Marked for Dzmitry Laptev
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Feb 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ostrovets can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout26 Feb 2029
This is not rotation. Rodion Medvedev has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Ostrovets is pretending otherwise.
Boardroom26 Feb 2029
Ostrovets close the window on a squad of their own making
1 in and 2 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Transfer targets26 Feb 2029
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Slavia Mozyr have kept their man, and Ostrovets go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Words at Ostrovets training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Luca Maccheroni 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 dugout26 Feb 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ostrovets, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout26 Feb 2029
The manager makes an example of Dzmitry Laptev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad26 Feb 2029
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Ostrovets have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Nov 2028
Words exchanged at Ostrovets
Ivan Mokshin 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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Words at Ostrovets training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gleb Krivtsov 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.
Boardroom27 Nov 2028
155% of the income goes out in wages at Ostrovets
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Boardroom27 Nov 2028
No fees may be paid for anybody, whatever the squad needs. Every rumour about this club until it lifts is a rumour about a deal that cannot be done.
The dugout27 Nov 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Kirill Goncharik trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market27 Nov 2028
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Ostrovets money.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom18 Sep 2028
The scrutiny sharpens at Ostrovets
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Ostrovets is running low.
Market18 Sep 2028
“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 dugout18 Sep 2028
“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 targets18 Sep 2028
Ostrovets asked and Lokomotiv Gomel said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad18 Sep 2028
A row about effort at Ostrovets
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Gleb Krivtsov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market18 Sep 2028
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Viktar Nekhaichik 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.
Market18 Sep 2028
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Valery Filipenko is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market18 Sep 2028
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Dzmitry Laptev 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.
The dugout18 Sep 2028
The manager makes an example of Rodion Medvedev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.