83 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. NK Domzale lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Domen Lovric commits to NK Domzale for another 4 years.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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.
91 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. NK Domzale lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Zan Oblak was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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 Vid Vipotnik signs something — a contract at NK Domzale or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
99 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. NK Domzale lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around NK Domzale they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Veljko Jelenković 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 Feb 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cheveyo Tsawa 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 Zan Oblak trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Position 6 on 24 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.
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 Dynel Simeu has written the date down.
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. NK Zavrc moved on, Kevin Sikosek reports back to NK Domzale, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Cheveyo Tsawa 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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. NK Domzale know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Domen Birsa trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one NK Domzale will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
NK Domzale spent the window trying to move Erik Sikosek on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” NK Domzale have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 1 arrived, 4 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. ND Gorica moved on, Erik Verbic reports back to NK Domzale, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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 demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Denis Pintol is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and NK Domzale will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
In brief
The dugoutKobi Bajc asks for a word with the manager
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around NK Domzale people have started saying his name in the past tense.
NK Domzale had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Polissia, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Veljko Jelenković 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 Jan 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cheveyo Tsawa 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.
NK Domzale asked and Valladolid said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
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 Denis Pintol has written the date down.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Domen Kurtovic will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around NK Domzale the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Cheveyo Tsawa and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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 Marco Kovacevic signs something — a contract at NK Domzale or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
24 points from position 6. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and NK Krsko waiting with a shirt. Nobody at NK Domzale is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
“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 NK Domzale, and it is not being withdrawn.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. NK Domzale have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“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 NK Domzale, and it is not being withdrawn.
NK Domzale had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at NK Maribor, 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 NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cheveyo Tsawa 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.
NK Domzale have made the call to Jagiellonia. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
NK Domzale have made the call to AC Milan. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
“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 NK Domzale, and it is not being withdrawn.
The shirt still fits. Max Bilać is back at NK Domzale, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Max Bilać has, at NK Domzale, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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 phone has started ringing about Domen Kurtovic again, and this time the name on the line is NK Krsko. NK Domzale are listening politely and promising nothing.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and NK Domzale will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
NK Domzale have made the call to NK Maribor. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
NK Domzale have made the call to NK Maribor. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at NK Domzale is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Cheveyo Tsawa 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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. NK Domzale know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Position 6 on 24 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.
In brief
The dugoutTien Goga asks for a word with the manager
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Domen Lovric
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” NK Domzale have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Veljko Jelenković 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 Cheveyo Tsawa was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Zan Oblak trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
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.
Jurgen Çelhaka 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at NK Domzale, and both men came out saying it was fine.
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.” NK Domzale have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Cheveyo Tsawa 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 Veljko Jelenković was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Tien Goga is the division's best young player this month
At 19 he has spent a month being better than everybody his age in the league, which is a different and harder thing than one good afternoon. NK Domzale will try very hard not to make too much of it.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and NK Domzale will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Commercial news is the news nobody sings about and everything else is paid for with. The board will call it a partnership; the accountants will call it the difference between this squad and a smaller one.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around NK Domzale they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Veljko Jelenković and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Cheveyo Tsawa falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. NK Domzale told Domen Lovric something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at NK Domzale, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Koper go through and NK Domzale 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.
The last league game has been played and the table has stopped moving: 24 points. The summer begins on Monday, and so does the argument about what it all meant.
Zan Oblak 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.
Successful dribbles: 21. 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Veljko Jelenković was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout22 Nov 2027
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 0‑3 defeat, delivered by Gregor Kampl to a room that had heard them before.
In brief
The dugoutDenis Pintol knocks on the manager’s door
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 4‑0 against NK Krka, and it could have been more.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Tien Goga, 19, plays like he has been here for years — 8.46
A mark of 8.46 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.
Successful dribbles: 27. 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.
7.86, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
Veljko Jelenković 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.
At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Zan Oblak was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.30. 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.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Evan Khouri 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.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Marco Kovacevic provided it, and the 8.98 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Cheveyo Tsawa did not need any: 8.14, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cheveyo Tsawa 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.
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.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Evan Khouri, and the manager let it.
Squad8 Nov 2027
A place in the month's best eleven for Cheveyo Tsawa
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Cheveyo Tsawa has come out of that comparison in the side, and NK Domzale have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Kevin Sikosek will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around NK Domzale the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Cheveyo Tsawa 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 Nov 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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 demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Domen Birsa is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Cheveyo Tsawa did not need any: 8.11, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” NK Domzale have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Veljko Jelenković 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.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Cheveyo Tsawa 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.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Evan Khouri 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; Vid Vipotnik will call it something else in private.
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The dugout25 Oct 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Gregor Kampl was not hiding it after 1‑1, and nobody in the NK Domzale dressing room was either.
Veljko Jelenković 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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cheveyo Tsawa 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.
The dugout18 Oct 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Gregor Kampl kept it short after the 3‑1 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
One weekend, judged against everybody else's. Matic Zajc has come out on top of it, and for most footballers a weekly award is the only silverware a career ever produces.
Successful dribbles: 30. 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.
Cheveyo Tsawa 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 Oct 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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.
Player ratings11 Oct 2027
Marco Kovacevic was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.75. 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.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at NK Domzale is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
NK Maribor left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Evan Khouri falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
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 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Gregor Kampl to a room that had heard them before.
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Kobi Bajc has come out of that comparison in the side, and NK Domzale have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
In brief
The dugoutDenis Pintol knocks on the manager’s door
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Marco Kovacevic provided it, and the 8.78 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Veljko Jelenković 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.
Marco Kovacevic scored, and precious little else went right: 2‑3 to NK Celje, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cheveyo Tsawa 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 goal that put NK Celje ahead was still being replayed on the concourse when NK Domzale equalised, 1 minutes later. Leads are only worth what you do with them.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to James Connolly, and the manager let it.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 2‑3 defeat, delivered by Gregor Kampl to a room that had heard them before.
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against NK Maribor in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Zan Oblak 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Gregor Kampl after 1‑3, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Successful dribbles: 11. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
In brief
The dugoutThe plan did not have a place for Evan Khouri
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around NK Domzale 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 NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
He is 21 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.
Three points for NK Domzale, 1‑0 the final word against NK Krka in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Evan Khouri 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 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
Two goals and a mark of 8.34 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
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.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 20 arrived, 10 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around NK Domzale they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The deal with Olimpija Ljubljana 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.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what NK Domzale can pretend not to have heard.
Jurgen Çelhaka 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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.
Add another name to the list: NK Krsko have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Kevin Sikosek. The answer from NK Domzale has not changed — yet.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Evan Khouri, and the manager let it.
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
Nobody left the NK Domzale 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 dugout30 Aug 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑4 defeat, delivered by Gregor Kampl to a room that had heard them before.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Basel keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Veljko Jelenković 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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Evan Khouri falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” NK Domzale have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
NK Domzale had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Oldham Athletic, 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 NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Venezia have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Successful dribbles: 19. 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Sikosek was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 13 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
NK Krsko will want this one forgotten quickly: 5‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. NK Domzale were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around NK Domzale they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. NK Domzale have lost him in all but the paperwork.
The offer from NK Maribor for Domen Birsa 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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Veljko Jelenković 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. Benevento have kept their man, and NK Domzale 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 Evan Khouri was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of James Connolly
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what NK Domzale can pretend not to have heard.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at NK Domzale is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Basel keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Veljko Jelenković 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.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at NK Domzale can tell you which week it ends in.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Viktoria Plzen have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
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.
In brief
SquadJames Connolly falls out with a teammate over standards
“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 NK Domzale, and it is not being withdrawn.
Everything agreed with Viktoria Plzen, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at NK Maribor is saying, and nobody at NK Domzale is enjoying the guessing.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
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. Venezia have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The name of Domen Birsa has come up in conversations NK Domzale were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Timi Elsnik has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around NK Domzale people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Add another name to the list: Istra 1961 have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Marco Kovacevic. The answer from NK Domzale has not changed — yet.
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 clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at NK Domzale is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Everything agreed with NK Maribor, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
NK Domzale asked and Krasnodar 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 Gregor Cerin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad12 Jul 2027
7 new faces, and NK Domzale are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
Everything agreed with NK Maribor, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Veljko Jelenković 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. Crvena Zvezda have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and James Connolly was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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.
5 arrivals, an average age nobody would call a squad, and a set of parents being shown around a building their sons will spend more time in than at home. The scouting has already happened; today is only the paperwork.
Everyone has stopped pretending: NK Krka will make the call about Kevin Sikosek this week. NK Domzale have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
In brief
The dugoutDynel Simeu asks for a word with the manager
“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 NK Domzale, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Grimsby Town keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
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.
NK Domzale asked and HNK Rijeka said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Filip Frei 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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Jurgen Çelhaka has improved at 26, 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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Veljko Jelenković 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 Dynel Simeu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what NK Domzale can pretend not to have heard.
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.
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.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at NK Domzale can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
NK Domzale asked and NK Maribor 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 clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at NK Domzale is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Everything agreed with Olimpija Ljubljana, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Timi Zajc has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Olimpija Ljubljana have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Evan Khouri and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. James Connolly 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.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at NK Domzale, another week without a signature from Evan Khouri.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what NK Domzale can pretend not to have heard.
The name of Domen Birsa has come up in conversations NK Domzale 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 James Connolly was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Zan Oblak 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.
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.
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. NK Domzale will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at NK Domzale, another week without a signature from James Connolly.
Evan Khouri 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 May 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gregor Cerin 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.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason NK Domzale will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Marco Kovacevic was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
In brief
The dugoutEvan Khouri knocks on the manager’s door
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason NK Domzale will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad17 May 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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 was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
In brief
MatchContinental football is in reach for NK Domzale
The dugoutDynel Simeu asks for a word with the manager
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason NK Domzale will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Erik Janža 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 Dušan Stojinović was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dynel Simeu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. NK Domzale will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad3 May 2027
Erik Janža falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. NK Domzale will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about 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 NK Domzale can pretend not to have heard.
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.
Position 5, 22 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.
Erik Janža falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Evan Khouri 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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. NK Domzale know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The language has come, the shrug has gone, and he argues in training like a man who expects to be here next year. None of it shows up on a fee and all of it shows up on the pitch.
Nino Kukovec was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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.
Squad5 Apr 2027
10 new faces, and NK Domzale are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Erik Verbic is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
4 appearances and 5 goals is not a season away, it is a year lost. He is back at NK Domzale no further forward, and everybody involved will explain why it was not their fault.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. NK Domzale will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about 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 NK Domzale 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 Dušan Stojinović 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. 24 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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 was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
A call-up flatters the player and the club that produced him in the same breath. NK Domzale would like him back in one piece and know they will not be consulted.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. NK Domzale will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Nino Kukovec 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 Mar 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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
SquadA muscle injury and 14 days out for Miha Zajc
The dugoutDynel Simeu knocks on the manager’s door
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason NK Domzale will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Erik Janža 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.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason NK Domzale will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Erik Janža falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
4 appearances and 0 goals is not a season away, it is a year lost. He is back at NK Domzale no further forward, and everybody involved will explain why it was not their fault.
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason NK Domzale will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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 was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at NK Domzale, and 6 appearances in 26 say he has earned the hearing.
22 points from position 5. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and NK Domzale will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Erik Sikosek trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Erik Janža 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.
He is doing things every Saturday that nobody around him can answer. It is flattering for a season and a problem after that, and NK Domzale know which stage they are at.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at NK Domzale, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market15 Feb 2027
The window shut and Zan Handanovic is still in the building
NK Domzale spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Evan Khouri 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.
10 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Evan Khouri trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
That is the business done at NK Domzale until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. NK Domzale have done the hard part with DAC Dunajska Streda, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža 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. Sint-Truiden have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off 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 NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“I watch every NK Domzale game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at ND Gorica runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Temi Okuwa is 20, and NK Domzale 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.
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. NK Domzale know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Dušan Stojinović was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
NK Domzale asked and Zenit said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at NK Domzale, and 6 appearances in 22 say he has earned the hearing.
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. NK Domzale will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
Position 5, 22 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.
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. NK Domzale have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at NK Domzale, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Erik Janža falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
NK Krsko will keep picking him until June and will get nothing for him after it. Matic Kustrin has pre-agreed a move to NK Domzale, and the only people who lose in that arrangement are the ones who let the contract run down.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. NK Maribor have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Evan Khouri 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.
He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation NK Domzale are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.
A new face in his position, and Erik Janža suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. NK Domzale have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Jaxon Brown has, at NK Domzale, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Filip Frei 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.
NK Domzale have made the call to NK Krka. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
He is 20, and nobody at NK Domzale signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
5 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. NK Domzale will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” NK Domzale have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. NK Domzale have done the hard part with NK Celje, 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 NK Domzale 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.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason NK Domzale will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Position 5, 22 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.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one NK Domzale will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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.
Filip Frei 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.
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Erik Janža falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Filip Frei 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.
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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 have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and NK Domzale know it.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at NK Domzale, and 4 appearances in 16 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad7 Dec 2026
5 new faces, and NK Domzale are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Jan Lovric
18Edition
The NK Domzale Courier
30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondentSteady
Squad30 Nov 2026
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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 was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Position 5 on 22 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at NK Domzale would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
The least glamorous thing a foreign signing ever does and the one that decides most of them. A player who can hear the shout behind him is a different footballer from one who cannot.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Zan Oblak
ND Gorica go through and NK Domzale 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.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Dynel Simeu is living that version at NK Domzale, and it tends to show in the first month.
Erik Janža 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 Dušan Stojinović was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
The terraces16 Nov 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 29 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Erik Janža falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Zan Oblak 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 supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑5, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
A brace, and Matic Zajc takes the afternoon — 9.27
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Matic Zajc provided it, and the 9.27 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Successful dribbles: 27. 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 hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Andraz Ilicic did not need any: 7.76, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
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.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Three points for NK Domzale, 3‑1 the final word against NK Krka in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dušan Stojinović 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 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Two goals and a mark of 8.72 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Dušan Stojinović was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Something was said to Dušan Stojinović and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Erik Skubic is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 3‑1, Gregor Kampl could afford to be generous.
At 19 he is being measured against the rest of the division's kids and coming out in front. The senior version of this award is where the club would like this to lead.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Matic Zajc did not need any: 7.83, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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.
Filip Frei 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.
He is 20 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.
A performance of 8.11 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Gregor Kampl kept it short after the 2‑1 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
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.
In brief
The dugoutErik Janža wants a proper job in this side
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erik Janža 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.
Filip Frei 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 dugout19 Oct 2026
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 Gregor Kampl to a room that had heard them before.
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at NK Domzale would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
In brief
Player ratingsThe pass was always on for Andraz Ilicic
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Andraz Ilicic did not need any: 8.18, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Successful dribbles: 22. 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 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 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
A 1‑0 win over ND Gorica, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad12 Oct 2026
5 new faces, and NK Domzale are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Gregor Kampl on a 1‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at NK Domzale, and 1 appearances in 7 say he has earned the hearing.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
Zan Oblak 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.
Half the programme played, position 6, 9 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
Successful dribbles: 16. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
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 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Gregor Kampl to a room that had heard them before.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Zan Oblak 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.
Marked 6.61 on 9 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Gregor Kampl after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer 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 NK Domzale can pretend not to have heard.
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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Janža was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Marked 8.08 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 1‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
NK Domzale close the window on a squad of their own making
2 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.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. NK Domzale have done the hard part with Gornik Zabrze, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dušan Stojinović 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.
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. NK Domzale know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Domen Birsa is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Timi Handanovic 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 offer from Koper for Domen Birsa 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.
Two goals and a mark of 8.41 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Matic Zajc, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 8.32
A mark of 8.32 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
“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 NK Domzale, and it is not being withdrawn.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erik Sikosek was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
NK Domzale asked and Levski said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
He is 20 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.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Dinamo Brest had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Young Boys keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Zan Oblak 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 chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
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 Gregor Kampl to a room that had heard them before.
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Marco Kovacevic had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
The phone has started ringing about Matic Zajc again, and this time the name on the line is Dinamo Brest. NK Domzale are listening politely and promising nothing.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kevin Handanovic was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
NK Domzale 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.
NK Domzale have made the call to Young Boys. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. NK Domzale have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Zan Oblak 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 Aug 2026
Words at NK Domzale training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Marco Kovacevic 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. Olimpija Ljubljana have kept their man, and NK Domzale go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
A brace, and Jan Lovric takes the afternoon — 8.30
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Jan Lovric provided it, and the 8.30 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what NK Domzale 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 NK Domzale this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
Add another name to the list: NK Zavrc have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Kevin Sikosek. The answer from NK Domzale has not changed — yet.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Matic Stojanovic and NK Domzale agree another 2 years.