From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Sep 2029
“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.
Squad3 Sep 2029
A one-man rearguard from Axell Amaral
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market3 Sep 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Squad3 Sep 2029
“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.
Match1 Sep 2029
Saba and Rah Ahan take a point apiece
It finished 3-3, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Boardroom3 Sep 2029
Saba release $2.8M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Market3 Sep 2029
A conversation is coming this week. Saba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Dixon Rentería knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market3 Sep 2029
Experience through the door at Saba
Jorge Samaniego arrives at 40 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
In brief
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Squad
Is this Reza Taremi’s last season?
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Boardroom
The Saba board put their names to it
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match25 Aug 2029
0-2 to Esteghlal Ahvaz, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad27 Aug 2029
The manager makes an example of Petar Andreev
“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.
Squad27 Aug 2029
Axell Amaral lets one through his hands
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match18 Aug 2029
No mercy from Saba
Tractor will want this one forgotten quickly: 5-2, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Saba were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Squad20 Aug 2029
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.
Squad20 Aug 2029
The manager makes an example of Dixon Rentería
“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.
Market20 Aug 2029
The name of Shahriar Shojaei has come up in conversations Saba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad20 Aug 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Reza Taremi commits to Saba for another 1 years.
Squad20 Aug 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Saba have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad13 Aug 2029
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.
Market13 Aug 2029
Sepahan come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Saba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match11 Aug 2029
Saipa take the points off Saba
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad13 Aug 2029
The manager makes an example of Saeid Karimazar
“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.
Squad13 Aug 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Vahid Nekounam commits to Saba for another 2 years.
Market13 Aug 2029
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad6 Aug 2029
There were 10 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market6 Aug 2029
“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.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“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.
Market6 Aug 2029
The bid was some way short and Saba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Boardroom6 Aug 2029
The board have signed the man in the dugout to a longer contract, which says more than any statement of support. Stability is easy to promise and costly to keep.
Market6 Aug 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market6 Aug 2029
The shirt still fits. Kaveh Azmoun is back at Saba, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Match4 Aug 2029
Naft Tehran made Saba work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Jul 2029
Luka Posavec gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad30 Jul 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad30 Jul 2029
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Ashkan Shojaei has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
In brief
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Boardroom
The Saba board put their names to it
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 Jul 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Saba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad23 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Vahid Nekounam
“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.
Squad23 Jul 2029
Luka Posavec knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Jul 2029
“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.
Squad16 Jul 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Majid Cheshmi commits to Saba for another 1 years.
Market16 Jul 2029
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Jul 2029
Ehsan Hosseini: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market9 Jul 2029
A conversation is coming this week. Saba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad9 Jul 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom2 Jul 2029
$4.3M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Saeid Hajsafi and Saba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Jun 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ahmad Beiranvand commits to Saba for another 3 years.
Squad25 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Taisei Kuwata
“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.
Squad25 Jun 2029
Johan Murillo knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Jun 2029
“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.
Squad18 Jun 2029
“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.
Market18 Jun 2029
The name of Ashkan Shojaei keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Saba say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market11 Jun 2029
“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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Ehsan Hosseini
“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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
Ahmad Nekounam joins up with his country. Saba lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom4 Jun 2029
Saba are in Europe
Qualification is done, and next season the floodlights come on for something bigger. A stage for the players, oxygen for the accounts and a passport for everybody else.
Market4 Jun 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Jun 2029
The medical room confirms 32 days on the sidelines for Ali Nekounam, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom4 Jun 2029
$4.3M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“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.
Boardroom4 Jun 2029
$264.1K a year onto the Saba books
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 May 2029
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad28 May 2029
“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.
Squad28 May 2029
Vahid Nekounam asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 May 2029
The medical room confirms 43 days on the sidelines for Taisei Kuwata, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad21 May 2029
The medical room confirms 78 days on the sidelines for Suraj Ayeleso, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad21 May 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rodrigo Accinelli and Saba agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 May 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Taisei Kuwata and Saba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad14 May 2029
Suraj Ayeleso knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad14 May 2029
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Getterson Alves has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 May 2029
60 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Boardroom7 May 2029
Saba release $4.3M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Squad7 May 2029
Saba will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad30 Apr 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Hossein Beiranvand has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad23 Apr 2029
The medical room confirms 106 days on the sidelines for Suraj Ayeleso, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad23 Apr 2029
The manager makes an example of Johan Murillo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Apr 2029
“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.
Market16 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad16 Apr 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ehsan Moharrami and Saba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad9 Apr 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Exequiel Márquez and Saba agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad9 Apr 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
In brief
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Squad
Petar Andreev asks for a word with the manager
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Boardroom
Saba board back the manager
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad2 Apr 2029
Majid Cheshmi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad2 Apr 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Exequiel Márquez commits to Saba for another 2 years.
Boardroom2 Apr 2029
$4.3M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Mar 2029
The medical room confirms 138 days on the sidelines for Suraj Ayeleso, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad26 Mar 2029
“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.
Squad26 Mar 2029
Suraj Ayeleso asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Mar 2029
“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.
Squad19 Mar 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ehsan Hosseini and Saba agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad19 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Saeid Karimazar
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Mar 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ashkan Azmoun and Saba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Saeid Karimazar asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad12 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Ashkan Azmoun
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Mar 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Hossein Beiranvand and Saba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
$4.3M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad5 Mar 2029
Reza Taremi gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Feb 2029
Ehsan Hosseini has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Saba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad26 Feb 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad26 Feb 2029
167 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad26 Feb 2029
A season average of 7.36 with 10 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match24 Feb 2029
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Feb 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad19 Feb 2029
There were 11 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match19 Feb 2029
Saba up to position 3
52 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad19 Feb 2029
A season average of 7.39 with 20 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match17 Feb 2029
Three points for Saba, 3-2 the final word against Padideh in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad19 Feb 2029
“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.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Getterson Alves asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad12 Feb 2029
10 goals and a season average of 7.46. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad12 Feb 2029
“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.
Squad12 Feb 2029
8 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Match10 Feb 2029
Saba and Zob Ahan cancel each other out
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Zob Ahan came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market12 Feb 2029
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market12 Feb 2029
5 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Saba money.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market5 Feb 2029
Petar Andreev hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Feb 2029
A season average of 7.37 with 18 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match3 Feb 2029
Esteghlal made Saba work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad5 Feb 2029
“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.
Boardroom5 Feb 2029
$4.3M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Market5 Feb 2029
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Squad5 Feb 2029
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 38 with 33 appearances behind him, and Saba have to plan for both answers.
Squad5 Feb 2029
Exequiel Márquez unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Exequiel Márquez has let it be known that he does not like the way Saba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Market5 Feb 2029
The window shut and Alireza Homaeifard is still in the building
Saba 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market29 Jan 2029
Ehsan Hosseini has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Saba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad29 Jan 2029
A season average of 7.35 with 17 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match27 Jan 2029
Three points for Saba, 2-1 the final word against Malavan in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad29 Jan 2029
“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.
Market29 Jan 2029
Najran are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Saba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Loan watch29 Jan 2029
“I did not go to Al Dhafra to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Jan 2029
Saba come up short against Sepahan
Sepahan left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad22 Jan 2029
“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.
Squad22 Jan 2029
A season average of 7.33 with 8 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad22 Jan 2029
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Saba pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad22 Jan 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Rodrigo Accinelli commits to Saba for another 1 years.
Market22 Jan 2029
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Saba has been clear about where Shahriar Shojaei stands, which is more than many ever get.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad15 Jan 2029
There were 12 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match13 Jan 2029
3-0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Market15 Jan 2029
Najran come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Saba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad15 Jan 2029
15 goals and a season average of 7.34. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Soheil Sarkari commits to Saba for another 4 years.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“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.
Market15 Jan 2029
Saba have made Alireza Homaeifard available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market15 Jan 2029
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market15 Jan 2029
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Saba could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Jan 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match6 Jan 2029
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3-0 against Gostaresh Foulad, and it could have been more.
Market8 Jan 2029
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market8 Jan 2029
Petar Andreev hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Jan 2029
A season average of 7.46 with 10 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad8 Jan 2029
“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.
Boardroom8 Jan 2029
$4.3M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad8 Jan 2029
No place for Suraj Ayeleso on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Saba pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
The terraces8 Jan 2029
Column inches are not points, but a footballer whose name keeps appearing for the right reasons is a footballer whose price has just gone up.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Jan 2029
“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.
Market1 Jan 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Saba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match30 Dec 2028
Beaten 2-4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad1 Jan 2029
9 goals and a season average of 7.39. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad1 Jan 2029
“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.
Squad1 Jan 2029
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Ramin Hajsafi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Loan watch1 Jan 2029
“I did not go to Al Dhafra to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Beaten 4 times, with 4 saves for company. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines on their record whoever actually caused them, which is the quiet injustice of the job.
Market1 Jan 2029
1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Saba could get for him.
In brief
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Boardroom
Saba keep producing them
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The terraces
The press cannot get enough of Ashkan Shojaei
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match23 Dec 2028
9 unbeaten for Saba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Saba did not have in the autumn.
Squad25 Dec 2028
“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.
Squad25 Dec 2028
4 goals and a season average of 7.31. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match16 Dec 2028
8 unbeaten for Saba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Saba did not have in the autumn.
Squad18 Dec 2028
7 goals and a season average of 7.32. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match16 Dec 2028
Honours even between Saba and Rah Ahan
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match9 Dec 2028
6-1, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Match11 Dec 2028
Saba up to position 3
34 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Match9 Dec 2028
7 unbeaten for Saba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Saba did not have in the autumn.
Squad11 Dec 2028
12 goals and a season average of 7.24. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad11 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Soheil Sarkari
“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.
Market11 Dec 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Exequiel Márquez unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Exequiel Márquez has let it be known that he does not like the way Saba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Squad11 Dec 2028
It went in off him and he did not care in the slightest. 4 for the season now, and a forward who has scored is a different footballer by Tuesday.
The terraces11 Dec 2028
The press cannot get enough of Alireza Azmoun
Praise is not points and never has been. It is, however, the fastest way for a valuation to move, and everybody in the game reads the same pages.
In brief
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Boardroom
The Saba board put their names to it
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The terraces
Alireza Azmoun has his own song now
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad4 Dec 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market4 Dec 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Saba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match2 Dec 2028
6 unbeaten for Saba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Saba did not have in the autumn.
Loan watch4 Dec 2028
“I did not go to Al Dhafra to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad4 Dec 2028
8 goals and a season average of 7.34. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Boardroom4 Dec 2028
Saba release $4.3M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Match2 Dec 2028
Saba and Tractor take a point apiece
It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Ramin Hajsafi is 34, with 20 appearances behind him, and Saba will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match25 Nov 2028
Three points for Saba, 3-1 the final word against Saipa in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad27 Nov 2028
“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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
A season average of 7.28 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Nov 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Majid Cheshmi and Saba agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad20 Nov 2028
3 goals and a season average of 7.21. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Nov 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Majid Cheshmi commits to Saba for another 1 years.
Squad13 Nov 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market13 Nov 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad6 Nov 2028
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market6 Nov 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market6 Nov 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Saba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad6 Nov 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad6 Nov 2028
37 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match4 Nov 2028
Saba share the spoils with Padideh
A 3-3 draw with Padideh leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Boardroom6 Nov 2028
Saba release $4.3M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Loan watch6 Nov 2028
“I did not go to Al Dhafra to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
Squad6 Nov 2028
A season average of 7.20 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad30 Oct 2028
There were 11 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match28 Oct 2028
3-0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Squad30 Oct 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match21 Oct 2028
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad23 Oct 2028
28 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match14 Oct 2028
Saba share the spoils with Malavan
A 1-1 draw with Malavan leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad16 Oct 2028
“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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Daniel Reynoso knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Oct 2028
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.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Reza Taremi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market9 Oct 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Saba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Loan watch9 Oct 2028
“I did not go to Al Dhafra to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad9 Oct 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match7 Oct 2028
Saba share the spoils with Sepahan
A 1-1 draw with Sepahan leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match2 Oct 2028
Saba up to position 2
19 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad2 Oct 2028
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match30 Sep 2028
Saba make it 3 in a row
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Saba have 3 straight wins of it.
Match30 Sep 2028
Saba get the job done against Foolad
A 3-1 win over Foolad, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad2 Oct 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad2 Oct 2028
The award goes to Ehsan Moharrami, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match23 Sep 2028
No mercy from Saba
Gostaresh Foulad will want this one forgotten quickly: 5-0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Saba were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Squad25 Sep 2028
The match ball belongs to Ehsan Moharrami, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Squad25 Sep 2028
58 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad25 Sep 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad25 Sep 2028
A season average of 7.20 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Market25 Sep 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Saba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad18 Sep 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ahmad Nekounam and Saba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match16 Sep 2028
A 3-1 win over Siah Jamegan, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Market18 Sep 2028
MC El Bayadh are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Saba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad18 Sep 2028
The manager makes an example of Majid Cheshmi
“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.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad18 Sep 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Sep 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match6 Sep 2028
Saba bow out of the cup
Tractor go through and Saba go home, 0-2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
The terraces11 Sep 2028
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 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market11 Sep 2028
Daniel Reynoso has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Saba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match9 Sep 2028
A bad afternoon for Saba against Persepolis
1-2 to Persepolis, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad11 Sep 2028
The manager makes an example of Ahmad Nekounam
“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.
Market11 Sep 2028
Experience through the door at Saba
Suraj Ayeleso arrives at 37 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Squad11 Sep 2028
A first senior shirt for Luka Posavec
Every debut is a small story about the future: Luka Posavec, 19 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Hossein Beiranvand joins up with his country. Saba lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad4 Sep 2028
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market4 Sep 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match2 Sep 2028
Saba cannot stop winning
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.
Squad4 Sep 2028
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Nader Mohammadi and Saba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match2 Sep 2028
Saba get the job done against Rah Ahan
A 3-1 win over Rah Ahan, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad4 Sep 2028
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Saba have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
Saba release $4.3M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Market4 Sep 2028
Experience through the door at Saba
Exequiel Márquez arrives at 33 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match26 Aug 2028
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3-0 against Esteghlal Ahvaz, and it could have been more.
Squad28 Aug 2028
89 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad28 Aug 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Aug 2028
The match ball belongs to Hossein Beiranvand, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Ehsan Moharrami: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad21 Aug 2028
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.
Match19 Aug 2028
Three points for Saba, 4-2 the final word against Tractor in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Market21 Aug 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Saba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad21 Aug 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Aug 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hossein Darvishi commits to Saba for another 3 years.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match12 Aug 2028
Saba share the spoils with Saipa
A 2-2 draw with Saipa leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market14 Aug 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Saba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Aug 2028
Najran come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Saba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Saeid Karimazar commits to Saba for another 4 years.
Market7 Aug 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market7 Aug 2028
The shirt still fits. Sardar Mohammadi is back at Saba, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market7 Aug 2028
The shirt still fits. Kaveh Hajsafi is back at Saba, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Match5 Aug 2028
Beaten 1-3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad31 Jul 2028
121 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad31 Jul 2028
“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.
Market31 Jul 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Saba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Jul 2028
The medical room confirms 27 days on the sidelines for Ahmad Beiranvand, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Ali Nekounam keeps his manager's vote
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Ali Nekounam plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad24 Jul 2028
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Mehdi Beiranvand has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 Jul 2028
Al Fujairah come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Saba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad17 Jul 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Majid Cheshmi commits to Saba for another 1 years.
Squad17 Jul 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match10 Jul 2028
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 50 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market10 Jul 2028
Najran come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Saba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad10 Jul 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Hossein Darvishi asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market10 Jul 2028
4 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Saba could get for him.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Majid Cheshmi has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Jul 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad3 Jul 2028
The medical room confirms 152 days on the sidelines for Reza Taremi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“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.
Market3 Jul 2028
The name of Ashkan Azmoun has come up in conversations Saba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Boardroom3 Jul 2028
$5.0M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad3 Jul 2028
Ahmad Nekounam knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Jun 2028
Al-Taawoun are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Saba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad26 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Ehsan Hosseini
“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.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Majid Cheshmi asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Jun 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Santiago Sangari and Saba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad19 Jun 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Majid Cheshmi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match12 Jun 2028
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 50 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market12 Jun 2028
The bid was some way short and Saba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad12 Jun 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Raghdan Matri commits to Saba for another 3 years.
Squad12 Jun 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad12 Jun 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Ali Nekounam called up by his country
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Saba that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
Saba are in Europe
Qualification is done, and next season the floodlights come on for something bigger. A stage for the players, oxygen for the accounts and a passport for everybody else.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“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.
Squad5 Jun 2028
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Raghdan Matri, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad5 Jun 2028
The medical room confirms 36 days on the sidelines for Ramin Rezaeian, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
$5.0M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Luka Posavec and Saba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 May 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Loan watch29 May 2028
“I did not go to Al-Shabab to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Squad29 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Reza Taremi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 May 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mehdi Beiranvand and Saba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Loan watch22 May 2028
“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 Saba, and 1 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad22 May 2028
Ahmad Nekounam knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match15 May 2028
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 50 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market15 May 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad15 May 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Loan watch15 May 2028
“I did not go to Naft Tehran to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 45 matches say the rest.
Squad15 May 2028
Ahmad Nekounam asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad15 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom8 May 2028
$5.0M on the table at Saba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad8 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad8 May 2028
Ramin Hajsafi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 May 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad1 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch1 May 2028
“I did not go to Al-Shabab to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Apr 2028
Soheil Sarkari: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad24 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Nader Mohammadi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch24 Apr 2028
“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 Saba, and 1 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match17 Apr 2028
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 50 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Loan watch17 Apr 2028
“I did not go to Naft Tehran to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 41 matches say the rest.
Squad17 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Vahid Nekounam
“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.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Nader Mohammadi asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market17 Apr 2028
7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Saba money.
Squad17 Apr 2028
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Ehsan Hosseini plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Apr 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad10 Apr 2028
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Ramin Hajsafi plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Apr 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
Saba release $5.0M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Loan watch3 Apr 2028
“I did not go to Al-Shabab to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Loan watch27 Mar 2028
“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 Saba, and 1 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Ahmad Nekounam knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad20 Mar 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match20 Mar 2028
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 50 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Majid Cheshmi and Saba agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market13 Mar 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Nader Mohammadi
“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.
Squad13 Mar 2028
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Hossein Darvishi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad6 Mar 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sardar Shojaei commits to Saba for another 3 years.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Saba release $5.0M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Loan watch6 Mar 2028
“I did not go to Al-Shabab to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Nader Mohammadi asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Feb 2028
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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Nader Mohammadi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad28 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Saeid Karimazar
“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.
Match26 Feb 2028
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Loan watch28 Feb 2028
“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 Saba, and 1 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Soheil Sarkari knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match21 Feb 2028
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 50 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match19 Feb 2028
Padideh made Saba work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch21 Feb 2028
“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 Saba, and 0 appearances in 33 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad21 Feb 2028
6 goals and a season average of 7.23. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Match12 Feb 2028
A bad afternoon for Saba against Zob Ahan
3-4 to Zob Ahan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad14 Feb 2028
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Aria Barzegar, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Loan watch14 Feb 2028
“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 Saba, and 0 appearances in 33 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad14 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Soheil Sarkari
“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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Whether it was the goalkeeper or the ten in front of him is the argument that will fill every conversation in town this week. 2 saves does not settle it either way.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Feb 2028
Esteghlal left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad7 Feb 2028
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Alireza Homaeifard will call it something else in private.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
Saba release $5.0M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Market7 Feb 2028
He is 18, and nobody at Saba signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Amir Yazdani and Saba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Jan 2028
Ramin Hajsafi hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Match29 Jan 2028
Malavan made Saba work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hossein Darvishi commits to Saba for another 3 years.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad31 Jan 2028
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Johan Murillo will call it something else in private.
Squad31 Jan 2028
A season average of 7.20 with 2 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Market31 Jan 2028
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Alireza Homaeifard arrives at Saba with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
Loan watch31 Jan 2028
14 starts and a season average of 6.27. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.
The terraces31 Jan 2028
Column inches are not points, but a footballer whose name keeps appearing for the right reasons is a footballer whose price has just gone up.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Jan 2028
Saba up to position 2
44 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Match22 Jan 2028
Saba come up short against Sepahan
Sepahan left with the points after a 3-5 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad24 Jan 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad24 Jan 2028
A season average of 7.24 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Loan watch24 Jan 2028
“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 Saba, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Beaten 5 times, with 5 saves for company. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines on their record whoever actually caused them, which is the quiet injustice of the job.
Market24 Jan 2028
Al-Shabab are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Saba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market24 Jan 2028
Saba have made Ramin Hajsafi available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Ehsan Hosseini knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market17 Jan 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saba can pretend not to have heard.
Match15 Jan 2028
Foolad made Saba work for it, but the scoreboard read 4-2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Ali Nekounam gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch17 Jan 2028
“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 Saba, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad17 Jan 2028
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Saba pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Market17 Jan 2028
Saba bring in an old head
Rodrigo Accinelli is 36 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
Squad17 Jan 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Saba have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Alireza Azmoun keeps the shirt for now, at Saba's convenience rather than his own.
Market17 Jan 2028
No fee and no drama: Johan Murillo has signed at Saba, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad10 Jan 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match8 Jan 2028
Gostaresh Foulad left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Shahriar Shojaei commits to Saba for another 4 years.
Market10 Jan 2028
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Ramin Hajsafi has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Saba.
Market10 Jan 2028
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Ali Nekounam has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Ali Nekounam keeps the shirt for now, at Saba's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match1 Jan 2028
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“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.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
Saba release $5.0M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Market3 Jan 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Daniel Reynoso asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Aref Haji Eydi unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Aref Haji Eydi has let it be known that he does not like the way Saba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
In brief
-
Squad
Ashkan Shojaei named in the team of the week
-
Boardroom
The Saba production line keeps running
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match27 Dec 2027
Saba up to position 2
41 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Match25 Dec 2027
7 unbeaten for Saba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Saba did not have in the autumn.
Loan watch27 Dec 2027
“I did not go to Naft Tehran to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.
Match25 Dec 2027
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad27 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Daniel Reynoso
“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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
At 18 years old, Saman Cheshmi became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad20 Dec 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match18 Dec 2027
6 unbeaten for Saba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Saba did not have in the autumn.
Match18 Dec 2027
Three points for Saba, 2-1 the final word against Rah Ahan in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch20 Dec 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ahli to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Ahmad Nekounam asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad13 Dec 2027
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.
Match11 Dec 2027
A 2-0 win over Esteghlal Ahvaz, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad13 Dec 2027
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad6 Dec 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match4 Dec 2027
Honours even between Saba and Tractor
3-3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad6 Dec 2027
The award goes to Fernando Bravo, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
Saba release $5.0M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Ehsan Hosseini knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad6 Dec 2027
A new face in his position, and Ashkan Azmoun suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Saba have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
In brief
-
The terraces
The press cannot get enough of Sardar Shojaei
-
Boardroom
The Saba production line keeps running
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match29 Nov 2027
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 1 and 33 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Match27 Nov 2027
3-0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Match27 Nov 2027
Saba make it 3 in a row
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Saba have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad29 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Ashkan Azmoun
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch29 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Naft Tehran to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.
Squad29 Nov 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Reza Taremi asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad29 Nov 2027
It went in off him and he did not care in the slightest. 2 for the season now, and a forward who has scored is a different footballer by Tuesday.
The terraces29 Nov 2027
The press have found their man in Ashkan Shojaei
Column inches are not points, but a footballer whose name keeps appearing for the right reasons is a footballer whose price has just gone up.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match20 Nov 2027
A 1-0 win over Naft Tehran, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch22 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ahli to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Nov 2027
Hossein Darvishi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Majid Cheshmi commits to Saba for another 1 years.
Squad15 Nov 2027
The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Ramin Hajsafi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad8 Nov 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market8 Nov 2027
Ehsan Hosseini has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Saba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match6 Nov 2027
A bad afternoon for Saba against Padideh
1-2 to Padideh, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom8 Nov 2027
Saba release $5.0M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Market8 Nov 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match1 Nov 2027
Saba are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 24 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market1 Nov 2027
Majid Cheshmi has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Saba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match30 Oct 2027
Three points for Saba, 3-1 the final word against Zob Ahan in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad1 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Fernando Bravo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ali Beiranvand commits to Saba for another 3 years.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Naft Tehran to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Market1 Nov 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Ahmad Dejagah knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saba, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Soheil Sarkari wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Soheil Sarkari has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Saba know, and have known for weeks.
In brief
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The terraces
The press cannot get enough of Ahmad Nekounam
-
Boardroom
The Saba board put their names to it
-
The terraces
The stand has a song for Aria Barzegar
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market25 Oct 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Saba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match23 Oct 2027
Esteghlal left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad25 Oct 2027
The medical room confirms 44 days on the sidelines for Karim Ghoddos, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch25 Oct 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ahli to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Ramin Hajsafi asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The terraces18 Oct 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Ramin Hajsafi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match16 Oct 2027
A bad afternoon for Saba against Malavan
1-3 to Malavan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market11 Oct 2027
Ehsan Hosseini has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Saba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad11 Oct 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Fernando Bravo knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Match9 Oct 2027
Honours even between Saba and Sepahan
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Reza Taremi finally opens his account
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Saba have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Ali Nekounam called up by his country
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Saba that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
Squad11 Oct 2027
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Saba that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
In brief
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Market
Ehsan Hosseini runs his contract down
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The terraces
The press cannot get enough of Reza Taremi
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Boardroom
The Saba production line keeps running