The Torpedo Vladimir Sentinel
Squad25 Oct 2027
Alexandr Vyaznikov 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.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Tempers go at Torpedo Vladimir
Ilja Zharov 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 terraces25 Oct 2027
The crowd has taken to Makar Pestov
At 23 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.
Match23 Oct 2027
Konstantin Popov sends Torpedo Vladimir past Tver
It finished 2‑0, and it was Konstantin Popov’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Torpedo Vladimir.
Squad25 Oct 2027
No hiding place for Vladislav Sirotov
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vladislav Sirotov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Alexandr Komissarov was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.44. 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.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
A masterclass from Makar Pestov
Marked 8.25 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Loan watch25 Oct 2027
Ivan Nesterov wants to come home
“I did not go to Rubin Yalta to sit and watch. I want to come back to Torpedo Vladimir and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Adam Mbainaissem wants to go home
“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 Torpedo Vladimir know it.
In brief
- Boardroom Torpedo Vladimir counting the cost
- Player ratings Ilja Zharov runs at them all day
- The terraces The press cannot get enough of Alexandr Komissarov