Marked for Denis Popenkov
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces26 Jun 2028
Supporters organise against the Akron 2 board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Match26 Jun 2028
Akron 2 are in real trouble now
Position 12, 13 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.
Market26 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.
Squad26 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rodrigo Escoval 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 dugout26 Jun 2028
Alexandr Popov 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 Alexandr Popov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 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 Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy 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.
Squad19 Jun 2028
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Rodrigo Escoval was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout19 Jun 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Artem Grigorjev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market19 Jun 2028
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Timur Abdrashitov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Akron 2.
Market19 Jun 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Akron 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 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.
Squad12 Jun 2028
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexey Solovjov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad12 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 Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Jun 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sivert Rotevatn commits to Akron 2 for another 3 years.
The dugout12 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 Akron 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market12 Jun 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Akron 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 May 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad22 May 2028
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy 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.
Squad22 May 2028
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Fedor Fenin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 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 Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 May 2028
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy 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.
Squad15 May 2028
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexey Solovjov 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.
Squad15 May 2028
Fedor Fenin: “I am not a substitute”
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Akron 2 will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Market15 May 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Akron 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout15 May 2028
Fedor Pavlenko 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 Fedor Pavlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces1 May 2028
Supporters organise against the Akron 2 board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Match1 May 2028
Akron 2 are in real trouble now
Position 12, 13 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.
Market1 May 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 Akron 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad1 May 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 Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 May 2028
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Fedor Fenin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad1 May 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.
The dugout1 May 2028
Artem Grigorjev 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.
Market1 May 2028
Fedor Fenin linked with a move away
The name of Fedor Fenin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Akron 2 say nothing, which says plenty.
Market1 May 2028
Akron 2 have let the market know Denis Popenkov can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Apr 2028
Maxim Kiselev 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 Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Alexey Solovjov 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
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Roman Volochay 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
Artem Grigorjev 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.
Market24 Apr 2028
Akron 2 have made Vyacheslav Vinnikov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market24 Apr 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Akron 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Apr 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad10 Apr 2028
A falling-out at Akron 2
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Fedor Fenin 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 dugout10 Apr 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alexandr Degtev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
Roman Volochay 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.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Where he used to play does most of his talking for him at Akron 2. The room defers to it, the kids study it, and the only thing that can puncture it is a bad month.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Mar 2028
Maxim Kiselev 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 Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy 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.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexey Solovjov 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.
Squad27 Mar 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Alexey Solovjov keeps the shirt for now, at Akron 2's convenience rather than his own.
Market27 Mar 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Akron 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
Fedor Pavlenko 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 Fedor Pavlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout13 Mar 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market13 Mar 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Akron 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Roman Volochay is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad13 Mar 2028
A falling-out at Akron 2
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Alexey Solovjov 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 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.
Market13 Mar 2028
The name of Timofey Blokhin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Akron 2 say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad13 Mar 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 Akron 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Market13 Mar 2028
Akron 2 have let the market know Fedor Pavlenko can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces6 Mar 2028
Supporters organise against the Akron 2 board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Match6 Mar 2028
Akron 2 sink to position 12
13 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market6 Mar 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad6 Mar 2028
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexey Solovjov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad6 Mar 2028
A falling-out at Akron 2
Roman Volochay 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
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Akron 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
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.
Market6 Mar 2028
Fedor Fenin linked with a move away
The name of Fedor Fenin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Akron 2 say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Akron 2 will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
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 Akron 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy 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 Feb 2028
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Fedor Fenin is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
“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
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
The dugout28 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.
Squad28 Feb 2028
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Akron 2 have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
Market28 Feb 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Akron 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Akron 2 will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
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 Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Feb 2028
A falling-out at Akron 2
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Popov 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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Fedor Fenin wants out of the dugout
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Akron 2 will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
Market14 Feb 2028
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Sevastjan Kachura has his answer from Akron 2; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
Maxim Kholodov 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 Akron 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
The manager has not finished forgetting Roman Volochay's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Market14 Feb 2028
The name of Timofey Blokhin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Akron 2 say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match29 Jan 2028
The wait goes on for Akron 2
20 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market31 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.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy 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.
Match29 Jan 2028
A bad afternoon for Akron 2 against Rubin 2
0‑2 to Rubin 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout31 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.
Squad31 Jan 2028
100 games in these colours. Service of that kind gets rarer every season, and the crowd knows it.
The dugout31 Jan 2028
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout31 Jan 2028
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match1 Jan 2028
No end in sight to Akron 2's wait for a win
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Akron 2 has to find a result from somewhere.
Match1 Jan 2028
Nowhere to hide for Akron 2
0‑4 against Volna, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Market3 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.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Konstantin Tarnolitskiy and Akron 2 agree another 4 years.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Batyrby Chermit 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 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Fedor Fenin, and the manager let it.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Alexandr Popov 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 Jan 2028
100 games in these colours. Service of that kind gets rarer every season, and the crowd knows it.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
The team sheet said everything about Artem Grigorjev
Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Artem Grigorjev.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match4 Dec 2027
The wait goes on for Akron 2
12 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market6 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.
Squad6 Dec 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 Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match4 Dec 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Popov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Denis Popenkov, and the manager let it.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Innokentiy Popov after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 11. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Market6 Dec 2027
Fedor Fenin linked with a move away
The name of Fedor Fenin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Akron 2 say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market13 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad13 Sep 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 Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match11 Sep 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Batyrby Chermit ran the middle of the pitch — 6.69
He won it back and then made something of it, which is two jobs and the reason the scoreline looks the way it does. 9 combined actions and a mark of 6.69, and not one of them will make a highlights package.
The dugout13 Sep 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 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Innokentiy Popov to a room that had heard them before.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Fedor Fenin 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 Akron 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sevastjan Kachura, and the manager let it.
Looking ahead13 Sep 2027
A test against the best for Akron 2
The team at the top of the table next, and the honest measure of where this side actually is. Anybody can beat the club below them; the question is what happens against Volna.
Market13 Sep 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Maxim Kholodov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market6 Sep 2027
Maxim Kiselev 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 Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad6 Sep 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout6 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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Denis Popenkov named in the team of the month
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Denis Popenkov is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
Squad6 Sep 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 Akron 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Market6 Sep 2027
The Fedor Fenin story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Fedor Fenin signs something — a contract at Akron 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market9 Aug 2027
“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 Akron 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match7 Aug 2027
A bad afternoon for Akron 2 against Kaluga
1‑2 to Kaluga, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Batyrby Chermit 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Roman Volochay and Akron 2 agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout9 Aug 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 1‑2 Innokentiy Popov left the room before anybody could ask which.
Market9 Aug 2027
The Fedor Fenin story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Fedor Fenin signs something — a contract at Akron 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
The plan did not have a place for Maxim Kiselev
Nobody at Akron 2 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“Nobody outside is coming to save us.” It was short, it was not comfortable, and by all accounts the Akron 2 squad were quieter afterwards than they had been all season.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Fouls conceded: 7. Booked early, careless late, and the referee’s patience gone by the hour mark.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Jul 2027
Maxim Kiselev 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 Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Jul 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Konstantin Tarnolitskiy and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Maxim Boldyrev and Akron 2 agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Alexandr Popov 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 dugout12 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Alexey Solovjov
“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 dugout12 Jul 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Nikita Chelyshev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 May 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 Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout24 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.
The dugout24 May 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Nikita Chelyshev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The terraces3 May 2027
The mood at Akron 2 has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Squad3 May 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 Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 May 2027
“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.
Market3 May 2027
The clock does Arseny Dmitriev’s negotiating for him
2 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Akron 2 could ask drops and the wages Arseny Dmitriev can ask rise.
Market3 May 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Maxim Kholodov signs something — a contract at Akron 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout3 May 2027
Roman Volochay knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Roman Volochay trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Apr 2027
Arseny Dmitriev 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 dugout26 Apr 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Tamerlan Kuzmenko's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout26 Apr 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Mar 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Nikita Chelyshev is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
Tamerlan Kuzmenko 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 dugout29 Mar 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Artem Grigorjev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Arseny Dmitriev 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 dugout1 Mar 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Tamerlan Kuzmenko's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Arseny Dmitriev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Maxim Nedomoratskov, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 7.67
A mark of 7.67 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Squad1 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Yomar Rocha and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Artem Grigorjev
“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.
Match30 Jan 2027
A point taken on 87 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. 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.
Match30 Jan 2027
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
Tamerlan Kuzmenko 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 dugout1 Feb 2027
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 2‑2, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
4.47. Every footballer has these and most of them happen away from a full ground; his did not, and he will be aware of that all week.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Jan 2027
Denis Popenkov is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Yomar Rocha 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.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Dmitry Teryaev did the work nobody counts — 6.73
12 combined actions and 6.73. The job he did is the one that shows up as other people looking good, and the only reliable way to notice it is to watch what happens on the afternoons he is missing.
The terraces11 Jan 2027
Akron 2 supporters have found a favourite in Yomar Rocha
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Yomar Rocha 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.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Yomar Rocha was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.35. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Boardroom11 Jan 2027
Nobody left the Akron 2 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.
Match9 Jan 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Innokentiy Popov after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Dec 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Arseny Dmitriev, 19, plays like he has been here for years — 7.89
A mark of 7.89 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 19-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Yomar Rocha 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.
Match12 Dec 2026
A 2‑1 win over Khimik, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The terraces14 Dec 2026
Akron 2 supporters have found a favourite in Yomar Rocha
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Yomar Rocha 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.
Match12 Dec 2026
It had gone 5 games. The players did not celebrate like men who had won a match; they celebrated like men who had been let out of something.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Yomar Rocha was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.24. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Innokentiy Popov kept it short after the 2‑1 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Akron 2
Yomar Rocha and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Kiselev, and the manager let it.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Akron 2 will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Akron 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market12 Oct 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Arseny Dmitriev’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
No sign of nerves from Batyrby Chermit at 20 — 7.65
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Batyrby Chermit did not need any: 7.65, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Artem Grigorjev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 21, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
The terraces21 Sep 2026
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Batyrby Chermit 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.
Match19 Sep 2026
Volna made Akron 2 work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 1‑0, Innokentiy Popov could afford to be generous.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Batyrby Chermit is the weekend's best young player
At 20 he is being measured against the rest of the division's kids and coming out in front. The senior version of this award is where the club would like this to lead.