Đorđe Despotović

Striker - Pyunik
17 Jun 2029
Sunday
Process

Marked for Đorđe Despotović

150 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

11 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Artem Tokarev asks to leave Pyunik

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Eric Ocansey 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.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Lucas Villela 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.

Match

Ararat-Armenia take the points off Pyunik

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager has not finished forgetting Daniel Aghbalyan's mistake

Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.

Player ratings

Momo Yansané runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Đorđe Despotović signs something — a contract at Pyunik or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Player ratings

Javi Moreno could not find anything

5.37. Every footballer has these and most of them happen away from a full ground; his did not, and he will be aware of that all week.

In brief

Back issues
149 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

4 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Roman Kozel out for 19 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Market

Sead Islamović hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Pyunik can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Sead Islamović has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Pyunik they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Franco Soldano: 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.” Pyunik have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Boardroom

Pyunik to lose Sead Islamović for free

There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Sead Islamović has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Đorđe Despotović

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Đorđe Despotović, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Wages eat 117% of everything Pyunik 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 ratings

Nothing got past Filipe Almeida

18 defensive actions and a clean sheet at the end of them. A defender's afternoon can only be told by what did not happen, which is why nobody makes a highlights package out of one and every manager in the division would take it.

In brief

146 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

14 May 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

A hiding for Pyunik

Beaten 1‑4 by Noah, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.

Squad

Nikos Kainourgios breaks a bone — 17 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 17 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

The wait goes on for Pyunik

4 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.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Daniil Kulikov 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.

Boardroom

Inquest at Pyunik

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Róbert Mak

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Player ratings

Momo Yansané runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

145 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

7 May 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Nikos Kainourgios breaks a bone — 24 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 24 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Steinar Þorsteinsson: 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.” Pyunik have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

James stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” James and Pyunik agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

119% of the income goes out in wages at Pyunik

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.

Player ratings

Daniel Aghbalyan stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.51 on the card, and the Pyunik support went home talking about one name.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Đorđe Despotović

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Momo Yansané

Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

No goals between Pyunik and Van

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Van will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

144 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

30 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A fracture rules Nikos Kainourgios out for 32 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

The terraces

The ground has had enough

“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 10 of the 35 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Momo Yansané

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Pyunik

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Match

Ararat take the points off Pyunik

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Lucas Villela 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.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Daniel Aghbalyan

Marked 5.29, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

In brief

143 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Nikos Kainourgios breaks a bone — 40 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 40 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Player ratings

Age has not caught Đorđe Despotović yet — 7.84

At 37 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.84 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Eric Ocansey 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.

Match

6 unbeaten for Pyunik

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Pyunik did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Róbert Mak

“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.

Market

Pyunik buy the years ahead of Mohamed Ghaly

He is 19, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.

Market

Pyunik sign Jérôme Richard, one for the future

Jérôme Richard is 17, and Pyunik have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.

Match

Pyunik share the spoils with Gandzasar

A 1‑1 draw with Gandzasar leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

142 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

16 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Nikos Kainourgios out for 48 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Daniel Aghbalyan says Pyunik went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Daniel Aghbalyan 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.

Match

Momo Yansané the difference as Pyunik beat BKMA

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Momo Yansané. 2‑0 against BKMA, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

Ninety minutes of Momo Yansané at his very best

Marked 8.56. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at Pyunik.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Daniel Aghbalyan

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 15 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Oliver Nieboer

Marked 4.90, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović question follows Pyunik around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Đorđe Despotović’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

138 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

19 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Lorenco Vila out for 43 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Marcus Uberaba: 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.” Pyunik have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

Róbert Mak, 38, rolls back the years — 8.06

There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.06 at 38, and nobody on the pitch was better.

Match

The wait goes on for Pyunik

5 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.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Match

Pyunik leaking at the back

4 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.

Player ratings

Momo Yansané runs at them all day

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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Daniil Kulikov

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

134 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

19 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Lorenco Vila out for 75 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Pyunik boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

Steinar Þorsteinsson keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Pyunik may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

In brief

130 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Lorenco Vila out for 107 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Pyunik

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Mamedi Doucouré has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Pyunik they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lucas Villela 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Matas Vareika

“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.

In brief

128 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

8 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Pyunik spell it out for Levon Bayramyan

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Levon Bayramyan has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Pyunik

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Market

Noah join the queue for Allan Rodríguez

Add another name to the list: Noah have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Allan Rodríguez. The answer from Pyunik has not changed — yet.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Antonio González

“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.

Squad

Đorđe Despotović has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Pyunik 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.

Market

Still no ink between Pyunik and Franco Soldano

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Pyunik, another week without a signature from Franco Soldano.

Market

Elijah Martin leaves for nothing

Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Elijah Martin leaves Pyunik the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.

In brief

  • Market The clock does Matas Vareika’s negotiating for him
  • Boardroom Pyunik were not finished after all
126 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Pyunik

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Javi Moreno: 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.” Pyunik have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Mamedi Doucouré is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Pyunik is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

When it matters, Lucas Villela plays

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.

In brief

124 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

11 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Róbert Mak 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.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Pyunik

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lucas Villela 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.

In brief

122 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

27 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Pyunik

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Mamedi Doucouré has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Pyunik they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Antonio González 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.

Squad

When it matters, Lucas Villela plays

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.

In brief

120 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

13 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Pyunik

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

In brief

118 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

30 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Pyunik boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Mamedi Doucouré has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Pyunik they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lucas Villela 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.

Squad

Antonio González 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.

Squad

When it matters, Lucas Villela plays

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.

In brief

114 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

2 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Pyunik

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Mamedi Doucouré has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Pyunik they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

James signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” James commits to Pyunik for another 2 years.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Javi Moreno

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Javi Moreno, and the manager let it.

In brief

111 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

11 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Artur Bayramyan breaks a bone — 17 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 17 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Đorđe Despotović has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Pyunik 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.

Market

The clock does Aleksandar Miljković’s negotiating for him

6 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Pyunik could ask drops and the wages Aleksandar Miljković can ask rise.

Market

Window shut, Aleksandar Miljković still here

Pyunik spent the window trying to move Aleksandar Miljković on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.

In brief

110 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

4 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The cup run ends for Pyunik

1‑4 against Alashkert, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.

Squad

Artur Bayramyan breaks a bone — 26 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 26 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

The terraces

The boos come down from three sides

“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 10 of the 33 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.

The terraces

A cup hiding at Alashkert leaves Pyunik explaining themselves

1-4, and long before the end the away end had switched from encouragement to something considerably more pointed. Nobody rings a phone-in about losing narrowly.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Only the photograph left for Mamedi Doucouré

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Mamedi Doucouré will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Pyunik the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Daniil Kulikov 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Momo Yansané

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Pyunik

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

In brief

106 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

7 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Franco Soldano asks to leave Pyunik

“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.

Squad

Nikos Kainourgios says Pyunik went back on their word

“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.

Boardroom

Elijah Martin has agreed to leave Pyunik for nothing

He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.

Squad

Lorenco Vila stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Lorenco Vila and Pyunik agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Lucas Villela 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.

In brief

102 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

10 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Filip Slavata

41 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Pyunik lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Market

Franco Soldano asks to leave Pyunik

“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.

Squad

Hakob Hakobyan says Pyunik went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Lucas Villela 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.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Pyunik know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

96 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

29 May 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

3 goals for Đorđe Despotović

The match ball belongs to Đorđe Despotović, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Player ratings

Đorđe Despotović, 36, rolls back the years — 8.72

There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.72 at 36, and nobody on the pitch was better.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

6 goals as Pyunik and Shirak go for it

Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Pyunik and Shirak, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.

Squad

Lucas Villela 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.

Player ratings

Eric Ocansey runs at them all day

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.

Squad

Franco Soldano 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.

Boardroom

111% of the income goes out in wages at Pyunik

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.

Match

Pyunik and Shirak take a point apiece

It finished 3‑3, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

95 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

22 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Chastening afternoon for Pyunik

A 0‑3 beating by Alashkert was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

Eric Ocansey 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Real improvement from Alex Baird at Pyunik

Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Alex Baird is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Daniil Kulikov

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniil Kulikov, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Inquest at Pyunik

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Player ratings

Sead Islamović runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović question follows Pyunik around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Đorđe Despotović’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Player ratings

An afternoon Momo Yansané will want back

Marked 5.42. Nothing he attempted worked and by the hour mark he had stopped attempting much, which is the part a manager notices rather than the mistakes.

In brief

92 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

1 May 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Every point is an argument now for Pyunik

Position 9 and 7 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.

Squad

Anton Bratkov breaks a bone — 15 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 15 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Market

Antonio González asks to leave Pyunik

“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.

Match

The wait goes on for Pyunik

8 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.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Róbert Mak

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Róbert Mak, and the manager let it.

Match

Pyunik come up short against Ararat

Ararat left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. David Nduka 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.

Boardroom

Wages eat 102% of everything Pyunik 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.

In brief

91 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Anton Bratkov breaks a bone — 22 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 22 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

7 matches without a win for Pyunik

The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Pyunik are no longer polite ones.

Player ratings

Up for the corner, and Daniel Aghbalyan delivers — 7.74

Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Daniel Aghbalyan scored, was marked 7.74, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.

Squad

Daniil Kulikov 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Pyunik against Gandzasar

1‑2 to Gandzasar, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Eric Ocansey

Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

No hiding place for Antonio González

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Antonio González, and the manager let it.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Đorđe Despotović

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

90 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Anton Bratkov breaks a bone — 29 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 29 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

6 matches without a win for Pyunik

The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Pyunik are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Lucas Villela 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Lucas Villela

“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 ratings

Eric Ocansey runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Lucas Villela

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

Match

Pyunik and BKMA cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. BKMA came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Daniel Aghbalyan

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 12 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

In brief

89 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

10 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Anton Bratkov breaks a bone — 36 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 36 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

The wait goes on for Pyunik

5 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.

Squad

Daniil Kulikov 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Home is on Franco Soldano's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Pyunik are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Player ratings

Ninety minutes of Eric Ocansey at his very best

Marked 8.44. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at Pyunik.

Market

No place for Matas Vareika in the plan

“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Matas Vareika has his answer from Pyunik; what he does with it is the next window’s story.

Match

Eric Ocansey rescues a point for Pyunik

It needed Eric Ocansey to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Ararat-Armenia, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

Player ratings

The one thing Đorđe Despotović could not do

Shots: 7, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

87 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

27 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Anton Bratkov out for 51 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Sargis Metoyan says Pyunik went back on their word

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lucas Villela 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.

Player ratings

Daniil Kulikov shuts the door

Defensive actions: 13, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Match

Pyunik draw a blank against Shirak

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Shirak defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

83 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

28 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Anton Bratkov out for 83 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Daniil Kulikov 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

In brief

79 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

31 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Anton Bratkov out for 113 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Pyunik will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Market

Elijah Martin puts it in writing

“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 Pyunik, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Daniil Kulikov 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Javi Moreno 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.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović question follows Pyunik around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Đorđe Despotović’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

75 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Elijah Martin 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.

Market

Sead Islamović told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Sead Islamović has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Pyunik.

Squad

When it matters, Momo Yansané plays

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.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Đorđe Despotović signs something — a contract at Pyunik or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Market

The shop window has Aleksandar Miljković in it

Pyunik have let the market know Aleksandar Miljković can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.

In brief

71 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Daniil Kulikov 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.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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.

Boardroom

Wages eat 86% of everything Pyunik 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Hakob Hakobyan

“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.

Squad

When it matters, Momo Yansané plays

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.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Đorđe Despotović signs something — a contract at Pyunik or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

68 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Junior Julio 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.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Allan Rodríguez

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Allan Rodríguez, and the manager let it.

In brief

67 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Sargis Metoyan keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Pyunik may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Stanislav Kritsyuk 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Wages eat 88% of everything Pyunik 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.

Squad

When it matters, Momo Yansané plays

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.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Đorđe Despotović signs something — a contract at Pyunik or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

63 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sergiy Vakulenko 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.

Squad

Javi Moreno 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.

Squad

When it matters, Momo Yansané plays

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.

Market

The Đorđe Despotović story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Đorđe Despotović signs something — a contract at Pyunik or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Market

Talks stall between Pyunik and Allan Rodríguez

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

In brief

59 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Pyunik

Daniil Kulikov 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.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

No hiding place for Daniel Aghbalyan

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Aghbalyan, and the manager let it.

In brief

55 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Junior Julio 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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.

Squad

Elijah Martin out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Elijah Martin, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

51 Edition

The Pyunik Chronicle

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

John Guidetti keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Pyunik may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Róbert Mak 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 Pyunik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Pyunik training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sergiy Vakulenko 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.

In brief