn can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Words exchanged at FCI Tallinn

Idalécio Dias 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.

Squad

A row about effort at FCI Tallinn

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Japhet Matondo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

When it matters, Aleksander Iljin plays

It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.

The dugout

No hiding place for Roman Seredyuk

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Roman Seredyuk, and the manager let it.

The dugout

Ebrima Jatta 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.

In brief