From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Feb 2027
95 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Kevin Haveri 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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 32 days on the sidelines for Mahir Ismayilov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Samir Amirguliyev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
Namig Amirguliyev is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
Market15 Feb 2027
Ravan spent the window trying to move Leandro Troisi on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Feb 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Kamran Ozobic
102 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match8 Feb 2027
Ravan sink to position 10
1 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at Ravan
Kevin Haveri and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad8 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 41 days on the sidelines for Shahriyar Madatov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Emin Bayramov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market8 Feb 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Shahriyar Guseynov signs something — a contract at Ravan or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Feb 2027
The knee: Kamran Ozobic out for 110 days
110 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market1 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.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Deadline passes with 8 signed and 1 gone
That is the business done at Ravan until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Kamil Fura arrives at the club he grew up with
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Kamil Fura has, at Ravan, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
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.
Transfer targets1 Feb 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Kevin Haveri is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Kevin Haveri
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market1 Feb 2027
Ravan shop where it costs nothing
Kamil Fura 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
Squad25 Jan 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Kamran Ozobic
117 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market25 Jan 2027
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Shahriyar Guseynov had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Kevin Haveri 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.
Transfer targets25 Jan 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Morón have kept their man, and Ravan go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad25 Jan 2027
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Samir Amirguliyev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets25 Jan 2027
A loan enquiry to Volna: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Transfer targets25 Jan 2027
Colón have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Ravan are still strangers to each other
6 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Javid Jafarov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Kamran Ozobic
124 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
Javid Jafarov: 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Kevin Haveri 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.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
Ravan have made the call to Gabala. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
Corinthians have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Javid Garayev and Ravan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samir Garayev is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
The knee: Kamran Ozobic out for 132 days
132 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match11 Jan 2027
Ravan sink to position 10
1 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market11 Jan 2027
Ravan say no — this time
The offer from Qarabag for Shahriyar Guseynov 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.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ravan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Everything agreed with All Boys, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Market11 Jan 2027
Ravan get their man
The chase for Javid Garayev ended with $170.0K changing hands and Khazar out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Ravan
Rufat Huseynov 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
“The easiest signature of my career.” Orkhan Mammadov and Ravan agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Ravan asked and Almirante Brown said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Jan 2027
The knee: Kamran Ozobic out for 139 days
139 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market4 Jan 2027
Ravan say no — this time
The offer from Gabala for Emin Guseynov 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.
Market4 Jan 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.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
Rashad Dadashov: 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.
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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
17 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
Ravan asked and Patronato said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samir Amirguliyev is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
All Boys have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout28 Dec 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ravan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Kevin Haveri 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Emin Guseynov falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Shahriyar Guseynov is on it.
Market28 Dec 2026
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Emin Guseynov signs something — a contract at Ravan or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
“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
Squad21 Dec 2026
Laureano Rodríguez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Javid Jafarov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Thiago Perruisset is on it.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
Market21 Dec 2026
Ravan have let the market know Emin Guseynov can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Market21 Dec 2026
The name of Samir Amirguliyev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ravan say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Dec 2026
15 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 15, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Match14 Dec 2026
Every point is an argument now for Ravan
Position 10 and 1 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.
Match14 Dec 2026
Full time on the season at Ravan
Position 10 on 1 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Kevin Haveri and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad14 Dec 2026
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Laureano Rodríguez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shahriyar Guseynov, and the manager let it.
Match12 Dec 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against Inter
0‑1 to Inter, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑1 Mahir Khalilzade left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Laureano Rodríguez is on it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match5 Dec 2026
14 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Match2 Dec 2026
The small margins put Ravan out
Out, 1‑3 to Qarabag, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Market7 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.
Squad7 Dec 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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The medical room confirms 51 days on the sidelines for Maksim Huseynov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad7 Dec 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Kevin Haveri and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Emin Guseynov falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
A performance of 8.10 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match5 Dec 2026
Ravan caught on 85 minutes
The board was up, the win was priced in, and then Kapaz scored. There is no worse minute to concede in and the ground emptied in the silence that follows one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for Ravan
12 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.
Match28 Nov 2026
Ravan taken apart
0‑4 to AZAL, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Laureano Rodríguez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match28 Nov 2026
Ravan cannot find the net
3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad30 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Emin Guseynov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout30 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.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
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.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑4 Mahir Khalilzade left the room before anybody could ask which.
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.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Ravan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Kevin Haveri was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Laureano Rodríguez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match21 Nov 2026
Zira take the points off Ravan
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout23 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.
Looking ahead23 Nov 2026
Ravan face AZAL in the game that matters most
Two sides from the bottom of the table, three points, and an afternoon that will be described afterwards as a relegation decider by whoever loses it.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Mahir Khalilzade to a room that had heard them before.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 13. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad16 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 16 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
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.
Match16 Nov 2026
Ravan sink to position 10
0 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Kevin Haveri and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The terraces16 Nov 2026
He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match14 Nov 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against Khazar
0‑1 to Khazar, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad16 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emin Guseynov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad16 Nov 2026
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for a squad player, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
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
“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 ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Laureano Rodríguez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match7 Nov 2026
Ravan are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match7 Nov 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against Gabala
1‑2 to Gabala, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maksim Huseynov, and the manager let it.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
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.
Match31 Oct 2026
8 matches without a goal for Ravan
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 8 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
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
Kevin Haveri 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.
Match31 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thiago Perruisset, and the manager let it.
Looking ahead2 Nov 2026
Everything rides on Gabala
Both clubs in the mire, one fixture between them, and a ground that will be louder and more frightened than at any point in the season. Ravan know what is at stake and so does everybody in the away end.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Samir Amirguliyev falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Mahir Khalilzade after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Oct 2026
A hiding for Ravan
Beaten 0‑4 by Neftchi, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
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.
Match24 Oct 2026
Ravan cannot find the net
7 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Kevin Haveri 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 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emin Guseynov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom26 Oct 2026
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.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑4 defeat, delivered by Mahir Khalilzade to a room that had heard them before.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Ravan are still strangers to each other
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kənan Feyziyev, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Oct 2026
Ravan are in real trouble now
Position 10, 0 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.
Match17 Oct 2026
Ravan taken apart
0‑4 to Qarabag, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match17 Oct 2026
Ravan cannot find the net
6 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Laureano Rodríguez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Ravan
Emin Guseynov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom19 Oct 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.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑4, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 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.
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.
Match10 Oct 2026
The goals have deserted Ravan
5 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Ravan can tell you which week it ends in.
Transfer targets12 Oct 2026
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: another club keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Kevin Haveri and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Laureano Rodríguez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match10 Oct 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against Inter
0‑1 to Inter, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Match12 Oct 2026
The half-term report on Ravan
Position 10, 0 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market5 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.
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.
Match3 Oct 2026
The goals have deserted Ravan
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Ravan can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Kevin Haveri 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 ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match3 Oct 2026
Kapaz take the points off Ravan
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emin Guseynov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Thiago Perruisset is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Sep 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Vugar Madatov
14 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Laureano Rodríguez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match26 Sep 2026
3 matches without a goal for Ravan
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Nadir Orucov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match26 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against AZAL
0‑2 to AZAL, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout28 Sep 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 ratings28 Sep 2026
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.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Mahir Khalilzade to a room that had heard them before.
Squad28 Sep 2026
5 new faces, and Ravan are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad21 Sep 2026
21 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match21 Sep 2026
Every point is an argument now for Ravan
Position 10 and 0 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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Kevin Haveri and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Laureano Rodríguez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout21 Sep 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.
Match19 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against Zira
0‑1 to Zira, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Mahir Khalilzade to a room that had heard them before.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Ravan will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match9 Sep 2026
Cup progress for Ravan
A 1‑0 win over Kapaz, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Squad14 Sep 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Vugar Madatov
29 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match12 Sep 2026
Nowhere to hide for Ravan
0‑5 against Khazar, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad14 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Kevin Haveri and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The terraces14 Sep 2026
He is 19 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
Kevin Haveri 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.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
Ravan ran out of time with Inter. The paperwork was open when the deadline passed, and a transfer that was almost done is now a transfer that never happened.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.22, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad7 Sep 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Renat Huseynov
28 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad7 Sep 2026
7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Ravan close the window on a squad of their own making
10 in and 1 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
The deal with Inter is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Match5 Sep 2026
4 matches without a win for Ravan
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Ravan are no longer polite ones.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Laureano Rodríguez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Match5 Sep 2026
Ravan are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Nadir Orucov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad31 Aug 2026
35 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ravan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market31 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad31 Aug 2026
6 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Market31 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.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Ravan have done the hard part with Sumgayit, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
No thanks: Arda Ünyay rejects the move
Ravan had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Galatasaray, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Emin Guseynov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Match29 Aug 2026
A bad afternoon for Ravan against Sumgayit
1‑2 to Sumgayit, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
In brief
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
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The dugout
Somebody else is better right now than Rashad Dadashov
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The dugout
Javid Jafarov is still being punished for one mistake
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Aug 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Renat Huseynov
42 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ravan lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match22 Aug 2026
A hiding for Ravan
Beaten 0‑3 by Neftchi, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
The terraces24 Aug 2026
Ravan sell a favourite for $840.0K
The accountants will call it good business and they will be right, which is not the point anybody outside the boardroom is making. Renat Guseynov was one of the reasons people came, and $840.0K does not replace that by itself.
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.
Market24 Aug 2026
Renat Guseynov has left for Sumgayit in a $840.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Khazar have kept their man, and Ravan go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emin Guseynov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout24 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.
Boardroom24 Aug 2026
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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
There were 11 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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Renat Huseynov damages knee ligaments — 49 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 49 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match15 Aug 2026
Nowhere to hide for Ravan
0‑7 against Qarabag, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
The terraces17 Aug 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The deal with Boca Juniors is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The offer went to Sumgayit this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
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
7 goals as Ravan and Qarabag go for it
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between Ravan and Qarabag, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Ravan
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market10 Aug 2026
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Slavia Mozyr had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Shahriyar Guseynov and Ravan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Ravan
Emin Guseynov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout10 Aug 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.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Ravan have made the call to Boca Juniors. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
“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.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Ravan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vugar Nadirov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market10 Aug 2026
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Bahlul Garayev has his answer from Ravan; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 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.
Market3 Aug 2026
The name of Renat Guseynov has come up in conversations Ravan were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad3 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Ravan
Rufat Huseynov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words at Ravan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Emin Guseynov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
A loan move for Tiago Peñalba is in the works
Ravan have made the call to San Martín. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
A loan move for Nadir Orucov is in the works
Ravan have made the call to Sumgayit. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.