Marked for Khusey Karkaev
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
Successful dribbles: 34. 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.
Match1 Oct 2029
Volga are in real trouble now
Position 17, 6 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.
Match29 Sep 2029
7 matches without a win for Volga
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Volga are no longer polite ones.
The dugout1 Oct 2029
Khusey Karkaev: 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.” Volga have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The dugout1 Oct 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Match29 Sep 2029
The goals have deserted Volga
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Volga can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad1 Oct 2029
Words exchanged at Volga
Igor Gershun 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.
Match29 Sep 2029
Volga come up short against KAMAZ
KAMAZ left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad1 Oct 2029
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.
In brief
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The dugout
Artem Gutsa gets it from the manager
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
-
Squad
Words at Volga training over how hard people work
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market24 Sep 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.
Match22 Sep 2029
No end in sight to Volga's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Volga has to find a result from somewhere.
The dugout24 Sep 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Boardroom24 Sep 2029
The numbers do not look good at Volga
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.
Squad24 Sep 2029
A falling-out at Volga
Igor Gershun and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match22 Sep 2029
0‑2 to SKA Khabarovsk, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings24 Sep 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout24 Sep 2029
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout24 Sep 2029
Nikita Savin gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Nikita Savin is on it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Transfer targets3 Sep 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.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Words exchanged at Volga
Igor Gershun 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 dugout3 Sep 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
Ninety minutes of Alexandr Saplinov at his very best
Marked 8.19. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at Volga.
The dugout3 Sep 2029
Artem Gutsa 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.
Match1 Sep 2029
A 1‑1 draw with Yenisey leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The dugout3 Sep 2029
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Konstantin Kovalev is on it.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
The dugout3 Sep 2029
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.” Stanislav Emelyanov chose the glass-half-full version of 1‑1; the supporters left with the other one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Transfer targets30 Jul 2029
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Volga have done the hard part with Lokomotiv Moscow, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Transfer targets30 Jul 2029
Volga had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Rotor, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
The dugout30 Jul 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad30 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 Volga this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom30 Jul 2029
Belts tighten at Volga
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.
Transfer targets30 Jul 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.
Match28 Jul 2029
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings30 Jul 2029
A midfielder is measured on whether the team functions when he is on the pitch, which is nearly impossible to see and completely obvious in retrospect. 10 actions, 7.19, and a manager who will not be substituting him again in a hurry.
The dugout30 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Denis Yeremeev
“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
Market23 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 Volga, and it is not being withdrawn.
The terraces23 Jul 2029
Astemir Khashkulov has gone, the accounts have $870.0K in them, and the supporters have the feeling of having been sold something themselves. Good business and a good decision are not always the same thing.
Transfer targets23 Jul 2029
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Zenit is saying, and nobody at Volga is enjoying the guessing.
Market23 Jul 2029
Baltika paid $870.0K and Volga took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
The dugout23 Jul 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Transfer targets23 Jul 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.
Squad23 Jul 2029
Igor Gershun 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 Volga this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match21 Jul 2029
Spartak Kostroma left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout23 Jul 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Khusey Karkaev, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
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.
The dugout18 Jun 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad18 Jun 2029
Tempers go at Volga
Igor Gershun 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.
Squad18 Jun 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Kyryl Pervanov and Volga agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout18 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Nikita Savin
“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.
Squad18 Jun 2029
Ignat Kasjanov 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.
Market18 Jun 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Volga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout18 Jun 2029
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Boardroom18 Jun 2029
The window opens at Volga
A month in which every rumour is possible and most of them are nonsense. The manager has a list, the board has a number, and neither is telling the other the whole of it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Jun 2029
Tempers go at Volga
Khusey Karkaev 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 dugout11 Jun 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
The dugout11 Jun 2029
Devid Kokoev has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Volga 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 dugout11 Jun 2029
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.
The dugout11 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Vladlen Eskov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market11 Jun 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Dmitry Kamenschikov signs something — a contract at Volga or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 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.
The dugout4 Jun 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Boardroom4 Jun 2029
Belts tighten at Volga
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.
Squad4 Jun 2029
A falling-out at Volga
Igor Gershun and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout4 Jun 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.
Squad4 Jun 2029
A row about effort at Volga
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikita Savin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout4 Jun 2029
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Konstantin Kovalev is on it.
Market4 Jun 2029
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Alexandr Saplinov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout4 Jun 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Aleksei Barinov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom7 May 2029
Volga counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Volga now.
Squad7 May 2029
Words exchanged at Volga
Igor Gershun and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout7 May 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
The dugout7 May 2029
The manager makes an example of Khusey Karkaev
“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.
Squad7 May 2029
Nikita Savin 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.
Boardroom7 May 2029
Wages eat 89% of everything Volga 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 dugout7 May 2029
Nobody at Volga 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 dugout7 May 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Astemir Khashkulov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market7 May 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Alexandr Saplinov signs something — a contract at Volga or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market30 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 Volga can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout30 Apr 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad30 Apr 2029
Words at Volga training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Konstantin Kovalev 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.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Tempers go at Volga
Igor Gershun 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 Apr 2029
The manager makes an example of Ignat Kasjanov
“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 dugout30 Apr 2029
Nikita Savin gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Nikita Savin is on it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Apr 2029
A falling-out at Volga
Khusey Karkaev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout23 Apr 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad23 Apr 2029
Nikita Savin 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
The manager makes an example of Artem Gutsa
“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 dugout23 Apr 2029
Denis Yeremeev has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Volga 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.
Market23 Apr 2029
The name of Konstantin Kovalev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Volga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market16 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 dugout16 Apr 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad16 Apr 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Igor Gershun commits to Volga for another 3 years.
Squad16 Apr 2029
A falling-out at Volga
Igor Gershun and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nikita Savin, and the manager let it.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom9 Apr 2029
The numbers do not look good at Volga
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.
Squad9 Apr 2029
A row about effort at Volga
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Konstantin Kovalev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout9 Apr 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
The dugout9 Apr 2029
Igor Gershun 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.
The dugout9 Apr 2029
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Konstantin Kovalev is on it.
Market9 Apr 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Alexandr Saplinov signs something — a contract at Volga or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout9 Apr 2029
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Khusey Karkaev has written the date down.
The terraces9 Apr 2029
What was a back-page link has become a chant, and the chant is not friendly. Volga would rather it were settled quietly, and it has stopped being quiet.
Market9 Apr 2029
Two seats in the directors' box were spoken for, and the name in the notebook was Astemir Khashkulov. Nothing has been offered yet.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom12 Mar 2029
The numbers do not look good at Volga
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.
Squad12 Mar 2029
A row about effort at Volga
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Konstantin Kovalev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Words exchanged at Volga
Igor Gershun and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout12 Mar 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
The dugout12 Mar 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.
The dugout12 Mar 2029
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Konstantin Kovalev is on it.
Market12 Mar 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Alexandr Saplinov signs something — a contract at Volga or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market12 Mar 2029
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout12 Mar 2029
Nikita Savin 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 Nikita Savin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match5 Mar 2029
The season ends: position 9 for Volga
The last league game has been played and the table has stopped moving: 44 points. The summer begins on Monday, and so does the argument about what it all meant.
Market5 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 Volga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Mar 2029
18 goals and a season average of 7.20. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Alexandr Saplinov and Volga agree another 3 years.
Squad5 Mar 2029
Words exchanged at Volga
Khusey Karkaev 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 dugout5 Mar 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Player ratings5 Mar 2029
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings5 Mar 2029
A performance of 8.01 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
The dugout5 Mar 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Luka Bagatelia, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market15 Jan 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.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Tempers go at Volga
Khusey Karkaev 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.
Boardroom15 Jan 2029
The numbers do not look good at Volga
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.
Match13 Jan 2029
Chernomorets left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Konstantin Kovalev 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 ratings15 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 20. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
The dugout15 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Igor Gershun
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑3 defeat, delivered by Stanislav Emelyanov to a room that had heard them before.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market1 Jan 2029
Igor Gershun has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Volga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad1 Jan 2029
An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Volga have had the benefit of it.
Market1 Jan 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 Volga, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout1 Jan 2029
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad1 Jan 2029
Igor Gershun 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 Volga this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces1 Jan 2029
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Match30 Dec 2028
Another one collected away from home
3 on the bounce on the road for Volga. The coaches leave early, arrive at unlovely grounds in the dark, and keep coming home with three points.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match30 Dec 2028
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Evgeny Voronin. 1‑0 against Chaika, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
In brief
-
The dugout
The manager makes an example of Khusey Karkaev
-
The dugout
The view from the dugout
-
The dugout
A promise honoured for Igor Gershun
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Nov 2028
Volga out of the cup
Rostov ended it 0‑1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Player ratings27 Nov 2028
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.47, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match25 Nov 2028
4 matches without a win for Volga
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Volga are no longer polite ones.
Squad27 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 Volga this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings27 Nov 2028
Artur Murza beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 20. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout27 Nov 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad27 Nov 2028
Words at Volga training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oleg Krasilnichenko 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 Nov 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Luka Bagatelia, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
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 Volga, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Words exchanged at Volga
Igor Gershun 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 dugout23 Oct 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.
Match21 Oct 2028
Akron take the points off Volga
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Stanislav Emelyanov after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Volga told Khusey Karkaev something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
Boardroom23 Oct 2028
Volga counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Volga now.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Nikita Savin 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.
Looking ahead23 Oct 2028
Volga take on the side everybody is chasing
Rodina arrive as leaders. A side at the top is beaten roughly once a month, and the club that does it gets a week it remembers for a year.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings16 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The dugout16 Oct 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Match14 Oct 2028
Fakel take the points off Volga
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market16 Oct 2028
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Dmitry Kamenschikov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Volga.
The dugout16 Oct 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Khusey Karkaev, and the manager let it.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Oleg Krasilnichenko 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.
Boardroom16 Oct 2028
97% of the income goes out in wages at Volga
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 dugout16 Oct 2028
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout16 Oct 2028
Nobody at Volga 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match4 Oct 2028
Volga march on in the cup
Amkar are out and Volga go through, 3‑2 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Match4 Oct 2028
Volga win it in stoppage time
The board had gone up, the arguing had started, and then the ball was in the net in the 126th minute. Amkar will replay every second of the added time for a week.
Player ratings9 Oct 2028
Two goals and a mark of 9.56 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Player ratings9 Oct 2028
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 9.10, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Player ratings9 Oct 2028
A brace, and Dmitry Kamenschikov takes the afternoon — 8.74
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Dmitry Kamenschikov provided it, and the 8.74 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Market9 Oct 2028
Igor Gershun has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Volga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Player ratings9 Oct 2028
No sign of nerves from Ignat Kasjanov at 21 — 7.72
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Ignat Kasjanov did not need any: 7.72, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market9 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 Volga, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout9 Oct 2028
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From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad21 Aug 2028
Tempers go at Volga
Khusey Karkaev 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 dugout21 Aug 2028
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Transfer targets21 Aug 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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Devid Kokoev 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.
Match19 Aug 2028
Volga come up short against Rotor
Rotor left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout21 Aug 2028
The manager makes an example of Yuri Egorov
“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 Aug 2028
“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.
The dugout21 Aug 2028
Nobody at Volga 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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Nikita Savin 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
Steady
Squad17 Jul 2028
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.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Kantemir Bolotokov is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Andemir Goguzokov 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.
Squad17 Jul 2028
At 24 the improving is meant to be over, and it is not: 3 points better than a year ago. It happens to the ones who take the boring parts seriously.
Boardroom17 Jul 2028
4 academy graduates step up at Spartak Nalchik
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Transfer targets17 Jul 2028
Spartak Nalchik 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.
Market17 Jul 2028
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Zakhar Kalinichev 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.
Market17 Jul 2028
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Boris Lermontov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market17 Jul 2028
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Yefim Gribov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Jun 2028
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Zvezda waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Spartak Nalchik is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market26 Jun 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Spartak Nalchik can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Spartak Nalchik is running low.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
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Squad26 Jun 2028
Andemir Goguzokov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
Alan Khachirov 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market26 Jun 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Amur Khatsukov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Market26 Jun 2028
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Anzor Keshtov leaves Spartak Nalchik the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 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.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Khachim Mashukov 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 dugout19 Jun 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market19 Jun 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Soslan Lysenko’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Boardroom19 Jun 2028
Open for business: Spartak Nalchik enter the window
The registration window is open and the phone has started. Between now and the deadline this club will be linked with forty players and sign three, which is the usual ratio.
The dugout19 Jun 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Jun 2028
Khachim Mashukov 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 dugout12 Jun 2028
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The dugout12 Jun 2028
Khusey Karkaev 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Jun 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Spartak Nalchik, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 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 Spartak Nalchik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout5 Jun 2028
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The dugout5 Jun 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ismail Zhaboev, and the manager let it.
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
Nobody arrives at Spartak Nalchik until somebody leaves
The club is not barred from spending; it simply has nothing to spend that it has not first raised. Every name linked with Spartak Nalchik this window arrives with a name leaving in the same sentence.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Spartak Nalchik will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Squad5 Jun 2028
Pyotr Osipov moves up the pecking order
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at Spartak Nalchik than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
The dugout5 Jun 2028
Khusey Karkaev 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 May 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 Spartak Nalchik can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom29 May 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Spartak Nalchik
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
The dugout29 May 2028
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Squad29 May 2028
Alan Khachirov 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 dugout29 May 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.
Market29 May 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Amur Khatsukov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom15 May 2028
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.
Squad15 May 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Amur Khatsukov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad15 May 2028
Khachim Mashukov 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 dugout15 May 2028
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The dugout15 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Alan Khachirov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout15 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 May 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 Spartak Nalchik can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom1 May 2028
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Spartak Nalchik is running low.
The dugout1 May 2028
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Squad1 May 2028
Khachim Mashukov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout1 May 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.
Market1 May 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Amur Khatsukov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout1 May 2028
Malik Kenzhev 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market1 May 2028
Spartak Nalchik have let the market know Inaroko Tutov can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad1 May 2028
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Spartak Nalchik would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Apr 2028
Anzor Keshtov 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 Spartak Nalchik can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Amur Khatsukov 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.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Khachim Mashukov 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 dugout24 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of David Sarbashev
“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 dugout24 Apr 2028
Khusey Karkaev 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market24 Apr 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Soslan Lysenko’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom17 Apr 2028
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.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Amur Khatsukov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Khachim Mashukov 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 dugout17 Apr 2028
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The dugout17 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Ismail Zhaboev
“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 dugout17 Apr 2028
Khusey Karkaev 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Apr 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 Spartak Nalchik, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout3 Apr 2028
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Squad3 Apr 2028
Amur Khatsukov 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 Apr 2028
Khachim Mashukov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout3 Apr 2028
“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.
Squad3 Apr 2028
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Spartak Nalchik will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
Market3 Apr 2028
Sergei Guryev is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Spartak Nalchik has been clear about where Sergei Guryev stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Not a new contract, not a new number: a new place in the manager’s thinking, which is the only promotion in football that actually matters. Inaroko Tutov has moved up it.
Market3 Apr 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Amur Khatsukov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Mar 2028
Anzor Keshtov 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 Spartak Nalchik can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Khachim Mashukov 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 dugout27 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Alan Khachirov
“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 dugout27 Mar 2028
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Spartak Nalchik told Khachim Mashukov something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Andemir Goguzokov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market27 Mar 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Soslan Lysenko’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
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Squad6 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Khakim Kadykoev and Spartak Nalchik agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Transfer targets6 Mar 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.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Soslan Lysenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Khachim Mashukov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Adam Cherkesov, and the manager let it.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
Khusey Karkaev 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.
Market6 Mar 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Spartak Nalchik know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Feb 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 Spartak Nalchik, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom28 Feb 2028
Deadline passes with 0 signed and 3 gone
That is the business done at Spartak Nalchik until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
Transfer targets28 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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Khachim Mashukov 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 dugout28 Feb 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 dugout28 Feb 2028
Khusey Karkaev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Spartak Nalchik can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Amur Khatsukov commits to Spartak Nalchik for another 3 years.
Transfer targets14 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.
Squad14 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 Spartak Nalchik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
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The dugout14 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andemir Goguzokov, and the manager let it.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
Zamir Knyazev 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 Spartak Nalchik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market14 Feb 2028
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Konstantin Kotov leaves Spartak Nalchik the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Spartak Nalchik may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
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Squad7 Feb 2028
Khachim Mashukov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad7 Feb 2028
The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Alan Khachirov has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
Wages swallow 86% of the Spartak Nalchik 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.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Islam Tlupov makes the team of the month
Four or five weekends of consistency, measured against everybody else in the division. A quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anzor Keshtov, and the manager let it.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad10 Jan 2028
Renat Balkizov damages knee ligaments — 31 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 31 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.
Match10 Jan 2028
28 points, and the season has a number on it. Whatever it felt like from the inside, this is what it will look like in a book.
Player ratings10 Jan 2028
A brace, and Islam Tlupov takes the afternoon — 9.03
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Islam Tlupov provided it, and the 9.03 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Market10 Jan 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
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Squad10 Jan 2028
Alan Khachirov 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.
Match8 Jan 2028
It finished 3‑2, and it was Islam Tlupov’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Spartak Nalchik.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Words at Spartak Nalchik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Amur Khatsukov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Player ratings10 Jan 2028
Marked 8.07 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Dec 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match11 Dec 2027
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.
The dugout13 Dec 2027
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Squad13 Dec 2027
Renat Balkizov 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.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Words at Spartak Nalchik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Amur Khatsukov 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 terraces13 Dec 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Khusey Karkaev 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 dugout13 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Amur Khatsukov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. 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.
The dugout13 Dec 2027
“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.