Pre-season offering a lot of entertainment this winter

Strange things happening here. In short a few points that you may not know what the Veikkausliiga clubs are up to:

• TPS out of money, kicked out all players and replaced them with own u19-kids. Now after a few weeks a few more experienced players also joining the club including the already retired cult striker Mikko Hyyrynen and all of a sudden TPS are not an automatically relegated club anymore.

• Honka sacked manager Lehkosuo by accusing him of financial wrong-doings. An accusation nobody seems to believe and the club themselves are on (or over?) the edge of financial collapse. To make things even messier they did appoint Finland NT player and legend Shefki Kuqi - or Kugi as they like to write his name at Honka - as their new manager. Needless to say that Shefki´s history in coaching is the round 0 games ever. 

High flying Shefki at his Blackburn times

• HJK are making once more fools of themselves at the transfer markets. Signing in old-timers year after year but failing to either find good ones or seeing the quality in them. Admittedly it is funny to see them struggle to find a keeper or a defender. To answer to that need they now have a Russian gk who has been banned for a year for doping from very shady Rus2 and a mini-size Jamaican young midfielder. 

• KuPS who have played their matches so far with about 5 regulars and the rest of squad consisting of reserves from the pub team, kids and the over-aged marketing managers did have to cancel their friedlies this weekend vs AC Oulu and RoPS because they do get enough players there. The reason is that U17 and U19 have important games. Needless to say that so far KuPS have won 2 and drawn 1 of their league 3 cup matches so far and not conceded one goal with their makeshift squad. With a similarly poor squad Jaro ended last season with one win out of last 12 matches. KuPS are also looking out for new players but looks like no one likes to stay as now both center-backs who have been there on trial have left on their own will...way to go KuPS!!