The Irtysh Chronicle
Squad18 Jul 2033
Georgy Karginov breaks a bone — 82 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 82 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match16 Jul 2033
Irtysh leave it late against Kuban
Ninety minutes of very little, and then everything at once. The winner arrived in the 88th, and Kuban spent what remained of the match appealing to the referee rather than chasing the ball.
Match16 Jul 2033
Nobody wins at Irtysh
13 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Squad18 Jul 2033
Georgy Karginov in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Irtysh this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom18 Jul 2033
Graduation day at Irtysh
8 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Squad18 Jul 2033
Mikhail Maiboroda 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.
Market18 Jul 2033
One of our own: Nikita Fomin joins the Irtysh first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Nikita Fomin is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market18 Jul 2033
Evgeny Okulov steps up from the Irtysh academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Evgeny Okulov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market18 Jul 2033
One of our own: Alexey Ragulin joins the Irtysh first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Alexey Ragulin is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
In brief
- Market One of our own: Georgy Babkin joins the Irtysh first team
- Match Irtysh see off Kuban
- Boardroom A promise the Irtysh board did not keep