From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Nov 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
36 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Boardroom27 Nov 2028
The numbers do not look good at Irkutsk
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.
Match25 Nov 2028
3-3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Boardroom27 Nov 2028
90% of the income goes out in wages at Irkutsk
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.
Squad27 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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Andrey Lomash 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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Market27 Nov 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market27 Nov 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Andrey Bondar may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Nov 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
35 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Market20 Nov 2028
Andrey Lomash 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces20 Nov 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Deklan De Vries: 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.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match18 Nov 2028
Beaten 1-3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad20 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.
Squad20 Nov 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Market20 Nov 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market20 Nov 2028
Irkutsk have made Arseny Lavrentjev available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match11 Nov 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
34 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Match13 Nov 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 7 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.
Market13 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.
Market13 Nov 2028
Timur Alenin has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Irkutsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad13 Nov 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.
Match11 Nov 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Cherepovets defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad13 Nov 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.
Market13 Nov 2028
The name of Andrey Lomash keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Market13 Nov 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
Crisis
Match4 Nov 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
33 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Match4 Nov 2028
Beaten 2-5 by Spartak Moscow 2, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Boardroom6 Nov 2028
Foma Mikhaylov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Irkutsk can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Boardroom6 Nov 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Irkutsk
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market6 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad6 Nov 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Yegor Perevoznikov commits to Irkutsk for another 4 years.
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
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Beaten 5 times, with 3 saves for company. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines on their record whoever actually caused them, which is the quiet injustice of the job.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Oct 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
32 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Market30 Oct 2028
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom30 Oct 2028
The numbers do not look good at Irkutsk
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.
Match28 Oct 2028
Saturn left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad30 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.
Boardroom30 Oct 2028
Wages eat 85% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Market30 Oct 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Marcelo González 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.
Market30 Oct 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Andrey Bondar may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match21 Oct 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
31 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
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
“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.
Match21 Oct 2028
A 1-1 draw with Kolomna leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad23 Oct 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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Oct 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
30 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Match16 Oct 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 5 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.
Market16 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.
Market16 Oct 2028
Timur Alenin has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Irkutsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match14 Oct 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Chertanovo defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Every debut is a small story about the future: Aleksey Demidov, 18 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market16 Oct 2028
The name of Andrey Lomash keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad16 Oct 2028
The selectors could not leave Reece Cutajar out
6.69 across ninety minutes and a place in the division's team of the week. He was the best player on that pitch and everybody there knew it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match7 Oct 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
29 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 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.
Squad9 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.
Squad9 Oct 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.
Match7 Oct 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Zenit 2 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
Crisis
Match30 Sep 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
28 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Market2 Oct 2028
Andrey Bondar 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom2 Oct 2028
The numbers do not look good at Irkutsk
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.
Match30 Sep 2028
Luki-Energiya left with the points after a 2-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Boardroom2 Oct 2028
86% of the income goes out in wages at Irkutsk
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.
Squad2 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.
Squad2 Oct 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad2 Oct 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Market2 Oct 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match23 Sep 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
27 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Market25 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.
Squad25 Sep 2028
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The terraces25 Sep 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.
Match23 Sep 2028
A bad afternoon for Irkutsk against Zvezda
0-1 to Zvezda, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad25 Sep 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match16 Sep 2028
26 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 26, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Match18 Sep 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 3 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.
Market18 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.
Market18 Sep 2028
Timur Alenin has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Irkutsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad18 Sep 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.
Match16 Sep 2028
Irkutsk share the spoils with Tver
A 2-2 draw with Tver leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad18 Sep 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad18 Sep 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.
Market18 Sep 2028
The name of Andrey Lomash keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 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.
Squad11 Sep 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.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Andrey Lomash 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
Crisis
Match2 Sep 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
25 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Match2 Sep 2028
0-3 to Dinamo Vologda, 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.
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.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
Squad4 Sep 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.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
Wages eat 86% of everything Irkutsk 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
“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.
Market4 Sep 2028
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match26 Aug 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
24 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Market28 Aug 2028
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Match26 Aug 2028
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
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.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market28 Aug 2028
The name of Lautaro Vázquez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Aug 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
23 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Match16 Aug 2028
Irkutsk bow out of the cup
Volna go through and Irkutsk go home, 2-3 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Market21 Aug 2028
Andrey Lomash 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market21 Aug 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match19 Aug 2028
1-3 to Baltika 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad21 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.
Squad21 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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Aug 2028
21 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 21, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
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
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match12 Aug 2028
Irkutsk and Kosmos cancel each other out
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Kosmos came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market14 Aug 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Andrey Lomash named in the team of the week
A rating of 6.72 was enough for the selectors, and nobody who watched the match is going to argue with them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Aug 2028
20 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 20, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market7 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.
The terraces7 Aug 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Boardroom7 Aug 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
Match5 Aug 2028
Yenisey 2 left with the points after a 1-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
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.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Every debut is a small story about the future: Shota Kvilitaia, 18 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Squad7 Aug 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market7 Aug 2028
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match29 Jul 2028
19 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 19, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
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.
Squad31 Jul 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.
Match29 Jul 2028
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Cherepovets will be the happier side with the point.
Squad31 Jul 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.
Market31 Jul 2028
The name of Lautaro Vázquez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Jul 2028
18 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 18, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market24 Jul 2028
Andrey Lomash 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market24 Jul 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match22 Jul 2028
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market24 Jul 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Andrey Lomash wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Andrey Lomash has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Irkutsk know, and have known for weeks.
Squad24 Jul 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.
Market24 Jul 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Valery Skvortsov moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Jul 2028
17 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 17, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market17 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.
Market17 Jul 2028
The shirt still fits. Roman Baranov is back at Irkutsk, 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. Aleksandr Ustinov is back at Irkutsk, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
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.
Match15 Jul 2028
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market10 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.
Boardroom10 Jul 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
Squad10 Jul 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
Crisis
Match3 Jul 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 21 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.
Market3 Jul 2028
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom26 Jun 2028
Pressure builds in the Irkutsk boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market26 Jun 2028
Andrey Lomash 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Market26 Jun 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market26 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.
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.
Market26 Jun 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market19 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.
Market19 Jun 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.
Squad19 Jun 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market19 Jun 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The terraces19 Jun 2028
Supporters make their feelings known about Lautaro Vázquez
The speculation has reached the stands, and the stands have answered. Irkutsk would like this settled before it becomes the only thing anybody asks about.
Market19 Jun 2028
Two seats in the directors' box were spoken for, and the name in the notebook was Lautaro Vázquez. Nothing has been offered yet.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Jun 2028
Tristan Vella 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom12 Jun 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
Squad12 Jun 2028
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Deklan De Vries, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market12 Jun 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.
Market12 Jun 2028
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad12 Jun 2028
A new face in his position, and Dmitry Ikovanyuk suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Irkutsk have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Jun 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 21 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.
Squad5 Jun 2028
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Szymon Pankiewicz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad5 Jun 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.
Market5 Jun 2028
Shota Kvilitaia is 18, and Irkutsk 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.
Market5 Jun 2028
He is 17, and nobody at Irkutsk signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Shota Kvilitaia and Irkutsk agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom29 May 2028
Pressure builds in the Irkutsk boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market29 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad29 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market22 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.
Squad22 May 2028
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Victor Hernandez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad22 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
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
“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.
Boardroom15 May 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 May 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 21 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.
Boardroom8 May 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.
Squad8 May 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Szymon Pankiewicz commits to Irkutsk for another 4 years.
Squad8 May 2028
The medical room confirms 32 days on the sidelines for Denis Kuzin, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market8 May 2028
The name of Danila Molodnyakov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad8 May 2028
Denis Dragan 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
Crisis
Boardroom1 May 2028
Pressure builds in the Irkutsk boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market1 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad1 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Lautaro Vázquez
“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.
Market1 May 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad1 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
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 given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom24 Apr 2028
Wages eat 89% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Market24 Apr 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 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.
Boardroom17 Apr 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Andrey Lomash 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match10 Apr 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 21 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.
Squad10 Apr 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.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Andrey Lomash asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Irkutsk
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market3 Apr 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad3 Apr 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.
Market3 Apr 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market3 Apr 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
Market27 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.
Boardroom27 Mar 2028
Wages eat 93% of everything Irkutsk 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 Mar 2028
Andrey Bondar 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Denis Dragan: 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.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Loan watch20 Mar 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 Irkutsk, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Boardroom20 Mar 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
Market20 Mar 2028
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Market20 Mar 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Deklan De Vries may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Mar 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 21 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.
Market13 Mar 2028
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Mar 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.
Market13 Mar 2028
The name of Danila Molodnyakov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Market13 Mar 2028
9 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Deklan De Vries asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Mar 2028
Linas Valskis 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Irkutsk
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
“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.
Market6 Mar 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Adrian Ziarek and Irkutsk agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market6 Mar 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Feb 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 Feb 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market28 Feb 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Irkutsk will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Boardroom28 Feb 2028
Wages eat 87% of everything Irkutsk earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Andrey Lomash 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.
Market28 Feb 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Feb 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.
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 Irkutsk, and 0 appearances in 25 say he has earned the hearing.
Boardroom21 Feb 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Feb 2028
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 15, 21 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.
Market14 Feb 2028
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Market14 Feb 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad14 Feb 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.
Squad14 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market14 Feb 2028
The name of Danila Molodnyakov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match5 Feb 2028
16 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 16, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market7 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Irkutsk
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market7 Feb 2028
The name of Timur Alenin has come up in conversations Irkutsk were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match5 Feb 2028
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Kolomna came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Squad7 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market7 Feb 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market7 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
Crisis
Match29 Jan 2028
15 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 15, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Match29 Jan 2028
Chertanovo left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad31 Jan 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.
Boardroom31 Jan 2028
Wages eat 87% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Squad31 Jan 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.
Market31 Jan 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Jan 2028
14 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market24 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Jan 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.
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 Irkutsk, and 0 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
Match22 Jan 2028
A 1-1 draw with Zenit 2 leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Boardroom24 Jan 2028
Irkutsk counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Irkutsk now.
Market24 Jan 2028
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad24 Jan 2028
At 24 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Irkutsk are won quietly and lost loudly.
Squad24 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Jan 2028
13 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Match17 Jan 2028
Irkutsk sink to position 14
19 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match15 Jan 2028
Luki-Energiya left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Fedor Motovilov
“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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Artem Albastov 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market17 Jan 2028
The name of Danila Molodnyakov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Jan 2028
12 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market10 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.
Squad10 Jan 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.
Match8 Jan 2028
A 1-1 draw with Zvezda leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market10 Jan 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Lautaro Vázquez may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Lautaro Vázquez wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Lautaro Vázquez has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Irkutsk know, and have known for weeks.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match1 Jan 2028
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
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
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Danila Molodnyakov and Irkutsk agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Jan 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.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
87% of the income goes out in wages at Irkutsk
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
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.
Loan watch27 Dec 2027
“I did not go to Pobeda to sit and watch. I want to come back to Irkutsk and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Boardroom27 Dec 2027
The numbers do not look good at Irkutsk
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.
Squad27 Dec 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market27 Dec 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market27 Dec 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match18 Dec 2027
10 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Match20 Dec 2027
Irkutsk sink to position 13
17 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad20 Dec 2027
40 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad20 Dec 2027
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Yegor Belyaev will call it something else in private.
Squad20 Dec 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.
Match18 Dec 2027
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Dinamo Vologda came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match11 Dec 2027
9 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market13 Dec 2027
Andrey Bondar 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Dec 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.
Match11 Dec 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Torpedo Vladimir defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad13 Dec 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.
Market13 Dec 2027
Irkutsk have made Lautaro Vázquez available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match4 Dec 2027
8 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
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.
Match4 Dec 2027
Beaten 2-3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad6 Dec 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.
Squad6 Dec 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Artem Albastov knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
Wages eat 88% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
Irkutsk sign a deal worth $9.6K a year
Commercial news is the news nobody sings about and everything else is paid for with. The board will call it a partnership; the accountants will call it the difference between this squad and a smaller one.
Market6 Dec 2027
The name of Arseny Lavrentjev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad6 Dec 2027
It is a strip of cloth and it decides nothing on a Saturday. It still tells the dressing room exactly whose opinion the manager values, which is the whole point of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Nov 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match27 Nov 2027
7 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Squad29 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Yegor Belyaev
“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 watch29 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Pobeda to sit and watch. I want to come back to Irkutsk and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Match27 Nov 2027
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Boardroom29 Nov 2027
The numbers do not look good at Irkutsk
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
Match22 Nov 2027
Irkutsk sink to position 14
14 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match20 Nov 2027
6 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Squad22 Nov 2027
The medical room confirms 69 days on the sidelines for Adrian Ziarek, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match20 Nov 2027
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Andrey Lomash 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market22 Nov 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Nov 2027
Andrey Bondar 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Match13 Nov 2027
5 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Match13 Nov 2027
A 1-1 draw with Cherepovets leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad15 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.
Squad15 Nov 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Yegor Belyaev 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
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
Ionut Balasa: 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.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match6 Nov 2027
4 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Match6 Nov 2027
0-2 to Spartak Moscow 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
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.
Boardroom8 Nov 2027
89% of the income goes out in wages at Irkutsk
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
Crisis
Market1 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.
Match30 Oct 2027
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad1 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.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Pobeda to sit and watch. I want to come back to Irkutsk and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
Boardroom1 Nov 2027
The numbers do not look good at Irkutsk
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.
Market1 Nov 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Oct 2027
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 13, 12 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.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad25 Oct 2027
The medical room confirms 97 days on the sidelines for Adrian Ziarek, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match16 Oct 2027
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad18 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Prosper Ibekwe
“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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Artem Albastov 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match6 Oct 2027
The cup run ends for Irkutsk
0-4 against Krasnodar, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Market11 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.
Match9 Oct 2027
A 1-0 win over Zenit 2, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad11 Oct 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.
Boardroom11 Oct 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Beaten 4 times, with 5 saves for company. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines on their record whoever actually caused them, which is the quiet injustice of the job.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Loan watch4 Oct 2027
“I did not go to Pobeda to sit and watch. I want to come back to Irkutsk and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Artem Albastov
“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.
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
The numbers do not look good at Irkutsk
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.
Match2 Oct 2027
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Luki-Energiya came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market4 Oct 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces27 Sep 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 26 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad27 Sep 2027
128 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad27 Sep 2027
16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match25 Sep 2027
Zvezda left with the points after a 1-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad27 Sep 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.
Squad27 Sep 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match20 Sep 2027
Irkutsk are in real trouble now
Position 13, 7 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.
Match18 Sep 2027
Three points for Irkutsk, 1-0 the final word against Tver in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Market20 Sep 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Irkutsk will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad20 Sep 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.
Squad20 Sep 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Market20 Sep 2027
The name of Andrey Lomash keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Sep 2027
The name of Timur Alenin has come up in conversations Irkutsk were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market13 Sep 2027
The name of Arseny Lavrentjev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Market13 Sep 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Lautaro Vázquez may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Reece Cutajar 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market13 Sep 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Daniil Kankharey leaves Irkutsk the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Andrey Lomash named in the team of the week
A rating of 6.73 was enough for the selectors, and nobody who watched the match is going to argue with them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match4 Sep 2027
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
12 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Market6 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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Fedor Motovilov and Irkutsk agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match4 Sep 2027
Dinamo Vologda left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad6 Sep 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
Match28 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Match28 Aug 2027
Torpedo Vladimir left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market30 Aug 2027
Murom are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Irkutsk will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market30 Aug 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match21 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Irkutsk's wait for a win
10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Irkutsk has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Denis Dragan decides it from twelve yards
2 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
Match18 Aug 2027
Irkutsk through in the cup
A 0-0 win over Mashuk, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Artem Albastov: 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.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market23 Aug 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Irkutsk have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match21 Aug 2027
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad23 Aug 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Irkutsk have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Marin Puljiz 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.
Market23 Aug 2027
The name of Andrey Lomash keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match14 Aug 2027
8 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market16 Aug 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 26 days on the sidelines for Artem Albastov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match14 Aug 2027
A bad afternoon for Irkutsk against Kosmos
0-1 to Kosmos, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad16 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.
Squad16 Aug 2027
At 21 years old, Denis Dragan became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match7 Aug 2027
7 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market9 Aug 2027
The bid was some way short and Irkutsk did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market9 Aug 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad9 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Michel Estela
“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.
Match7 Aug 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Yenisey 2 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
Match31 Jul 2027
6 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market2 Aug 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Irkutsk will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad2 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.
Match31 Jul 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Cherepovets will be the happier side with the point.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A first senior shirt for Timur Alenin
Every debut is a small story about the future: Timur Alenin, 15 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Market2 Aug 2027
1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Irkutsk could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Jul 2027
5 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
Market26 Jul 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Irkutsk have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market26 Jul 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Irkutsk will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad26 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Prosper Ibekwe
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match24 Jul 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Spartak Moscow 2 will be the happier side with the point.
Market26 Jul 2027
The name of Danila Molodnyakov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market19 Jul 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The terraces19 Jul 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 28 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Match17 Jul 2027
4 matches without a win for Irkutsk
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Irkutsk are no longer polite ones.
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.
Market19 Jul 2027
The shirt still fits. Radomir Gordeev is back at Irkutsk, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
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.
Match17 Jul 2027
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad19 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.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Vladimir Tolmachev and Irkutsk agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Michel Estela
“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.
Boardroom12 Jul 2027
Wages eat 85% of everything Irkutsk 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 Jul 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Jul 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Market5 Jul 2027
Strogino come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Irkutsk did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Daniil Kankharey and Irkutsk agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market5 Jul 2027
1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Irkutsk could get for him.
Squad5 Jul 2027
It is a strip of cloth and it decides nothing on a Saturday. It still tells the dressing room exactly whose opinion the manager values, which is the whole point of it.
Market5 Jul 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Jun 2027
Kosmos come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Irkutsk did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Artem Popkov 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.
Market28 Jun 2027
A season-long audition: Strogino still own him, but the shirt and the minutes are Irkutsk's to give. A loan is a bet both clubs believe they are winning.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market21 Jun 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Danila Molodnyakov and Irkutsk agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market21 Jun 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Irkutsk have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad21 Jun 2027
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Marin Puljiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market21 Jun 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Jun 2027
Michel Estela 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Jun 2027
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Dmitry Ikovanyuk, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad14 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Michel Estela
“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.
Boardroom14 Jun 2027
Wages eat 93% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Gegi Alasania and Irkutsk agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market14 Jun 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Irkutsk know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Jun 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad7 Jun 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.
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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Andrey Lomash 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market7 Jun 2027
2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Irkutsk money.
Squad7 Jun 2027
A new face in his position, and Dmitry Ikovanyuk suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Irkutsk have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 May 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 May 2027
Michel Estela 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market31 May 2027
4 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Irkutsk money.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 May 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad24 May 2027
Yegor Belyaev 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.
Squad24 May 2027
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Alexandr Rendakov has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 May 2027
Michel Estela 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 May 2027
The medical room confirms 43 days on the sidelines for Dmitry Ikovanyuk, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market10 May 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad10 May 2027
Dmitry Pytlev 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market10 May 2027
3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Irkutsk could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 May 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 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.
Market3 May 2027
5 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Irkutsk could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Irkutsk is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad26 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market26 Apr 2027
Irkutsk have made Prosper Ibekwe available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Apr 2027
The medical room confirms 72 days on the sidelines for Dmitry Ikovanyuk, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Yegor Perevoznikov and Irkutsk agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad19 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Dmitry Pytlev
“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
Market12 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Michel Estela 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Apr 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market5 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Apr 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
Steady
Squad29 Mar 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.
Market29 Mar 2027
Michel Estela 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Market29 Mar 2027
Michel Estela has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Irkutsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
Wages eat 160% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Dmitry Pytlev 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market22 Mar 2027
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad15 Mar 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.
Market15 Mar 2027
5 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Irkutsk money.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market8 Mar 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad8 Mar 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
Steady
Market1 Mar 2027
Michel Estela 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Market1 Mar 2027
Michel Estela has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Irkutsk they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market1 Mar 2027
The name of Kirill Chernyavskiy has come up in conversations Irkutsk were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad1 Mar 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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
The captaincy goes to Ionut Balasa. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market22 Feb 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.
Boardroom22 Feb 2027
Wages eat 176% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Squad22 Feb 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Fedor Motovilov 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.
Market22 Feb 2027
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
Market22 Feb 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Vladimir Tolmachev may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Feb 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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Alen Zoričić: 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.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Arseny Lavrentjev commits to Irkutsk for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 Feb 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 Feb 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market8 Feb 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad8 Feb 2027
14 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Yegor Skichko has given nobody the chance.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Fedor Motovilov commits to Irkutsk for another 2 years.
Squad8 Feb 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
Steady
Market1 Feb 2027
Michel Estela 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 Irkutsk can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad1 Feb 2027
13 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Market1 Feb 2027
The name of Kirill Chernyavskiy has come up in conversations Irkutsk were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Anton Novikov
“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.
Match30 Jan 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Chertanovo will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces25 Jan 2027
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 8 of the 33 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market25 Jan 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom25 Jan 2027
Wages eat 172% of everything Irkutsk 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.
Match23 Jan 2027
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad25 Jan 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
The name of Dmitry Ikovanyuk keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Irkutsk say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Jan 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Daniil Konovalov: 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.” Irkutsk have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad18 Jan 2027
At 21, Yegor Skichko is already the best thing here
An average of 7.00 in a first team he is several years too young for. Irkutsk have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Match16 Jan 2027
Luki-Energiya made Irkutsk work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad18 Jan 2027
12 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Yegor Skichko has given nobody the chance.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Jan 2027
11 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Yegor Skichko has given nobody the chance.
Squad11 Jan 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.
Squad11 Jan 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
Steady
Match2 Jan 2027
Tver made Irkutsk work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad4 Jan 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
10 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Yegor Skichko has given nobody the chance.
Squad4 Jan 2027
No place for Yegor Belyaev on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Irkutsk pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad4 Jan 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 Irkutsk, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market4 Jan 2027
“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.