The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Rotor 2 people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Tver had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Rotor 2. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Sevastopol had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
The offer from Dinamo Barnaul for Dmitry Loktev 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.
Andrey Khityaev 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.
6 goals in one match, Yegor Tarin on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of Rotor 2 and Kvant.
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Rotor 2 has been clear about where Joosep Kobin stands, which is more than many ever get.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Maxim Maltsev signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Cherepovets waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Rotor 2 is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Minute 85, against Ryazan, and a goal that felt like a win to everybody who had stayed. It was a draw. Nobody leaving the ground will describe it as one.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Rotor 2 know it.
31 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.
19 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.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Torpedo Miass waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Rotor 2 is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Rotor 2 is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Andrey Lomash has his answer from Rotor 2; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 18 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The phone has started ringing about Dmitry Loktev again, and this time the name on the line is Sevastopol. Rotor 2 are listening politely and promising nothing.
Andrey Khityaev 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.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 17 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Rotor 2 people have started saying his name in the past tense.
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Batyr Umirov has his answer from Rotor 2; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Rotor 2 people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
The name of Dmitry Loktev has come up in conversations Rotor 2 were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Rotor 2 have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
The name of Stepan Pravkin has come up in conversations Rotor 2 were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Add another name to the list: Sevastopol have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Andrey Lomash. The answer from Rotor 2 has not changed — yet.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Andrey Khityaev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Rotor 2, another week without a signature from Stepan Pravkin.
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
Where he used to play does most of his talking for him at Rotor 2. The room defers to it, the kids study it, and the only thing that can puncture it is a bad month.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Rotor 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
Aswin 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“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; Rotor 2 are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Semyon Zubarev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Position 15 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.
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Semyon Zubarev 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.
Squad4 Jun 2029
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Maxim Maltsev 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.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mikhail Tsipushtanov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Maxim Maltsev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
In brief
The dugoutDmitry Loktev asks for a word with the manager
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rotor 2 can pretend not to have heard.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Batyr Umirov signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
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.
Vardan Arzoyan 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Semyon Zubarev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Rotor 2. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
1 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Vardan Arzoyan can ask rise.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Rotor 2 know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
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.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Batyr Umirov signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
A new face in his position, and Alexandr Kleschenko suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Rotor 2 have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Andrey Lomash
Semyon Zubarev 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Kleschenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Andrey Lomash trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Position 15 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.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Andrey Lomash trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
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.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
In brief
The dugoutDmitry Loktev knocks on the manager's door
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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vardan Arzoyan trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Semyon Zubarev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Dmitry Loktev.
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Stepan Pravkin signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
28 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.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 16 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
0‑4 against Arsenal Tula 2, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 8 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Semyon Zubarev 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mikhail Tsipushtanov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 15 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
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.
Position 15, 1 points, and a crowd that arrives braced. Seasons are lost in exactly this atmosphere and everybody who has lived through one knows the sound of it.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
7 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match17 Feb 2029
Nobody could stop scoring
9 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Rotor 2 and Dinamo Bryansk in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Mikhail Tsipushtanov 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.
In brief
SquadWords at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
14 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Rotor 2 can tell you which week it ends in.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 9 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
6 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Squad12 Feb 2029
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
100 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 13 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Dmitry Loktev is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Rotor 2 pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
12 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Rotor 2 can tell you which week it ends in.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rotor 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 33 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for Rotor 2 is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
11 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.
0‑8 to Spartak Tambov, 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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Alexandr Kleschenko and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match20 Jan 2029
Nobody could stop scoring
8 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Rotor 2 and Spartak Tambov in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad22 Jan 2029
Maxim Maltsev 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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 11 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Position 15 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.
10 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.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
0‑5 to Salyut, 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.
9 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.
Semyon Zubarev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad8 Jan 2029
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
4 saves does not settle the argument about whose fault it was, and the argument will run all week. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines whoever caused them.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 9 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
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.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Maxim Maltsev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
19 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.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 7 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Position 15, 1 points, and a crowd that arrives already braced. Relegation seasons are lost in exactly this atmosphere, and everybody who has lived through one recognises it immediately.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 7 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between Rotor 2 and Kvant, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
0‑3 to Strogino, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 6 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vardan Arzoyan trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 5 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match9 Dec 2028
Nobody could stop scoring
6 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Rotor 2 and Ryazan in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Maxim Maltsev 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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Rotor 2 can tell you which week it ends in.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Rotor 2, another week without a signature from Mikhail Tsipushtanov.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yegor Tarin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
15 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.
0‑3 against Rodina M, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
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.
Half the programme played, position 15, 1 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
Goalkeepers do not get to make mistakes; they get to make goals. He made one, he knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Rotor 2 have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Rodina M in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
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.
14 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
0‑4 against Arsenal Tula 2, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
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.
There was one mistake and it ended in the net. Defenders are judged on the worst thing they did rather than on the eighty-nine minutes either side of it, which is unfair and is also the job.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at Rotor 2 than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
13 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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 10 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Beaten 0‑5 by Dinamo Bryansk, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
The terraces30 Oct 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 3 of the 9 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Position 15 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.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yegor Tarin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Mikhail Tsipushtanov has written the date down.
Semyon Zubarev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 10 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 11 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
0‑3 to SKA Khabarovsk 2, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Batyr Umirov signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
9 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.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 10 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Rotor 2 and Zenit Penza, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Semyon Zubarev 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.
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.
0‑3 against Spartak Tambov, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
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.
9 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
The terraces25 Sep 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 3 of the 7 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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 chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 7 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Kleschenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
A new face in his position, and Alexandr Kleschenko suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Rotor 2 have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
7 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
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.
7 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Match2 Sep 2028
Nobody could stop scoring
9 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Rotor 2 and Salyut in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad4 Sep 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Nobody at Rotor 2 is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
5 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Rotor 2 can tell you which week it ends in.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Match26 Aug 2028
Nobody could stop scoring
7 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Rotor 2 and Znamya Truda in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Maxim Maltsev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Batyr Umirov knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
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.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 12 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Semyon Zubarev 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.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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 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.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Rotor 2 and Ryazan, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
200 games in these colours. Service of that kind gets rarer every season, and the crowd knows it.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Maxim Maltsev 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.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Batyr Umirov knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Batyr Umirov signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
0‑3 against Dinamo Vladivostok, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yegor Tarin signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rotor 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Rotor 2 they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
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.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
He is 22 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yegor Tarin, and the manager let it.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Maxim Maltsev 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.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Rodina M in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Andrey Lomash 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.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Rotor 2 they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad3 Jul 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Not a new contract, not a new number: a new place in the manager’s thinking, which is the only promotion in football that actually matters. Ruslan Slepuzhnikov has moved up it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yegor Tarin signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
1 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Rasul Bidjilov can ask rise.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ivan Litvenok will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Rotor 2 the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Kleschenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Kleschenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Mikhail Tsipushtanov 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.
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Rotor 2 have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
2 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Ruslan Slepuzhnikov can ask rise.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Batyr Umirov signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ruslan Slepuzhnikov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Rotor 2 the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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 Jun 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Maxim Maltsev 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.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yegor Tarin signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Rotor 2 is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Yegor Tarin
The dugoutRasul Bidjilov asks for a word with the manager
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 May 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Maxim Maltsev 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.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Stepan Pravkin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
3 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Ruslan Slepuzhnikov can ask rise.
The shrug has gone, the language is coming, and he now argues in training like somebody who expects to be here next year. Half a signing's value is this and none of it appears on a fee.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yegor Tarin signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
MarketThe clock does Rasul Bidjilov’s negotiating for him
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ivan Litvenok will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Rotor 2 the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Alexey Pogudin and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 May 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Kleschenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
4 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Ruslan Slepuzhnikov can ask rise.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Batyr Umirov signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alexandr Kleschenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rotor 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Rotor 2 they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Alexandr Kleschenko 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.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Words at Rotor 2 training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Maxim Maltsev 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yegor Tarin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
In brief
SquadSemyon Zubarev is training like a man with a point to make
Alexey Pogudin 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Maxim Maltsev was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Rotor 2 have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Rotor 2 was different afterwards.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rotor 2 this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yegor Tarin signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Nobody at Rotor 2 is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rotor 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Rotor 2 they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Danila Ponomarev is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
A new face in his position, and Rasul Bidjilov suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Rotor 2 have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
5 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Danila Ponomarev can ask rise.
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Semyon Zubarev is 22, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Two of the goals had his name somewhere on them, which is the afternoon a manager wants from anybody asked to both create and finish. 7.50, and 2 involvements.
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
There is a particular helplessness in conceding 2 times before the twentieth minute. Arsenal Tula 2 tried to reorganise, Rotor 2 did not allow it, and the result was written long before it was confirmed.
100 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Platon Sergeev kept it short after the 2‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
In brief
Player ratingsThe chances came and went for Yegor Tarin
Nobody at Rotor 2 is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
“Nobody outside is coming to save us.” It was short, it was not comfortable, and by all accounts the Rotor 2 squad were quieter afterwards than they had been all season.
The suspension has been sat out and he is available again. Whoever has been playing in his place has had a fortnight to make an argument, and the manager now has to decide whether it was a good one.
5 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Ruslan Slepuzhnikov can ask rise.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Batyr Umirov signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
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.
The terraces14 Feb 2028
The stands have turned
“Enough is enough. We have watched this for months.” 4 of the 12 senior players walked off to it, and the message was not aimed at any one of them.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Platon Sergeev after 0‑3, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rotor 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Rotor 2 they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
He is 23 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.
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 ratings7 Feb 2028
Yegor Tarin was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.10. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Timofey Falchenko 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.
17 times he got in the way of something. Centre-halves get written about when they make mistakes and ignored when they do not, so an afternoon like this needs saying out loud: he is the reason the scoreline reads as it does.
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ivan Litvenok trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
6 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Rotor 2 could ask drops and the wages Ivan Litvenok can ask rise.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Alexandr Khubulov provided it, and the 9.13 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
A mark of 8.11 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Alexey Pogudin 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.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Alexandr Khubulov. 3‑2 against Zenit Penza, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Platon Sergeev, on a 3‑2 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Spartak Tambov? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Zenit Penza in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rotor 2, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yegor Tarin signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Rotor 2 can tell you which week it ends in.
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
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 Platon Sergeev left the room before anybody could ask which.
Nobody at Rotor 2 is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Rotor 2 was different afterwards.
Marked 6.68 on 11 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yegor Tarin trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at Rotor 2 than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
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 0‑2 Platon Sergeev left the room before anybody could ask which.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Rotor 2 was different afterwards.
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Semyon Zubarev scored, was marked 7.52, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.
A point taken on 87 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 1‑1, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
Every signing waits for it and every press conference asks about it until it comes. It has come, Rotor 2 have their man off the mark, and the second one is always easier.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 7 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Timofey Falchenko 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.
10 combined actions and 6.83. The job he did is the one that shows up as other people looking good, and the only reliable way to notice it is to watch what happens on the afternoons he is missing.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Platon Sergeev after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Platon Sergeev after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Ryazan defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Ivan Litvenok signs something — a contract at Rotor 2 or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
The dugoutThe plan did not have a place for Batyr Umirov
Player ratingsYegor Tarin beats them one at a time
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Position 8, 24 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.
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Alexey Pogudin’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Rotor 2 needing him to play as if none of it matters.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dmitry Loktev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Rodina M in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
“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 Rotor 2, and it is not being withdrawn.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Batyr Umirov has his answer from Rotor 2; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
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.
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Rotor 2 can tell you which week it ends in.
Successful dribbles: 19. 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.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Dmitry Loktev is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Rotor 2 will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
The dugout8 Nov 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Platon Sergeev was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Rotor 2 dressing room was either.
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.
“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.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Platon Sergeev to a room that had heard them before.
“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 Rotor 2 will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Not a new contract, not a new number: a new place in the manager’s thinking, which is the only promotion in football that actually matters. Alexandr Khubulov has moved up it.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Rotor 2 was different afterwards.
Timofey Falchenko 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.
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 dugout25 Oct 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑4 defeat, delivered by Platon Sergeev to a room that had heard them before.
Beaten 4 times, 3 saves, and an afternoon that will go on his record whether it was his fault or the defence’s. It is the quiet unfairness of the position.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rotor 2 can pretend not to have heard.
Alexey Pogudin 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.
Two sides from the top of the table, one afternoon, and a month of talk decided in ninety minutes. Rotor 2 will not use the word title this week and will not stop thinking it.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Nobody at Rotor 2 is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.