Marked for Matvey Torop
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market10 Jul 2028
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Dinamo Kirov had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Market10 Jul 2028
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Chaika have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market10 Jul 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Chaika, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market10 Jul 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaika is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Tempers go at Chaika
Pavel Maslov 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.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Dmitry Ivannikov 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.
Transfer targets10 Jul 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.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Chaika are still strangers to each other
5 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.
Squad10 Jul 2028
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Chaika will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market26 Jun 2028
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Spartak Nalchik waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Chaika is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Squad26 Jun 2028
A falling-out at Chaika
Pavel Maslov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Dmitry Ivannikov 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.
Market26 Jun 2028
The phone has started ringing about Leon Borković again, and this time the name on the line is Ural. Chaika are listening politely and promising nothing.
Market26 Jun 2028
Matvey Torop is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Chaika has been clear about where Matvey Torop stands, which is more than many ever get.
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
Chaika counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Chaika now.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
Danil Karpov 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 Danil Karpov is on it.
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.
Market26 Jun 2028
Ivan Ivanov linked with a move away
The name of Ivan Ivanov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Chaika say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market12 Jun 2028
Only the photograph left for Lukáš Vaněk
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Lukáš Vaněk will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad12 Jun 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nikita Posmashny and Chaika agree another 5 years.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Tempers go at Chaika
Pavel Maslov 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.
Squad12 Jun 2028
A row about effort at Chaika
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vitaly Dunay (Karpenko) was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout12 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Marcos Pintos
“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.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Chaika are still strangers to each other
6 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market8 May 2028
Only the photograph left for Vadim Gapeev
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Vadim Gapeev will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad8 May 2028
Pavel Maslov 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 Chaika this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 May 2028
Nikolay Ischenko 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 dugout8 May 2028
Artem Zhevnerenko is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The dugout8 May 2028
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.
Squad8 May 2028
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Chaika would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market10 Apr 2028
Vadim Gapeev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Chaika they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad10 Apr 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 Chaika this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Apr 2028
A move Nikita Gorbachev would have made for nothing
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Nikita Gorbachev is living that version at Chaika, and it tends to show in the first month.
Squad10 Apr 2028
A row about effort at Chaika
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ivan Bober was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Chaika are still strangers to each other
5 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.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
Artem Zhevnerenko is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
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.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
Johannes Jepsen 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.
Market10 Apr 2028
Chaika shop where it costs nothing
Nikita Gorbachev signs, and the fee column stays empty. Deals like this look small in July and clever by March — or they are never mentioned again.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market13 Mar 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaika is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Pavel Maslov 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 Chaika this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Words at Chaika training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ivan Bober 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.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Chaika are still strangers to each other
5 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.
The dugout13 Mar 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.
The dugout13 Mar 2028
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market6 Mar 2028
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Chaika have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market6 Mar 2028
Only the photograph left for Yury Petin
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Yury Petin will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Pavel Maslov and Chaika agree another 4 years.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Matvey Torop is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 20 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad6 Mar 2028
A falling-out at Chaika
Pavel Maslov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Loan watch6 Mar 2028
“I watch every Chaika game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Amkar runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad6 Mar 2028
A row about effort at Chaika
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolay Ischenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Chaika counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Chaika now.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match28 Feb 2028
The view from the top for Chaika
44 points, and the rest of the division looking up. Every side that finishes first spends the season pretending it is not thinking about it, and this one has started pretending.
Market28 Feb 2028
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Chaika have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Boardroom28 Feb 2028
Deadline passes with 5 signed and 4 gone
That is the business done at Chaika 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.
Market28 Feb 2028
Only the photograph left for Leon Borković
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Leon Borković will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Words exchanged at Chaika
Pavel Maslov 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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Ivan Bober 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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Chaika will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
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.
Market28 Feb 2028
The Ivan Ivanov talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Chaika know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market14 Feb 2028
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Dinamo Barnaul waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Chaika is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market14 Feb 2028
Orel come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Chaika did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Pavel Maslov 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 Chaika this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market14 Feb 2028
Add another name to the list: Kolomna have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Yury Petin. The answer from Chaika has not changed — yet.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Dmitry Ivannikov 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 dugout14 Feb 2028
Matvey Torop 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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Chaika are still strangers to each other
5 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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Matvey Torop has had enough of the bench
“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 Chaika will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
Matvey Torop has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Chaika 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
Crisis
Market31 Jan 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match29 Jan 2028
The wait goes on for Chaika M
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.
Match29 Jan 2028
The goals have deserted Chaika M
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Chaika M can tell you which week it ends in.
Match29 Jan 2028
Chaika M leaking at the back
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.
Match29 Jan 2028
Shakhter Donetsk left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout31 Jan 2028
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 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Egor Lapin to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout31 Jan 2028
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Chaika M told Maxim Kriushichev something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
Squad31 Jan 2028
One yellow too many, and a match watched from the stand. The most avoidable absence in football, and Chaika M will feel it on Saturday.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Jan 2028
Chastening afternoon for Chaika M
A 0‑4 beating by Nart was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market17 Jan 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaika M is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Kriushichev, and the manager let it.
Boardroom17 Jan 2028
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑4, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
A promise honoured at Chaika M
Something was said to Matvey Torop and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
Squad17 Jan 2028
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Beaten 4 times: a bad day for Nikita Pavlov
5 saves does not settle the argument about whose fault it was, and the argument will run all week. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines whoever caused them.
Market17 Jan 2028
The name of Matvey Torop keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Chaika M say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Jan 2028
Chaika M are in real trouble now
Position 20, 3 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.
Squad10 Jan 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.
Squad10 Jan 2028
A falling-out at Chaika M
Matvey Torop and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match8 Jan 2028
1‑3 to Dinamo Makhachkala 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout10 Jan 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 dugout10 Jan 2028
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 Egor Lapin to a room that had heard them before.
Market10 Jan 2028
7 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Chaika M could get for him.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
Squad10 Jan 2028
The suspension is over, which is the half of a ban nobody prints. He has watched from the stand for long enough to have opinions about the shape, and the manager now has a decision he did not have last week.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Dec 2027
21 matches without a win for Chaika M
The run now stands at 21, and the questions being asked around Chaika M are no longer polite ones.
Match18 Dec 2027
Chaika M are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 21 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Squad20 Dec 2027
13 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.
Match18 Dec 2027
Chastening afternoon for Chaika M
A 1‑4 beating by Rubin Yalta was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market20 Dec 2027
Only the photograph left for Nikita Pavlov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikita Pavlov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika M the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad20 Dec 2027
A falling-out at Chaika M
Nikita Pavlov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Boardroom20 Dec 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Market20 Dec 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑4, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad6 Dec 2027
There were 26 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match4 Dec 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
19 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match4 Dec 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
19 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match4 Dec 2027
The goals have deserted Chaika M
12 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Chaika M can tell you which week it ends in.
Match4 Dec 2027
0‑14 to Pobeda, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Match4 Dec 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
14 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Chaika M and Pobeda in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑14 Egor Lapin left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
Matvey Torop is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 Nov 2027
The wait goes on for Chaika M
18 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.
Match27 Nov 2027
Chaika M leaking at the back
18 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.
Match27 Nov 2027
Chaika M cannot find the net
11 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.
Match27 Nov 2027
0‑8 to Zarya Lugansk, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad29 Nov 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Matvey Torop commits to Chaika M for another 3 years.
Match27 Nov 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
8 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Chaika M and Zarya Lugansk in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad29 Nov 2027
A goalkeeper’s error has no defender behind it to tidy it away. He knew before the ball crossed the line, the crowd knew a second later, and there is nothing anybody can say tonight.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑8, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Nikita Pavlov's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad22 Nov 2027
24 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.
Match20 Nov 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
17 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match20 Nov 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
17 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match20 Nov 2027
0‑9 to Spartak Nalchik, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Match20 Nov 2027
10 matches without a goal for Chaika M
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 10 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Market22 Nov 2027
Only the photograph left for Nikita Pavlov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikita Pavlov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika M the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The terraces22 Nov 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 4 of the 4 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Match20 Nov 2027
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 9 goals between Chaika M and Spartak Nalchik, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Matvey Torop was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad1 Nov 2027
29 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.
Match30 Oct 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
15 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match30 Oct 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
15 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match30 Oct 2027
Nowhere to hide for Chaika M
0‑9 against Astrakhan, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Match30 Oct 2027
The goals have deserted Chaika M
8 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Chaika M can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Words exchanged at Chaika M
Nikita Pavlov 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.
Match30 Oct 2027
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 9 goals between Chaika M and Astrakhan, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Boardroom1 Nov 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑9, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout11 Oct 2027
Matvey Torop 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 dugout11 Oct 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Maxim Kriushichev's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
Looking ahead11 Oct 2027
Looking ahead: Legion at home
A side in position 8 visits next. The result will not make anybody’s season and it could quietly break the shape of one, which is why the manager has been watching the video since Sunday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad4 Oct 2027
13 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.
Match2 Oct 2027
12 matches without a win for Chaika M
The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Chaika M are no longer polite ones.
Match2 Oct 2027
Chaika M are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 12 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match2 Oct 2027
Chastening afternoon for Chaika M
A 0‑9 beating by Kuban Holding was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Match2 Oct 2027
5 matches without a goal for Chaika M
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.
Match2 Oct 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
9 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Chaika M and Kuban Holding in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Matvey Torop 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 Chaika M this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout4 Oct 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.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Egor Lapin after 0‑9, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad27 Sep 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 31 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match25 Sep 2027
11 matches without a win for Chaika M
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Chaika M are no longer polite ones.
Match25 Sep 2027
Chaika M are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 11 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match25 Sep 2027
0‑4 to Kyzyltash, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market27 Sep 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaika M is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match25 Sep 2027
The goals have deserted Chaika M
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Chaika M can tell you which week it ends in.
The dugout27 Sep 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.
Boardroom27 Sep 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑4 Egor Lapin left the room before anybody could ask which.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Sep 2027
Nowhere to hide for Chaika M
0‑15 against PSK Pervorechenskoe, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Match18 Sep 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match18 Sep 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
10 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match18 Sep 2027
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 15 goals between Chaika M and PSK Pervorechenskoe, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Match18 Sep 2027
3 matches without a goal for Chaika M
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.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Matvey Torop 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Goalkeepers do not get to make mistakes; they get to make goals. He made one, he knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
The dugout20 Sep 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Egor Lapin after 0‑15, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The dugout20 Sep 2027
Nikita Pavlov is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad13 Sep 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 33 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match11 Sep 2027
Beaten 0‑8 by Neftyanik, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match11 Sep 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match11 Sep 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
9 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
The terraces13 Sep 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 3 of the 4 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Nikita Pavlov 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.
Match11 Sep 2027
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Chaika M and Neftyanik, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matvey Torop, and the manager let it.
Boardroom13 Sep 2027
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad23 Aug 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 33 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match21 Aug 2027
1‑13 to Angusht, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Match21 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match21 Aug 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
7 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Squad23 Aug 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 Chaika M this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match21 Aug 2027
Matvey Torop among the goals in a wild afternoon
14 goals in one match, Matvey Torop on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of Chaika M and Angusht.
The dugout23 Aug 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.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
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 1‑13 defeat, delivered by Egor Lapin to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Nikita Pavlov's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad16 Aug 2027
There were 30 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match14 Aug 2027
0‑10 to Nart, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Match14 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match14 Aug 2027
5 matches without a goal for Chaika M
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.
Match14 Aug 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
6 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match14 Aug 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
10 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Chaika M and Nart in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad16 Aug 2027
A falling-out at Chaika M
Matvey Torop and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout16 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.
Boardroom16 Aug 2027
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Aug 2027
0‑3 to Dinamo Makhachkala 2, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Match7 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match7 Aug 2027
4 matches without a goal for Chaika M
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.
Match7 Aug 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
5 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Squad9 Aug 2027
A goalkeeper’s error has no defender behind it to tidy it away. He knew before the ball crossed the line, the crowd knew a second later, and there is nothing anybody can say tonight.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Matvey Torop and Chaika M agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Sorochinskiy, and the manager let it.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
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 0‑3 defeat, delivered by Egor Lapin to a room that had heard them before.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Nikita Pavlov speaks, and the room listens
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Chaika M was different afterwards.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad2 Aug 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 24 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match31 Jul 2027
0‑8 to Rodina 2, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market2 Aug 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.
Market2 Aug 2027
Only the photograph left for Nikita Pavlov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikita Pavlov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika M the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Match31 Jul 2027
4 matches without a win for Chaika M
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Chaika M are no longer polite ones.
Match31 Jul 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
8 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Chaika M and Rodina 2 in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Match31 Jul 2027
The goals have deserted Chaika M
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Chaika M can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Matvey Torop commits to Chaika M for another 4 years.
Match31 Jul 2027
Chaika M are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words exchanged at Chaika M
Matvey Torop 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 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Kriushichev, and the manager let it.
The dugout28 Jun 2027
Nikita Pavlov is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 2027
Only the photograph left for Nikita Pavlov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikita Pavlov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika M the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Matvey Torop is 19, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad7 Jun 2027
A falling-out at Chaika M
Nikita Pavlov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 May 2027
Only the photograph left for Nikita Pavlov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikita Pavlov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Chaika M the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad10 May 2027
Matvey Torop 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 dugout10 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Kriushichev, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match1 May 2027
Nowhere to hide for Chaika M
1‑7 against Kyzyltash, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Malthe Hansen, 19, steals the show — 7.67
Marked 7.67 at 19, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Match1 May 2027
Malthe Hansen among the goals in a wild afternoon
8 goals in one match, Malthe Hansen on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of Chaika M and Kyzyltash.
Market3 May 2027
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Chaika M has been clear about where Ivan Sorochinskiy stands, which is more than many ever get.
Boardroom3 May 2027
Nobody left the Chaika M 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.
Squad3 May 2027
Goalkeepers do not get to make mistakes; they get to make goals. He made one, he knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
The dugout3 May 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑7, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout3 May 2027
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
Squad3 May 2027
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Chaika M will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Apr 2027
At last: Chaika M win one
34 matches without a win, and then this, against PSK Pervorechenskoe. Relief is a strange noise in a football ground and it was the only noise at the end.
Market26 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaika M is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
No sign of nerves from Matvey Torop at 19 — 8.44
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Matvey Torop did not need any: 8.44, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Match24 Apr 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Matvey Torop. 3‑1 against PSK Pervorechenskoe, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
The terraces26 Apr 2027
At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Nikita Pavlov
“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 dugout26 Apr 2027
Egor Lapin: “That is the standard”
“That is what I want every week. Not the result, the way they went about it.” The manager, after 3‑1, already talking about the next one.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
Vadim Gapeev 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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Chaika M have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match10 Apr 2027
The wait goes on for Chaika M
33 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.
Match10 Apr 2027
The goals have deserted Chaika M
33 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Chaika M can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market12 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Chaika M is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Apr 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 Chaika M this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout12 Apr 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.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Chaika M pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
Malthe Hansen is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Egor Lapin was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Chaika M dressing room was either.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Mar 2027
31 matches without a win for Chaika M
The run now stands at 31, and the questions being asked around Chaika M are no longer polite ones.
Match20 Mar 2027
31 matches without a goal for Chaika M
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 31 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match20 Mar 2027
Chaika M are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 31 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match20 Mar 2027
Beaten 0‑13 by Nart, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match22 Mar 2027
Chaika M are in real trouble now
Position 20, 0 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
At 19 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.
Match20 Mar 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
13 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Chaika M and Nart in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
The dugout22 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.
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
Nobody left the Chaika M 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
Match13 Feb 2027
No end in sight to Chaika M's wait for a win
26 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Chaika M has to find a result from somewhere.
Match13 Feb 2027
Chaika M cannot find the net
26 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.
Match13 Feb 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Chaika M
26 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Squad15 Feb 2027
23 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.
Match13 Feb 2027
0‑5 to Sevastopol, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market15 Feb 2027
Nikita Pavlov has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Chaika M they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at Chaika M
Martin Junuzovic 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.
Boardroom15 Feb 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑5, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Dec 2026
41 days out for Stanislav Biblyk after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Chaika will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Match26 Dec 2026
8 matches without a win for Chaika
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Chaika are no longer polite ones.
Match26 Dec 2026
Chaika cannot find the net
6 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Chaika
Mohamed Azzi 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Matvey Torop is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad28 Dec 2026
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 36 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 155% of everything Chaika 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 dugout28 Dec 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.
Match26 Dec 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Chaika this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Matvey Torop is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 18 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Match26 Sep 2026
3 matches without a goal for Chaika
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.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Chaika
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vitaly Dunay (Karpenko) was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match26 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Chaika against Rodina
0‑1 to Rodina, 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.
Squad28 Sep 2026
14 new faces, and Chaika are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The plan did not have a place for Leon Borković
Nobody at Chaika 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.