From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Nov 2027
Artem Kulakov hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match13 Nov 2027
A 1-1 draw with Ryazan leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Evgeny Yegorov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market15 Nov 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market15 Nov 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Aarón Carnero may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom8 Nov 2027
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Market8 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Match6 Nov 2027
Metallurg left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Every debut is a small story about the future: Andrey Polevoy, 19 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Timur Zainullin asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom1 Nov 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Zenit Penza
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market1 Nov 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zenit Penza, and 3 appearances in 19 say he has earned the hearing.
Match30 Oct 2027
Orel made Zenit Penza work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom1 Nov 2027
102% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad1 Nov 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zenit Penza have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market1 Nov 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match23 Oct 2027
Chastening afternoon for Zenit Penza
A 1-4 beating by Dinamo St Petersburg was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market25 Oct 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces25 Oct 2027
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad25 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Dmitry Korolev
“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.
Boardroom25 Oct 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Loan watch25 Oct 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zenit Penza, and 4 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Boardroom25 Oct 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Zenit Penza now.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Beaten 4 times, with 1 saves for company. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines on their record whoever actually caused them, which is the quiet injustice of the job.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Artem Kulakov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market18 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match16 Oct 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zenit Penza
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Match16 Oct 2027
Three points for Zenit Penza, 2-0 the final word against Spartak Tambov in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Artem Kulakov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market18 Oct 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market18 Oct 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Aarón Carnero may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Gabriel Leiva is starting to look at home
The language is arriving, the jokes are landing, and there is somebody at the next peg to talk to. None of it appears in a scouting report and all of it shows up on the pitch.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Gleb Zakharov named in the team of the week
A rating of 6.77 was enough for the selectors, and nobody who watched the match is going to argue with them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market11 Oct 2027
Sandro Shugladze is 36 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
Market11 Oct 2027
Nahuel Vega is 36 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
Match9 Oct 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Znamya Truda defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
Savely Tsyganov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Zenit Penza can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Zenit Penza
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market4 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
112% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Gevorg Galstyan commits to Zenit Penza for another 3 years.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Danila Boiko named player of the month
The award goes to Danila Boiko, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Alexey Makushkin asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Match2 Oct 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Strogino defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Sep 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market27 Sep 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch27 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Sibir to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zenit Penza and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Boardroom27 Sep 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Zenit Penza now.
Market27 Sep 2027
1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zenit Penza could get for him.
Match25 Sep 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Rodina M defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Evgeny Yegorov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market27 Sep 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match18 Sep 2027
Three points for Zenit Penza, 1-0 the final word against Dinamo Bryansk in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Evgeny Yegorov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market20 Sep 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market20 Sep 2027
Zenit Penza spent the window trying to move Daniil Kashmin 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The medical room confirms 40 days on the sidelines for Eduardo Simo, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market13 Sep 2027
He is 19, and nobody at Zenit Penza signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match4 Sep 2027
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Match6 Sep 2027
Zenit Penza are in real trouble now
Position 13, 5 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market6 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match4 Sep 2027
2-3 to Rotor 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Loan watch6 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Irtysh to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zenit Penza and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 11 matches say the rest.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Ruslan Kazakov
“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.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
Wages eat 109% of everything Zenit Penza earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Zenit Penza’s own kid cannot get a game
At 26, Dmitry Korolev has come through every age group this club has, and now watches a borrowed player of much the same level start every week. An academy notices these things, and so do the parents in the stand.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market30 Aug 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match28 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad30 Aug 2027
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch30 Aug 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zenit Penza, and 2 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Match28 Aug 2027
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Zenit Penza now.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Gleb Zakharov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match18 Aug 2027
Spartak Tambov go through and Zenit Penza go home, 1-2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Market23 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market23 Aug 2027
Aswin is on his way
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match21 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
The terraces23 Aug 2027
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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match21 Aug 2027
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Gleb Zakharov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad23 Aug 2027
At 20 years old, Vaagn Osipyan became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market16 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match14 Aug 2027
4 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 68 days on the sidelines for Eduardo Simo, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match14 Aug 2027
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Evgeny Yegorov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad16 Aug 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market9 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match7 Aug 2027
0-1 to Metallurg, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom9 Aug 2027
96% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Evgeny Yegorov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market9 Aug 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market2 Aug 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market2 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Match31 Jul 2027
Orel left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch2 Aug 2027
“I did not go to Sibir to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zenit Penza and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Boardroom2 Aug 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Zenit Penza now.
Market2 Aug 2027
2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zenit Penza money.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Evgeny Yegorov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market2 Aug 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market26 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The terraces26 Jul 2027
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 24 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Match24 Jul 2027
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market26 Jul 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market19 Jul 2027
The shirt still fits. Pyotr Bolshakov is back at Zenit Penza, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market19 Jul 2027
The shirt still fits. German Gavrilov is back at Zenit Penza, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market19 Jul 2027
The shirt still fits. Foma Vasin is back at Zenit Penza, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad19 Jul 2027
99 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match17 Jul 2027
Three points for Zenit Penza, 1-0 the final word against Spartak Tambov in a contest settled by the finer margins.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Jul 2027
20 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market12 Jul 2027
Eduardo Simo hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom12 Jul 2027
Wages eat 105% of everything Zenit Penza earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Artem Kulakov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market12 Jul 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Jul 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Market5 Jul 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Dmitry Korolev and Zenit Penza agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Boardroom5 Jul 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Zenit Penza now.
Market5 Jul 2027
3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zenit Penza could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jun 2027
The bid was some way short and Zenit Penza did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market28 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market28 Jun 2027
Vaagn Osipyan is 20, and Zenit Penza have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market21 Jun 2027
The bid was some way short and Zenit Penza did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market21 Jun 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zenit Penza have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Jun 2027
20 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market14 Jun 2027
Aarón Carnero hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom14 Jun 2027
116% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Aswin asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market14 Jun 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market14 Jun 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Hassan Idris may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market7 Jun 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Nikita Kolesin and Zenit Penza agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Zenit Penza now.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market31 May 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad31 May 2027
Dmitry Korolev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad24 May 2027
Dmitry Korolev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market24 May 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Alexey Makushkin may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 May 2027
20 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market17 May 2027
Artem Kulakov hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom17 May 2027
126% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Market17 May 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market17 May 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Hassan Idris may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad17 May 2027
Ivan Uzunov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market10 May 2027
5 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zenit Penza could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market3 May 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad3 May 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad3 May 2027
Hassan Idris knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market3 May 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market3 May 2027
2 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Hassan Idris asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market26 Apr 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Alexey Makushkin may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Apr 2027
Zenit Penza are in real trouble now
Position 13, 20 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.
Market19 Apr 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom19 Apr 2027
125% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market19 Apr 2027
The name of Gabriel Leiva keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zenit Penza say nothing, which says plenty.
Market19 Apr 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Aswin may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Apr 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Market12 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Dmitry Korolev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Apr 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Market5 Apr 2027
Ivan Uzunov has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zenit Penza they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Dmitry Korolev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Mar 2027
Gabriel Leiva hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Eduardo Simo
“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.
Market29 Mar 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Aarón Carnero may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Ivan Uzunov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market29 Mar 2027
3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zenit Penza money.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Mar 2027
Zenit Penza are in real trouble now
Position 13, 20 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.
Market22 Mar 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
173% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Evgeny Yegorov commits to Zenit Penza for another 3 years.
Market22 Mar 2027
Francis Schlupp is 36 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
Market22 Mar 2027
The name of Gabriel Leiva keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zenit Penza say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Mar 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Hassan Idris knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market15 Mar 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Hassan Idris asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market8 Mar 2027
The name of Aarón Carnero keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zenit Penza say nothing, which says plenty.
Market8 Mar 2027
The window shut and Alexey Makushkin is still in the building
Zenit Penza spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
Market8 Mar 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Ivan Uzunov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Mar 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Market1 Mar 2027
The deal that would have taken Timofey Kashitsyn to Zvezda has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Zenit Penza with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Market1 Mar 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Hassan Idris may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Feb 2027
Zenit Penza are in real trouble now
Position 13, 20 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.
Market22 Feb 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom22 Feb 2027
201% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Dmitry Korolev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market22 Feb 2027
The name of Gabriel Leiva keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zenit Penza say nothing, which says plenty.
Market22 Feb 2027
Zenit Penza have made Aarón Carnero available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Feb 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market15 Feb 2027
The bid was some way short and Zenit Penza did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market15 Feb 2027
The name of Timofey Kashitsyn has come up in conversations Zenit Penza were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Alexey Makushkin asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market15 Feb 2027
The clock runs on Nikita Kolesin's contract
5 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market8 Feb 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match6 Feb 2027
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Match6 Feb 2027
0-2 to Znamya Truda, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market8 Feb 2027
Zenit Penza and Aswin are talking past each other
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market8 Feb 2027
The name of Aarón Carnero keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zenit Penza say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Feb 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 Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Market1 Feb 2027
The bid was some way short and Zenit Penza did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Eduardo Simo: 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.” Zenit Penza have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match30 Jan 2027
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Market1 Feb 2027
The name of Nikita Kolesin has come up in conversations Zenit Penza were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Match30 Jan 2027
Strogino left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Jan 2027
Zenit Penza are in real trouble now
Position 13, 20 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match23 Jan 2027
Rodina M left with the points after a 1-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Boardroom25 Jan 2027
Wages eat 226% of everything Zenit Penza earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Market25 Jan 2027
Daniil Kashmin is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zenit Penza has been clear about where Daniil Kashmin stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad25 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.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad25 Jan 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zenit Penza have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Market25 Jan 2027
The name of Gabriel Leiva keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zenit Penza say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Jan 2027
Artem Kulakov hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Squad18 Jan 2027
No place for Artem Kulakov on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zenit Penza pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad18 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Nikita Kolesin
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market11 Jan 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The terraces11 Jan 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 24 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Match9 Jan 2027
0-2 to Dinamo Bryansk, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Jan 2027
Hassan Idris hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Match2 Jan 2027
A 1-0 win over SKA Khabarovsk 2, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad4 Jan 2027
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zenit Penza pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alexandr Dementjev and Zenit Penza agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Dmitry Korolev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market4 Jan 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Ravil Salakhov leaves Zenit Penza the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
Market4 Jan 2027
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zenit Penza could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Dec 2026
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Market28 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.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
213% of the income goes out in wages at Zenit Penza
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Dmitry Korolev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match26 Dec 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Rotor 2 will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Dec 2026
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
12 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Market21 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad21 Dec 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 Dec 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Salyut will be the happier side with the point.
Squad21 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 Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Dec 2026
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Market14 Dec 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Match14 Dec 2026
Zenit Penza are in real trouble now
Position 13, 14 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Eduardo Simo 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Match12 Dec 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Kvant will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Dec 2026
No end in sight to Zenit Penza's wait for a win
10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zenit Penza has to find a result from somewhere.
Market7 Dec 2026
Aarón Carnero hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces7 Dec 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 24 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Daniil Kashmin and Zenit Penza agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match5 Dec 2026
Ryazan left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 Dec 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.
Squad7 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 Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad7 Dec 2026
At 20 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Zenit Penza have a decision that made itself.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Nov 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
Wages eat 194% of everything Zenit Penza earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Market30 Nov 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Nov 2026
1-4 to Metallurg, 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.
Match21 Nov 2026
9 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
Market23 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Market23 Nov 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Nikita Lyutikov: 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.” Zenit Penza have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Match14 Nov 2026
8 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market9 Nov 2026
Aarón Carnero hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Match7 Nov 2026
7 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
The terraces9 Nov 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 5 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Yegor Saigushev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match7 Nov 2026
0-1 to Dinamo St Petersburg, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market9 Nov 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match31 Oct 2026
6 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Simón Guajardo: 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.” Zenit Penza have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Wages eat 194% of everything Zenit Penza earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Eduardo Simo 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.
Market2 Nov 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market2 Nov 2026
11 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match26 Oct 2026
Zenit Penza are in real trouble now
Position 13, 11 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.
Market26 Oct 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market26 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.
Match24 Oct 2026
5 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
Match24 Oct 2026
0-1 to Znamya Truda, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad26 Oct 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match17 Oct 2026
4 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Oct 2026
Aarón Carnero hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces12 Oct 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 5 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Match10 Oct 2026
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market12 Oct 2026
He is 20, and nobody at Zenit Penza signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market12 Oct 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zenit Penza know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tsubasa Nishizawa commits to Zenit Penza for another 4 years.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages eat 228% of everything Zenit Penza earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Eduardo Simo 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.
Market5 Oct 2026
49 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
Squad5 Oct 2026
6 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Match3 Oct 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Arsenal Tula 2 will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Sep 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad28 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.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Dmitry Korolev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market21 Sep 2026
The deal that would have taken Timofey Kashitsyn to Irtysh has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Zenit Penza with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Squad21 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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Dmitry Korolev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zenit Penza, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad21 Sep 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A new face in his position, and Aarón Carnero suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zenit Penza have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market21 Sep 2026
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Ivan Uzunov arrives at Zenit Penza with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
Market21 Sep 2026
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Vyacheslav Novichkov moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
Market21 Sep 2026
Zenit Penza spent the window trying to move Nikita Kolesin 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces14 Sep 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 22 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Market14 Sep 2026
Irtysh are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zenit Penza will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Match12 Sep 2026
0-1 to Rotor 2, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad14 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.
Market14 Sep 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Sep 2026
Gleb Geikin has left for Rodina M in a $37.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Market7 Sep 2026
Stepan Degtev has left for Rubin Yalta in a $7.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Wages eat 158% of everything Zenit Penza earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Match5 Sep 2026
0-1 to Salyut, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad7 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.
Market7 Sep 2026
11 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Market31 Aug 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zenit Penza is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match29 Aug 2026
Three points for Zenit Penza, 1-0 the final word against Kvant in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Eduardo Simo
“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.
Market31 Aug 2026
Rodina M are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zenit Penza will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market31 Aug 2026
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Timofey Kashitsyn may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Aug 2026
Sibir go through and Zenit Penza go home, 0-1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Market24 Aug 2026
Tver come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zenit Penza did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
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.
Match22 Aug 2026
4 matches without a win for Zenit Penza
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zenit Penza are no longer polite ones.
Squad24 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.
Market24 Aug 2026
He is 20, and nobody at Zenit Penza signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market24 Aug 2026
He is 20, and nobody at Zenit Penza signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Match22 Aug 2026
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.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Every debut is a small story about the future: Stepan Degtev, 20 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ivan Gavrilov and Zenit Penza agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Gleb Geikin 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces10 Aug 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 19 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Market10 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.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Gabriel Leiva commits to Zenit Penza for another 3 years.
Match8 Aug 2026
Metallurg left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad10 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Aug 2026
Gleb Geikin hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zenit Penza can pretend not to have heard.
Market3 Aug 2026
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zenit Penza they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alexey Makushkin and Zenit Penza agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 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.
Market3 Aug 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market3 Aug 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Daniil Scherbakov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Zenit Penza.