Marked for Ivan Mamrosenko
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Jul 2028
Shukura sink to position 15
15 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market17 Jul 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market17 Jul 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match15 Jul 2028
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Market17 Jul 2028
The phone has started ringing about Jaba Arveladze again, and this time the name on the line is Sioni. Shukura are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings17 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Matěj Helebrand asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market17 Jul 2028
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Shukura money.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 Jul 2028
Nowhere to hide for Shukura
0‑3 against Tskhinvali, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Market10 Jul 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Shukura is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market10 Jul 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market10 Jul 2028
The phone has started ringing about Matěj Helebrand again, and this time the name on the line is Merani. Shukura are listening politely and promising nothing.
Match8 Jul 2028
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad10 Jul 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad10 Jul 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Giorgi Akhaladze, and the manager let it.
Boardroom10 Jul 2028
Nobody left the Shukura 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Jul 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Boardroom3 Jul 2028
Pressure builds in the Shukura boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Boardroom3 Jul 2028
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Shukura can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market3 Jul 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market3 Jul 2028
Shukura say no — this time
The offer from Samtredia for Jaba Arveladze was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market3 Jul 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Shukura is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Player ratings3 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad3 Jul 2028
Veljko Bogićević was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market19 Jun 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Match19 Jun 2028
Every point is an argument now for Shukura
Position 14 and 12 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Player ratings19 Jun 2028
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market19 Jun 2028
Samtredia are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Shukura will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad19 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Matěj Helebrand
“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.
Match17 Jun 2028
0‑1 to Samtredia, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market19 Jun 2028
2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Shukura could get for him.
Market19 Jun 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Shukura know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Jun 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market12 Jun 2028
Merani come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Shukura did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market12 Jun 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Shukura is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Jun 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad12 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market12 Jun 2028
Business is business: Abdulla Ahmed goes
Torpedo Kutaisi paid $220.0K and Shukura took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Player ratings12 Jun 2028
Marked 9.09 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match10 Jun 2028
Three points for Shukura, 2‑0 the final word against Sapovnela in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings12 Jun 2028
A defender's afternoon for Ilja Volnov
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Jun 2028
The wait goes on for Shukura
20 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Shukura can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market5 Jun 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
Pressure builds in the Shukura boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad5 Jun 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings5 Jun 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market5 Jun 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Shukura will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings5 Jun 2028
A defender's afternoon for Abdulla Ahmed
Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 May 2028
The wait goes on for Shukura
18 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match20 May 2028
0‑3 to Kolkheti, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market22 May 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings22 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad22 May 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad22 May 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Denis Voychenko and Shukura agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad22 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Abdulla Ahmed
“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.
Boardroom22 May 2028
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.
Player ratings22 May 2028
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 May 2028
17 matches without a win for Shukura
The run now stands at 17, and the questions being asked around Shukura are no longer polite ones.
Market15 May 2028
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ivan Mamrosenko will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Shukura the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Market15 May 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 May 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Mamrosenko, and the manager let it.
Match13 May 2028
Shukura come up short against Dila
Dila left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad15 May 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Denis Voychenko commits to Shukura for another 2 years.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match6 May 2028
The wait goes on for Shukura
16 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market8 May 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings8 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad8 May 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad8 May 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Mikhail Philippov and Shukura agree another 2 years.
Squad8 May 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match6 May 2028
6 unbeaten for Shukura
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Shukura did not have in the autumn.
Squad8 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Makarov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings8 May 2028
Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Apr 2028
14 matches without a win for Shukura
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Shukura are no longer polite ones.
Market24 Apr 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings24 Apr 2028
Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad24 Apr 2028
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Shukura are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 Apr 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings24 Apr 2028
Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Player ratings24 Apr 2028
Defensive actions: 13. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match22 Apr 2028
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Zugdidi will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match15 Apr 2028
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Market17 Apr 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shukura they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market17 Apr 2028
Ilja Volnov 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 Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 Apr 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings17 Apr 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings17 Apr 2028
Marked 8.28 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match15 Apr 2028
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad17 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Ilja Volnov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad17 Apr 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Shukura, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match25 Mar 2028
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Market27 Mar 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings27 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shukura may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Veljko Bogićević was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings27 Mar 2028
Marked 7.92 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Shukura had the best player on the pitch.
Match25 Mar 2028
It needed Jaba Arveladze to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Tskhinvali, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad27 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Ilya Koval
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Ivan Mamrosenko asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings20 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 32. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match18 Mar 2028
The wait goes on for Shukura
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market20 Mar 2028
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ivan Mamrosenko will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Shukura the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad20 Mar 2028
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.
Market20 Mar 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Samir Mammadov and Shukura agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Makarov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match11 Mar 2028
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Market13 Mar 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The terraces13 Mar 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad13 Mar 2028
64 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match11 Mar 2028
A bad afternoon for Shukura against Sioni
1‑2 to Sioni, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad13 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Mamrosenko, and the manager let it.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
A performance of 8.07 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market28 Feb 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market28 Feb 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Shukura know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market28 Feb 2028
6 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Shukura money.
Market28 Feb 2028
Shukura have let the market know Joel Domínguez can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ibrahim Al-Hamlan trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market21 Feb 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shukura they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market21 Feb 2028
Abdulla Ahmed 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 Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Shukura know it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom14 Feb 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Shukura
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market14 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Shukura, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market14 Feb 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Shukura know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market14 Feb 2028
Shukura spent the window trying to move Jaba Arveladze on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Shukura can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market7 Feb 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad7 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Shukura, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
Shukura pull $627.9K back off the table
The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.
Squad7 Feb 2028
A season on the outside for Maxim Makarov
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Shukura has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Market7 Feb 2028
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market7 Feb 2028
Shukura spent the window trying to move Matěj Helebrand on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
Squad7 Feb 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Mikhail Philippov keeps the shirt for now, at Shukura's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market31 Jan 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market31 Jan 2028
Shukura say no — this time
The offer from Dinamo Tbilisi for Ivan Mamrosenko was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Ivan Mamrosenko asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market31 Jan 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Shukura know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market31 Jan 2028
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Shukura could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market24 Jan 2028
Shukura say no — this time
The offer from Samtredia for Vasil Khositashvili was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market24 Jan 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market24 Jan 2028
Add another name to the list: Dinamo Tbilisi have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Ivan Mamrosenko. The answer from Shukura has not changed — yet.
Squad24 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Jan 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market24 Jan 2028
6 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Shukura money.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom17 Jan 2028
Pressure builds in the Shukura boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market17 Jan 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market17 Jan 2028
The chase for Mamuka Gvelesiani ended with $72.0K changing hands and Zugdidi out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad17 Jan 2028
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Shukura are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Market17 Jan 2028
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market10 Jan 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market10 Jan 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad10 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market10 Jan 2028
He is 19, and nobody at Shukura signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad10 Jan 2028
A season on the outside for Ilya Koval
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Shukura has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom20 Dec 2027
Pressure builds in the Shukura boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market20 Dec 2027
“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.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Shukura know it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom22 Nov 2027
Pressure builds in the Shukura boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market22 Nov 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad22 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom25 Oct 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Shukura
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Shukura is running low.
Market25 Oct 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad25 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Shukura can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market4 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shukura may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Paulo Campos and Shukura agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saba Sidamonidze, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom27 Sep 2027
Pressure builds in the Shukura boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market27 Sep 2027
“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.
Match25 Sep 2027
5 matches without a win for Shukura
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Shukura are no longer polite ones.
Squad27 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match25 Sep 2027
Jaba Arveladze scored, and precious little else went right: 2‑3 to Sapovnela, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matěj Helebrand, and the manager let it.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.19 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad27 Sep 2027
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Shukura pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
Pressure builds in the Shukura boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market30 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad30 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matěj Helebrand, and the manager let it.
Match28 Aug 2027
Shukura come up short against Dila
Dila left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.14 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market30 Aug 2027
Shukura have let the market know Matěj Helebrand can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Jul 2027
“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.
Match24 Jul 2027
The wait goes on for Shukura
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match24 Jul 2027
Still nobody has beaten Shukura
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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market26 Jul 2027
The name of Diego Ojeda has come up in conversations Shukura were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Mamrosenko, and the manager let it.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match24 Jul 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
A mark of 5.64 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad19 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match17 Jul 2027
Still nobody has beaten Shukura
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.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Filip Pajović
“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.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
A performance of 8.04 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match17 Jul 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Raul Baratelia knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Raul Baratelia trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market19 Jul 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Ivan Mamrosenko may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Jul 2027
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.
Market12 Jul 2027
Shukura say no — this time
The offer from Ethnikos Achnas for Diego Ojeda was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jaba Arveladze, and the manager let it.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Defensive actions: 17, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Shukura know it.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Marked 7.56 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Shukura had the best player on the pitch.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Jun 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Match12 Jun 2027
7 matches without a win for Shukura
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Shukura are no longer polite ones.
Market14 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Shukura are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.12, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match12 Jun 2027
It needed Jaba Arveladze to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Sapovnela, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 May 2027
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.
Market17 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad17 May 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Shukura have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad17 May 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match15 May 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad17 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Shots: 11. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 11. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Marked 5.75, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market3 May 2027
“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.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad3 May 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match1 May 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad3 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad3 May 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Filip Pajović knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings3 May 2027
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Shukura, and it is a cruel one.
Squad3 May 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Guga Palavandishvili. Shukura will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Market3 May 2027
The clock runs on Ilja Volnov's contract
8 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match3 Apr 2027
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Match31 Mar 2027
The small margins put Shukura out
Out, 0‑1 to Chikhura, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Market5 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shukura may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad5 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Shukura are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Guga Palavandishvili, and the manager let it.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match3 Apr 2027
It needed Jaba Arveladze to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Dinamo Tbilisi, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Mar 2027
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Market15 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad15 Mar 2027
The medical room confirms 140 days on the sidelines for Mikhail Philippov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match13 Mar 2027
6 unbeaten for Shukura
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Shukura did not have in the autumn.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Match6 Mar 2027
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mikhail Philippov and Shukura agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market8 Mar 2027
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.
Market8 Mar 2027
The shirt still fits. Goga Mchedlidze is back at Shukura, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market8 Mar 2027
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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Defensive actions: 20, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vasil Khositashvili, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Mar 2027
“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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Shukura are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Jan 2027
41 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market11 Jan 2027
He is 17, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ilias Sgouros and Shukura agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shukura, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Filip Pajović, and the manager let it.
Market4 Jan 2027
10 months and counting on Diego Ojeda
Still no offer on the table, and Diego Ojeda’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Market4 Jan 2027
Nika Dumbadze is 20, and Shukura have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Ivan Mamrosenko asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Dec 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Dec 2026
The medical room confirms 69 days on the sidelines for Gogita Salukvadze, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Nov 2026
105 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shukura may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Shukura, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Oct 2026
“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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Shukura are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Matěj Helebrand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 22 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad28 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Mamrosenko, and the manager let it.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Sep 2026
6 matches without a win for Shukura
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Shukura are no longer polite ones.
Squad21 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
A mark of 7.60, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“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.
Match19 Sep 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Torpedo Kutaisi will be the happier side with the point.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Marked 5.30, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Shukura would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 11. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shukura can pretend not to have heard.
Match12 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Shukura's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shukura has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad14 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shukura this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“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.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
A defender's afternoon for Paulo Campos
Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market14 Sep 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Shukura, another week without a signature from Ivan Mamrosenko.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Shukura, and both men came out saying it was fine.