Marked for Denis Popenkov
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Nov 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.
Market29 Nov 2027
Only the photograph left for Roman Volochay
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roman Volochay will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Akron 2 the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad29 Nov 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Semyon Zelenov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Morozov 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 dugout29 Nov 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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout22 Nov 2027
“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.
Squad22 Nov 2027
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.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Semyon Zelenov 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 dugout22 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Timofey Blokhin
“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 dugout22 Nov 2027
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
The dugout22 Nov 2027
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
Uneasy
The dugout15 Nov 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Akron 2 have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Semyon Zelenov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout15 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Akron 2 know it.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Ruslan Kazakov 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.
Squad15 Nov 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout25 Oct 2027
David Shavlokhov: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Akron 2 have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad25 Oct 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Alexey Solovjov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Oct 2027
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.
The dugout25 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 dugout25 Oct 2027
Batyrby Chermit asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout18 Oct 2027
Hugo Castillo: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Akron 2 have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad18 Oct 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 dugout18 Oct 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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Rodion Kulyakhtin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad18 Oct 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.
The dugout18 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Akron 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 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.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Akron 2 may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Alexandr Popov 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 dugout27 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Fedor Fenin
“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.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Rodion Kulyakhtin 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 dugout27 Sep 2027
Batyrby Chermit dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Aug 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Akron 2 have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market30 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Roman Volochay is 19, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad30 Aug 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Alexey Solovjov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ruslan Kazakov and Akron 2 agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad30 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Popov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout23 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Kholodov, and the manager let it.
Squad23 Aug 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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Semyon Zelenov 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 dugout23 Aug 2027
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
The plan did not have a place for Maxim Kondakov
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.
Market23 Aug 2027
Akron 2 have made Kirill Simonov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces9 Aug 2027
Anger at Akron 2 spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Market9 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alexey Solovjov and Akron 2 agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad9 Aug 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.
Squad9 Aug 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Semyon Zelenov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout9 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Alexey Solovjov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Popov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Matvey Bezrogov commits to Akron 2 for another 4 years.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
“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.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
Maxim Kholodov dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Jul 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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
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.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Batyrby Chermit
“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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rodion Kulyakhtin 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 Jul 2027
Somebody else is better right now than Maxim Kholodov
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jul 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.
Squad19 Jul 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.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kirill Bazhukhin commits to Akron 2 for another 3 years.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rodion Kulyakhtin 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 dugout19 Jul 2027
Denis Popenkov dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
The dugout19 Jul 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Batyrby Chermit trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces12 Jul 2027
Anger at Akron 2 spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
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
Sevastjan Kachura 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.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“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 Jul 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.
Squad12 Jul 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Maxim Kholodov keeps the shirt for now, at Akron 2's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Jul 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.
Squad5 Jul 2027
27 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Rodion Kulyakhtin 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.
Squad5 Jul 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Alexey Solovjov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout5 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Kondakov, and the manager let it.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jun 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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Fedor Fenin is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad28 Jun 2027
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Popov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad28 Jun 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Vladislav Postrigan commits to Akron 2 for another 3 years.
The dugout28 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alexandr Popov, and the manager let it.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Dmitry Teryaev 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad7 Jun 2027
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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
58 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad7 Jun 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.
Squad7 Jun 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.
The dugout7 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Matvey Bezrogov
“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
Uneasy
Market31 May 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.
Squad31 May 2027
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.
Squad31 May 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 May 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout3 May 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Akron 2 have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad3 May 2027
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Alexandr Popov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad3 May 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rodion Kulyakhtin 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.
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.
The dugout3 May 2027
Alexandr Popov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Apr 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Dmitry Vranitsyn
20 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Akron 2 lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad12 Apr 2027
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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rodion Kulyakhtin 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 dugout12 Apr 2027
Timofey Blokhin asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmitry Vranitsyn, and the manager let it.
Market12 Apr 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Denis Popenkov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces22 Mar 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.
Market22 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout22 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Alexandr Popov
“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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
A falling-out at Akron 2
Dmitry Teryaev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rodion Kulyakhtin 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“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
Market15 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Akron 2 may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Popov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Akron 2
Dmitry Teryaev 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 dugout15 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Rodion Kulyakhtin, and the manager let it.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Fedor Fenin 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout8 Mar 2027
“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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Timofey Blokhin and Akron 2 agree another 4 years.
Squad8 Mar 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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Roman Volochay 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 dugout8 Mar 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 dugout8 Mar 2027
Fedor Fenin 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces22 Feb 2027
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.
Market22 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Feb 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.
Squad22 Feb 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 dugout22 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Alexandr Popov
“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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“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
Market15 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
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.
Squad15 Feb 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 dugout15 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Denis Popenkov
“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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Alexandr Popov keeps the shirt for now, at Akron 2's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Feb 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Sevastjan Kachura 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Four or five weekends of consistency, measured against everybody else in the division. A quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
The team sheet said everything about Fedor Fenin
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 Fedor Fenin.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Maxim Kondakov
“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
Uneasy
Market1 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Akron 2 may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad1 Feb 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 dugout1 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Batyrby Chermit
“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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Akron 2 told Batyrby Chermit something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces25 Jan 2027
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.
Market25 Jan 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.
Squad25 Jan 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
Denis Popenkov is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Akron 2 has been clear about where Denis Popenkov stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
“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.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Vyacheslav Vinnikov will call it something else in private.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match2 Jan 2027
The wait goes on for Akron 2
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Artem Grigorjev 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.
Match2 Jan 2027
Nikita Platon scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑3 to Uralets-TS, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad4 Jan 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Denis Popenkov 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 dugout4 Jan 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 dugout4 Jan 2027
The team sheet said everything about Timofey Blokhin
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 Timofey Blokhin.
The dugout4 Jan 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 1‑3 defeat, delivered by Tikhon Shapovalov to a room that had heard them before.
Squad4 Jan 2027
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Konstantin Tarnolitskiy is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces28 Dec 2026
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 Dec 2026
4 matches without a win for Akron 2
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Akron 2 are no longer polite ones.
Squad28 Dec 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 Akron 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Dec 2026
KDV Tomsk left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
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 Tikhon Shapovalov to a room that had heard them before.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Sevastjan Kachura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 14. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The 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.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Alexandr Popov
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“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.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vyacheslav Vinnikov, and the manager let it.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sevastjan Kachura 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.
Match5 Dec 2026
A 1‑1 draw with Ural 2 leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 1‑1, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
Squad7 Dec 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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“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 Akron 2 was different afterwards.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces30 Nov 2026
Anger at Akron 2 spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Market30 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Akron 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Akron 2 may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match28 Nov 2026
It finished 2‑1, and it was Kevin Arévalo’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Akron 2.
Squad30 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Rodion Kulyakhtin was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The terraces30 Nov 2026
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 19-year-old it feels ownership of. Timofey Blokhin 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.
Match28 Nov 2026
At last: Akron 2 win one
5 matches without a win, and then this, against Nosta. Relief is a strange noise in a football ground and it was the only noise at the end.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nikita Chelyshev, and the manager let it.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
A promise honoured at Akron 2
Something was said to Rodion Kulyakhtin and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for Akron 2
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Akron 2
Batyrby Chermit and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match21 Nov 2026
A bad afternoon for Akron 2 against Khimik
0‑1 to Khimik, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Akron 2
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Denis Popenkov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
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 Tikhon Shapovalov to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout23 Nov 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.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vyacheslav Vinnikov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Fedor Fenin on a tightrope all afternoon
Fouls conceded: 8. Booked early, careless late, and the referee’s patience gone by the hour mark.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The terraces2 Nov 2026
Anger at Akron 2 spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match2 Nov 2026
Halfway: Akron 2 sit in position 9
13 points at the turn. The first half of a season is a promise; the second is a bill, and the town is about to find out which of the two this one was.
Match31 Oct 2026
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad2 Nov 2026
A place in the month's best eleven for Alexandr Popov
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Alexandr Popov has come out of that comparison in the side, and Akron 2 have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“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.
Market2 Nov 2026
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Oct 2026
Rodion Kulyakhtin 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 dugout26 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Akron 2 are still strangers to each other
23 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 dugout26 Oct 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.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
A promise honoured at Akron 2
Something was said to Denis Popenkov and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Denis Popenkov 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 Denis Popenkov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Oct 2026
Chastening afternoon for Akron 2
A 1‑4 beating by Amkar was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market19 Oct 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad19 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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at Akron 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rodion Kulyakhtin 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 dugout19 Oct 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.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
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.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 1‑4, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
The form table has caught Fedor Fenin
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
The dugout19 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The terraces5 Oct 2026
Anger at Akron 2 spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Marked 7.96 at 20, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Roman Volochay 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Rodion Kulyakhtin 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 terraces5 Oct 2026
At 20 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.
Match3 Oct 2026
Uralets-TS made Akron 2 work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market5 Oct 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Sep 2026
Chastening afternoon for Akron 2
A 0‑4 beating by Orenburg 2 was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Match21 Sep 2026
Akron 2 are in real trouble now
Position 12, 5 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.
Market21 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Akron 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Sep 2026
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.
The dugout21 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.
Boardroom21 Sep 2026
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.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
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 0‑4 defeat, delivered by Tikhon Shapovalov to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The form table has caught Fedor Fenin
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Beaten 4 times, 3 saves, and an afternoon that will go on his record whether it was his fault or the defence’s. It is the quiet unfairness of the position.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Aug 2026
Akron 2 throw away a 2-goal lead
2 in front and in complete control, and it finished with Chelyabinsk 2 the happier side. There is no version of this afternoon that Akron 2 will enjoy reviewing.
Squad10 Aug 2026
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.
Match8 Aug 2026
A 2‑2 draw with Chelyabinsk 2 leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The dugout10 Aug 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.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
“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.
Market10 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Akron 2, another week without a signature from Alexandr Popov.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“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.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
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.