The Irtysh Chronicle
Match15 Jul 2028
The wait goes on for Irtysh
15 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
The terraces17 Jul 2028
The mood at Irtysh has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Alexandr Smirnov breaks a bone — 59 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 59 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match15 Jul 2028
7 matches without a goal for Irtysh
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 7 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Market17 Jul 2028
Irtysh turn down Dinamo St Petersburg for Fedor Osipov
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Real improvement from Daniel Antunes at Irtysh
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Daniel Antunes is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Tempers go at Irtysh
Alexandr Smirnov 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.
Boardroom17 Jul 2028
Graduation day at Irtysh
6 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.
Squad17 Jul 2028
A late step up for Vladislav Yanchenko
At 24 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.
In brief
- Market Irtysh promote Timofey Shevtsov from within
- Market Danil Kartashov steps up from the Irtysh academy
- Market Timofey Chekhov steps up from the Irtysh academy