Marked for Anton Yashkov
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom8 Mar 2027
Denys Harmash has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Kudrivka can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Anton Yashkov commits to Kudrivka for another 2 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Kudrivka
Oleksandr Bieliaiev 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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Match6 Mar 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Words at Kudrivka training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Yevhen Smyrnyi 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 dugout8 Mar 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Denys Harmash to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
A promise honoured at Kudrivka
Something was said to Artem Macheliuk and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
The dugout8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Valerii Rohozynskyi, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The terraces22 Feb 2027
Supporters organise against the Kudrivka board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Market22 Feb 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 The request is on a desk at Kudrivka, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“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.
Squad22 Feb 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 Kudrivka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Kaya Makosso 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.
Match21 Feb 2027
0‑2 to Shakhtar, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market22 Feb 2027
Add another name to the list: Kryvbas have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Kyrylo Lavuta. The answer from Kudrivka has not changed — yet.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
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.
Market11 Jan 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 Kudrivka, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“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.
Match9 Jan 2027
No end in sight to Kudrivka's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kudrivka has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad11 Jan 2027
At 18 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Words exchanged at Kudrivka
Oleksandr Bieliaiev 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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Words at Kudrivka training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Kaya Makosso 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 dugout11 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oleksandr Bieliaiev, and the manager let it.
Match9 Jan 2027
Kudrivka rescue it on 89 minutes
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 89. Kryvbas had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Kudrivka's wait for a win
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kudrivka has to find a result from somewhere.
Match2 Nov 2026
Kudrivka sink to position 16
4 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match31 Oct 2026
0‑3 to Shakhtar, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
The terraces2 Nov 2026
The mood at Kudrivka 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.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Kudrivka may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Yevhen Smyrnyi 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 dugout2 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anton Yashkov, and the manager let it.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Kudrivka 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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Kaya Makosso is no longer first choice
The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Kaya Makosso has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Oct 2026
10 matches without a win for Kudrivka
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Kudrivka are no longer polite ones.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Kudrivka may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words at Kudrivka training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Kaya Makosso 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.
Squad26 Oct 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 Kudrivka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Kaya Makosso
“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.
Match24 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Denys Harmash to a room that had heard them before.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
A promise honoured at Kudrivka
Something was said to Artur Dumaniuk and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Oct 2026
Chastening afternoon for Kudrivka
A 0‑4 beating by Dynamo Kyiv was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Match3 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Kudrivka
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.
Match5 Oct 2026
Every point is an argument now for Kudrivka
Position 14 and 4 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Kaya Makosso 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.
Squad5 Oct 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 Kudrivka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Serhii Sten, and the manager let it.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Nobody left the Kudrivka 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Sep 2026
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match26 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Kudrivka's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kudrivka has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Kaya Makosso 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 Kudrivka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Yevhen Smyrnyi 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.
Match26 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Kudrivka against Obolon
1‑2 to Obolon, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
Kaya Makosso 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.
Squad28 Sep 2026
100 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Denys Harmash after 1‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Looking ahead28 Sep 2026
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Yevhen Smyrnyi’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Kudrivka needing him to play as if none of it matters.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Sep 2026
Beaten 1‑4 by Polissia, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match19 Sep 2026
6 matches without a win for Kudrivka
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Kudrivka are no longer polite ones.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Kudrivka
Kaya Makosso and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Bohdan Romaniuk is 18, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Kudrivka
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Yevhen Smyrnyi was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets21 Sep 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Corinthians have kept their man, and Kudrivka go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Dmytro Semenov
“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.
Boardroom21 Sep 2026
Nobody left the Kudrivka 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.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑4, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kudrivka can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Denys Nahnoinyi pops up at the right end — 7.40
7.40, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Kudrivka
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kaya Makosso was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Pogon have kept their man, and Kudrivka go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Kudrivka
Yevhenii Pasich 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.
Match22 Aug 2026
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artem Liehostaiev, and the manager let it.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Denys Harmash after 1‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Kaya Makosso and Kudrivka agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Kudrivka
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kaya Makosso was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad3 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 Kudrivka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match1 Aug 2026
A bad afternoon for Kudrivka against Kolos
0‑2 to Kolos, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Anton Yashkov
“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.
Market3 Aug 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market3 Aug 2026
49 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.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Too much change too quickly at Kudrivka
12 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.