Marked for Daniel Svintsov
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match15 Mar 2027
Rodina 2 are in real trouble now
Position 6, 11 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Rodina 2 may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market15 Mar 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Rodina 2 is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market15 Mar 2027
So close: Ilja Antonov’s move dies late
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Kolomna moved on, Ilja Antonov reports back to Rodina 2, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Squad15 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 Rodina 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Words at Rodina 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Artem Biryukov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Daniel Svintsov
“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.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Artem Biryukov 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 Rodina 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Rodina 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Feb 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Kolomna waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Rodina 2 is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market22 Feb 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 Rodina 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Svyatoslav Kozhedub 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 Feb 2027
Daniel Svintsov falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
No place for Maxim Danilin 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 Rodina 2 pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gleb Knyazev, and the manager let it.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
The plan did not have a place for Maxim Danilin
Nobody at Rodina 2 is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Chances created: 7. Nothing on the scoresheet and everything in the match: the pass before the pass, over and over, until the defence stopped guessing right.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alexandr Lazarev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match15 Feb 2027
Rodina 2 sink to position 6
11 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market15 Feb 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Kvant waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Rodina 2 is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Rodina 2 may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market15 Feb 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Stanislav Basyrov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Rodina 2 the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Rodina 2
Artem Biryukov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words at Rodina 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Svyatoslav Kozhedub is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Rodina 2 will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Svintsov, and the manager let it.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
A falling-out at Rodina 2
Svyatoslav Kozhedub and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Words at Rodina 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Artem Biryukov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Svintsov, and the manager let it.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“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.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Rodina 2
Svyatoslav Kozhedub and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Svintsov, and the manager let it.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Danil Roslyakov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Maxim Danilin slips down the pecking order
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Maxim Danilin is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Squad7 Dec 2026
A row about effort at Rodina 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikita Savin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Daniil Chernyshev
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match23 Nov 2026
Every point is an argument now for Rodina 2
Position 6 and 11 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.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Rodina 2 may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad23 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 Rodina 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Rodina 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daniel Svintsov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Svyatoslav Kozhedub trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Market23 Nov 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Rodina 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Maxim Danilin speaks, and the room listens
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Rodina 2 was different afterwards.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Rodina 2 have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Alexandr Alekhin 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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Rodina 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Svyatoslav Kozhedub is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniil Chernyshev, and the manager let it.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Daniel Svintsov dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Rodina 2
Svyatoslav Kozhedub and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Rodina 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Alekhin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Astemir Khezhev
“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.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alexandr Stenyakin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Market9 Nov 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Market9 Nov 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Alexandr Stenyakin’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 6. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Oct 2026
At 18 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Rodina 2
Svyatoslav Kozhedub and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at Rodina 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Alekhin is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match17 Oct 2026
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The terraces19 Oct 2026
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.11, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
The dugout19 Oct 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.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑2 Dmitri Kolmogorov left the room before anybody could ask which.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 43. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Words exchanged at Rodina 2
Svyatoslav Kozhedub and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Timofey Danilov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match10 Oct 2026
A bad afternoon for Rodina 2 against Kuban
0‑1 to Kuban, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Rodina 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daniel Svintsov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑1 Dmitri Kolmogorov left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
Maxim Danilin 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.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Daniil Chernyshev
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Young player of the week: Gleb Knyazev
At 20 he was the best of everybody his age in the division for one weekend. Nobody should build a career on it and everybody quietly does.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Rodina 2
Alexandr Alekhin and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Rodina 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Svyatoslav Kozhedub was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The terraces5 Oct 2026
He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Match3 Oct 2026
A 1‑0 win over Irtysh, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The dugout5 Oct 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 ratings5 Oct 2026
Marked 7.57. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Gleb Knyazev named in the team of the month
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Gleb Knyazev is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Sep 2026
Rodina 2 sink to position 6
8 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 26. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad28 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 Rodina 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Sep 2026
Kaluga left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Maxim Danilin
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Rodina 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daniel Svintsov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Looking ahead28 Sep 2026
Everything rides on Irtysh
Both clubs in the mire, one fixture between them, and a ground that will be louder and more frightened than at any point in the season. Rodina 2 know what is at stake and so does everybody in the away end.
Squad28 Sep 2026
27 new faces, and Rodina 2 are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑3, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market21 Sep 2026
Kosmos come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Rodina 2 did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Rodina 2
Svyatoslav Kozhedub and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match19 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Rodina 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Daniel Svintsov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniil Chernyshev, and the manager let it.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑2 Dmitri Kolmogorov left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Svyatoslav Kozhedub
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
Market21 Sep 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Stanislav Basyrov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Rodina 2.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Sep 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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Svyatoslav Kozhedub 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 ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artem Biryukov, and the manager let it.
Match5 Sep 2026
Avangard made Rodina 2 work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Daniel Svintsov falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
A performance of 8.07 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Rodina 2 will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Arseny Khorin named in the team of the month
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Arseny Khorin is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match31 Aug 2026
Every point is an argument now for Rodina 2
Position 6 and 5 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
“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 Rodina 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad31 Aug 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 Rodina 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Arseny Khorin falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout31 Aug 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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
27 new faces, and Rodina 2 are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Dmitri Kolmogorov after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 Aug 2026
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Svyatoslav Kozhedub had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Rodina 2
Svyatoslav Kozhedub and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The terraces17 Aug 2026
At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Match15 Aug 2026
Three points for Rodina 2, 1‑0 the final word against Irtysh in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A mark of 7.83, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Dmitri Kolmogorov kept it short after the 1‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
The dugout17 Aug 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.
In brief
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Squad
Words at Rodina 2 training over how hard people work
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Looking ahead
Rodina 2 take on the side everybody is chasing
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The dugout
Astemir Khezhev knocks on the manager’s door