Marked for Serhii Zaiets
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces3 Apr 2028
Anger at Podillia 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.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Podillia
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market3 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.
The dugout3 Apr 2028
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Squad3 Apr 2028
Yuriy Dudnyk 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 Apr 2028
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oleksandr Snizhko 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 dugout3 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.
The dugout3 Apr 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yevhenii Profatylo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Questions about Edoardo Cavaliere on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad27 Mar 2028
Yuriy Dudnyk in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Podillia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oleksandr Snizhko 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 dugout27 Mar 2028
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Boardroom27 Mar 2028
The numbers do not look good at Podillia
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 dugout27 Mar 2028
Vladyslav Chaban has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Podillia will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
Roman Bodnia 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 Roman Bodnia trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces6 Mar 2028
The mood at Podillia 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.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Podillia
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market6 Mar 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 Podillia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market6 Mar 2028
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
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The dugout6 Mar 2028
Ihor Potimkov: 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.” Podillia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Yuriy Dudnyk 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.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oleksandr Snizhko 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 dugout6 Mar 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
Market28 Feb 2028
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Nyva had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Boardroom28 Feb 2028
Podillia close the window on a squad of their own making
9 in and 4 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Yuriy Dudnyk in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Podillia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom28 Feb 2028
The numbers do not look good at Podillia
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 dugout28 Feb 2028
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Squad28 Feb 2028
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Davronbek Azizov 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 dugout28 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Nazar Lys
“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 Feb 2028
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Podillia told Volodymyr Rudiuk something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
Serhii Zaiets 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
Match29 Jan 2028
The wait goes on for Podillia
10 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.
Match29 Jan 2028
Beaten 0‑3 by Metalist, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match29 Jan 2028
The goals have deserted Podillia
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Podillia can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Oleksandr Snizhko 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 Jan 2028
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Squad31 Jan 2028
Words exchanged at Podillia
Volodymyr Rudiuk 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 dugout31 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Serhii Zaiets
“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.
Boardroom31 Jan 2028
Nobody left the Podillia 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.
The dugout31 Jan 2028
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match1 Jan 2028
No end in sight to Podillia's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Podillia has to find a result from somewhere.
Match1 Jan 2028
5 matches without a goal for Podillia
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ivan Petriak and Podillia agree another 2 years.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Words exchanged at Podillia
Yaroslav Kvasov 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.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oleksandr Snizhko 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 dugout3 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Serhii Zaiets, and the manager let it.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.51 on the card, and the Podillia support went home talking about one name.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
Podillia counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Podillia now.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Dec 2027
5 matches without a win for Podillia
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Podillia are no longer polite ones.
Match25 Dec 2027
Podillia cannot find the net
4 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.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad27 Dec 2027
A falling-out at Podillia
Ivan Ponomarenko and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match25 Dec 2027
A bad afternoon for Podillia against UCSA
0‑1 to UCSA, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
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Squad27 Dec 2027
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Davronbek Azizov 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.
Boardroom27 Dec 2027
Wages eat 107% of everything Podillia earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Vasyl Kulach after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout8 Nov 2027
Serhii Zaiets: 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.” Podillia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market8 Nov 2027
Reuben Egan 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 Podillia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Words exchanged at Podillia
Yaroslav Kvasov 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.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oleksandr Snizhko 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.
Match8 Nov 2027
Podillia at the halfway mark
Half the programme played, position 13, 13 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
The dugout8 Nov 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.
Squad8 Nov 2027
A place in the month's best eleven for Nazar Lys
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Nazar Lys has come out of that comparison in the side, and Podillia have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
The dugout8 Nov 2027
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Podillia told Vladyslav Shkinder something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
Boardroom8 Nov 2027
Belts tighten at Podillia
The accounts are being read more closely than the results. Wages before ambition is the order of business now, and the manager has been told so.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match30 Oct 2027
The drought breaks for Podillia
13 without a win is the sort of run that changes how a town talks about its club, and Feniks were the afternoon it stopped. Nothing is fixed by one result and everything feels different by one.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
No sign of nerves from Vitalii Lobko at 21 — 8.26
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Vitalii Lobko did not need any: 8.26, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Yaroslav Kvasov 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.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oleksandr Snizhko 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.
Match30 Oct 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Vitalii Lobko. 2‑1 against Feniks, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
The terraces1 Nov 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 21-year-old it feels ownership of. Vitalii Lobko has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
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Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Serhii Zaiets
“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
Squad13 Sep 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 24 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match11 Sep 2027
7 matches without a win for Podillia
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Podillia are no longer polite ones.
Market13 Sep 2027
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Livyi Bereh moved on, Yaroslav Kvasov reports back to Podillia, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Boardroom13 Sep 2027
Window shuts: 18 in, 3 out at Podillia
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 18 arrived, 3 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Match11 Sep 2027
5 matches without a goal for Podillia
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Words exchanged at Podillia
Yaroslav Kvasov 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.
Match11 Sep 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout13 Sep 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.
Squad13 Sep 2027
A row about effort at Podillia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Davronbek Azizov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match4 Sep 2027
The wait goes on for Podillia
6 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.
Market6 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.
Match4 Sep 2027
The goals have deserted Podillia
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Podillia can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad6 Sep 2027
A falling-out at Podillia
Ivan Ponomarenko and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad6 Sep 2027
A row about effort at Podillia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Oleksandr Snizhko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market6 Sep 2027
Yaroslav Kvasov is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Podillia has been clear about where Yaroslav Kvasov stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout6 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Serhii Zaiets, and the manager let it.
Squad6 Sep 2027
A place in the month's best eleven for Nazar Lys
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Nazar Lys has come out of that comparison in the side, and Podillia have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
The dugout6 Sep 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Aug 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 36 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
No sign of nerves from Vitalii Lobko at 21 — 7.80
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Vitalii Lobko did not need any: 7.80, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad9 Aug 2027
A falling-out at Podillia
Ivan Ponomarenko and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Oleksandr Snizhko 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 ratings9 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Volodymyr Rudiuk and Podillia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match7 Aug 2027
No time for Ahrobiznes to settle
The goal that put Ahrobiznes ahead was still being replayed on the concourse when Podillia equalised, 3 minutes later. Leads are only worth what you do with them.
Market9 Aug 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Davronbek Azizov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Podillia.
The dugout9 Aug 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Jun 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 99 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market7 Jun 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.
The dugout7 Jun 2027
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Squad7 Jun 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 Podillia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Jun 2027
The step up is real for Reuben Egan
At 21 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Oleksii Bezruchuk 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Apr 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 Podillia can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Podillia may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Anton Savin in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Podillia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Apr 2027
A row about effort at Podillia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Yevhen Opanasenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Podillia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market26 Apr 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Yaroslav Kvasov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Mar 2027
Every point is an argument now for Podillia
Position 15 and 18 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.
Market8 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.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
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Squad8 Mar 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Anton Savin and Podillia agree another 2 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Podillia
Anton Savin 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 targets8 Mar 2027
The window shuts on the Ihor Kohut deal
Podillia ran out of time with Metalist. The paperwork was open when the deadline passed, and a transfer that was almost done is now a transfer that never happened.
Market8 Mar 2027
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Maksym Popov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Squad8 Mar 2027
A row about effort at Podillia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Edoardo Cavaliere was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout8 Mar 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
37 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Podillia lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match26 Dec 2026
4 matches without a win for Podillia
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Podillia are no longer polite ones.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Anton Savin in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Podillia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 149% of everything Podillia earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vadym Shavrin 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 dugout28 Dec 2026
Half-satisfied: Vasyl Kulach on the draw
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
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.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Ihor Potimkov
“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 Dec 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Serhii Zaiets
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
Crisis
Squad21 Dec 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Yevhen Opanasenko
45 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Podillia lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
A defender's goal wins it for Podillia — 7.09
1 for Nazar Lys, marked 7.09, 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Anton Savin 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.
Match19 Dec 2026
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Podillia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vadym Shavrin 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.
Looking ahead21 Dec 2026
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. Podillia know what is at stake and so does everybody in the away end.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Vadym Shavrin
“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 dugout21 Dec 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.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 13. 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad30 Nov 2026
Yevhen Opanasenko damages knee ligaments — 66 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 66 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.
Match28 Nov 2026
The drought breaks for Podillia
10 without a win is the sort of run that changes how a town talks about its club, and Probiy were the afternoon it stopped. Nothing is fixed by one result and everything feels different by one.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Anton Savin, 36, rolls back the years — 8.14
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.14 at 36, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Anton Savin in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Podillia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match28 Nov 2026
Probiy made Podillia work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
Wages swallow 150% of the Podillia 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.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.16 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad30 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Podillia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vadym Shavrin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.08 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad23 Nov 2026
Yevhen Opanasenko damages knee ligaments — 73 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 73 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.
Match21 Nov 2026
10 matches without a win for Podillia
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Podillia are no longer polite ones.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Podillia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Anton Savin 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 ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. 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.
Match21 Nov 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Podillia can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Podillia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Pavlo Savchuk was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Sep 2026
137 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Podillia lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Words exchanged at Podillia
Anton Savin 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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Edoardo Cavaliere commits to Podillia for another 4 years.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vadym Shavrin, and the manager let it.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Podillia are still strangers to each other
10 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
Market21 Sep 2026
He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Vasyl Kulach after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout21 Sep 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.