The Avangard Courier
Match8 Aug 2026
Nowhere to hide for Avangard
0‑3 against Kuban, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Danila Knyazev 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 Avangard this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market10 Aug 2026
Prokhor Zabolotsky steps up from the Avangard academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Prokhor Zabolotsky 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
Avangard promote Yakov Fokin from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Yakov Fokin has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Vladislav Ershov joins the Avangard first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Vladislav Ershov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Aleksandr Klimov joins the Avangard first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Aleksandr Klimov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
No hiding place for Valerii Yurchuk
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Valerii Yurchuk, and the manager let it.
Boardroom10 Aug 2026
Nobody left the Avangard 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 dugout10 Aug 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑3 Yefim Barkov left the room before anybody could ask which.
In brief
- Player ratings Danila Knyazev runs at them all day
- Transfer targets A loan move for Nikita Chugunov is in the works
- Squad Sarmat Khubezhov is a square peg at Avangard