From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Feb 2030
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Utenis know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad25 Feb 2030
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Marber Suárez plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad25 Feb 2030
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Edgaras Vaitkunas has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Deividas Lukas
“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 Feb 2030
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Donatas Cernych has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
Squad18 Feb 2030
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Edvinas Satkus has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match11 Feb 2030
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market11 Feb 2030
The deal that would have taken Darius Slavickas to Trakai has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Utenis with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Squad11 Feb 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sergey Chernenko commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Market11 Feb 2030
The shirt still fits. Donatas Cernych is back at Utenis, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad11 Feb 2030
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Sergey Chernenko keeps the shirt for now, at Utenis's convenience rather than his own.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Deividas Lukas 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom4 Feb 2030
Pressure builds in the Utenis boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market4 Feb 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market4 Feb 2030
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market4 Feb 2030
The name of Darius Slavickas has come up in conversations Utenis were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad4 Feb 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Matteo Russo commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Squad4 Feb 2030
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 35 with 10 appearances behind him, and Utenis have to plan for both answers.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jan 2030
“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.
Squad28 Jan 2030
“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 Jan 2030
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Satkus, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Jan 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad21 Jan 2030
The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Tomas Klimavicius, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad21 Jan 2030
Sergey Chernenko 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
Uneasy
Match14 Jan 2030
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad14 Jan 2030
Deividas Lukas: 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.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market14 Jan 2030
The name of Vicente Espinoza has come up in conversations Utenis were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market14 Jan 2030
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Utenis has been clear about where Vicente Espinoza stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market14 Jan 2030
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market14 Jan 2030
The clock runs on Tadas Dubickas's contract
4 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom7 Jan 2030
Pressure builds in the Utenis boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market7 Jan 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market7 Jan 2030
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Dec 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad31 Dec 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Modestas Sernas and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad31 Dec 2029
The medical room confirms 46 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Satkus, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 Dec 2029
Vicente Espinoza 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.
Squad24 Dec 2029
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Edvinas Sernas plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad24 Dec 2029
He came through the session, took part in everything and finished it smiling. Utenis will not rush him, and he will spend the next fortnight trying to rush them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Dec 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad17 Dec 2029
The manager makes an example of Paulius Dapkus
“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.
Market17 Dec 2029
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Dec 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market10 Dec 2029
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad10 Dec 2029
30 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad10 Dec 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Fiodor Cernych and Utenis agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market10 Dec 2029
He is 20, and nobody at Utenis signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad10 Dec 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
Uneasy
Market3 Dec 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad3 Dec 2029
The medical room confirms 74 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Satkus, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad3 Dec 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.
Squad3 Dec 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Fiodor Cernych commits to Utenis for another 1 years.
Market3 Dec 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.
Market3 Dec 2029
Paulius Dapkus is 19, and Utenis 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Nov 2029
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
Squad26 Nov 2029
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Deividas Lukas has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
Squad26 Nov 2029
The language is coming and there is somebody to talk to in the dressing room. A footballer who feels at home plays like one, and it never shows up in a scouting report.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Nov 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market19 Nov 2029
He is 19, and nobody at Utenis signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market19 Nov 2029
He is 20, and nobody at Utenis signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad19 Nov 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Stefan Mak and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad19 Nov 2029
Donatas Cernych joins up with his country. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad19 Nov 2029
Modestas Sernas joins up with his country. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Nov 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market12 Nov 2029
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad12 Nov 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
Uneasy
Market5 Nov 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad5 Nov 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Christopher Luhaka commits to Utenis for another 2 years.
Squad5 Nov 2029
The medical room confirms 102 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Satkus, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Oct 2029
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
Squad29 Oct 2029
“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 Oct 2029
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Modestas Mikoliunas plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Oct 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad22 Oct 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.
Squad22 Oct 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Oct 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market15 Oct 2029
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market15 Oct 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
Uneasy
Market8 Oct 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad8 Oct 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Marber Suárez commits to Utenis for another 4 years.
Squad8 Oct 2029
The medical room confirms 130 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Satkus, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Oct 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.
Market1 Oct 2029
11 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
Market1 Oct 2029
2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Sep 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad24 Sep 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.
Squad24 Sep 2029
Deividas Lukas 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad17 Sep 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.
Market17 Sep 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market17 Sep 2029
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market17 Sep 2029
He is 20, and nobody at Utenis signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad17 Sep 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Remi Shittu commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Squad17 Sep 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Sep 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad10 Sep 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.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Donatas Cernych joins up with his country. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Modestas Sernas joins up with his country. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad10 Sep 2029
A new face in his position, and Christopher Luhaka suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Utenis have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market10 Sep 2029
No fee and no drama: Sergey Chernenko has signed at Utenis, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Sep 2029
Atlantas are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market3 Sep 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.
Market3 Sep 2029
3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
Squad3 Sep 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market3 Sep 2029
The window shut and Denis Kaikov is still in the building
Utenis 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.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Somebody else's move, somebody else's headline. What it left at Utenis is an empty peg and a footballer who keeps glancing at it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match27 Aug 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market27 Aug 2029
Linas Eliosius has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad27 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.
Market27 Aug 2029
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market27 Aug 2029
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Tadas Dubickas has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Utenis.
Market27 Aug 2029
Utenis have made Darius Slavickas available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 Aug 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market20 Aug 2029
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad20 Aug 2029
17 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Aug 2029
The medical room confirms 19 days on the sidelines for Fiodor Cernych, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market13 Aug 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Linas Eliosius 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market13 Aug 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Claudiu Maxim may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Market13 Aug 2029
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
Market13 Aug 2029
“He needs to be playing at a level that matches him, and we are open to conversations.” Nobody says that by accident, and nobody at Utenis misheard it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad6 Aug 2029
The medical room confirms 37 days on the sidelines for Arvydas Mikoliunas, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
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.
Market6 Aug 2029
The name of Linas Eliosius has come up in conversations Utenis were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match30 Jul 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad30 Jul 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.
Market30 Jul 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market30 Jul 2029
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad30 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Fiodor Cernych
“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.
Market30 Jul 2029
Utenis have made Darius Slavickas available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Jul 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.
Market23 Jul 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market23 Jul 2029
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Jul 2029
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Darius Slavickas 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.
Market16 Jul 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Claudiu Maxim may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Jul 2029
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad9 Jul 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Timur Abdrashitov and Utenis agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market9 Jul 2029
The name of Linas Eliosius has come up in conversations Utenis were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Jul 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market2 Jul 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Timur Abdrashitov commits to Utenis for another 4 years.
Squad2 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Deividas Lukas
“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.
Squad2 Jul 2029
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Novikovas, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market2 Jul 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market25 Jun 2029
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market25 Jun 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Tadas Dubickas may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Market18 Jun 2029
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market18 Jun 2029
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Jun 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Vildan Yermilov and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market11 Jun 2029
The name of Linas Eliosius has come up in conversations Utenis were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad11 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Andrius Valskis
“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
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Utenis that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
Squad11 Jun 2029
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Utenis 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
Uneasy
Match2 Jun 2029
No end in sight to Utenis's wait for a win
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utenis has to find a result from somewhere.
Match4 Jun 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad4 Jun 2029
Fiodor Cernych: 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.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Edvinas Dubickas commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Squad4 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Deividas Lukas
“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.
Market4 Jun 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Match2 Jun 2029
A 2-2 draw with Zalgiris leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad4 Jun 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Utenis have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Market4 Jun 2029
Utenis have made Darius Slavickas available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 May 2029
15 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 15, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Market28 May 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.
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 May 2029
14 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Squad21 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.
Squad21 May 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mantas Jankauskas commits to Utenis for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 May 2029
13 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Squad14 May 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.
Squad14 May 2029
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad14 May 2029
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Christopher Luhaka will call it something else in private.
Squad14 May 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.
Match12 May 2029
A 2-2 draw with Stumbras leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 May 2029
12 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Match7 May 2029
Utenis sink to position 8
4 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match5 May 2029
Suduva left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 May 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.
Squad7 May 2029
Marber Suárez wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Marber Suárez has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Utenis know, and have known for weeks.
Squad7 May 2029
Fiodor Dapkus 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Apr 2029
11 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Market30 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.
Match28 Apr 2029
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Apr 2029
10 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Match21 Apr 2029
1-4 to Kauno Zalgiris, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad23 Apr 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Apr 2029
9 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Squad16 Apr 2029
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.
Squad16 Apr 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Tadas Lasickas and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad16 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.
Match14 Apr 2029
A 1-1 draw with Zalgiris leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad16 Apr 2029
Andrius Valskis 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
Match4 Apr 2029
Utenis out of the cup
Zalgiris ended it 2-3. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Match7 Apr 2029
8 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Match9 Apr 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 6, 3 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
The terraces9 Apr 2029
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 9 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad9 Apr 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Christopher Luhaka and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match7 Apr 2029
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad9 Apr 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.
Squad9 Apr 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Utenis have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad9 Apr 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Utenis have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Mar 2029
No end in sight to Utenis's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utenis has to find a result from somewhere.
Market2 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.
Squad2 Apr 2029
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Christopher Luhaka, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Mar 2029
No end in sight to Utenis's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utenis has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad26 Mar 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.
Match24 Mar 2029
A 1-1 draw with Stumbras leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market19 Mar 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match17 Mar 2029
No end in sight to Utenis's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Utenis has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad19 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Mar 2029
Darius Slavickas: 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.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad12 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Tadas Lasickas
“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.
Match10 Mar 2029
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Siauliai will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces5 Mar 2029
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.
Market5 Mar 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.
Market5 Mar 2029
The shirt still fits. Deividas Simkus is back at Utenis, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market5 Mar 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.
Market5 Mar 2029
The shirt still fits. Paulius Slavickas is back at Utenis, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Arvydas Mikoliunas commits to Utenis for another 2 years.
Match3 Mar 2029
0-1 to Kauno Zalgiris, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad5 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.
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
A promise the Utenis board did not keep
There was a commitment, there was a date, and the date went past. Trust at a football club takes years to build and one afternoon to spend.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Feb 2029
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Denis Kaikov keeps his manager's vote
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Denis Kaikov plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad26 Feb 2029
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Modestas Jankauskas has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Feb 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad19 Feb 2029
The medical room confirms 26 days on the sidelines for Karolis Klimavicius, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad19 Feb 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Feb 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Darius Slavickas and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad12 Feb 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.
Market12 Feb 2029
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Modestas Kuklys leaves Utenis the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match5 Feb 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market5 Feb 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.
Squad5 Feb 2029
27 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Jan 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Darius Slavickas may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad29 Jan 2029
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Modestas Sernas plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad29 Jan 2029
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Justas Novikovas has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 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.
Market22 Jan 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad22 Jan 2029
The medical room confirms 54 days on the sidelines for Karolis Klimavicius, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Jan 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kamran Bayramov commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Somebody else's move, somebody else's headline. What it left at Utenis is an empty peg and a footballer who keeps glancing at it.
Boardroom15 Jan 2029
The Utenis production line keeps running
10 graduates out of an academy now rated 4 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Jan 2029
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market8 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.
Squad8 Jan 2029
55 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
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.
Market8 Jan 2029
Kamran Bayramov is 20, and Utenis 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.
Market8 Jan 2029
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Jan 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Jan 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Claudiu Maxim and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market1 Jan 2029
Claudiu Maxim is 20, and Utenis 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.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Utenis 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.
Market1 Jan 2029
Tadas Dubickas is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Utenis has been clear about where Tadas Dubickas stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad1 Jan 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Dec 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.
Market25 Dec 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Tadas Lasickas 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
Market18 Dec 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad18 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Denis Kaikov
“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 Dec 2028
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Yannick Reuten plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match11 Dec 2028
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market11 Dec 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.
Squad11 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 Dec 2028
Yannick Reuten has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market4 Dec 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Andrius Valskis and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market4 Dec 2028
He is 20, and nobody at Utenis signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad4 Dec 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Yannick Reuten keeps the shirt for now, at Utenis's convenience rather than his own.
Market4 Dec 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Denis Kaikov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 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.
Market27 Nov 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market27 Nov 2028
1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market20 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.
Market20 Nov 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Darius Slavickas and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market20 Nov 2028
Deividas Lukas is 20, and Utenis 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.
Market20 Nov 2028
Fabio D'Angelo is 18, and Utenis 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.
Squad20 Nov 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Yannick Reuten keeps the shirt for now, at Utenis's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Nov 2028
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Match8 Nov 2028
The cup run ends for Utenis
0-1 against Siauliai, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Market13 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.
Market13 Nov 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad13 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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
The medical room confirms 31 days on the sidelines for Modestas Lasickas, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market6 Nov 2028
Yannick Reuten has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market6 Nov 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market6 Nov 2028
3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market30 Oct 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.
Market30 Oct 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad30 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 Oct 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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market23 Oct 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market23 Oct 2028
2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Linas Sernas 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.
Boardroom23 Oct 2028
The Utenis production line keeps running
10 graduates out of an academy now rated 4 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match16 Oct 2028
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market16 Oct 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.
Market16 Oct 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market9 Oct 2028
Yannick Reuten has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad9 Oct 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Modestas Sernas commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Squad9 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Modestas Sernas
“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
Market2 Oct 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.
Market2 Oct 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad2 Oct 2028
Modestas Sernas 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
Market25 Sep 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.
Market25 Sep 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad25 Sep 2028
The manager makes an example of Andrius Valskis
“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.
Market25 Sep 2028
3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Denis Kaikov 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Boardroom25 Sep 2028
The Utenis production line keeps running
10 graduates out of an academy now rated 4 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match18 Sep 2028
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market18 Sep 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.
Market18 Sep 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market11 Sep 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market11 Sep 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.
Squad11 Sep 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.
Market11 Sep 2028
Stumbras come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Utenis did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad11 Sep 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.
Market11 Sep 2028
5 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 Sep 2028
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market4 Sep 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.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Christopher Luhaka and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Avtandil Zivzivadze is 36, with 12 appearances behind him, and Utenis will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
Squad4 Sep 2028
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Utenis that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
Squad4 Sep 2028
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Utenis 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
Market28 Aug 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market28 Aug 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.
Market28 Aug 2028
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad28 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.
Market28 Aug 2028
4 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Fiodor Cernych 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match21 Aug 2028
Utenis sink to position 8
10 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market21 Aug 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.
Squad21 Aug 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.
Market21 Aug 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad21 Aug 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Justas Dubickas and Utenis agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad21 Aug 2028
The manager makes an example of Tadas Lasickas
“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
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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market14 Aug 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market14 Aug 2028
Trakai come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Utenis did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Arvydas Mikoliunas commits to Utenis for another 2 years.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Denis Kaikov 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.
Squad14 Aug 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Aug 2028
Stumbras come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Utenis did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Tadas Lasickas: 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.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market7 Aug 2028
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Loan watch7 Aug 2028
“I did not go to Siauliai to sit and watch. I want to come back to Utenis and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 29 matches say the rest.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Arvydas Mikoliunas and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 Aug 2028
The manager makes an example of Andrius Valskis
“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
Match26 Jul 2028
Cup progress for Utenis
A 2-0 win over Suduva, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market31 Jul 2028
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Utenis have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market31 Jul 2028
Linas Sernas 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 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.
Market31 Jul 2028
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad31 Jul 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad31 Jul 2028
At 17 years old, Linas Sernas became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Andrius Valskis 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.
Market31 Jul 2028
5 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Jul 2028
Utenis sink to position 8
10 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad24 Jul 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.
Market24 Jul 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.
Market24 Jul 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market24 Jul 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market24 Jul 2028
Lukas Sernas is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Utenis has been clear about where Lukas Sernas stands, which is more than many ever get.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Jul 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Utenis is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market17 Jul 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.
Squad17 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Jul 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.
Squad10 Jul 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.
Market10 Jul 2028
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market10 Jul 2028
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad10 Jul 2028
53 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Yannick Reuten 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Jul 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market3 Jul 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 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.
Squad3 Jul 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad3 Jul 2028
The captaincy goes to Andrius Valskis. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Lukas Sernas is 35, with 1 appearances behind him, and Utenis will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Jun 2028
Utenis sink to position 8
10 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market26 Jun 2028
Denis Kaikov 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market26 Jun 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Utenis will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad26 Jun 2028
“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.
Market26 Jun 2028
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Utenis could get for him.
Market26 Jun 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Lukas Sernas may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jun 2028
The bid was some way short and Utenis did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market19 Jun 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.
Squad19 Jun 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mantas Jankauskas commits to Utenis for another 3 years.
Market19 Jun 2028
Stumbras are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Utenis will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Modestas Sernas joins up with his country. Utenis lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Market19 Jun 2028
Utenis have made Denis Kaikov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jun 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.
Market12 Jun 2028
The name of Vykintas Jankauskas has come up in conversations Utenis were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market12 Jun 2028
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market12 Jun 2028
He is 19, and nobody at Utenis signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad12 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Denis Kaikov
“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.
Squad12 Jun 2028
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Utenis 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
Uneasy
Squad5 Jun 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market5 Jun 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Market5 Jun 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Loan watch5 Jun 2028
“I did not go to Siauliai to sit and watch. I want to come back to Utenis and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 20 matches say the rest.
Match3 Jun 2028
Zalgiris made Utenis work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
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 captaincy has been taken off Andrius Valskis. Utenis will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Market5 Jun 2028
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Utenis has been clear about where Modestas Jankauskas stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market5 Jun 2028
6 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match29 May 2028
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 7 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Match27 May 2028
8 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Match27 May 2028
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad29 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Marber Suárez
“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.
Squad29 May 2028
Yannick Reuten 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 Utenis, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market29 May 2028
7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Utenis money.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 May 2028
7 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
The terraces22 May 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.” 7 of the 31 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market22 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.
Squad22 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.
Match20 May 2028
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad22 May 2028
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Marber Suárez will call it something else in private.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 May 2028
6 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Squad15 May 2028
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.
Market15 May 2028
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
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.
Squad15 May 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Tadas Dubickas and Utenis agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match13 May 2028
A 2-2 draw with Stumbras leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 May 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.
Market8 May 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market8 May 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Match6 May 2028
5 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
Squad8 May 2028
The medical room confirms 32 days on the sidelines for Christopher Luhaka, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad8 May 2028
The medical room confirms 40 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Sernas, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match1 May 2028
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 8, 5 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
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.
Match29 Apr 2028
4 matches without a win for Utenis
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Utenis are no longer polite ones.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market24 Apr 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.
Squad24 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.
Match22 Apr 2028
0-1 to Kauno Zalgiris, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market17 Apr 2028
Tadas Lasickas has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match15 Apr 2028
Zalgiris left with the points after a 1-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad17 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match5 Apr 2028
Cup progress for Utenis
A 1-0 win over Zalgiris, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market10 Apr 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Utenis they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad10 Apr 2028
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.
Market10 Apr 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 Utenis can pretend not to have heard.
Squad10 Apr 2028
The medical room confirms 60 days on the sidelines for Christopher Luhaka, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad10 Apr 2028
The medical room confirms 36 days on the sidelines for Marber Suárez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad10 Apr 2028
The medical room confirms 68 days on the sidelines for Edvinas Sernas, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match8 Apr 2028
Atlantas left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Boardroom10 Apr 2028
Utenis were not finished after all
Written off a fortnight ago, the squad has closed ranks and answered on the pitch. Something was said behind that door, and so far it is holding.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Apr 2028
Utenis are in real trouble now
Position 7, 4 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Yannick Reuten: 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.” Utenis have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market3 Apr 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.
Match1 Apr 2028
Trakai left with the points after a 2-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Loan watch3 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 Utenis, and 0 appearances in 11 say he has earned the hearing.
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.