Marked for Javid Dadashov
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Jun 2027
A fracture rules Eddy Huseynov out for 67 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Ravan will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match28 Jun 2027
Every point is an argument now for Ravan
Position 10 and 2 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market28 Jun 2027
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Zira had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Market28 Jun 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Agil Nazarov is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Neftchi have kept their man, and Ravan go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words exchanged at Ravan
Vugar Guseynov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad28 Jun 2027
At 29 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2027
Ravan offered $28.0K; Kapaz said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad14 Jun 2027
83 days out for Eddy Huseynov after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Ravan will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market14 Jun 2027
Ravan sell their best player to Gabala
$120.0K is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.
Market14 Jun 2027
Agil Garayev 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces14 Jun 2027
Supporters turn on the $120.0K sale of Agil Garayev
He is going to Gabala, the club has $120.0K it did not have on Friday, and the phone-ins have already decided how they feel about that. Selling well and selling somebody they loved are not the same skill.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
Ravan and Zira have settled on $290.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
Market14 Jun 2027
Zira come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Ravan did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
The dugout14 Jun 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad14 Jun 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Javid Dadashov and Ravan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad14 Jun 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 Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad7 Jun 2027
92 days out for Eddy Huseynov after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Ravan will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad7 Jun 2027
17 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
Araz Khalilzade has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Ravan can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market7 Jun 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets7 Jun 2027
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Sumgayit is saying, and nobody at Ravan is enjoying the guessing.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Vugar Guseynov 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.
Market7 Jun 2027
The phone has started ringing about Bahlul Ozobic again, and this time the name on the line is Zira. Ravan are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mahir Medvedev 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 Jun 2027
Javid Dadashov is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad10 May 2027
35 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market10 May 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.
Squad10 May 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Guilherme Santos 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.
Loan watch10 May 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout10 May 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Javid Dadashov'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 dugout10 May 2027
Agil Amirguliyev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market10 May 2027
3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Ravan could get for him.
Market10 May 2027
Ravan have let the market know Bahlul Ozobic can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad10 May 2027
Agil Garayev is not doing himself any favours
A manager forgives a bad Saturday far more readily than a bad Tuesday, because one of them he can explain and the other one he chose. The reports this week have not been good.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Apr 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 dugout19 Apr 2027
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad19 Apr 2027
A falling-out at Ravan
Vugar Guseynov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad19 Apr 2027
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Agil Amirguliyev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Loan watch19 Apr 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
Qara Abdullayev 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
Market12 Apr 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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Words exchanged at Ravan
Vugar Guseynov 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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Mahir Medvedev 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 Apr 2027
The medical room confirms 26 days on the sidelines for Namig Sadygov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Loan watch12 Apr 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout12 Apr 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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Nerves in the Ravan squad
Vugar Guseynov has been around long enough to know what the spring feels like when it goes wrong, and he can feel it. A dressing room that is frightened plays like one.
Market12 Apr 2027
The clock does Javid Ozobic’s negotiating for him
4 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Ravan could ask drops and the wages Javid Ozobic can ask rise.
Market12 Apr 2027
Ravan have let the market know Bahlul Ozobic can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Ravan
Guilherme Santos 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 Mar 2027
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Rufat Amirguliyev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ruslan Dadashov and Ravan agree another 3 years.
Loan watch15 Mar 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
The manager has not finished forgetting Javid Dadashov'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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A new face in his position, and Vugar Guseynov suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ravan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market15 Mar 2027
5 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Ravan money.
Market15 Mar 2027
Ravan have made Bahlul Ozobic available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Feb 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 Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
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.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
No thanks: Khalil Ayari rejects the move
Ravan had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Paris Saint-Germain, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at Ravan
Vugar Guseynov 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.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
Ravan asked and Grêmio said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Loan watch15 Feb 2027
“I did not go to Sumgayit to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ravan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
Javid Dadashov 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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
The table is being checked before the results are in, which is always the tell. Nobody at Ravan says the word and every senior player in the building is thinking it.
Market15 Feb 2027
The Javid Ozobic talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ravan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Jan 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at San Miguel is saying, and nobody at Ravan is enjoying the guessing.
Market18 Jan 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ravan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Words exchanged at Ravan
Guilherme Santos 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Tommaso Ferronato arrives at the club he grew up with
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Tommaso Ferronato has, at Ravan, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Vugar Guseynov 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ruslan Mammadov and Ravan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Loan watch18 Jan 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Bahlul Ozobic damages knee ligaments — 38 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 38 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market21 Dec 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Guilherme Santos 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vugar Guseynov 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.
Loan watch21 Dec 2026
“I did not go to Sumgayit to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ravan and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 19 matches say the rest.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Javid Dadashov is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Nov 2026
17 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 17, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Squad30 Nov 2026
59 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match28 Nov 2026
Ravan cannot find the net
8 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.
Market30 Nov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad30 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Guilherme Santos and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Mahir Medvedev 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.
Match28 Nov 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against AZAL
0‑1 to AZAL, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Looking ahead30 Nov 2026
Everything rides on Kapaz
Both clubs in the mire, one fixture between them, and a ground that will be louder and more frightened than at any point in the season. Ravan know what is at stake and so does everybody in the away end.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Nov 2026
No end in sight to Ravan's wait for a win
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ravan has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Bahlul Ozobic damages knee ligaments — 66 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 66 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match21 Nov 2026
Chastening afternoon for Ravan
A 0‑5 beating by Zira was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Market23 Nov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Match21 Nov 2026
Ravan cannot find the net
7 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.
Match21 Nov 2026
Ravan leaking at the back
6 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Vugar Guseynov 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.
Boardroom23 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Ravan dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Bahlul Ozobic
104 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match17 Oct 2026
11 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 11 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match19 Oct 2026
Ravan are in real trouble now
Position 10, 2 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.
Match17 Oct 2026
Chastening afternoon for Ravan
A 0‑5 beating by Qarabag was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market19 Oct 2026
Bahlul Ozobic 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Market19 Oct 2026
Tamkin Garayev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ravan they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A muscle injury and 14 days out for Agil Nazarov
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Ravan will quote 14 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
In brief
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Squad
Tempers go at Ravan
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The dugout
The manager makes an example of Javid Dadashov
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Boardroom
Nobody left the Ravan dressing room in a hurry