Marked for Inal Dudaev
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match29 Dec 2029
The wait goes on for Angusht
21 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.
Market31 Dec 2029
Inal Dudaev 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Match29 Dec 2029
Angusht are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 5 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Squad31 Dec 2029
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Maxim Shabaidakov 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.
Match29 Dec 2029
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout31 Dec 2029
The team sheet said everything about Georgy Tuaev
Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Georgy Tuaev.
The dugout31 Dec 2029
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout31 Dec 2029
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.
Player ratings31 Dec 2029
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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Nov 2029
The wait goes on for Angusht
15 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.
Market19 Nov 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market19 Nov 2029
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Angusht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The dugout19 Nov 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad19 Nov 2029
Dmitry Tashov 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.
Boardroom19 Nov 2029
The Angusht debt reaches $4.0M
Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.
Squad19 Nov 2029
Words exchanged at Angusht
Maksim Kolmogorov 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.
Match17 Nov 2029
A goal on 86 minutes turned three points into one and a good afternoon into an argument about game management that will run until Saturday.
Match17 Nov 2029
It needed Maxim Shabaidakov to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Druzhba, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Sep 2029
Nowhere to hide for Angusht
1‑4 against Astrakhan, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Match22 Sep 2029
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
Market24 Sep 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Angusht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad24 Sep 2029
Rustam Vazitdinov 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 Sep 2029
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Dmitry Tashov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match22 Sep 2029
Angusht are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Boardroom24 Sep 2029
The borrowing at Angusht reaches $3.9M
Past the limit the bank set, which is the line between a club being financed and a club being in trouble. $3.9M is now the number every conversation about this club will start with.
The dugout24 Sep 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Inal Dudaev, and the manager let it.
Boardroom24 Sep 2029
Doors closed at Angusht
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces9 Jul 2029
Anger at Angusht spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Boardroom9 Jul 2029
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Match9 Jul 2029
Angusht sink to position 13
12 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market9 Jul 2029
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market9 Jul 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Angusht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Boardroom9 Jul 2029
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Artem Gavrilenko has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
The dugout9 Jul 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad9 Jul 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Jul 2029
Danil Kapustyanskiy has improved at 24, which nobody expected
Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad18 Jun 2029
Denis Gagarin damages knee ligaments — 17 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 17 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market18 Jun 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Transfer targets18 Jun 2029
The deal with Nosta is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Squad18 Jun 2029
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Evgeni Plyushkin, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad18 Jun 2029
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout18 Jun 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Transfer targets18 Jun 2029
Angusht asked and Legion said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad18 Jun 2029
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Dmitry Tashov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout18 Jun 2029
Inal Dudaev 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces11 Jun 2029
Supporters organise against the Angusht board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Squad11 Jun 2029
24 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Angusht lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Boardroom11 Jun 2029
The scrutiny sharpens at Angusht
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Angusht is running low.
Match11 Jun 2029
Angusht are in real trouble now
Position 13, 12 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 dugout11 Jun 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad11 Jun 2029
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Maxim Shabaidakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout11 Jun 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andrey Sorokin, and the manager let it.
Squad11 Jun 2029
A falling-out at Angusht
Artem Gavrilenko and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout11 Jun 2029
Inal Dudaev 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
The terraces14 May 2029
Supporters organise against the Angusht board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Boardroom14 May 2029
Pressure builds in the Angusht boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad14 May 2029
Savely Kolesnikov damages knee ligaments — 47 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 47 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match14 May 2029
Angusht sink to position 13
12 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market14 May 2029
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout14 May 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad14 May 2029
Rustam Vazitdinov 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 May 2029
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Maxim Shabaidakov 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 dugout14 May 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad30 Apr 2029
A knee injury of the worst kind for Savely Kolesnikov
61 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Angusht lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market30 Apr 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout30 Apr 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad30 Apr 2029
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Maxim Shabaidakov 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.
Boardroom30 Apr 2029
No fees may be paid for anybody, whatever the squad needs. Every rumour about this club until it lifts is a rumour about a deal that cannot be done.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad23 Apr 2029
A knee injury of the worst kind for Andrey Sazonov
17 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Angusht lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The dugout23 Apr 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad23 Apr 2029
Maxim Shabaidakov 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 dugout23 Apr 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad23 Apr 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Dmitry Safonov and Angusht agree another 3 years.
Squad23 Apr 2029
Artem Gavrilenko 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
Crisis
The terraces16 Apr 2029
Supporters organise against the Angusht board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Squad16 Apr 2029
24 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Angusht lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Boardroom16 Apr 2029
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Match16 Apr 2029
Angusht sink to position 13
12 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market16 Apr 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad16 Apr 2029
Maxim Shabaidakov 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.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
Andrey Sorokin 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 Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmitry Safonov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces19 Mar 2029
Supporters organise against the Angusht board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Squad19 Mar 2029
104 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Angusht lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Boardroom19 Mar 2029
Pressure builds in the Angusht boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Match19 Mar 2029
Every point is an argument now for Angusht
Position 13 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.
Market19 Mar 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
Vadim Obukhov: 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.” Angusht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad19 Mar 2029
Maxim Shabaidakov 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 dugout19 Mar 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Rustam Vazitdinov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Rodion Plotnikov has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
Market5 Mar 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout5 Mar 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad5 Mar 2029
A falling-out at Angusht
Maxim Shabaidakov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets5 Mar 2029
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout5 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Andrey Sorokin
“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.
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
The borrowing at Angusht reaches $3.5M
Past the limit the bank set, which is the line between a club being financed and a club being in trouble. $3.5M is now the number every conversation about this club will start with.
Market5 Mar 2029
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
Angusht can only buy what they sell
Nobody has barred the club from spending; it simply has nothing to spend that it has not first raised. Every incoming name comes with an outgoing one attached.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces19 Feb 2029
Supporters organise against the Angusht board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Boardroom19 Feb 2029
Pressure builds in the Angusht boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Match19 Feb 2029
Angusht are in real trouble now
Position 13, 12 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market19 Feb 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Rustam Vazitdinov 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.
The dugout19 Feb 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Transfer targets19 Feb 2029
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Dinamo Kirov have kept their man, and Angusht go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dmitry Tashov 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 dugout19 Feb 2029
The manager makes an example of Dmitry Tashov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces22 Jan 2029
The mood at Angusht has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Boardroom22 Jan 2029
The scrutiny sharpens at Angusht
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Angusht is running low.
Match22 Jan 2029
Every point is an argument now for Angusht
Position 13 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.
Market22 Jan 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Jan 2029
Rustam Vazitdinov 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.
The dugout22 Jan 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad22 Jan 2029
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dmitry Tashov 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 dugout22 Jan 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market22 Jan 2029
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Andrey Sorokin’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces25 Dec 2028
Supporters organise against the Angusht board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Boardroom25 Dec 2028
The scrutiny sharpens at Angusht
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Angusht is running low.
Squad25 Dec 2028
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.
Match25 Dec 2028
Angusht are in real trouble now
Position 13, 12 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.
Match23 Dec 2028
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
Market25 Dec 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings25 Dec 2028
Marked 7.77 at 21, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Rustam Vazitdinov 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.
The dugout25 Dec 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom4 Dec 2028
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Player ratings4 Dec 2028
No sign of nerves from Maxim Shabaidakov at 21 — 7.88
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Maxim Shabaidakov did not need any: 7.88, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Match2 Dec 2028
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
The dugout4 Dec 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad4 Dec 2028
Words exchanged at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov 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.
Match2 Dec 2028
Kuban Holding left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad4 Dec 2028
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vitaly Khabarov 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.
Market4 Dec 2028
Leonid Polunin is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Angusht has been clear about where Leonid Polunin stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market4 Dec 2028
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Angusht, another week without a signature from Rustam Vazitdinov.
In brief
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
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The dugout
Inal Dudaev gets it from the manager
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The dugout
Rustam Vazitdinov without the man who signed him
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market20 Nov 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad20 Nov 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Match18 Nov 2028
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Vladimir Tolmachev 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 dugout20 Nov 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.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
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 Rodion Plotnikov left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
Andrey Sorokin 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 Andrey Sorokin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market20 Nov 2028
The name of Rustam Vazitdinov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Oct 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
13 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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
17 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Angusht lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market23 Oct 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
Dmitry Safonov: 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.” Angusht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad23 Oct 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad23 Oct 2028
Vitaly Khabarov 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.
Match21 Oct 2028
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Looking ahead23 Oct 2028
A six-pointer for Angusht
Dinamo Makhachkala 2 next, and both sides can do the sum. Win and the table looks different; lose and it looks the way everybody has been fearing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad16 Oct 2028
24 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Angusht lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match14 Oct 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
12 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.
Market16 Oct 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout16 Oct 2028
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Squad16 Oct 2028
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Vitaly Khabarov 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.
Match14 Oct 2028
0‑1 to Rubin Yalta, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout16 Oct 2028
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 Rodion Plotnikov left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout16 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Inal Dudaev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match23 Sep 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
9 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.
Squad25 Sep 2028
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market25 Sep 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Match23 Sep 2028
Angusht cannot find the net
5 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad25 Sep 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout25 Sep 2028
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Squad25 Sep 2028
Vitaly Khabarov 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.
Match23 Sep 2028
A bad afternoon for Angusht against Nart
0‑2 to Nart, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout25 Sep 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
Uneasy
Market28 Aug 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Match26 Aug 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
5 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.
Squad28 Aug 2028
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout28 Aug 2028
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Transfer targets28 Aug 2028
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Baltika have kept their man, and Angusht go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vladimir Tolmachev 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.
Transfer targets28 Aug 2028
Sokol have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The dugout28 Aug 2028
The manager makes an example of Petr Salasin
“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 dugout28 Aug 2028
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Rodion Plotnikov chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces7 Aug 2028
The mood at Angusht has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Squad7 Aug 2028
9 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Market7 Aug 2028
Kirill Matsak 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout7 Aug 2028
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Squad7 Aug 2028
Words exchanged at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov 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.
Transfer targets7 Aug 2028
Angusht asked and Legion said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Match5 Aug 2028
Rostov 2 left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 Aug 2028
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vladimir Tolmachev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout7 Aug 2028
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match29 Jul 2028
It had gone 18 games. The players did not celebrate like men who had won a match; they celebrated like men who had been let out of something.
Market31 Jul 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings31 Jul 2028
A defender's goal wins it for Angusht — 7.42
1 for Rustam Vazitdinov, marked 7.42, and a centre-half's name in the part of the report he normally only reaches by mistake. He will not be allowed to forget it in the dressing room for a month.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Abdullah Dorsigov is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad31 Jul 2028
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout31 Jul 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Transfer targets31 Jul 2028
Angusht asked and Luki-Energiya said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad31 Jul 2028
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vitaly Khabarov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The terraces31 Jul 2028
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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom3 Jul 2028
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Boardroom3 Jul 2028
The Angusht board call everybody in
Nothing has been announced and everybody understands what it means. A board that summons the whole football department on a Tuesday morning is a board that has stopped believing the problem will fix itself.
Market3 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets3 Jul 2028
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Angusht have done the hard part with Volgar, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Transfer targets3 Jul 2028
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Tver keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
The dugout3 Jul 2028
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Transfer targets3 Jul 2028
Angusht asked and Legion said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad3 Jul 2028
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vitaly Khabarov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad3 Jul 2028
Words exchanged at Angusht
Artemy Ositsin 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The dugout26 Jun 2028
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Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Luki-Energiya keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad26 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Murom have kept their man, and Angusht go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad26 Jun 2028
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vladimir Tolmachev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
Dinamo Stavropol have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
A loan enquiry to Sevastopol: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Squad26 Jun 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Arseniy Kryukov and Angusht agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Tolmachev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
The Angusht board call everybody in
Nothing has been announced and everybody understands what it means. A board that summons the whole football department on a Tuesday morning is a board that has stopped believing the problem will fix itself.
Market5 Jun 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Jun 2028
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout5 Jun 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad5 Jun 2028
Vladimir Tolmachev 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 dugout5 Jun 2028
The manager has not finished forgetting Dmitry Tashov's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pavel Makas commits to Angusht for another 3 years.
The dugout5 Jun 2028
Every squad is half players the manager chose and half players he inherited. Rustam Vazitdinov was chosen, the man who chose him has gone, and he starts again from nothing under the next one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom8 May 2028
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Boardroom8 May 2028
The Angusht board call everybody in
Nothing has been announced and everybody understands what it means. A board that summons the whole football department on a Tuesday morning is a board that has stopped believing the problem will fix itself.
Market8 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.
Squad8 May 2028
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout8 May 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad8 May 2028
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vitaly Khabarov 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.
Boardroom8 May 2028
130% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
The dugout8 May 2028
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
The dugout8 May 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 Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad10 Apr 2028
The words a physio says slowly. 43 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market10 Apr 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad10 Apr 2028
A falling-out at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad10 Apr 2028
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vitaly Khabarov 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.
Boardroom10 Apr 2028
Wages swallow 129% of the Angusht income
Every club 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 it has been tried.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
Dmitry Tashov is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
A promise honoured at Angusht
Something was said to Artem Gavrilenko and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
Market10 Apr 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Rustam Vazitdinov signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces20 Mar 2028
The mood at Angusht has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Boardroom20 Mar 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Match20 Mar 2028
Every point is an argument now for Angusht
Position 13 and 10 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.
Market20 Mar 2028
Inal Dudaev 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout20 Mar 2028
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Squad20 Mar 2028
Words exchanged at Angusht
Rustam Vazitdinov 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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vitaly Khabarov 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 dugout20 Mar 2028
The manager has not finished forgetting Kirill Matsak's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout20 Mar 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Tolmachev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Rodion Plotnikov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Market6 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.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Aliskhan Akhilgov and Angusht agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad6 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad6 Mar 2028
Words at Angusht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vitaly Khabarov 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.
Market6 Mar 2028
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Angusht, another week without a signature from Vladimir Tolmachev.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Aliskhan Akhilgov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Rodion Plotnikov has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
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Transfer targets7 Feb 2028
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad7 Feb 2028
A row about effort at Angusht
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vladimir Tolmachev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets7 Feb 2028
Angusht have made the call to Dinamo Stavropol. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
Every squad has men who were signed by a particular manager and men who were merely inherited. Rustam Vazitdinov is in the first group, and the man who wanted him here is no longer in the building.