Marked for Ivan Polyakov
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Nov 2026
18 matches without a win for Chertanovo
The run now stands at 18, and the questions being asked around Chertanovo are no longer polite ones.
The terraces30 Nov 2026
The mood at Chertanovo 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.
Match30 Nov 2026
2 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match28 Nov 2026
Chastening afternoon for Chertanovo
A 0‑3 beating by Dinamo Vologda was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market30 Nov 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 The request is on a desk at Chertanovo, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Ivan Polyakov 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
German Mikadze 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 dugout30 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Semyon Semenov, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Nov 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
17 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Match21 Nov 2026
Beaten 1‑4 by Torpedo Vladimir, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Artem Mikhailusov, 18, plays like he has been here for years — 7.78
A mark of 7.78 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 18-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
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Squad23 Nov 2026
Dmitry Kondrashov 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.
Squad23 Nov 2026
100 times in these colours, in all weathers and under four or five different managers. That kind of service is quietly disappearing from the game.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
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.
In brief
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Boardroom
Nobody left the Chertanovo dressing room in a hurry
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The dugout
Denis Smolov answers for it
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Looking ahead
Chertanovo take on the side everybody is chasing
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Nov 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Match14 Nov 2026
9 matches without a goal for Chertanovo
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 9 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market16 Nov 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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Chertanovo
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Polyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Dmitry Kondrashov 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 terraces16 Nov 2026
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 19-year-old it feels ownership of. Alexey Osipov 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 dugout16 Nov 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.
Match16 Nov 2026
The half-term report on Chertanovo
Position 15, 2 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Nov 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
15 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Match7 Nov 2026
0‑4 against Kosmos, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match7 Nov 2026
8 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.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Danila Manyak: 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.” Chertanovo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Chertanovo
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Polyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Dmitry Kondrashov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout9 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.
Boardroom9 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Chertanovo dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 27. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Match24 Oct 2026
The goals have deserted Chertanovo
6 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Chertanovo can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad26 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Chertanovo
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Polyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad26 Oct 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 Chertanovo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match24 Oct 2026
0‑1 to Cherepovets, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Denis Smolov after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Vladislav Korbut 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 dugout26 Oct 2026
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
Crisis
Match17 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
12 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Market19 Oct 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Chertanovo can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Oct 2026
7 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.
Match17 Oct 2026
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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Chertanovo
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Polyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match17 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vladislav Korbut, and the manager let it.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Player ratings19 Oct 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
Crisis
Match10 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Chertanovo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market12 Oct 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 Chertanovo, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match10 Oct 2026
4 matches without a goal for Chertanovo
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad12 Oct 2026
German Mikadze 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.
Match10 Oct 2026
0‑2 to Saturn, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Denis Smolov after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The dugout12 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Oct 2026
10 matches without a win for Chertanovo
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Chertanovo are no longer polite ones.
Match5 Oct 2026
Every point is an argument now for Chertanovo
Position 15 and 1 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match3 Oct 2026
3 matches without a goal for Chertanovo
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Words at Chertanovo training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ivan Polyakov 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.
Squad5 Oct 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 Chertanovo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match3 Oct 2026
Kolomna left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
111% of the income goes out in wages at Chertanovo
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 dugout5 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of German Mikadze
“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
Match26 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Chertanovo
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Polyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Dmitry Kondrashov 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.
Match26 Sep 2026
0‑2 to Spartak Moscow 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout28 Sep 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.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Denis Smolov after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Player ratings28 Sep 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 Sep 2026
German Mikadze 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 dugout28 Sep 2026
The plan did not have a place for Vladislav Korbut
Nobody at Chertanovo 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.
In brief
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Looking ahead
Looking ahead: the trip to Kolomna
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Squad
The training reports on Roman Volkov are not good
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Transfer targets21 Sep 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Torpedo Miass is saying, and nobody at Chertanovo is enjoying the guessing.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Dmitry Kondrashov 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.
Match19 Sep 2026
Zenit 2 left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad21 Sep 2026
100 games in the shirt. Nobody sets out to build a record like that; it happens to a certain kind of player at a certain kind of club, and this town knows what it has.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Yaroslav Shuvalov commits to Chertanovo for another 3 years.
Squad21 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 Chertanovo will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 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.
Match12 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Chertanovo's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chertanovo has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Marked 7.66 at 18, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Boardroom14 Sep 2026
Chertanovo close the window on a squad of their own making
10 in and 0 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.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
The deal with Torpedo Miass 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.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
Chertanovo asked and Saturn said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Ivan Polyakov 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
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Chertanovo can pretend not to have heard.
Match5 Sep 2026
6 matches without a win for Chertanovo
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Chertanovo are no longer polite ones.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
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 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Chertanovo
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Polyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad7 Sep 2026
German Mikadze 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 dugout7 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match5 Sep 2026
Point won or two lost for Chertanovo?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Zvezda? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match19 Aug 2026
The cup run ends for Chertanovo
1‑3 against Znamya Truda, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Chertanovo have done the hard part with Dinamo Bryansk, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Match19 Aug 2026
The wait goes on for Chertanovo
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
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.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Chertanovo
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Polyakov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match19 Aug 2026
4 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Yves-Pulumde Nikiéma and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout24 Aug 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
12 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.
Match15 Aug 2026
1‑3 to Dinamo Vologda, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Chertanovo asked and Astrakhan said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at Chertanovo training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ivan Polyakov 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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Dmitry Kondrashov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 1‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
A loan enquiry to Dinamo Bryansk: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
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.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market10 Aug 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.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 28. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad10 Aug 2026
6 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.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
No sign of nerves from Artem Mikhailusov at 18 — 7.74
The hardest thing about being 18 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Artem Mikhailusov did not need any: 7.74, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Match8 Aug 2026
1‑3 to Torpedo Vladimir, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Sevastopol have kept their man, and Chertanovo go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Dmitry Kondrashov 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Ilya Fedoseev has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market10 Aug 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Kirill Tarasov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Aug 2026
363 appearances across 13 seasons in one shirt. Nobody builds a career like that on purpose any more; it happens to a certain kind of footballer at a certain kind of club.
Market3 Aug 2026
Roman Volkov 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 Chertanovo can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ivan Polyakov and Chertanovo agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Ivan Polyakov 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.
Squad3 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 Chertanovo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match1 Aug 2026
Baltika 2 left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout3 Aug 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.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
“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.
Market3 Aug 2026
The clock runs on Ivan Polyakov's contract
49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.