From our football correspondent
Steady
Market13 Mar 2028
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikita Shevtsov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ravan the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad13 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad13 Mar 2028
94 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad6 Mar 2028
Nikita Shevtsov: 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.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rahid Madatov and Ravan agree another 4 years.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Tempers go at Ravan
Panagiotis Kyriakou was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Feb 2028
Eşqin Əhmədov: 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.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad28 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Feb 2028
He is 21, he is averaging 7.07, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
From our football correspondent
Steady
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.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad21 Feb 2028
19 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Feb 2028
Tamkin Sheydaev: 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.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market14 Feb 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ravan they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad14 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Afran Guseynov knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Afran Guseynov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
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.
Market14 Feb 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Orkhan Bayramov’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Eşqin Əhmədov, and the manager let it.
Loan watch7 Feb 2028
“I did not go to Gabala to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ravan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 29 matches say the rest.
Market7 Feb 2028
He is 19, and nobody at Ravan signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Renat Ismayilov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Eşqin Əhmədov has had enough of the bench
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Ravan will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad31 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 Jan 2028
At 21, Hamza Güreler is already the best thing here
An average of 7.07 in a first team he is several years too young for. Ravan have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad31 Jan 2028
17 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artur Tishko, and the manager let it.
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 Ravan, and 0 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 Jan 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ravan they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Artur Tishko in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The medical room confirms 31 days on the sidelines for Tamkin Sheydaev, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Jan 2028
Rahid Ozobic: 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.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Qara Mammadov and Ravan agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ravan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad3 Jan 2028
An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Ravan have had the benefit of it.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad27 Dec 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch27 Dec 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ravan, and 0 appearances in 25 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tamkin Sheydaev, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad20 Dec 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market20 Dec 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nikita Shevtsov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ravan the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match11 Dec 2027
8 unbeaten for Ravan
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Ravan did not have in the autumn.
Squad13 Dec 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match11 Dec 2027
Three points for Ravan, 3‑1 the final word against Inter in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
A performance of 8.71 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
A performance of 8.48 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad13 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Renat Ismayilov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
Marked 8.43 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Loan watch13 Dec 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ravan, and 0 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 33. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ravan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match4 Dec 2027
Whatever happens, Ravan do not lose
7 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad6 Dec 2027
A season average of 7.06 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Ravan know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.91, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad6 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Rahid Madatov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
A performance of 8.19 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match4 Dec 2027
Ravan and Kapaz take a point apiece
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Hamza Güreler was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match27 Nov 2027
Still nobody has beaten Ravan
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Match27 Nov 2027
AZAL made Ravan work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.95, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad29 Nov 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.45, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings29 Nov 2027
A performance of 8.38 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch29 Nov 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ravan, and 0 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Nov 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.
Market22 Nov 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ravan is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Dimitrij Ismayilov and Ravan agree another 3 years.
Squad22 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match20 Nov 2027
Ravan get the job done against Zira
A 2‑1 win over Zira, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings22 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.61, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Rahid Ozobic, and the manager let it.
Market22 Nov 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Orkhan Bayramov signs something — a contract at Ravan or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Nov 2027
The wait goes on for Ravan
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad15 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Afran Guseynov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.20, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings15 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Loan watch15 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Gabala to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ravan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match6 Nov 2027
The wait goes on for Ravan
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
Marked 8.73 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
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.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
A performance of 8.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match6 Nov 2027
Ravan share the spoils with Gabala
A 1‑1 draw with Gabala leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad8 Nov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad8 Nov 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
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.
Squad1 Nov 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Marked 8.18 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Match30 Oct 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.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Renat Ismayilov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Shots: 6, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 32. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 22 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad25 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.
Match23 Oct 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Neftchi will be the happier side with the point.
Market25 Oct 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Orkhan Bayramov signs something — a contract at Ravan or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market18 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad18 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match16 Oct 2027
Qarabag left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
A performance of 8.04 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch18 Oct 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ravan, and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Every debut is a small story about the future: Rashad Madatov, 18 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Player ratings18 Oct 2027
He was not in the side at half past three and he had settled it before five. Half an hour, and Ravan had a different afternoon.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Oct 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings11 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad11 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match9 Oct 2027
Three points for Ravan, 1‑0 the final word against Inter in a contest settled by the finer margins.
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.
Squad11 Oct 2027
15 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Player ratings11 Oct 2027
Shots: 6, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Player ratings11 Oct 2027
Defensive actions: 13. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market11 Oct 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Bahlul Madatov leaves Ravan the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Oct 2027
5 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Market4 Oct 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad4 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
Defensive actions: 20, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Mahir Ozobic and Ravan agree another 1 years.
Player ratings4 Oct 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The award goes to Ruslan Medvedev, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Loan watch4 Oct 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Sep 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market27 Sep 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Match25 Sep 2027
The wait goes on for Ravan
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Afran Guseynov and Ravan agree another 3 years.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
A mark of 7.52, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
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.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 13 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Sep 2027
3 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.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 36. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match15 Sep 2027
Ravan out of the cup
Sumgayit ended it 0‑0. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Hamza Güreler: 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.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market20 Sep 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Sep 2027
30 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
The kick that got away from Hamza Güreler
Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.
Loan watch20 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Gabala to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ravan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 44. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match11 Sep 2027
A hiding for Ravan
Beaten 0‑3 by Khazar, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Market13 Sep 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Namig Khalilzade, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom13 Sep 2027
Doors closed at Ravan
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Renat Ismayilov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad13 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.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match4 Sep 2027
Gabala made Ravan work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.96 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Afran Guseynov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.35 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch6 Sep 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sumgayit runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad6 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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Every debut is a small story about the future: Tamkin Khalilzade, 17 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 49. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match28 Aug 2027
6 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Market30 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 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.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.05, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ronaldo Vásquez and Ravan agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match28 Aug 2027
It needed Rahid Madatov to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Sumgayit, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Artur Tishko knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Artur Tishko trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Aug 2027
Ravan get their man
The chase for Ronaldo Vásquez ended with $2.3M changing hands and Sumgayit out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Match21 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Ravan's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ravan has to find a result from somewhere.
Market23 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
A performance of 9.02 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Artur Tishko in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Loan watch23 Aug 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ravan, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Match21 Aug 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Neftchi defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Artur Tishko 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
Match14 Aug 2027
Chastening afternoon for Ravan
A 0‑3 beating by Qarabag was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market16 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match14 Aug 2027
The wait goes on for Ravan
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market16 Aug 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.
Market16 Aug 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.
Market16 Aug 2027
The shirt still fits. Cavid Sadygov is back at Ravan, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad16 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Hamza Güreler
“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.
Squad16 Aug 2027
47 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
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.
Market9 Aug 2027
Al-Taawoun come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Ravan did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Hamza Güreler was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Loan watch9 Aug 2027
“I did not go to Sumgayit to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ravan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad9 Aug 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market9 Aug 2027
Experience through the door at Ravan
Mahir Ozobic arrives at 35 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match2 Aug 2027
Ravan sink to position 9
14 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Boardroom2 Aug 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Ravan
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Ravan is running low.
Market2 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Market2 Aug 2027
Add another name to the list: Al-Taawoun have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Renat Ismayilov. The answer from Ravan has not changed — yet.
Squad2 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad2 Aug 2027
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Ravan know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Orkhan Bayramov 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.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Ravan would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market2 Aug 2027
Ravan have made Mahir Ozobic available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market26 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad26 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Cavid Khalilzade asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market26 Jul 2027
The name of Orkhan Bayramov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ravan say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Somebody is after Agil Nazarov’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Agil Nazarov suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ravan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Hamza Güreler has outgrown this division
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Ravan know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market19 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad19 Jul 2027
The medical room confirms 76 days on the sidelines for Namig Khalilzade, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Agil Nazarov in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Jul 2027
Ravan are in real trouble now
Position 9, 14 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.
Boardroom5 Jul 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Ravan
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market5 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Kaspars Cauna and Ravan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market5 Jul 2027
The clock runs on Kaspars Cauna's contract
36 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market28 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad28 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market28 Jun 2027
Sumgayit are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Ravan will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market28 Jun 2027
Tamkin Khalilzade is 17, and Ravan 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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Ruslan Ozobic knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ruslan Ozobic trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market28 Jun 2027
The name of Orkhan Bayramov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ravan say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market21 Jun 2027
Ravan say no — this time
The offer from Neftchi for Agil Nazarov was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market21 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad21 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Tamkin Sheydaev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Jun 2027
$310.0K from Gabala for Rufat Madatov. Money is money, but the dressing room has lost the man it looked to.
Market14 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Market14 Jun 2027
The name of Agil Nazarov has come up in conversations Ravan were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad14 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Ravan are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Orkhan Bayramov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Jun 2027
Ravan sink to position 9
14 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
Ruslan Sadygov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Ravan can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Ravan
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market7 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market7 Jun 2027
The Rufat Madatov conversation is coming
Everyone has stopped pretending: Gabala will make the call about Rufat Madatov this week. Ravan have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Market7 Jun 2027
Ravan bring in an old head
Mahmoud Saeed is 36 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
Ravan pull $60.9K back off the table
The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Cavid Khalilzade 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
Market31 May 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.
Squad31 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 May 2027
The medical room confirms 22 days on the sidelines for Mahir Amirguliyev, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 May 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 May 2027
Agil Nazarov 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
Market17 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 May 2027
Rufat Madatov 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
Match10 May 2027
Ravan are in real trouble now
Position 9, 14 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.
Market10 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad10 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 May 2027
Afran Guseynov 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.
Market3 May 2027
The name of Orkhan Bayramov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ravan say nothing, which says plenty.
Market3 May 2027
12 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
Market3 May 2027
Ravan have made Jacopo Zanetti available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Apr 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Afran Guseynov knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Afran Guseynov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Renat Ismayilov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market19 Apr 2027
The Agil Nazarov talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ravan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad19 Apr 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Ravan would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market19 Apr 2027
Ravan shop where it costs nothing
Nikita Shevtsov signs, and the fee column stays empty. Deals like this look small in July and clever by March — or they are never mentioned again.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Apr 2027
Every point is an argument now for Ravan
Position 9 and 14 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market12 Apr 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Apr 2027
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Rufat Madatov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Dimitrij Ramazanov and Ravan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Mar 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Orkhan Bayramov 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
Match15 Mar 2027
Ravan sink to position 9
14 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market15 Mar 2027
Rufat Madatov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Mar 2027
22 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Afran Guseynov knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Afran Guseynov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Ravan would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Bahlul Nadirov commits to Ravan for another 3 years.
Market8 Mar 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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Afran Guseynov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market8 Mar 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Orkhan Bayramov signs something — a contract at Ravan or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Mar 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad1 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Ravan are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad22 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Rahid Ozobic, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match15 Feb 2027
Ravan sink to position 9
14 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market15 Feb 2027
Artur Tishko 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Agil Nazarov in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Orkhan Bayramov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Feb 2027
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch1 Feb 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Qarabag runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market25 Jan 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Ravan, another week without a signature from Ruslan Ozobic.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Ruslan Ozobic knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ruslan Ozobic trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market25 Jan 2027
The Agil Nazarov talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ravan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market25 Jan 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Agil Nazarov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match18 Jan 2027
Ravan are in real trouble now
Position 9, 14 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 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad18 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad11 Jan 2027
42 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Jan 2027
Rufat Madatov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch4 Jan 2027
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Qarabag runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Dec 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
89% of the income goes out in wages at Ravan
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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market28 Dec 2026
The Agil Nazarov talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ravan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market28 Dec 2026
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Agil Nazarov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match21 Dec 2026
Every point is an argument now for Ravan
Position 9 and 14 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market21 Dec 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad21 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Dec 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.56, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad14 Dec 2026
70 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.26, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Renat Ismayilov and Ravan agree another 4 years.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market14 Dec 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Ravan, another week without a signature from Orkhan Bayramov.
Squad14 Dec 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Afran Guseynov knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Dec 2026
Ravan bow out of the cup
Qarabag go through and Ravan go home, 0‑1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Market7 Dec 2026
Rufat Madatov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad7 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch7 Dec 2026
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Qarabag runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Marked 8.52 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Afran Guseynov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Marked 8.38 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match5 Dec 2026
Ravan share the spoils with Kapaz
A 2‑2 draw with Kapaz leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Nov 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Marked 8.61 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match28 Nov 2026
It finished 1‑0, and it was Agil Nazarov’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Ravan.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.20, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
85% of the income goes out in wages at Ravan
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Artur Tishko left out for the big one
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Artur Tishko will call it something else in private.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Nov 2026
No end in sight to Ravan's wait for a win
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ravan has to find a result from somewhere.
Match23 Nov 2026
Ravan are in real trouble now
Position 10, 9 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.
Match21 Nov 2026
A hiding for Ravan
Beaten 0‑3 by Zira, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Market23 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad23 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Artur Tishko 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.
Boardroom23 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Ravan dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for Ravan
10 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market16 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad16 Nov 2026
99 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.25 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match14 Nov 2026
Ravan share the spoils with Khazar
A 1‑1 draw with Khazar leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tamkin Sheydaev, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match7 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for Ravan
9 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market9 Nov 2026
Rufat Madatov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad9 Nov 2026
43 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Loan watch9 Nov 2026
“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 Ravan, and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Rahid Ozobic, and the manager let it.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Oct 2026
8 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Tamkin Sheydaev: 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.” Ravan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market2 Nov 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad2 Nov 2026
36 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad2 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match31 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Bahlul Nadirov
“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.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
85% of the income goes out in wages at Ravan
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
Match26 Oct 2026
Every point is an argument now for Ravan
Position 9 and 7 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market26 Oct 2026
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Match24 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Ravan's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ravan has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad26 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Afran Guseynov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.41 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match24 Oct 2026
It needed Dimitrij Ismayilov to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Neftchi, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad26 Oct 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
5.45 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Ravan's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ravan has to find a result from somewhere.
Market19 Oct 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad19 Oct 2026
The medical room confirms 128 days on the sidelines for Javid Amirguliyev, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match17 Oct 2026
Qarabag left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Marked 5.45, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Market19 Oct 2026
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Orkhan Bayramov signs something — a contract at Ravan or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Oct 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match10 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Ravan
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad12 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match10 Oct 2026
Inter take the points off Ravan
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
“I watch every Ravan game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Qarabag runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.38 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artur Tishko, and the manager let it.
Squad12 Oct 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Oct 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match3 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Ravan
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Ravan are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.23 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages eat 102% of everything Ravan 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.
Match3 Oct 2026
It needed Bahlul Nadirov to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Kapaz, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Jacopo Zanetti
“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
Crisis
Match28 Sep 2026
Ravan sink to position 9
5 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market28 Sep 2026
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Sep 2026
Ravan come up short against AZAL
AZAL left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad28 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Rufat Madatov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Marked 8.15 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
A mark of 5.44 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Sep 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market21 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Agil Nazarov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Marked 8.25 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
The cruellest goal, and it is Samir Ismayilov's
A touch he did not want, a bounce he could not have read, and his name in the wrong column. There is no consoling a man after one of these, and Ravan will not try tonight.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match9 Sep 2026
Ravan march on in the cup
Kapaz are out and Ravan go through, 1‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Market14 Sep 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match12 Sep 2026
Beaten 3‑4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad14 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
A performance of 8.60 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Agil Nazarov gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Marked 8.44 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.85 on the card, and the Ravan support went home talking about one name.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match5 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Afran Guseynov, and the manager let it.
Squad7 Sep 2026
At 18 years old, Orkhan Jafarov became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
A mark of 5.41 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
5.44 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
A mark of 5.56 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market31 Aug 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
The terraces31 Aug 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 7 of the 34 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad31 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match29 Aug 2026
Sumgayit left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Rufat Madatov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.23, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Market31 Aug 2026
Maksim Jafarov is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Ravan has been clear about where Maksim Jafarov stands, which is more than many ever get.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
5.67 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Orkhan Bayramov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match22 Aug 2026
Ravan and Neftchi take a point apiece
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Market24 Aug 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Samir Ismayilov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Ravan.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad17 Aug 2026
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.
Market17 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market17 Aug 2026
The name of Agil Nazarov has come up in conversations Ravan were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad17 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match15 Aug 2026
Three points for Ravan, 2‑1 the final word against Qarabag in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.84, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.31, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad17 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Artur Tishko
“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
Market10 Aug 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Ravan, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rufat Madatov and Ravan agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Agil Nazarov in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ravan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Agil Nazarov 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.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“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.
Market10 Aug 2026
Roman Nesterov is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Ravan has been clear about where Roman Nesterov stands, which is more than many ever get.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Aug 2026
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Agil Nazarov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Artur Tishko and Ravan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Agil Nazarov 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 Ravan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market3 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Tamkin Sheydaev’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Market3 Aug 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Richard Amirguliyev has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Ravan.
In brief
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Squad
A season on the outside for Artur Tishko
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Market
Ravan shop where it costs nothing