Marked for Marcis Fertovs
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 May 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kokand 1912, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout7 May 2029
This is not rotation. Javohir Husanov has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Kokand 1912 is pretending otherwise.
Squad7 May 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Valijon Rahimov and Kokand 1912 agree another 1 years.
Squad7 May 2029
Valijon Rahimov 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.
Match5 May 2029
1‑2 to Andijon, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout7 May 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Asliddin Toshtemirov, and the manager let it.
Squad7 May 2029
Words at Kokand 1912 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ebrima Jatta 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 dugout7 May 2029
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Ulugbek Hasanov to a room that had heard them before.
Squad7 May 2029
A place in the month's best eleven for Ebrima Jatta
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Ebrima Jatta has come out of that comparison in the side, and Kokand 1912 have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market15 Jan 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kokand 1912 can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets15 Jan 2029
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad15 Jan 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kokand 1912 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Words at Kokand 1912 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. O'ktamjon Abdumalikov 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.
Transfer targets15 Jan 2029
A loan enquiry to Spartak Subotica: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Kokand 1912 are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Shaxzod Beshimov is on it.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
Azizxon Isaqov 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
Upbeat
Squad20 Nov 2028
There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Kokand 1912 will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.
Squad20 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kokand 1912 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“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 Kokand 1912 know it.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Nodirbek Karimov 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 dugout20 Nov 2028
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout20 Nov 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 dugout20 Nov 2028
Azizxon Isaqov 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 Kokand 1912, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market20 Nov 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Javohir Sidiqov signs something — a contract at Kokand 1912 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad13 Nov 2028
Behruzbek Asqarov 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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
“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 Kokand 1912 know it.
The dugout13 Nov 2028
The manager makes an example of Zafar Hakimov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout13 Nov 2028
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Market13 Nov 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Toma Tabatadze signs something — a contract at Kokand 1912 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad13 Nov 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 Kokand 1912 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings15 May 2028
Toma Tabatadze, 36, rolls back the years — 7.93
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.93 at 36, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 22. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad15 May 2028
Andro Giorgadze was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout15 May 2028
Zafar Hakimov back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Kokand 1912 has worked with Zafar Hakimov before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout15 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Javohir Husanov, and the manager let it.
Match13 May 2028
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The dugout15 May 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Kokand 1912, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market15 May 2028
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Kokand 1912, another week without a signature from Javohir Husanov.
The dugout15 May 2028
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad8 May 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Toma Tabatadze and Kokand 1912 agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 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 Kokand 1912 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 May 2028
Marcis Fertovs gets the move he always wanted
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Marcis Fertovs has just signed for Kokand 1912, and for once the answer mattered.
Loan watch8 May 2028
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kokand 1912, and 0 appearances in 14 say he has earned the hearing.
Match6 May 2028
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout8 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout8 May 2028
Zafar Hakimov back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Kokand 1912 has worked with Zafar Hakimov before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
Player ratings8 May 2028
A midfielder is measured on whether the team functions when he is on the pitch, which is nearly impossible to see and completely obvious in retrospect. 9 actions, 6.37, and a manager who will not be substituting him again in a hurry.
The dugout8 May 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Aug 2027
Skonto say no — this time
The offer from Spartaks for Vladimirs Ciganovs was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Skonto may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Skonto
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Arise Ogundare was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Skonto
Kaspars Gabovs 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.
Market2 Aug 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Skonto, another week without a signature from Ekene Olisema.
Transfer targets2 Aug 2027
Skonto have made the call to Viktoria Plzen. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Transfer targets2 Aug 2027
A loan move for Briajan Gjyla is in the works
Skonto have made the call to Union Brescia. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
Ekene Olisema gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Ekene Olisema is on it.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marcis Fertovs, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 37. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Match21 Jul 2027
Skonto out of the cup
Jelgava ended it 0‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
Marcis Fertovs: 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.” Skonto have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market26 Jul 2027
Davis Oss has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Skonto they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market26 Jul 2027
The phone has started ringing about Vladimirs Ciganovs again, and this time the name on the line is Spartaks. Skonto are listening politely and promising nothing.
Match21 Jul 2027
Skonto cannot find the net
3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad26 Jul 2027
A row about effort at Skonto
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Arise Ogundare was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout26 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jul 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Daugavpils waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Skonto is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, and a scan that said otherwise. He goes back to Union Brescia; Skonto go back to the market; and both will insist there is no story here.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
The deal with Viktoria Plzen is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. MFK Ruzomberok have kept their man, and Skonto go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Arise Ogundare 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
17 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Skonto
Alvis Bulvitis 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 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Keilen Robinson and Skonto agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout12 Jul 2027
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 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.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: NK Maribor keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Market14 Jun 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Skonto have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
Skonto asked and Viktoria Plzen said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad14 Jun 2027
A row about effort at Skonto
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Arise Ogundare was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match12 Jun 2027
0‑2 to Ventspils, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Skonto
Alvis Bulvitis 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.
Squad14 Jun 2027
A quiet fortnight at Skonto
With 5 players away on international duty the sessions are small and the manager can actually hear himself. It is the one break in the season, and it never quite feels like one.
Market14 Jun 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Skonto, another week without a signature from Arise Ogundare.