Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Konrad Lienhart has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mattersburg have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Michael Laimer plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
4 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
A 1-1 win over Red Bull Salzburg, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Florent Hajdini will call it something else in private.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mattersburg have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Mattersburg have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Martin Dragovic has let it be known that he does not like the way Mattersburg are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Every debut is a small story about the future: Nathan Moineau, 20 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Florent Hajdini and Mattersburg agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Sturm Graz defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Michael Laimer: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Mattersburg has been clear about where René Zia stands, which is more than many ever get.
Every debut is a small story about the future: Sean Hogan, 21 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Mattersburg have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Every debut is a small story about the future: Adame Laidouni, 19 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Mattersburg have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The shirt still fits. David Arnautovic is back at Mattersburg, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Jake Rooney and Mattersburg agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Boardroom26 Jul 2027
The ground is getting bigger
The plans are signed off at a capacity of 20833. Decisions like this are judged twenty years later, by people who were not in the room when they were taken.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Godfred Boakye arrives at Mattersburg with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Mattersburg has been clear about where Sebastian Bauer stands, which is more than many ever get.
He is 20, and nobody at Mattersburg signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I did not go to Red Bull Salzburg to sit and watch. I want to come back to Mattersburg and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 41 matches say the rest.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Mattersburg know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A new face in his position, and Pascal Köpke suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Mattersburg have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
“I did not go to Red Bull Salzburg to sit and watch. I want to come back to Mattersburg and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 37 matches say the rest.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Michael Laimer plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
He came through the session, took part in everything and finished it smiling. Mattersburg will not rush him, and he will spend the next fortnight trying to rush them.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Mattersburg, and 0 appearances in 33 say he has earned the hearing.
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Pascal Köpke has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Mattersburg, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
25 years old, every age group at this club behind him, and a borrowed player of much the same standard in front of him every Saturday. The parents in the stand have noticed, and so has every kid below him.
A new face in his position, and Lukas Gugganig suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Mattersburg have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Enzo Ketterle arrives at Mattersburg with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Mattersburg, and 0 appearances in 25 say he has earned the hearing.
At 25, Marco Sabitzer has come through every age group this club has, and now watches a borrowed player of much the same level start every week. An academy notices these things, and so do the parents in the stand.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
He is 19, and nobody at Mattersburg signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
He is 18, and nobody at Mattersburg signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
The name of Marko Sabitzer has come up in conversations Mattersburg were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Sean Hogan is 20, and Mattersburg 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.
Florent Hajdini is 20, and Mattersburg 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.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Mattersburg, and 0 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Philipp Erhardt has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mattersburg have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Mattersburg have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Sebastian Bauer plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
In brief
SquadThe selectors could not leave Heinz Ulmer out
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mattersburg have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Sebastian Bauer will call it something else in private.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mattersburg have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
1-5 to Austria Wien, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mattersburg have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
At 31 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Mattersburg have a decision that made itself.
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.
A 3-1 win over Admira Wacker, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Mattersburg, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Mattersburg have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Admira Wacker go through and Mattersburg go home, 1-1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Mattersburg can pretend not to have heard.
1 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Sebastian Bauer keeps the shirt for now, at Mattersburg's convenience rather than his own.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Philipp Onisiwo and Mattersburg agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Sebastian Bauer arrives at 34 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
David Stec is 33 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
A new face in his position, and Sebastian Bauer suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Mattersburg have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Michael Trimmel and Mattersburg agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
“I did not go to Red Bull Salzburg to sit and watch. I want to come back to Mattersburg and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 0 matches say the rest.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mattersburg, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The name of Konrad Junuzovic has come up in conversations Mattersburg were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Xaver Kalajdzic and Mattersburg agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.