The words a physio says slowly. 77 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.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Apr 2030
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
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 words a physio says slowly. 84 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.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 Apr 2030
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
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 Tien Goga is on it.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. ND Gorica know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
91 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. ND Gorica lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at ND Gorica is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. ND Gorica know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
98 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. ND Gorica know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
In brief
MatchContinental football is in reach for ND Gorica
The words a physio says slowly. 105 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.
He is 19, he is averaging 7.07, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
The words a physio says slowly. 14 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.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad4 Mar 2030
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Andrija Drljo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
In brief
The dugoutTien Goga has become a man the manager trusts
21 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at ND Gorica is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. ND Gorica know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
29 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. ND Gorica lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. ND Gorica know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at ND Gorica. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Position 6, 27 points, and a run-in that decides whether next season has Thursday nights in it. Nobody is calling it a race yet, which is what people say during one.
In brief
The dugoutJakob Zbašnik knocks on the manager's door
SquadThe training reports on Karlo Tomašec are not good
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Andrija Drljo
He is 19, he is averaging 7.07, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. ND Gorica will try again when the window opens; NK Celje may not be selling by then.
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.
Nobody at ND Gorica will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. ND Gorica know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at ND Gorica that is a harder question to answer.
ND Gorica and NK Celje have settled on $3.1M. 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.
Boardroom4 Feb 2030
ND Gorica close the window on a squad of their own making
0 in and 1 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.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. ND Gorica have done the hard part with Slavia Prague, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
ND Gorica asked and Olimpija Ljubljana said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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 Tien Goga is on it.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, and a scan that said otherwise. He goes back to NK Celje; ND Gorica go back to the market; and both will insist there is no story here.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around ND Gorica they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Squad28 Jan 2030
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Luka Baruca 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.
Slavia Prague have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Miha Žejen has written the date down.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Alen Korošec
BoardroomThe ND Gorica production line keeps running
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” ND Gorica have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. ND Gorica have done the hard part with NK Celje, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Slavia Prague have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 16 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
Position 6, 27 points, and a run-in that decides whether next season has Thursday nights in it. Nobody is calling it a race yet, which is what people say during one.
“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 ND Gorica, and it is not being withdrawn.
ND Gorica asked and NK Celje said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Everything agreed with NK Domzale, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad14 Jan 2030
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Radosław Seweryś and ND Gorica agree another 3 years.
Slavia Prague have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around ND Gorica people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what ND Gorica can pretend not to have heard.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
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 Tien Goga is on it.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at ND Gorica. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad17 Dec 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jan Đapo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Andrija Drljo
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Josip Perković will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Antonio Beidenegl and ND Gorica agree another 4 years.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Nobody at ND Gorica will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Antonio Beidenegl has come out of that comparison in the side, and ND Gorica have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
17 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad26 Nov 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
Successful dribbles: 17. 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 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.
24 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. ND Gorica lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Position 6 on 27 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.
He is 19, he is averaging 7.07, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Miha Žejen, and the manager let it.
The dugout19 Nov 2029
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 1‑3 Tomas Brekalo left the room before anybody could ask which.
In brief
The dugoutAljaž Zalaznik has become a man the manager trusts
31 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Vid Lovric did not need any: 8.06, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at ND Gorica is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
At 23 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.
Player ratings12 Nov 2029
Nura Salisu was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.57. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Tomas Brekalo on a 2‑1 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
In brief
SquadA ND Gorica teenager takes the young player award
39 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. ND Gorica lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Anej Kobal 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.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 87. NK Celje had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
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.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at ND Gorica has been clear about where Ladji Mory Kane stands, which is more than many ever get.
The words a physio says slowly. 47 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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
50 for the club now, each one filed in somebody’s memory with a date and a scoreline. Numbers like this are what supporters argue about in twenty years.
8.22. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Conceding is one thing; the response is what tells you about a dressing room. Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu had ND Gorica level again within 2 minutes, and Rudar Velenje never got to play with a lead at all.
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.
54 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
He is 19, he is averaging 7.04, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
6 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about ND Gorica and Olimpija Ljubljana in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad22 Oct 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
“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.
Boardroom22 Oct 2029
Nobody left the ND Gorica 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 dugout22 Oct 2029
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 1‑5 Tomas Brekalo left the room before anybody could ask which.
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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Josip Perković will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
71 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Successful dribbles: 23. 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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad8 Oct 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
At 22 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.
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
The words a physio says slowly. 78 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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad1 Oct 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
100 times in these colours, in all weathers and under four or five different managers. That kind of service is quietly disappearing from the game.
The dugout1 Oct 2029
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.” Tomas Brekalo, on a 2‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
86 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. ND Gorica lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Player ratings24 Sep 2029
Vid Lovric, 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.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” ND Gorica have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
He is 19, he is averaging 7.04, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
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.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 19-year-old it feels ownership of. Vid Lovric 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.
A point taken on 95 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.
93 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around ND Gorica they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Aljaž Zalaznik 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.
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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Slavia Prague have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
0‑2 to Koper, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout10 Sep 2029
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 Tomas Brekalo left the room before anybody could ask which.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around ND Gorica people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Boardroom3 Sep 2029
ND Gorica close the window on a squad of their own making
6 in and 3 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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Olimpija Ljubljana have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
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.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Nura Salisu 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.
NK Celje made ND Gorica work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
Nura Salisu was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.28. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
$3.2M settles it between the clubs for Svit Sešlar
NK Celje have accepted the money. What ND Gorica do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Vid Lovric did not need any: 8.05, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. ND Gorica know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
The name of Josip Perković has come up in conversations ND Gorica were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 19-year-old it feels ownership of. Vid Lovric 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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 10 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Everything agreed with NK Varazdin, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Aug 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
4 matches without defeat, and then Olimpija Ljubljana. Nobody at the ground pretended it would go on forever; nobody expected it to stop here either.
The dugout20 Aug 2029
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 Tomas Brekalo left the room before anybody could ask which.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
At 23 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.
ND Gorica have gone to NK Celje 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.
ND Gorica had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Slavia Prague, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Jan Đapo 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Olimpija Ljubljana have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Medeama had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
6 goals in one match, Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of ND Gorica and NK Krsko.
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.
At 25 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Player ratingsNinety minutes of Andrija Drljo at his very best
Transfer targetsA loan move for Artem Somka is in the works
156Edition
The ND Gorica Courier
23 Jul 2029
From our football correspondentUneasy
Transfer targets23 Jul 2029
$3.1M settles it between the clubs for Svit Sešlar
NK Celje have accepted the money. What ND Gorica do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Vid Lovric did not need any: 9.00, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Aljaž Zalaznik is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Karlo Tomašec has improved at 25, which nobody expected
Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Andrija Drljo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Squad9 Jul 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 23 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Everything agreed with Slavia Prague, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Crvena Zvezda have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
$3.2M on the table at NK Celje. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
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.
Aljaž Zalaznik has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Darko Pranjič has written the date down.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around ND Gorica they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. ND Gorica have done the hard part with Spartak Moscow, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Ufa have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
ND Gorica have made the call to Dynamo Kyiv. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Andrija Drljo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Jan Đapo 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.
ND Gorica asked and Olimpija Ljubljana said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Crvena Zvezda have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Nobody at ND Gorica will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The offer from Medeama for Taj Rožič Šuligoj was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
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.
Olimpija Ljubljana have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Marko Uljanić is 20, and ND Gorica 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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Kristjan Laščak has written the date down.
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jan Đapo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Jakob Zbašnik has written the date down.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around ND Gorica they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Antonio Beidenegl has written the date down.
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Andrija Drljo’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
In brief
BoardroomThe ND Gorica production line keeps running
SquadNura Salisu is training like a man with a point to make
Jan Đapo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Apr 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Taj Rožič Šuligoj will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Jan Đapo 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 injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 14 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Rene Prodanović was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Kristjan Laščak has written the date down.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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.
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 Tien Goga is on it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jan Đapo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
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.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” ND Gorica have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Taj Rožič Šuligoj will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at ND Gorica that is a harder question to answer.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Miha Žejen
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” ND Gorica have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at ND Gorica. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Miha Žejen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Nobody at ND Gorica will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jan Đapo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around ND Gorica they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
ND Gorica and Olimpija Ljubljana have settled on $110.0K. 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.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 0 arrived, 0 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Jan Đapo 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Olimpija Ljubljana have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
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.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Jakob Zbašnik is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The offer from Plateau United for Alen Korošec was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
ND Gorica asked and Slavia Prague said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The name of Josip Perković has come up in conversations ND Gorica were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Hajduk Split have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
ND Gorica have made the call to Partizan. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Jakob Zbašnik has written the date down.
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. ND Gorica will quote 14 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
ND Gorica asked and Crvena Zvezda said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
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 Tien Goga is on it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jan Đapo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Medeama had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Taj Rožič Šuligoj will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The name of Kristjan Laščak has come up in conversations ND Gorica were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Antonio Beidenegl and ND Gorica agree another 4 years.
Slavia Prague have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The phone has started ringing about Alen Korošec again, and this time the name on the line is Medeama. ND Gorica are listening politely and promising nothing.
Jan Đapo 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Olimpija Ljubljana have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad8 Jan 2029
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what ND Gorica can pretend not to have heard.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at ND Gorica has been clear about where Kristjan Laščak stands, which is more than many ever get.
Not a new contract, not a new number: a new place in the manager’s thinking, which is the only promotion in football that actually matters. Kristjan Laščak has moved up it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Nobody at ND Gorica will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Taj Rožič Šuligoj will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Jakob Zbašnik
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A new partner, a signature and a photograph nobody will remember. It funds a fortnight of wages, which is more than most headlines on this page can say for themselves.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at ND Gorica. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
NK Domzale go through and ND Gorica go home, 0‑1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
8 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.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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 dugout27 Nov 2028
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 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Tomas Brekalo to a room that had heard them before.
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
Nobody at ND Gorica is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
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.
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. ND Gorica will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around ND Gorica they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Jan Đapo 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.
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
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.
Jan Đapo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
Beaten 5 times, 5 saves, and an afternoon that will go on his record whether it was his fault or the defence’s. It is the quiet unfairness of the position.
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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ladji Mory Kane commits to ND Gorica for another 4 years.
The dugout6 Nov 2028
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 1‑2 Tomas Brekalo left the room before anybody could ask which.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Miha Žejen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
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.
4 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 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.
100 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
“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.
In brief
The dugoutMiha Žejen dropped after a run of poor form
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Taj Rožič Šuligoj will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Jan Đapo 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.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at ND Gorica can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Jakob Zbašnik will call it something else in private.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
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 Tomas Brekalo left the room before anybody could ask which.
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.
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.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
Nobody at ND Gorica will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Prosper Obiora Nwachukwu and ND Gorica agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout9 Oct 2028
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Tomas Brekalo was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the ND Gorica dressing room was either.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 15 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
Nura Salisu, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 8.23
A mark of 8.23 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
8 without a win is the sort of run that changes how a town talks about its club, and NK Krsko were the afternoon it stopped. Nothing is fixed by one result and everything feels different by one.
Jan Đapo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad2 Oct 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
At 23 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.
8.10. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason ND Gorica will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Taj Rožič Šuligoj will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Jan Đapo 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 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.
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.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
In brief
The dugoutMiha Žejen asks for a word with the manager
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 30 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Half the programme played, position 7, 7 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
The dugout18 Sep 2028
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 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Tomas Brekalo to a room that had heard them before.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 38 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Darko Pranjič is living that version at ND Gorica, and it tends to show in the first month.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. ND Gorica will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Smorgon had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Rudar Velenje waiting with a shirt. Nobody at ND Gorica is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at ND Gorica has to find a result from somewhere.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
ND Gorica close the window on a squad of their own making
8 in and 7 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.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 53 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
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.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Kristjan Laščak is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Jan Đapo 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 phone has started ringing about Taj Rožič Šuligoj again, and this time the name on the line is Rudar Velenje. ND Gorica are listening politely and promising nothing.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. ND Gorica will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 22 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Jan Đapo has improved at 25, which nobody expected
Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.
ND Gorica asked and Crvena Zvezda said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Tomas Brekalo after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 70 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
“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 ND Gorica, and it is not being withdrawn.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Aljaž Zalaznik is 22, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
ND Gorica had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Olimpija Ljubljana, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
At 22 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.
The offer from Slavia Mozyr for Josip Perković was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
ND Gorica had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Crvena Zvezda, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
At 25 the improving is meant to be over, and it is not: 3 points better than a year ago. It happens to the ones who take the boring parts seriously.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Dinamo Zagreb have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
He is 22 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
At 20 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
ND Gorica asked and Olimpija Ljubljana said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
At 26 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around ND Gorica they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Jan Đapo has improved at 25, which nobody expected
Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.
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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
ND Gorica asked and Legia said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Jure Brekalo is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
At 22 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Crvena Zvezda have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 16 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
The offer from NK Krka for Taj Rožič Šuligoj was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
At 24 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Universitatea Craiova have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Nobody at ND Gorica will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason ND Gorica will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
The deal with Universitatea Craiova 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.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad3 Jul 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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 offer from Medeama for Alen Korošec was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 30 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at ND Gorica is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
ND Gorica had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Partizan, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Jan Đapo 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Tilen Vendramin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
ND Gorica asked and Olimpija Ljubljana 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
Transfer targetsA loan move for Jovan Popović is in the works
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 37 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. PAOK have kept their man, and ND Gorica go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
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.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 45 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around ND Gorica people have started saying his name in the past tense.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Jakob Zbašnik is living that version at ND Gorica, and it tends to show in the first month.
ND Gorica and NK Domzale have settled on $150.0K. 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.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Olimpija Ljubljana keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ND Gorica this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jan Đapo 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.
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 Tien Goga is on it.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 52 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Aljaž Zalaznik was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Jun 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jan Đapo 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.
ND Gorica asked and Crvena Zvezda said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
ND Gorica have made the call to Partizan. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
ND Gorica have made the call to Olimpija Ljubljana. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Andrija Drljo signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
A month in which every rumour is possible and most of them are nonsense. The manager has a list, the board has a number, and neither is telling the other the whole of it.
17 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. ND Gorica lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad29 May 2028
A season's verdict on Vid Lovric: the best of his age
ND Gorica have a 18-year-old the division has just voted its finest young footballer. The club's next problem is that everybody else now knows it too.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Taj Rožič Šuligoj will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ND Gorica the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Jan Đapo 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.
Squad29 May 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tilen Vendramin 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.
25 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. ND Gorica lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Yevhenii Pastukh 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jan Đapo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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 Aljaž Zalaznik is on it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Aljaž Zalaznik signs something — a contract at ND Gorica or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at ND Gorica, and both men came out saying it was fine.
32 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. ND Gorica lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Yevhenii Pastukh was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad15 May 2028
Words at ND Gorica training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jan Đapo 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mattia Chiesa trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.