Viktoria Plzen

Czech First League
7 Feb 2028
Monday
Process
79 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

31 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Oswaldo Valencia 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is carrying Viktoria Plzen

5 goals and a season average of 7.51. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Banik Ostrava

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 1-0 the final word against Banik Ostrava in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Market

Jablonec are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Patrik Hrošovský will call it something else in private.

Squad

Louis Lurvink 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.

In brief

Back issues
78 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

24 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Ricardinho 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Sampson Dweh is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.42 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Dukla Prague

A 3-1 win over Dukla Prague, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Market

Pribram are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Loan watch

Jan Paluska has seen enough of Dinamo Minsk

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 4 appearances in 20 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Abdoulaye Sylla

“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.

Squad

Tomáš Ladra 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.

Market

Václav Jemelka linked with a move away

The name of Václav Jemelka keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Prince Adu Kwabena has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Viktoria Plzen know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

77 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

17 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Léo Bonatini has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Viktoria Plzen they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Iván Pomba asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Squad

Sampson Dweh is carrying Viktoria Plzen

8 goals and a season average of 7.37. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Daniel Vašulín

“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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen and Zlin take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Market

Martin Jedlička linked with a move away

The name of Martin Jedlička keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Sampson Dweh has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Sampson Dweh keeps the shirt for now, at Viktoria Plzen's convenience rather than his own.

Market

Ricardinho placed on the list

Viktoria Plzen have made Ricardinho available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Squad

Léo Bonatini 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

76 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

10 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Pribram come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Pablo Barboza 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Sigma Olomouc

A 1-0 win over Sigma Olomouc, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Tomáš Ladra 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.

Market

Oswaldo Valencia told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Oswaldo Valencia has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Viktoria Plzen.

Market

Sampson Dweh linked with a move away

The name of Sampson Dweh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Somebody is after Václav Jemelka’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Václav Jemelka suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Viktoria Plzen have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Squad

Léo Bonatini 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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Matěj Vydra plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

In brief

75 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Martin Jedlička

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.

Market

Alan Pérez 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Spartak Subotica come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Patrik Hrošovský

“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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen share the spoils with Slovan Liberec

A 2-2 draw with Slovan Liberec leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

No place for Denis Višinský 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

In brief

74 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

27 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

A bad afternoon for Viktoria Plzen against Bohemians 1905

1-2 to Bohemians 1905, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.43 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Denis Višinský 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.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Loan watch

Jan Paluska wants to come home

“I did not go to Dinamo Minsk to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 16 matches say the rest.

Squad

No place for Tomáš Ladra 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

In brief

73 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

20 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Léo Bonatini is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Ricardinho: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Viktoria Plzen 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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Slovacko

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 2-1 the final word against Slovacko in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Václav Jemelka 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.

Squad

Sampson Dweh is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.37 with 8 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

The Prince Adu Kwabena talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Christophe Kabongo 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Jiří Panoš

16 appearances at Slovacko and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

72 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

13 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Sampson Dweh wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Mlada Boleslav

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 1-0 the final word against Mlada Boleslav in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Sampson Dweh is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.30 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Idjessi Metsoko signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Idjessi Metsoko commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 4 years.

Squad

Jaroslav Zelený 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.

In brief

71 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Matěj Vydra wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Teplice

A 2-0 win over Teplice, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Patrik Hrošovský

“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.

Squad

Adam Kadlec stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Adam Kadlec and Viktoria Plzen agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.33 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

70 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Diego Polenta says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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 watch

Jan Paluska wants to come home

“I did not go to Dinamo Minsk to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 12 matches say the rest.

Match

Viktoria Plzen share the spoils with Zbrojovka Brno

A 1-1 draw with Zbrojovka Brno leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Oscar Murillo 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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is carrying Viktoria Plzen

2 goals and a season average of 7.24. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

The Václav Jemelka talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

69 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Viktoria Plzen march on in the cup

Slovan Liberec are out and Viktoria Plzen go through, 3-2 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Squad

3 goals for Ricardinho

The match ball belongs to Ricardinho, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Squad

Daniel Vašulín takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Market

Léo Bonatini is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Jablonec

A 3-2 win over Jablonec, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Martin Jedlička

“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.

Market

The Prince Adu Kwabena talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Ricardinho finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Jiří Panoš

12 appearances at Slovacko and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

68 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Sampson Dweh is carrying Viktoria Plzen

6 goals and a season average of 7.27. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Iván Pomba 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.

Match

Honours even between Viktoria Plzen and Slavia Prague

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

67 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Martin Jedlička

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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen come up short against Sparta Prague

Sparta Prague left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Denis Višinský

“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.

In brief

66 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen find a way past Pribram

Pribram made Viktoria Plzen work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský 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.

Squad

Sampson Dweh is carrying Viktoria Plzen

5 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

The Václav Jemelka talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Salim Fago Lawal 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

The terraces

The press have found their man in Matěj Vydra

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.

In brief

65 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Ricardinho 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Léo Bonatini is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Václav Jemelka 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.

Match

Jihlava take the points off Viktoria Plzen

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Boardroom

Inquest at Viktoria Plzen

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Squad

Tomáš Ladra 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.

Market

The Prince Adu Kwabena talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Jiří Panoš

10 appearances at Slovacko and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Diego Polenta

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

In brief

64 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Dávid Krčík says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Match

Honours even between Viktoria Plzen and Banik Ostrava

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

63 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Léo Bonatini says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen come up short against Dukla Prague

Dukla Prague left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Jaroslav Zelený signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jaroslav Zelený commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 1 years.

Squad

Tomáš Ladra 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.

Boardroom

Inquest at Viktoria Plzen

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

In brief

62 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Diego Polenta says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Matěj Vydra commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 2 years.

Match

Viktoria Plzen find a way past Zlin

Zlin made Viktoria Plzen work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Leonel Miranda

“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.

Market

The Václav Jemelka talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Alexandr Sojka 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.

In brief

61 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Ricardinho 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Léo Bonatini is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Daniel Vašulín 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.

Match

No goals between Viktoria Plzen and Sigma Olomouc

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Sigma Olomouc will be the happier side with the point.

Squad

Alexandr Sojka 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Prince Adu Kwabena talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

60 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský out for 20 days

The medical room confirms 20 days on the sidelines for Patrik Hrošovský, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Match

A bad afternoon for Viktoria Plzen against Slovan Liberec

0-1 to Slovan Liberec, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Alexandr Sojka 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.

In brief

59 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Viktoria Plzen tear Bohemians 1905 apart

Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 6-3 against Bohemians 1905, and it could have been more.

Squad

Daniel Vašulín takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Market

Sampson Dweh wants more than Viktoria Plzen are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ricardinho

“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.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Squad

Denis Višinský finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

58 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Matěj Vydra wants more than Viktoria Plzen are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Slovacko

A 2-1 win over Slovacko, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Squad

Tomáš Ladra 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Václav Jemelka talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

International call for Matěj Vydra

Matěj Vydra joins up with his country. Viktoria Plzen lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Squad

International call for Václav Jemelka

Václav Jemelka joins up with his country. Viktoria Plzen lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Market

The window shut and Leonel Miranda is still in the building

Viktoria Plzen 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.

Market

Jan Paluska leaves on loan

Jan Paluska joins Dinamo Minsk on loan in search of the minutes he could not find at Viktoria Plzen.

In brief

57 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Léo Bonatini is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Oscar Murillo 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Levadiakos come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

Viktoria Plzen come up short against Mlada Boleslav

Mlada Boleslav left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Léo Bonatini 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.

Squad

Jan Paluska signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jan Paluska commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 5 years.

Boardroom

Inquest at Viktoria Plzen

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Market

Pablo Barboza is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Viktoria Plzen has been clear about where Pablo Barboza stands, which is more than many ever get.

In brief

56 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen march on in the cup

Zlin are out and Viktoria Plzen go through, 2-1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Squad

Viktoria Plzen lose Patrik Hrošovský

51 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Viktoria Plzen come up short against Teplice

Teplice left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Cheick Oumar Souaré

“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.

Squad

Oswaldo Valencia signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Oswaldo Valencia commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 3 years.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Viktoria Plzen dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

Squad

Martin Jedlička 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.

Market

Iván Pomba told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Iván Pomba has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Viktoria Plzen.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Martin Jedlička

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

55 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Viktoria Plzen turn down Diosgyor for Jan Paluska

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Zbrojovka Brno

A 4-2 win over Zbrojovka Brno, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Jaroslav Zelený signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jaroslav Zelený commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 1 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Jaroslav Zelený

“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.

Market

Alan Pérez is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Viktoria Plzen has been clear about where Alan Pérez stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Sampson Dweh is off the mark for Viktoria Plzen

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Squad

Matěj Vydra finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

The Prince Adu Kwabena talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

The terraces

The press cannot get enough of Matěj Vydra

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

54 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Alexandr Sojka says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Market

Spartaks watching Jan Paluska

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Viktoria Plzen have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Jablonec

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 1-0 the final word against Jablonec in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tomáš Ladra

“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.

Market

Oscar Murillo told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Oscar Murillo has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Viktoria Plzen.

Market

The Lukáš Červ talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Christophe Kabongo 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.

Squad

Dávid Krčík 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 — Dávid Krčík has let it be known that he does not like the way Viktoria Plzen are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

Market

Petr Kodeš placed on the list

Viktoria Plzen have made Petr Kodeš available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

53 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Léo Bonatini is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Viktoria Plzen is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Jan Paluska: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

A bad afternoon for Viktoria Plzen against Slavia Prague

2-4 to Slavia Prague, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Lukáš Červ 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.

Market

Dominik Ťapaj attracts admirers

The name of Dominik Ťapaj has come up in conversations Viktoria Plzen were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

A long afternoon for Martin Jedlička

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.

In brief

52 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Isloch come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský out for 80 days

The medical room confirms 80 days on the sidelines for Patrik Hrošovský, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Denis Višinský stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Denis Višinský and Viktoria Plzen agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Sparta Prague take the points off Viktoria Plzen

Beaten 2-3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Market

Sigma Olomouc are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Alexandr Sojka 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.

In brief

51 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Viktoria Plzen turn down Alanyaspor for Dominik Ťapaj

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Daniel Vašulín attracts admirers

The name of Daniel Vašulín has come up in conversations Viktoria Plzen were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Market

Matej Brabec is a Viktoria Plzen player again

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.

Market

Jakub Cerny is a Viktoria Plzen player again

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.

Boardroom

Viktoria Plzen are making the ground bigger

Work is signed off on a capacity of 11916. It is the sort of decision a club is judged on twenty years later, by people who were not there when it was taken.

Squad

Tomás Bugallo 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

50 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

12 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Sigma Olomouc come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Salim Fago Lawal 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Marián Tvrdoň moves on

Banik Ostrava pay $170.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

Adrian Zeljković stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Adrian Zeljković and Viktoria Plzen agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Trakai expected to open talks for Jan Paluska

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Viktoria Plzen will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Adrian Zeljković

“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.

In brief

49 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Leonel Miranda asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Slovacko watching Jiří Panoš

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Viktoria Plzen have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Dávid Krčík

“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.

Market

Marián Tvrdoň is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Viktoria Plzen has been clear about where Marián Tvrdoň stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Sampson Dweh loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Sampson Dweh. Viktoria Plzen will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Market

Václav Jemelka linked with a move away

The name of Václav Jemelka keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

48 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Diego Polenta asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 51 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Market

Viktoria Plzen turn down Trakai for Jan Paluska

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský out for 110 days

The medical room confirms 110 days on the sidelines for Patrik Hrošovský, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Sampson Dweh signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sampson Dweh commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 5 years.

Squad

Oscar Murillo 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.

In brief

47 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Leonel Miranda says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Market

Zlin come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Marián Tvrdoň attracts admirers

The name of Marián Tvrdoň has come up in conversations Viktoria Plzen were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Loan watch

Ricardinho keeps scoring at Kairat

16 appearances away from home and 13 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Squad

Léo Bonatini 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.

Squad

Jan Paluska signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jan Paluska commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 5 years.

Market

Renate expected to open talks for Jan Paluska

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Viktoria Plzen will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Loan watch

7 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

23 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Market

Viktoria Plzen put Diego Polenta up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Diego Polenta may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

In brief

46 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Sampson Dweh wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Market

Mohamed Touré moves on

Slavia Prague pay $1.3M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Market

Sigma Olomouc watching Jiří Panoš

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Viktoria Plzen have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

Jaroslav Zelený stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Jaroslav Zelený and Viktoria Plzen agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Loan watch

12 goals on loan for Ricardinho

15 appearances at Kairat and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Market

Leonel Miranda is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Viktoria Plzen has been clear about where Leonel Miranda stands, which is more than many ever get.

In brief

45 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Viktoria Plzen sign Abdoulaye Sylla for $1.2M

The paperwork is done: Abdoulaye Sylla joins from Sigma Olomouc in a deal worth $1.2M. Now comes the harder part.

Market

Matěj Vydra wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Dominik Ťapaj stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Dominik Ťapaj and Viktoria Plzen agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Renate watching Jan Paluska

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Viktoria Plzen have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Karel Spáčil

“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.

Market

Diego Polenta is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Viktoria Plzen has been clear about where Diego Polenta stands, which is more than many ever get.

In brief

44 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Viktoria Plzen 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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 51 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský out for 142 days

The medical room confirms 142 days on the sidelines for Patrik Hrošovský, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Loan watch

Ricardinho keeps scoring at Kairat

13 appearances away from home and 11 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Squad

Karel Spáčil 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.

Squad

Oscar Murillo 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.

In brief

43 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Loan watch

Matyáš Šilhavý has seen enough of Bekescsaba

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 11 appearances in 37 say he has earned the hearing.

Loan watch

Ricardinho keeps scoring at Kairat

12 appearances away from home and 9 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Loan watch

7 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

23 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

42 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Iván Pomba 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.

Market

The Sampson Dweh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Cheick Oumar Souaré 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

41 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Léo Bonatini 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 watch

8 goals on loan for Ricardinho

10 appearances at Kairat and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Squad

Diego Polenta 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

40 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 51 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Loan watch

Jiří Panoš has seen enough of Sparta Prague

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 2 appearances in 14 say he has earned the hearing.

Loan watch

Ricardinho keeps scoring at Kairat

9 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

39 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Iván Pomba: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Loan watch

Matyáš Šilhavý has seen enough of Bekescsaba

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 11 appearances in 33 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Oscar 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.

Loan watch

7 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

23 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Market

Václav Jemelka linked with a move away

The name of Václav Jemelka keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

Ricardinho keeps scoring at Kairat

8 appearances away from home and 5 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

38 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The manager makes an example of Dávid Krčík

“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.

Market

Sampson Dweh linked with a move away

The name of Sampson Dweh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

Salim Fago Lawal first choice at Orenburg

23 starts and a season average of 7.03. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.

In brief

37 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tomás Bugallo says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Baboucarr Faal stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Baboucarr Faal and Viktoria Plzen agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Viktoria Plzen lose Danijel Šturm

31 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

36 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 3

51 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Leonel Miranda signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Leonel Miranda commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 2 years.

Squad

Cheick Oumar Souaré 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 watch

Jiří Panoš wants to come home

“I did not go to Sparta Prague to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 10 matches say the rest.

Squad

Baboucarr Faal 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Lukáš Červ linked with a move away

The name of Lukáš Červ keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

35 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Cheick Oumar Souaré: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Iván Pomba 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 watch

Christophe Kabongo keeps scoring at Mlada Boleslav

23 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

34 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The manager makes an example of Oscar 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.

Loan watch

Alexandr Sojka wants to come home

“I did not go to Pribram to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 7 matches say the rest.

Market

Sampson Dweh linked with a move away

The name of Sampson Dweh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

International call for Matěj Vydra

Matěj Vydra joins up with his country. Viktoria Plzen lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Squad

International call for Václav Jemelka

Václav Jemelka joins up with his country. Viktoria Plzen lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Squad

Iván Pomba 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

33 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Dominik Ťapaj signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Dominik Ťapaj commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 4 years.

Loan watch

Baboucarr Faal wants to come home

“I did not go to BATE to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 29 matches say the rest.

Squad

Marián Tvrdoň 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.

In brief

32 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 3

51 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Oswaldo Valencia says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Matěj Vydra and Viktoria Plzen agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alan Pérez

“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 watch

Jiří Panoš wants to come home

“I did not go to Sparta Prague to sit and watch. I want to come back to Viktoria Plzen and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.

Squad

Dominik Ťapaj 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

31 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

1 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Dávid Krčík 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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Matěj Vydra. Viktoria Plzen will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Loan watch

Christophe Kabongo keeps scoring at Mlada Boleslav

23 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Market

The Václav Jemelka talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Leonel Miranda 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Merchas Doski handed the armband

The captaincy goes to Merchas Doski. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.

In brief

30 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen bow out of the cup

Jablonec go through and Viktoria Plzen go home, 2-3 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

Market

Fakel come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena is carrying Viktoria Plzen

4 goals and a season average of 7.33. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Matej Malenšek 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.

Market

Sampson Dweh linked with a move away

The name of Sampson Dweh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Leonel Miranda 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.

In brief

29 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

15 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Diego Polenta asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Squad

Oscar Murillo 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.

Squad

Mario Suárez out for 18 days

The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Mario Suárez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Loan watch

Baboucarr Faal has seen enough of BATE

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 3 appearances in 25 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Ibrahim Halilou Mouhaman stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ibrahim Halilou Mouhaman and Viktoria Plzen agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Viktoria Plzen bring in an old head

Mario Suárez is 33 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.

In brief

28 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 3

51 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Sampson Dweh wants more than Viktoria Plzen are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Alan Pérez out for 15 days

The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Alan Pérez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Denis Višinský stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Denis Višinský and Viktoria Plzen agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

6 unbeaten for Viktoria Plzen

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Viktoria Plzen did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is carrying Viktoria Plzen

6 goals and a season average of 7.47. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Pribram

A 1-0 win over Pribram, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Diego Polenta

“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.

Market

Lukáš Červ linked with a move away

The name of Lukáš Červ keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

27 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Oscar Murillo asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Matěj Vydra wants more than Viktoria Plzen are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Jihlava

A 2-1 win over Jihlava, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tomáš Vlček

“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.

Market

Renate are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Loan watch

7 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

22 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

26 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Pribram come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Viktor Baier moves on

Sigma Olomouc pay $1.1M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

No place for Patrik Hrošovský 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Dávid Krčík

“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.

Match

Honours even between Viktoria Plzen and Banik Ostrava

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Market

Sampson Dweh linked with a move away

The name of Sampson Dweh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

25 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Diego Polenta asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Mlada Boleslav come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Alexandr Sojka attracts admirers

The name of Alexandr Sojka has come up in conversations Viktoria Plzen were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Léo Bonatini

“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.

Match

Honours even between Viktoria Plzen and Dukla Prague

3-3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.33 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Loan watch

Baboucarr Faal has seen enough of BATE

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 3 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

No place for Cheick Oumar Souaré 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Market

Jablonec are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

In brief

24 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen tear Zlin apart

Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 5-2 against Zlin, and it could have been more.

Market

Sparta Prague come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

3 goals for Denis Višinský

The match ball belongs to Denis Višinský, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 3

43 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Marián Tvrdoň 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Amar Memić moves on

Sparta Prague pay $3.7M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Market

Florian Wiegele moves on

Sparta Prague pay $370.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.44 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Patrik Hrošovský

“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.

In brief

23 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Viktor Baier asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Slovan Liberec come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Sparta Prague watching Florian Wiegele

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Viktoria Plzen have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Sigma Olomouc

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 1-0 the final word against Sigma Olomouc in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tomáš Ladra

“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.

Squad

Viktor Baier 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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra 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 — Matěj Vydra has let it be known that he does not like the way Viktoria Plzen are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

Market

The Tomáš Ladra talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

The shirt belongs to Prince Adu Kwabena now

At 23 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Viktoria Plzen have a decision that made itself.

In brief

22 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Florian Wiegele asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Squad

Pablo Barboza: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

No end in sight to Viktoria Plzen's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Viktoria Plzen has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

Viktoria Plzen come up short against Slovan Liberec

Slovan Liberec left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Boardroom

Wages eat 122% of everything Viktoria Plzen earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Leonel Miranda 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.

Squad

Viktor Baier 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Viktor Baier

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Market

Václav Jemelka linked with a move away

The name of Václav Jemelka keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

21 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Amar Memić 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Match

No end in sight to Viktoria Plzen's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Viktoria Plzen has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Lukáš Červ

“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.

Squad

Costly mistake from Viktor Baier

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Viktor Baier knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Loan watch

Baboucarr Faal has seen enough of BATE

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 3 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena is carrying Viktoria Plzen

4 goals and a season average of 7.30. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Honours even between Viktoria Plzen and Bohemians 1905

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Cheick Oumar Souaré 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Sampson Dweh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

20 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen come up short against Slovacko

Slovacko left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Amar Memić 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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is carrying Viktoria Plzen

6 goals and a season average of 7.45. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Boardroom

Inquest at Viktoria Plzen

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Squad

No place for Patrik Hrošovský 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Match

Viktoria Plzen and Santa Clara cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Santa Clara came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

19 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Viktor Baier keeps Viktoria Plzen in it on his own

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.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Léo Bonatini

“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.

Squad

Dávid Krčík out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Dávid Krčík, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Václav Jemelka suspended

One booking too many, and Václav Jemelka sits out. Viktoria Plzen lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.

Match

Viktoria Plzen and Mlada Boleslav cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Mlada Boleslav came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

18 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Viktoria Plzen run riot against Mladost Lucani

4-0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.

Market

Florian Wiegele asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen find a way past Teplice

Teplice made Viktoria Plzen work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

135% of the income goes out in wages at Viktoria Plzen

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Leonel Miranda 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.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.37 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Viktor Baier 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.

Squad

No place for Oscar Murillo 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Market

Václav Jemelka linked with a move away

The name of Václav Jemelka keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

17 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Viktoria Plzen through in the cup

A 1-1 win over Zbrojovka Brno, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Market

Amar Memić 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 3

32 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Marián Tvrdoň says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Daniel Vašulín

“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 watch

Baboucarr Faal has seen enough of BATE

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 3 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

The Sampson Dweh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Leonel Miranda 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

5 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

12 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

16 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Viktor Baier keeps Viktoria Plzen in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 16 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Tomáš Ladra 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.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.29 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

In brief

15 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Diego Polenta asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Sampson Dweh wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Match

A bad afternoon for Viktoria Plzen against Slavia Prague

2-3 to Slavia Prague, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Match

Viktoria Plzen come up short against Fenerbahce

Fenerbahce left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Oscar Murillo 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.

Squad

No place for Léo Bonatini 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Squad

Václav Jemelka finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Squad

Daniel Vašulín 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Amar Memić talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

14 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Viktor Baier

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.

Market

Florian Wiegele asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Matěj Vydra wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Viktoria Plzen hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Match

Viktoria Plzen find a way past Sparta Prague

Sparta Prague made Viktoria Plzen work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Sampson Dweh 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.

Boardroom

135% of the income goes out in wages at Viktoria Plzen

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.25 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

The armband comes off Merchas Doski

Viktoria Plzen 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.

Market

Václav Jemelka linked with a move away

The name of Václav Jemelka keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

13 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Amar Memić 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 2

27 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Léo Bonatini

“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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Viktoria Plzen against Fenerbahce

0-2 to Fenerbahce, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

No place for Amar Memić 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 Viktoria Plzen pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Squad

Viktor Baier 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.

Loan watch

Baboucarr Faal has seen enough of BATE

“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 Viktoria Plzen, and 3 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Lukáš Červ suspended

One booking too many, and Lukáš Červ sits out. Viktoria Plzen lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.

Match

Viktoria Plzen draw a blank against Pribram

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Pribram defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

12 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 15. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Jihlava

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 2-1 the final word against Jihlava in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Alan Pérez

“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.

Squad

Costly mistake from Viktor Baier

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Viktor Baier knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.21 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Sampson Dweh is off the mark for Viktoria Plzen

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

Lukáš Červ linked with a move away

The name of Lukáš Červ keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Viktoria Plzen say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Viktoria Plzen pick up Oswaldo Valencia for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Oswaldo Valencia arrives at Viktoria Plzen with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

Market

Florian Wiegele placed on the list

Viktoria Plzen have made Florian Wiegele available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

11 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 14. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Florian Wiegele

There were 6 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.

Squad

Marián Tvrdoň says Viktoria Plzen went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Lukáš Červ stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Lukáš Červ and Viktoria Plzen agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Oscar Murillo 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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen and Banik Ostrava cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Banik Ostrava came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

10 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 13. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Viktor Baier: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Florian Wiegele asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Boardroom

Wages eat 200% of everything Viktoria Plzen earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Diego Polenta

“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.

Squad

Léo Bonatini left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Léo Bonatini will call it something else in private.

Squad

The month belongs to Prince Adu Kwabena

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Viktoria Plzen have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Match

Honours even between Viktoria Plzen and Santa Clara

2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Match

No goals between Viktoria Plzen and Dukla Prague

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Dukla Prague will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

9 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Amar Memić 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Viktoria Plzen up to position 2

21 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Match

11 unbeaten for Viktoria Plzen

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Viktoria Plzen did not have in the autumn.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Zlin

A 1-0 win over Zlin, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Amar Memić 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Sampson Dweh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Loan watch

5 goals on loan for Christophe Kabongo

6 appearances at Mlada Boleslav and the goals keep coming. Viktoria Plzen are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Squad

Adam Kadlec has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Adam Kadlec keeps the shirt for now, at Viktoria Plzen's convenience rather than his own.

The terraces

The press have found their man in Matěj Vydra

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.

In brief

8 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

10 unbeaten for Viktoria Plzen

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation Viktoria Plzen did not have in the autumn.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Sigma Olomouc

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 2-1 the final word against Sigma Olomouc in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Amar Memić left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Amar Memić will call it something else in private.

Squad

Tomás Bugallo signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tomás Bugallo commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 3 years.

Squad

Lucas Gómez 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.

Match

No goals between Viktoria Plzen and Mladost Lucani

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Mladost Lucani will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

7 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

BATE come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Léo Bonatini

“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.

Match

No goals between Viktoria Plzen and Slovan Liberec

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Slovan Liberec will be the happier side with the point.

Market

The Amar Memić talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Somebody is after Matěj Vydra’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Matěj Vydra suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Viktoria Plzen have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský has taken the shirt

At 34 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Viktoria Plzen are won quietly and lost loudly.

Squad

Prince Adu Kwabena 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 — Prince Adu Kwabena has let it be known that he does not like the way Viktoria Plzen are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

Market

Tomás Bugallo joins Viktoria Plzen on a free

No fee and no drama: Tomás Bugallo has signed at Viktoria Plzen, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.

In brief

6 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Viktor Baier keeps Viktoria Plzen in it on his own

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.

Market

Florian Wiegele asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Squad

Marián Tvrdoň: 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.” Viktoria Plzen have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

BATE watching Prince Adu Kwabena

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Viktoria Plzen have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Market

The Jablonec deal is off

Everything was agreed until it was not, and Florian Wiegele reports back to Viktoria Plzen with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Viktoria Plzen get the job done against Bohemians 1905

A 3-1 win over Bohemians 1905, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Diego Polenta

“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.

Boardroom

95% of the income goes out in wages at Viktoria Plzen

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

In brief

5 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Amar Memić 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Viktoria Plzen

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Václav Jemelka

“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.

Market

Jelgava expected to open talks for Alexandr Sojka

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Viktoria Plzen will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Match

Viktoria Plzen and Slovacko 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.

Squad

Amar Memić finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Experience through the door at Viktoria Plzen

Diego Polenta arrives at 34 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský 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.

Market

The Sampson Dweh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Viktoria Plzen know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

4 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Cup progress for Viktoria Plzen

A 4-0 win over Zlin, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Market

Viktoria Plzen sell Matěj Valenta for $1.0M

Matěj Valenta has left for Slavia Prague in a $1.0M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Market

Alexandr Sojka attracts admirers

The name of Alexandr Sojka has come up in conversations Viktoria Plzen were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Viktor Baier

“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.

Market

Isloch are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Market

Viktoria Plzen put Viktor Baier up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Viktor Baier may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

Match

No goals between Viktoria Plzen and Mlada Boleslav

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Mlada Boleslav will be the happier side with the point.

Squad

Patrik Hrošovský 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

A first senior shirt for Mohamed Touré

Every debut is a small story about the future: Mohamed Touré, 20 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.

In brief

3 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Viktoria Plzen turn down Slovacko for Florian Wiegele

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Matěj Valenta asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Match

Viktoria Plzen make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Viktoria Plzen have 3 straight wins of it.

Market

Gomel are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Teplice

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 1-0 the final word against Teplice in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Merchas Doski 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.

Squad

Daniel Vašulín finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Viktoria Plzen bring in an old head

Oscar Murillo is 39 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.

Squad

Lukáš Červ has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Lukáš Červ keeps the shirt for now, at Viktoria Plzen's convenience rather than his own.

In brief

2 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Florian Wiegele 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 Viktoria Plzen can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Slavia Sofia come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Matěj Vydra wants more than Viktoria Plzen are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Sampson Dweh signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sampson Dweh commits to Viktoria Plzen for another 5 years.

Market

Sochi are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Viktoria Plzen will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Match

Viktoria Plzen find a way past Zbrojovka Brno

Zbrojovka Brno made Viktoria Plzen work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Matěj Valenta 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.

Squad

Sampson Dweh 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 Viktoria Plzen, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Matěj Vydra is off the mark for Viktoria Plzen

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

1 Edition

The Viktoria Plzen Courier

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Amar Memić asks to leave Viktoria Plzen

“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.

Market

Ural come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Viktoria Plzen did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Karel Spáčil attracts admirers

The name of Karel Spáčil has come up in conversations Viktoria Plzen were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Market

Sampson Dweh wants more than Viktoria Plzen are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Matěj Vydra stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Matěj Vydra and Viktoria Plzen agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Viktoria Plzen see off Jablonec

Three points for Viktoria Plzen, 1-0 the final word against Jablonec in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Karel Spáčil

“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.

Squad

Sampson Dweh 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.

Squad

Denis Višinský finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Viktoria Plzen have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief