Marked for Nūrlan Däirov
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces13 Mar 2028
The mood at Taraz 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.
Match11 Mar 2028
The drought breaks for Taraz
11 without a win is the sort of run that changes how a town talks about its club, and Zhetysu were the afternoon it stopped. Nothing is fixed by one result and everything feels different by one.
Squad13 Mar 2028
A falling-out at Taraz
Victor Mudrac and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets13 Mar 2028
Taraz ran out of time with Ordabasy. The paperwork was open when the deadline passed, and a transfer that was almost done is now a transfer that never happened.
Match11 Mar 2028
Taraz get the job done against Zhetysu
A 1‑0 win over Zhetysu, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad13 Mar 2028
200 games in these colours. Service of that kind gets rarer every season, and the crowd knows it.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Words at Taraz training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erasyl Keulimzhai 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.
Squad13 Mar 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Abzal Postnikov commits to Taraz for another 3 years.
The dugout13 Mar 2028
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Yeldos Kuat, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces20 Dec 2027
Anger at Taraz spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Boardroom20 Dec 2027
Pressure builds in the Taraz boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Words exchanged at Taraz
Victor Mudrac 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.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Words at Taraz training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Erasyl Keulimzhai 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 dugout20 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nūrlan Däirov, and the manager let it.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
Azamat Erkinbek has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Taraz will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market13 Dec 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 Taraz, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Taraz
Victor Mudrac 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.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Words at Taraz training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Zhandos Ömirzaqov 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 dugout13 Dec 2027
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout13 Dec 2027
Nūrlan Däirov 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 Taraz, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Nerves in the Taraz squad
Mohammed Ensebaev has been around long enough to know what the spring feels like when it goes wrong, and he can feel it. A dressing room that is frightened plays like one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces30 Aug 2027
The mood at Taraz 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.
Market30 Aug 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 Taraz, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout30 Aug 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Taraz may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Taraz
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Taraz is running low.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Words exchanged at Taraz
Victor Mudrac 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.
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad30 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Taraz
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Zhandos Ömirzaqov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
A loan move for Lukáš Mikulaj is in the works
Taraz have made the call to AS Trencin. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
Taraz have made the call to Bayern Munich. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Aug 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.
Market16 Aug 2027
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Nūraidar Äskerbek had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Squad16 Aug 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 Taraz this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
Taraz asked and Lecco said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market16 Aug 2027
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Ordabasy Baizhanov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market16 Aug 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Marat Beysebekov 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.
Squad16 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Taraz
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Erasyl Keulimzhai was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nūrlan Däirov, and the manager let it.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
Taraz have made the call to Peterborough United. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Jul 2027
No end in sight to Taraz's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Taraz has to find a result from somewhere.
Match17 Jul 2027
A hiding for Taraz
Beaten 0‑3 by Akzhaiyk, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Market19 Jul 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.
Transfer targets19 Jul 2027
The clubs have shaken hands with Okzhetpes; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
Market19 Jul 2027
The fee is $150.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Zhetysu drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad19 Jul 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 Taraz this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces19 Jul 2027
The town asked, and Taraz paid $150.0K
Marko Živanović was the name on every phone-in, and the club has gone and signed him for $150.0K. For one week the board can do no wrong, which is a week most boards never get.
Transfer targets19 Jul 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Union Brescia have kept their man, and Taraz go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad19 Jul 2027
A row about effort at Taraz
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Egor Ališauskas was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market2 Nov 2026
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Älisher Süleimen will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Taraz the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Taraz
Po'latxo'ja Xoldorxonov 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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Taraz
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Eskendir Qybyrai was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Taraz. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The training reports on Azamat Erkinbek are not good
A bad Saturday is forgiven; a bad Tuesday is chosen. Standards have slipped and in a building where everybody watches everybody, it has been noticed.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Sep 2026
“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 Taraz, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Taraz this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Sep 2026
The medical room confirms 29 days on the sidelines for Nūrlan Däirov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Zhandos Ömirzaqov 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.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
Merei Zhambyl gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Merei Zhambyl is on it.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Erasyl Keulimzhai has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Sep 2026
$220.0K from Shakhter for Stanislav Samoilov. Money is money, but the dressing room has lost the man it looked to.
Market7 Sep 2026
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
The terraces7 Sep 2026
Taraz sell a favourite for $220.0K
The accountants will call it good business and they will be right, which is not the point anybody outside the boardroom is making. Stanislav Samoilov was one of the reasons people came, and $220.0K does not replace that by itself.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Taraz have done the hard part with Andijon, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Nasaf keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A muscle injury sidelines Olzhas Ädil for 14 days
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. Taraz will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Words exchanged at Taraz
Eskendir Qybyrai 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.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Älisher Sulei, and the manager let it.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Taraz
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Zhandos Ömirzaqov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Aug 2026
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Shakhter waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Taraz is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market31 Aug 2026
“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 Taraz, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad31 Aug 2026
57 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad31 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Taraz this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Eskendir Qybyrai 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.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
“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.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
Nasaf have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Market31 Aug 2026
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Taraz will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
Merei Zhambyl gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Merei Zhambyl is on it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad3 Aug 2026
7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Market3 Aug 2026
“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.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Bauyrzhan Baitana and Taraz agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Taraz
Madiiar Nūraly 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.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Andijon have kept their man, and Taraz go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad3 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Taraz
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Andrei Pasechenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market3 Aug 2026
The clock runs on Nūrlan Däirov's contract
36 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Marked 7.69. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.
Match1 Aug 2026
Taraz and Tobol take a point apiece
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.