From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market5 Mar 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Gonzalo Masuero and Angusht agree another 4 years.
Squad5 Mar 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Mar 2029
The medical room confirms 97 days on the sidelines for Alvis Fertovs, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom5 Mar 2029
The Angusht debt reaches $4.1M
Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.
Market5 Mar 2029
“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.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Tukhan Akhilgov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Feb 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Angusht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market26 Feb 2029
Shaka Zulu 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Feb 2029
63 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Nikolay Kostadinov 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.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Maxim Petrov 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.
Squad26 Feb 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom19 Feb 2029
Pressure builds in the Angusht boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market19 Feb 2029
“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.
Squad19 Feb 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom19 Feb 2029
Wages eat 117% of everything Angusht 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.
Squad19 Feb 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Vladislav Spiridonov and Angusht agree another 3 years.
Squad19 Feb 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Feb 2029
“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.
Market12 Feb 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Angusht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Feb 2029
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad12 Feb 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Kirill Chernyavskiy and Angusht agree another 3 years.
Market12 Feb 2029
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.
Market12 Feb 2029
Vladislav Spiridonov is 19, and Angusht 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom5 Feb 2029
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Market5 Feb 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Market5 Feb 2029
Angusht say no — this time
The offer from Torpedo Moscow for Michalis Patiras was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Boardroom5 Feb 2029
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Market5 Feb 2029
Alexey Andreev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Angusht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad5 Feb 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Feb 2029
125 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market5 Feb 2029
12 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.
Squad5 Feb 2029
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Angusht know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Jan 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad29 Jan 2029
91 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Maxim Petrov 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.
Squad29 Jan 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market29 Jan 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Angusht know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom22 Jan 2029
The scrutiny sharpens at Angusht
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Angusht is running low.
Market22 Jan 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Jan 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom22 Jan 2029
108% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Market22 Jan 2029
He is 18, and nobody at Angusht signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad22 Jan 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Gomlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Jan 2029
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Market15 Jan 2029
He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Squad15 Jan 2029
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Angusht would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market15 Jan 2029
The name of Michalis Patiras keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Tukhan Akhilgov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom8 Jan 2029
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market8 Jan 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom8 Jan 2029
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Market8 Jan 2029
Alexey Andreev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Angusht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad8 Jan 2029
Artem Terentjev 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.
Squad8 Jan 2029
The medical room confirms 30 days on the sidelines for Alexey Andreev, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market8 Jan 2029
“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.
Squad8 Jan 2029
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Angusht has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Squad8 Jan 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Jan 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces1 Jan 2029
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad1 Jan 2029
The medical room confirms 119 days on the sidelines for Abu-Muslim Khamkhoev, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Match30 Dec 2028
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad1 Jan 2029
“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.
Squad1 Jan 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Danil Spodarets trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
5.38 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom25 Dec 2028
The scrutiny sharpens at Angusht
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Angusht is running low.
Market25 Dec 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad25 Dec 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom25 Dec 2028
Wages eat 109% of everything Angusht 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 ratings25 Dec 2028
Marked 7.87 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Angusht had the best player on the pitch.
Player ratings25 Dec 2028
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.
Squad25 Dec 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Maxim Petrov 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.
Match23 Dec 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Nart defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Dec 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
A performance of 9.22 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
A performance of 8.85 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match16 Dec 2028
Astrakhan made Angusht work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad18 Dec 2028
5 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad18 Dec 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tiago Schiulaz, and the manager let it.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Maxim Tarasov knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Maxim Tarasov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market11 Dec 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom11 Dec 2028
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Market11 Dec 2028
Alexey Andreev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Angusht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad11 Dec 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match9 Dec 2028
Sochi 2 left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad11 Dec 2028
The medical room confirms 58 days on the sidelines for Alexey Andreev, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad11 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Shaka Zulu
“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.
Market11 Dec 2028
“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.
Player ratings11 Dec 2028
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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom4 Dec 2028
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market4 Dec 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
The terraces4 Dec 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad4 Dec 2028
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings4 Dec 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.79, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings4 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Gomlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom27 Nov 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market27 Nov 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings27 Nov 2028
Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings27 Nov 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.94, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match25 Nov 2028
Pobeda made Angusht work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings27 Nov 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.40, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom27 Nov 2028
Wages eat 109% of everything Angusht 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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tukhan Akhilgov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market20 Nov 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Danil Spodarets was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad20 Nov 2028
The manager makes an example of Danil Spodarets
“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.
Match18 Nov 2028
0‑1 to Spartak Nalchik, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The terraces20 Nov 2028
Everybody has an opinion about Danil Spodarets
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.
Market20 Nov 2028
The name of Michalis Patiras keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
A mark of 5.57 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Nov 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Boardroom13 Nov 2028
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Marked 9.22 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Shaka Zulu 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.
Match11 Nov 2028
It needed Gonzalo Masuero to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Druzhba, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad13 Nov 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
A mark of 5.12 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match4 Nov 2028
0‑6 to Rostov 2, 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.
Boardroom6 Nov 2028
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Match6 Nov 2028
Angusht are in real trouble now
Position 11, 15 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market6 Nov 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The terraces6 Nov 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Danil Spodarets 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.
Squad6 Nov 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom6 Nov 2028
Nobody left the Angusht 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.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Maxim Tarasov lets one through his hands
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom30 Oct 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Match28 Oct 2028
A 4‑3 win over Legion, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad30 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings30 Oct 2028
A performance of 9.28 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings30 Oct 2028
A performance of 9.08 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings30 Oct 2028
Marked 8.85 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings30 Oct 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.54, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom30 Oct 2028
116% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Maxim Tarasov lets one through his hands
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market23 Oct 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Match21 Oct 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Kuban Holding defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Market23 Oct 2028
The name of Michalis Patiras keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
A mark of 5.76 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market16 Oct 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom16 Oct 2028
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
There were 6 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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Oct 2028
The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Tukhan Akhilgov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings16 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings16 Oct 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings16 Oct 2028
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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tiago Schiulaz, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match9 Oct 2028
Every point is an argument now for Angusht
Position 12 and 10 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.
Market9 Oct 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Marat Abiken 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.
Squad9 Oct 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Tukhan Akhilgov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market9 Oct 2028
The name of Artem Terentjev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom2 Oct 2028
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Nikolay Klimov has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
Boardroom2 Oct 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market2 Oct 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Oct 2028
Artem Terentjev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
Marked 9.11 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match30 Sep 2028
Dinamo Stavropol made Angusht work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Boardroom2 Oct 2028
106% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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 ratings2 Oct 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match23 Sep 2028
15 matches without a win for Angusht
The run now stands at 15, and the questions being asked around Angusht are no longer polite ones.
Market25 Sep 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Match23 Sep 2028
A bad afternoon for Angusht against Nart
0‑1 to Nart, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings25 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad25 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Abu-Muslim Khamkhoev, and the manager let it.
Squad25 Sep 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Maxim Tarasov knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings25 Sep 2028
5.23 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Market25 Sep 2028
The name of Michalis Patiras keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match16 Sep 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
14 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.
Market18 Sep 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom18 Sep 2028
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Player ratings18 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Sep 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Sep 2028
51 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings18 Sep 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.80, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Tarasov, and the manager let it.
Match16 Sep 2028
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match9 Sep 2028
13 matches without a win for Angusht
The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Angusht are no longer polite ones.
Match11 Sep 2028
Angusht are in real trouble now
Position 11, 6 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market11 Sep 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad11 Sep 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match9 Sep 2028
A bad afternoon for Angusht against Sochi 2
0‑2 to Sochi 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vladimir Gomlenko, and the manager let it.
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
5.48 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Sep 2028
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
12 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
Market4 Sep 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad4 Sep 2028
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
A performance of 8.58 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
Wages eat 98% of everything Angusht 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.
Squad4 Sep 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Maxim Tarasov knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Match2 Sep 2028
A 1‑1 draw with Rubin Yalta leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad4 Sep 2028
The manager makes an example of Tiago Schiulaz
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Aug 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
11 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.
Market28 Aug 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad28 Aug 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Aug 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings28 Aug 2028
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match26 Aug 2028
A 1‑1 draw with Pobeda leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad28 Aug 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad28 Aug 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Angusht have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Player ratings28 Aug 2028
Shots: 5. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Aug 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
10 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.
Match16 Aug 2028
The cup run ends for Angusht
0‑1 against Metallurg, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Market21 Aug 2028
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom21 Aug 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
The terraces21 Aug 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 7 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad21 Aug 2028
There were 6 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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad21 Aug 2028
The manager makes an example of Danil Spodarets
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Aug 2028
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
Market14 Aug 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Artem Terentjev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings14 Aug 2028
A performance of 8.99 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings14 Aug 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match12 Aug 2028
It needed Michalis Patiras to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Druzhba, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Market14 Aug 2028
“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.
Squad14 Aug 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Angusht have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Aug 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
7 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market7 Aug 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Angusht may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Match5 Aug 2028
0‑1 to Rostov 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings7 Aug 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market7 Aug 2028
“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.
Boardroom7 Aug 2028
89% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Jul 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match29 Jul 2028
6 matches without a win for Angusht
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Angusht are no longer polite ones.
Player ratings31 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 Jul 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 Jul 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shaka Zulu, and the manager let it.
Player ratings31 Jul 2028
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 ratings31 Jul 2028
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.
Squad31 Jul 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match29 Jul 2028
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Legion will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Jul 2028
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom24 Jul 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Match22 Jul 2028
The wait goes on for Angusht
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.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Danil Spodarets was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Artem Terentjev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market24 Jul 2028
Angusht bring in an old head
Marat Abiken is 35 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 13 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad24 Jul 2028
The manager makes an example of Rasul Bidjilov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 Jul 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match15 Jul 2028
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings17 Jul 2028
Shaka Zulu runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market17 Jul 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market17 Jul 2028
The shirt still fits. Timur Lapin is back at Angusht, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market17 Jul 2028
The shirt still fits. Dmitri Grigoryev is back at Angusht, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad17 Jul 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Jul 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Tarasov, and the manager let it.
Match15 Jul 2028
It needed Rasul Bidjilov to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Sevastopol, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Jul 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom10 Jul 2028
91% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Squad10 Jul 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Gomlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market10 Jul 2028
The name of Artem Terentjev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Market10 Jul 2028
Angusht have made Archil Mchedlidze available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom3 Jul 2028
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market3 Jul 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Anatoly Anisimov and Angusht agree another 3 years.
Squad3 Jul 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market3 Jul 2028
“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 Jul 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Michalis Patiras signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market26 Jun 2028
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Jun 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Squad26 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Squad26 Jun 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jun 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad19 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market19 Jun 2028
He is 19, and nobody at Angusht signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market19 Jun 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gonzalo Masuero signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market19 Jun 2028
The clock does Archil Mchedlidze’s negotiating for him
1 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Angusht could ask drops and the wages Archil Mchedlidze can ask rise.
Squad19 Jun 2028
A new face in his position, and Danil Spodarets suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Angusht have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jun 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Danil Spodarets 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.
Boardroom12 Jun 2028
Wages eat 92% of everything Angusht 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.
Market12 Jun 2028
He is 18, and nobody at Angusht signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad12 Jun 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Artem Terentjev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market12 Jun 2028
At 36, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market5 Jun 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market5 Jun 2028
“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.
Squad5 Jun 2028
Artem Terentjev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market5 Jun 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Michalis Patiras signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom29 May 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market29 May 2028
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 May 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom29 May 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Squad29 May 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market29 May 2028
The name of Maxim Tarasov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 May 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 May 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 May 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Squad22 May 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Gomlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market22 May 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gonzalo Masuero signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market22 May 2028
The clock does Archil Mchedlidze’s negotiating for him
2 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Angusht could ask drops and the wages Archil Mchedlidze can ask rise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 May 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad15 May 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom15 May 2028
97% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Squad15 May 2028
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Angusht would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Squad15 May 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market15 May 2028
The name of Artem Terentjev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom8 May 2028
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market8 May 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 May 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 May 2028
37 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market8 May 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Michalis Patiras signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad8 May 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Archil Mchedlidze trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom1 May 2028
Pressure builds in the Angusht boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market1 May 2028
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 May 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom1 May 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Squad1 May 2028
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Angusht would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market1 May 2028
The name of Maxim Tarasov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Market1 May 2028
2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Angusht money.
Boardroom1 May 2028
A squad written off a fortnight ago has closed ranks. Whatever was said behind that door, it has held so far.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Apr 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Apr 2028
“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; Angusht are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Rokas Dapkus 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.
Squad24 Apr 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market24 Apr 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gonzalo Masuero signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market24 Apr 2028
3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Angusht could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Apr 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom17 Apr 2028
95% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Artem Terentjev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market17 Apr 2028
The name of Artem Terentjev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Market17 Apr 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Vladimir Gomlenko may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Apr 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad10 Apr 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
Nikolay Klimov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Angusht can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
Pressure builds in the Angusht boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market3 Apr 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad3 Apr 2028
28 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Squad3 Apr 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Gomlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market3 Apr 2028
The name of Maxim Tarasov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad3 Apr 2028
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Aliskhan Akhilgov is 37, with 29 appearances behind him, and Angusht will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Mar 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Mar 2028
16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad27 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market27 Mar 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gonzalo Masuero signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market27 Mar 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Franco Saucedo may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 Mar 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“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; Angusht are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Boardroom20 Mar 2028
101% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Loan watch20 Mar 2028
“I did not go to Tver to sit and watch. I want to come back to Angusht and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 37 matches say the rest.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Mar 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad13 Mar 2028
29 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Artem Terentjev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Market6 Mar 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Angusht
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad6 Mar 2028
The medical room confirms 56 days on the sidelines for Lindokuhle Mthimkulu, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad6 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Shaka Zulu and Angusht agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Artem Terentjev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market6 Mar 2028
The name of Maxim Tarasov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market28 Feb 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gonzalo Masuero signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market28 Feb 2028
The window shut and Archil Mchedlidze is still in the building
Angusht spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
Market28 Feb 2028
4 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Angusht could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom21 Feb 2028
Wages eat 102% of everything Angusht 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.
Loan watch21 Feb 2028
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Angusht, and 1 appearances in 33 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Gomlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Feb 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad14 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market14 Feb 2028
Modestas Mikoliunas is 19, and Angusht 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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vladimir Gomlenko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market14 Feb 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Michalis Patiras signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market14 Feb 2028
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Feb 2028
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
The scrutiny sharpens at Angusht
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Angusht is running low.
Squad7 Feb 2028
84 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Jan 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad31 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market31 Jan 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gonzalo Masuero signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Jan 2028
“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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom24 Jan 2028
Wages eat 96% of everything Angusht 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.
Loan watch24 Jan 2028
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Angusht, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Franco Saucedo knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Franco Saucedo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market24 Jan 2028
The name of Artem Terentjev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Jan 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 Jan 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Franco Saucedo 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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market17 Jan 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Michalis Patiras signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market17 Jan 2028
Angusht have let the market know Archil Mchedlidze can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Jan 2028
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad10 Jan 2028
113 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom10 Jan 2028
Angusht counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Angusht now.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market10 Jan 2028
The name of Maxim Tarasov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Jan 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad3 Jan 2028
An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Angusht have had the benefit of it.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Match1 Jan 2028
0‑1 to Dinamo Stavropol, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Shaka Zulu 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 ratings3 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Dec 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.
Squad27 Dec 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
A defender's afternoon for Maxim Noskov
Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Boardroom27 Dec 2027
Wages eat 97% of everything Angusht 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.
Loan watch27 Dec 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Angusht, and 0 appearances in 25 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad27 Dec 2027
3 goals and a season average of 7.21. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market20 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“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; Angusht are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Maxim Noskov 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.
Match18 Dec 2027
0‑1 to Astrakhan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad20 Dec 2027
4 goals and a season average of 7.39. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
Marked 5.35, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Market20 Dec 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Michalis Patiras’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market13 Dec 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.
Squad13 Dec 2027
142 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Match11 Dec 2027
Angusht make it 3 in a row
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Angusht have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad13 Dec 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad13 Dec 2027
A season average of 7.42 with 10 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Boardroom13 Dec 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
A performance of 9.51 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match11 Dec 2027
Three points for Angusht, 1‑0 the final word against Sochi 2 in a contest settled by the finer margins.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market6 Dec 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.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Marked 9.16 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match4 Dec 2027
It finished 2‑1, and it was Michalis Patiras’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Angusht.
Squad6 Dec 2027
A season average of 7.36 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.82, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Archil Mchedlidze, and the manager let it.
Squad6 Dec 2027
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Angusht have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Market6 Dec 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Gonzalo Masuero’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market29 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Artem Terentjev 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.
Squad29 Nov 2027
15 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Match27 Nov 2027
Pobeda made Angusht work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
A performance of 9.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad29 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Maxim Tarasov
“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 ratings29 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.32, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom29 Nov 2027
98% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Nov 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 Nov 2027
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Marked 8.79 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad22 Nov 2027
A season average of 7.31 with 8 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad22 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Franco Saucedo
“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.
Match20 Nov 2027
A 1‑1 draw with Spartak Nalchik leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market22 Nov 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Michalis Patiras’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Nov 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Nov 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.
Squad15 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom15 Nov 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.85, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Defensive actions: 20, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Match13 Nov 2027
Three points for Angusht, 1‑0 the final word against Druzhba in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vladimir Gomlenko, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 Nov 2027
Every point is an argument now for Angusht
Position 11 and 15 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.
Market8 Nov 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad8 Nov 2027
There were 6 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.
Match6 Nov 2027
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Amin Zhangurazov: 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.” Angusht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match6 Nov 2027
Gonzalo Masuero scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑3 to Rostov 2, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Nov 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match30 Oct 2027
The wait goes on for Angusht
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.
Squad1 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
“I watch every Angusht game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Tver runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Marked 8.68 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Noskov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.29, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Oct 2027
There were 10 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.
Market25 Oct 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad25 Oct 2027
A season average of 7.24 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match23 Oct 2027
A 1‑1 draw with Kuban Holding leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market25 Oct 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Michalis Patiras’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market18 Oct 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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Squad18 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom18 Oct 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Match16 Oct 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Franco Saucedo asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
5.41 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Oct 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Angusht may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad11 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market4 Oct 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.
Squad4 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match2 Oct 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.85, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Shaka Zulu
“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.
Loan watch4 Oct 2027
“I did not go to Tver to sit and watch. I want to come back to Angusht and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
Wages eat 93% of everything Angusht 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.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Maxim Tarasov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Sep 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Match25 Sep 2027
It finished 3‑2, and it was Vladimir Gomlenko’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Angusht.
Squad27 Sep 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Maxim Tarasov knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Marked 8.92 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.82, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Archil Mchedlidze, and the manager let it.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Michalis Patiras
3 goals and a season average of 7.24 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Market27 Sep 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Michalis Patiras’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market20 Sep 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Tukhan Akhilgov: 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.” Angusht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match18 Sep 2027
The wait goes on for Angusht
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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom20 Sep 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Match18 Sep 2027
Astrakhan left with the points after a 2‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.04, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.75 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market13 Sep 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.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Match11 Sep 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Maxim Tarasov
“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 ratings13 Sep 2027
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.
Market13 Sep 2027
The name of Maxim Tarasov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market6 Sep 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The medical room confirms 36 days on the sidelines for Maxim Noskov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad6 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch6 Sep 2027
“I watch every Angusht game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Tver runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Match4 Sep 2027
0‑1 to Rubin Yalta, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Shaka Zulu 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.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
92% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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 ratings6 Sep 2027
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.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Match28 Aug 2027
Still nobody has beaten Angusht
The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
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.
Match28 Aug 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Pobeda will be the happier side with the point.
Market30 Aug 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Michalis Patiras’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 10. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match18 Aug 2027
Angusht out of the cup
Znamya Truda ended it 0‑0. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Market23 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match21 Aug 2027
Still nobody has beaten Angusht
The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Marked 9.32 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
A performance of 9.05 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Franco Saucedo 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.
Match21 Aug 2027
Three points for Angusht, 2‑0 the final word against Spartak Nalchik in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Aug 2027
3‑0, and Gonzalo Masuero took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Angusht tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Market16 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Angusht can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad16 Aug 2027
“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; Angusht are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.10, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Marked 8.91 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad16 Aug 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match7 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Angusht's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Angusht has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad9 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Aliskhan Akhilgov commits to Angusht for another 2 years.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.45, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Maxim Tarasov lets one through his hands
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Loan watch9 Aug 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Angusht, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Boardroom9 Aug 2027
Wages eat 87% of everything Angusht 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match31 Jul 2027
4 matches without a win for Angusht
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Angusht are no longer polite ones.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Aliskhan Akhilgov commits to Angusht for another 2 years.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
Marked 8.94 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.70 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Maxim Tarasov
“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 ratings2 Aug 2027
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.
Squad2 Aug 2027
15 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Match31 Jul 2027
It needed Aman Babakhanov to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Legion, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Jul 2027
There were 10 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.
Squad26 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
Marked 8.76 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
A performance of 8.73 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.16, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Shaka Zulu 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.
Match24 Jul 2027
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Boardroom26 Jul 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Market19 Jul 2027
The shirt still fits. Radomir Arsenyev is back at Angusht, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market19 Jul 2027
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Dmitry Aksyonov is a Angusht player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market19 Jul 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Anatoly Anisimov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
A performance of 8.56 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
A performance of 8.36 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom12 Jul 2027
106% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Market12 Jul 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Angusht, another week without a signature from Artem Terentjev.
Squad12 Jul 2027
This league is too small for Maxim Noskov
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Angusht will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Squad12 Jul 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Artem Terentjev keeps the shirt for now, at Angusht's convenience rather than his own.
Market12 Jul 2027
The Shaka Zulu story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Shaka Zulu signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 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.
Squad5 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 Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market5 Jul 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Angusht, another week without a signature from Anatoly Anisimov.
Market5 Jul 2027
The name of Gonzalo Masuero keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Angusht say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Rokas Dapkus is 36, with 2 appearances behind him, and Angusht will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom28 Jun 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Market28 Jun 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Angusht will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Maxim Tarasov 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 Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market28 Jun 2027
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Angusht has been clear about where Abdullah Dorsigov stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market28 Jun 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Artem Terentjev signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Jun 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Artem Terentjev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market21 Jun 2027
Experience through the door at Angusht
Rokas Dapkus arrives at 36 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Jun 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Squad14 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom14 Jun 2027
116% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad31 May 2027
Gonzalo Masuero 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.
Loan watch31 May 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Angusht, and 1 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Boardroom31 May 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 May 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Market24 May 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Artem Terentjev’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad24 May 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Angusht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad17 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom17 May 2027
126% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Market17 May 2027
The Shaka Zulu story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Shaka Zulu signs something — a contract at Angusht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad10 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market10 May 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Angusht, another week without a signature from Artem Terentjev.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad3 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Angusht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artem Terentjev, and the manager let it.
Market3 May 2027
“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.
Loan watch3 May 2027
“I watch every Angusht game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Irkutsk runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Boardroom3 May 2027
The numbers do not look good at Angusht
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.
Market3 May 2027
12 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Apr 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Artem Terentjev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market26 Apr 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Artem Terentjev’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Apr 2027
Anatoly Anisimov 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.
Boardroom19 Apr 2027
147% of the income goes out in wages at Angusht
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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anatoly Anisimov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Apr 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 Angusht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Angusht know it.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Gonzalo Masuero 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.