Marked for Stipe Perica
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad6 Nov 2028
Holomo Mpeli 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Nov 2028
44 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Stipe Perica gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom16 Oct 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lokomotiv
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad16 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Oct 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shodiyor Shodiboyev, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match30 Aug 2028
The small margins put Lokomotiv out
Out, 1‑2 to AGMK, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lokomotiv may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad4 Sep 2028
Aleksandar Šušnjar 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.
Match2 Sep 2028
Shortan made Lokomotiv work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
A performance of 8.97 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Aleksandar Šušnjar, and the manager let it.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.52, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
A performance of 8.24 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Aug 2028
8 matches without a win for Lokomotiv
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Lokomotiv are no longer polite ones.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Otabek Ahadov and Lokomotiv agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings7 Aug 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Aug 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings7 Aug 2028
Marked 8.51 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match5 Aug 2028
It needed Stipe Perica to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Andijon, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Market7 Aug 2028
Still no offer on the table, and Bilol Tupliyev’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom24 Jul 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lokomotiv
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market24 Jul 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lokomotiv can pretend not to have heard.
Match22 Jul 2028
No end in sight to Lokomotiv's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lokomotiv has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad24 Jul 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom24 Jul 2028
Wages eat 150% of everything Lokomotiv earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Marked 8.49 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad24 Jul 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Jun 2028
Lokomotiv march on in the cup
Navbahor are out and Lokomotiv go through, 2‑1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Squad19 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market19 Jun 2028
Nasaf are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Lokomotiv will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Match17 Jun 2028
Otabek Ahadov scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Sogdiana, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings19 Jun 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.87, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings19 Jun 2028
Marked 8.64 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad19 Jun 2028
“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.
Player ratings19 Jun 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Jun 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Muhriddin Zoirov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 May 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lokomotiv can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 May 2028
Suhrob Nurulloev 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.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Marked 9.16 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings15 May 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.30, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad15 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match13 May 2028
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad15 May 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Shots: 9, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Squad15 May 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Diyorjon Turopov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad20 Mar 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.
Player ratings20 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Suhrob Nurulloev 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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match18 Mar 2028
Bunyodkor left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Otabek Ahadov knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Otabek Ahadov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad13 Mar 2028
Otabek Ahadov: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lokomotiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad13 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match11 Mar 2028
Stipe Perica scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Neftchi, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
Marked 8.28 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad13 Mar 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Bilol Tupliyev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lokomotiv, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market13 Mar 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Aleksandar Šušnjar’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
A mark of 5.60 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 Jan 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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Jan 2028
A new face in his position, and Suhrob Nurulloev suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Lokomotiv have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market17 Jan 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Lokomotiv know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Stipe Perica knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lokomotiv, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market17 Jan 2028
A season-long look at somebody else’s player: Bobomurod Bozorov arrives from Qizilqum with something to prove and a return ticket in the drawer. Good loans make everybody richer; this one starts Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom29 Nov 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lokomotiv
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market29 Nov 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.
Squad29 Nov 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Nov 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 Lokomotiv, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lokomotiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Suhrob Nurulloev 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Oct 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 Lokomotiv, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lokomotiv may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Suhrob Nurulloev 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match18 Oct 2027
Every point is an argument now for Lokomotiv
Position 15 and 23 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.
Market18 Oct 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 Lokomotiv can pretend not to have heard.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Stipe Perica: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lokomotiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad18 Oct 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market18 Oct 2027
The name of Aleksandar Šušnjar keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Lokomotiv say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“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
Crisis
Match20 Sep 2027
Lokomotiv are in real trouble now
Position 15, 20 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.
Squad20 Sep 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match18 Sep 2027
Metallurg left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“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.
Boardroom20 Sep 2027
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Shots: 9, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Market20 Sep 2027
The name of Aleksandar Šušnjar keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Lokomotiv say nothing, which says plenty.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Shots: 4. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match28 Jun 2027
Lokomotiv sink to position 15
10 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market28 Jun 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 Lokomotiv, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 27 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad28 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
A performance of 8.84 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match26 Jun 2027
Three points for Lokomotiv, 1‑0 the final word against Neftchi in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad28 Jun 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Jun 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 Lokomotiv, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lokomotiv may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad7 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match5 Jun 2027
Metallurg left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Stipe Perica gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market7 Jun 2027
Everyone has stopped pretending: Nasaf will make the call about Oleksandr Kucherenko this week. Lokomotiv have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
Nobody left the Lokomotiv 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lokomotiv, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings7 Jun 2027
5.74 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market17 May 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 Lokomotiv, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match15 May 2027
The wait goes on for Lokomotiv
7 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.
Squad17 May 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match15 May 2027
Jasur Yaxshiboyev scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Obod, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings17 May 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.67, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad17 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Nikolay Ivanov
“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.
Boardroom17 May 2027
Nobody left the Lokomotiv 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.
Loan watch17 May 2027
“I did not go to Andijon to sit and watch. I want to come back to Lokomotiv and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 15 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Apr 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 Lokomotiv can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Suhrob Nurulloev 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.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Stipe Perica
“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.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
The one thing Jovan Nišić could not do
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Match17 Apr 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Qizilqum defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Shots: 11. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lokomotiv, and both men came out saying it was fine.
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
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad12 Apr 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Nikolay Ivanov
“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.
Match10 Apr 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“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
Crisis
Match27 Mar 2027
8 matches without a win for Lokomotiv
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Lokomotiv are no longer polite ones.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Roy Revivo 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match27 Mar 2027
A bad afternoon for Lokomotiv against AGMK
0‑1 to AGMK, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shuhrat Muhammadiyev, and the manager let it.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
5.50 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Market29 Mar 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Aleksandar Šušnjar’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Alexey Kozlov knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alexey Kozlov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Mar 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lokomotiv may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match20 Mar 2027
The wait goes on for Lokomotiv
7 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.
Market22 Mar 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 Lokomotiv, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Suhrob Nurulloev 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.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.31 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match20 Mar 2027
A 1‑1 draw with Bunyodkor leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad22 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Roman Khadjiev
“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.
Market22 Mar 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Jasur Yaxshiboyev’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market15 Mar 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.
Match13 Mar 2027
6 matches without a win for Lokomotiv
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Lokomotiv are no longer polite ones.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Roy Revivo 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Stipe Perica gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match13 Mar 2027
Neftchi left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Jan 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Roy Revivo 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.
Boardroom25 Jan 2027
113% of the income goes out in wages at Lokomotiv
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.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Stipe Perica commits to Lokomotiv for another 2 years.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Muhriddin Zoirov 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
Market18 Jan 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.
Market18 Jan 2027
The chase for Stipe Perica ended with $410.0K changing hands and Neftchi out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Market18 Jan 2027
The fee is $270.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Kokand 1912 drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad18 Jan 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 Lokomotiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
20 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Neftchi may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market18 Jan 2027
Metallurg come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Neftchi did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad18 Jan 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 Neftchi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market18 Jan 2027
Stipe Perica has left for Lokomotiv in a $410.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Market18 Jan 2027
The name of Jamshid Iskanderov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Neftchi say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad18 Jan 2027
The move was somebody else's story. What it left behind was a dressing-room stall nobody has taken and a player who keeps looking at it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jan 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.
Market11 Jan 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Eden Shamir 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.
Market11 Jan 2027
Obod paid $570.0K and Neftchi took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Market11 Jan 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Neftchi have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 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 Neftchi can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Jan 2027
118 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market4 Jan 2027
Neftchi say no — this time
The offer from AGMK for Eldorbek Suyunov was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad4 Jan 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 Neftchi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market4 Jan 2027
Add another name to the list: Lokomotiv have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Daler Tuxsanov. The answer from Neftchi has not changed — yet.
Squad4 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Eden Shamir
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
Ibrohimhalil Yo'ldoshev 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.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 393% of everything Neftchi earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad28 Dec 2026
41 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.