What is this place you keep calling London? - The Russian Revolution Challenge

[Guest]

(just out of interest, UK Pound to Ruples conversion is about 1 to 60)

First thing i have to do now that players are back from off-season is inform most of them that they must take pay cut now or they will not wear the green and white this season. I also have to tell most of under 18's squad that we cannot run this team anymore due to finances, so only the best of bunch will be offered contracts rest will be let to go unfortunately. I already have by eyes on a number of players to add strength to club, South African international winger Japhet Zwane has agreed to join from Rostov(RD1) along with goalkeeper Oleg Ostapenko from Fakel(RD1), just have to finalise finances now. First proper training starts next week so hopefully much of the squad which i require for coming season will be present. So far all the people around town have been great they are all so supportive about having a high profile manager at the club, i just hope i can produce success with Tom so the fans are always smiling.

[This message was edited by haze13 on 25 September 2003 at 8:05.]

[Guest]

Vlad sweeps Tom clean

New manager Vlad Shiagichevskiy put it to many of last years first team squad that they either take pay cuts or find a new club – as a consequence 12 senior players have left the club over the past 2 weeks as well as numerous juniors who have not impressed the new boss. Coming into Tom’s squad for the new season are experienced South African winger Japhet Zwane for 1.1m R, Ukrainian keeper Oleg Ostapenko for 1.3m R and 24 year old Russian defender Igor Stamenovski from Spartak Moscow for 1.8m R.

Tom Tomsk squad 2005

I will usually play my favourite 4-4-2 formation with Tom but I will have to see how well the wide wingers can play in this roles as they are very important, if they struggle I may change slightly. 5-3-2 is my backup tactic so we will see how first few games pan out. The foreigner rule is going to make selections tricky, only 3 foreigners are allowed in squad for Russian div 1 matches - i have about 6 who would normally make squad so lots of kids will be sitting in bench most days i think.

Goalkeepers - I expect Ostapenko and Tom stalwart Alexandr Surovtsev to share the duties between sticks this season, technically Ostapenko is the more complete keeper but due to his foreigner status he will have to share role depending on other players in team. Also a couple of youngsters but not real cover for these two.

Defenders – We have strong group of central defenders with big Sergey Pavlyukovich and Sergey Rekhtin along with Stamenovski and youngster Alexandr Victorov. Both fullback positions are a bit of problem at left back Oleg Salnikov will start however he has taken disliking to me after I cut his wage by half and sent most of his teammates packing, so he too will be on way out as soon as I can find replacement. Right back is bigger problem where Alexandr Familtsev is best player but due to his Kazakhstani passport he will not play much first team unless one of the other foreigners is injured. Hopefully young Andrey Zhukov can step up to first team as at 18 he looks quite mature and has trained impressively.

Midfielders – My club captain Vasily Yanotovskiy is the anchor of this unit, he may be small but his tackling and pressure is great he kind of reminds me of Dennis Wise in England. Zwane will hold the left wing position and other 2 positions will be shared by Andrey Silyutin (attacking centre/right midfielder), Alexey Vereschak (attacking midfielder) and Dmitry Godunok (Solid defenesive mid stopper). The clubs top scorer from last season Alexandr Kolotilko will share time in midfield on right wing and up front, he is only player who did not take pay cut and remains at club but he is fans favourite so I did not want to trade him straight away.

Forwards – I am endowed with plenty of depth up front at Tom, most talented striker is Vyacheslav Vishnevskiy but he only scored 9 goals last season – seems to be a little inconsistent but hopefully I can help that. His partner up front will come from Kolotilko, veteran Victor Sebelev (has played 360 matches with Tom) and 22 year old Karen Sargsyan.

[Guest]

Tom show early spirit

Tom Tomsk defeated Premiership opposition in Shinnik and Rotor Volgograd to win the Trud Ruski Torne Pre-season Cup in Tomsk on the weekend. In the 3-0 win over Shinnik Vishnevskiy scored twice to star and then youngster Sargsyan led Tom to a 1-0 victory over Rotor in the final. New keeper Ostapenko looks the goods in goal and recruit Zwane is a class act on the left side of midfield.

Pre-season

Our 4-4-2 formation is working nicely during pre-season, we managed to win 4 and lose 2 games in a good trial period. Vishnevskiy looks to be clinical infront of goal and all the new recruits fitted in quite nicely, veteran Sebelev put in a good performance up front with Vish.

Tatiana is loving life in Tomsk, she is close to family and is obviously loving spending time and settling down in a beautiful part of Russia. Anyway, first game of season is cup quarter final against Dinamo Moscow, this will be tough as they are big Moscow club with lots of money. I have finally decided on my first 11 for the start of the season, here’s cheers to the new season.

[Guest]

April ‘05

Tom Tomsk’s season starts with a tough cup quarter final draw against Dinamo Moscow at Tomsk. A capacity attendance saw Tom take it up to Dynamo for the first half but a late goal by Dinamo was enough to see them through to the semi 1-0. Tom now faced a busy 6 league matches over 21 days, first up disposing of Neftekhimik 3-0 at the Trud with strikes by Vishnevskiy, Kolotilko and Sargysan. The travel to Khimki was draining but it was worth it after Tom came home with a 1-0 scoreline thanks to a Vishnevskiy strike, then 3 days later Vishnevskiy completed a landmark week of football by putting 4 past the aptly named Fakel (fak-el). It was 4 wins from 4 league starts after Sargsyan and Vishnevskiy eased Tom Tomsk past Iskra Smolensk 3-0, finally Tom ended the demanding first month of the season with a 3-1 victory over Gaz Gaz (Vish hat-trick) and a tough 2-1 win against Ural thanks to a brace from Sargsyan.

Mr Stepanov has just finished commending me on good start to season, he has come from board meeting and tells me that all are happy with start considering they only expected me to attain respectable position in league.

Vish has had oustanding month of football, 11 goals in 6 matches and a player of month award also now – he has done everything I ask of him so far. After a 6 win start to season I cannot complain at all about any players but I must commend young Andrey Zhukov who has played all 6 matches at right back and looks very solid at only 18 years old. I am happy with the choice of Yanotovskiy as captain as he has lead from front and is very versatile, so far he already play midfield, centre defence and left back.

Monthly record

RD1 (played 6) 6-0-0

Standings (1st) 6-0-0 (18pts)

Russian Cup 0-0-1

[Guest]

Oooh! Tomsk story now, this could be a first i think?

[BobBev]

A great start to life in Russia haze13

[Guest]

{Cheers skitter, bobbev - life in Russia is pretty tough hopefully there'll be a few updates within the next 24hrs)

[Guest]

May ‘05

Another hectic month of football for Tom saw 7 league matches in 4 weeks starting away to Rostov, after such a great start to the season Tom came crashing down 4-1 at the hands of Rostov. With youngster Sargsyan sidelined for 3 months with a hip injury Tom welcomed Volgar to Trud needing to regain their early season form, 3-0 with a brace for Vishnevskiy and one for Sebelev saw them home. Spartak Nalchik were a tougher task next up but a single strike by Sebelev ensured that the 3 points stayed at Tomsk, a few days later the travel to Metallurg to play Torpedo-Metallurg was too much as Tom went down 1-0 against a tough well organised Torpedo side. Lowly Khimik Dzerzhinski came to Trud with little hope and left with none losing 4-0 including a hat-trick by Vish and Silyutin’s crashing sealer. Tom ended the month with a 1-0 away victory against Metallurg Lipetsk, Sebelev the scorer and then a 2-2 home draw with the impressive Lada, Kolitilko and Sebelev on the scoresheet.

This life in Russian Div 1 is quite nice right now team is performing on the park and I am performing off the park if you know what I mean. Tatiana and I are expecting our first child as doctor tells her she is one month pregnant, I so excited to being a father soon. On football our first loss of season was due and Rostov delivered it in big way, I was very happy with way the boys bounced back from loss to record a winning month still. Vish continues to fire (I can’t see how he’s never scored many goals at this level before!) and his partnership with Sebelev is starting to blossom. I am looking forward to coming matches of football and hopefully we can maintain our top spot for a while yet.

Monthly record

RD1 (7) 4-1-2

Standings (1st) 10-1-2 (31pts)

[Guest]

June ‘05

A quiet month due to the mid-season break saw Tom play just 3 away matches for the month. First up a trip to play Amkar a side starting to find some form, we managed to slavage a 1-1 draw thanks to a late Yanotovskiy penalty. Sokol Saratov had refused to lie down this season and despite financial crisis they led the league (1pt ahead of Tom) after 14 matches, a 2-1 victory over Tom extended this lead. To end the shortened month we travelled to play Metallurg-Kuzbass and returned with a 3-1 victory, goals scored by the unflappable Vishnevskiy (17th for season) and a brace for Kolotilko.

A very quiet month of season as we break for the middle of season for a few weeks, the boys enter the break in slightly average form right now. I will be hoping to be improving after season resumes as we can make charge for a top two finish come November.

Monthly record

RD1 (3) 1-1-1

Standings (2nd) 11-2-3 (35pts)

[Guest]

(For those that are interested Man U won the EPL over Chelsea with Newcastle 3rd, Chelsea defeated Inter in the Champions League final and Blackburn won the UEFA Cup over Schalke 04)

[Guest]

July ‘05

Following the mid-season break Tom picked up the pace with a 7 match month once again. At Trud to Kuban Tom were held to a 1-1 draw with Kolotilko on the scoresheet, unfortunately Tom centre back Rekhtin has torn his groin and will miss 2 months. Turbina next travelled to Tomsk and fought well before Tom ran home with late goals to Sebelev (2) and Yanotovskiy for a 3-0 margin, Tom then travelled to Baltika and left disappointed following a dull 0-0 result. Following the Baltika result Tom lost forward Kolotilko and full back Zhukov for a month each with injuries, the depleted Tom side then welcomed Torpedo-Victoria and came back from an early goal to overcome Vics 3-1 with Sebelev and Vishnevskiy (2) doing the damage. Tom ended the month with 3 road matches, Sebelev’s strike saw off Arzamas 1-0, Silyutin then did the same against Neftekhimik for a similar 1-0 result, finally Fakel held Tom 0-0 to end a busy month.

Tom players hit back with form this month after an undefeated 7 match period, we are quite comfortable in second place now at the halfway point of the season. New signings Vladislav Duyun and Alexey Artemov will add depth to my squad, with Duyun expected to start in the heart of the midfield. With very hectic trade period I have been so busy studying tapes till late every night – is so tiring, hopefully Duyun adds midfield strength and muscle to my squad as he looks like a quality player. Injuries are starting to take a toll on my shallow squad but hopefully the club can ride it.

Monthly record

RD1 (7) 4-3-0

Standings (2nd) 15-5-3 (50pts)

[Guest]

August ‘05

Tom started August with a commanding 3-0 victory over Iskra Smolensk with Zwane and surprise, surprise Vishnevskiy (2) on the scoresheet. Vish scored a couple more as Tom disposed of Khimki 5-0 also scoring were Kolotilko and Sebelev (2), Tom however fell in a heap against Gaz-Gaz as they went down 1-0 and increased their injury woes with new recruit Duyun dislocating his shoulder, at least a 2 month injury. Tom recorded their first home loss of the season against Ural going down 2-1, a Vish strike not enough to save the result. Before the away match with Spartak Nalchik Kolotilko jagged his groin again in training and will miss another 2 months! To make it worse Tom lost their 3rd match on the trot 1-0 to Nalchik. Tom found a little form to defeat Rostov 3-0 at Trud with Vish scoring all three and ending the month on a good note.

After a good start to the month three losses and more injuries put us in a difficult situation, and while we held second place it was not secure anymore. I must confess my focus is a bit wayward right now as Tatiana was fed up with my full-time commitment to football club and she has gone to live with sister in Novosibirsk for a while. I think she needs more time from me now that she is carrying a child, I am torn between my career and my home life.

Monthly record

RD1 (6) 3-0-3

Standings (2nd) 18-5-6 (59pts)

[Guest]

September ‘05

Tom struggled to continue their early season form once again in September first up losing 1-0 away to Volgar before defeating Torpedo-Metallurg 2-0 with two Vishnevskiy strikes. Tom’s home form was holding with a 3-0 win over Metallurg Lipetsk, Silyutin and Sargsyan (2) on the scorecard, however veteran striker Sebelev will miss the remainder of the season with a groin injury. A 2-0 away defeat at the hands of Khimik Dzerzhinsk followed by a 0-0 draw with Lada left Tom just clinging on to 2nd place behind Amkar as the season end nears. Tom’s home match with Amkar was now a must win fixture, theTomsk supporters were not disappointed as Tom clung on for a 2-1 victory thanks to strikes from Sargsyan and Vish.

It appears that Tatiana is happier living with her sister now so I am starting to feel that I must move on with my managing career. Whilst I love being at Tom late this month I found my attention wavering as I noticed that the Torpedo Moscow job had become available and the thought of managing in Moscow with a strong club was tempting. With Tom we continued to hold onto the second promotion position, however I was starting to doubt whether Tom had resources to make an impact in Russian Premier Division. I started talks with Torpedo chairman Vladimir Yeshin and he stated that if I came to Torpedo he would make sure that all resources would be made available to advance Torpedo as a power. I have heard rumours about Torpedo’s bad financial situation but Mr Yeshin sounded very convincing, I will need to think some more.

Monthly record

RD1 (6) 3-1-2

Standings (2nd) 21-6-8 (69pts)

[Guest]

October ‘05

Tom’s home match with Sokol Saratov was to be Shiagichevskiy’s final match in charge, and Tom didn’t disappoint with a 3-0 victory and a Sargsyan hat-trick to see off their popular manager. Tom ended the month with a further 1-2-1 record and appointed Sergey Tahuev as the new manager. With these results they held onto 2nd place with Amkar claiming the Russian Div 1 title and Gaz-Gaz breathing heavily in 3rd place.

After more talks with Tatiana I decided that it was time to move on and up on my own, I approached Mr Yeshin and I was on my way to Torpedo Moscow. I left Tom in a good position and I passed on all I could to my assistant in hope that the club would gain promotion.

[Guest]

Torpedo unveil new boss

Vladimir Shiagichevskiy will take charge of Torpedo Moscow for the remainder of the season and looks set to sign on for a further 2 seasons after moving to Moscow from Division 1 high flyers Tom Tomsk this week. Whilst Tom were unhappy to see Shiagichevskiyleave, their chairman was proud of the position he had helped lead them to and wished him the best of luck in following his dreams to Moscow.

October '05 (cont)

In Moscow Shiagichevskiy’s reign at the financially stricken Torpedo started dramatically with a 4-3 away win over league leaders Lokomotiv Moscow, a 93rd minute penalty sealing the winning start. Torpedo followed this up with a 1-0 away win over Spartak Moscow and a 4-1 home demolition of Zenith Peterburg, after taking over at Torpedo Shiagichevskiy has lifted Moscow’s much maligned club from 12th to 6th in the league.

After meeting the new squad I was hoping a good end of season run might sneak us into a European position but 6th place was not going to do that. The squad looks promising but lacks in a couple of positions I will hopefullt trade for a couple more influential players over the off-season.

[Guest]

November ‘05

In Moscow Torpedo’s final match of the season saw a lack-lustre 3-1 defeat at the hands of Anzhi. With the possibility of a 5th place finish Torpedo had ended up 8th but Shiagichevskiy had shown that the current squad could stand up to the best of the Premier Division. They will have to because given Torpedo’s financial situation there will be little spending afforded off-season.

Torpedo chairman Mr Yeshin ensures me that the club debt will hopefully be cleared given a couple of successful seasons at the helm. As the clubs final position slipped to 8th I realised that European qualification after next season would be very important for the clubs position.

After losing to Turbina and with Gaz-Gaz winning Tom had slipped to 3rd and required a win in the final game with Gaz-Gaz also dropping points against Volgar. Tom destroyed Arzamas 4-0 and as the score filtered through from Volgar the Tomsk fans were delirious, Gaz-Gaz had lost and Tom were in the Russian Premier Division!

[Guest]

Winter ‘05/06

Well it has been an interesting time at Torpedo so far – where should I start? After I decided that we needed a couple more attacking players a spoke to Mr Yeshin he suggested I should wait till this seasons finaces had been finalised. Later when he handed me a copy of the clubs financial forecast I almost choked, I was expected to maintain a reasonable league position without any transfer funds and with minimal wages available. This was the beginning of the end for me at Torpedo.

I decided that I would give it a shot and try to sign some out of contract experienced players to add depth to Torpedo, this was a disaster as no-one wanted to come to a club in our financial status especially when we have little to offer in regards to wages. After once more being knocked back I approached Mr Yeshin and suggested that he either provide some transfer funds or I would walk out of the club today. Mr Yeshin gave in and promised transfer funds would soon be available, however after almost a week there was no change on the financial front. Once more I went to Yeshin and following heated debate during which many claims were made about the lack of ambition and unprofessional nature of his football club, I left his office a free man – without a football club to manage!

[Guest]

Alone in the icy cold heart of mother Russia...

[Guest]

January ‘06

This is disaster I am in Moscow without a club and on my own now. To make matters worse I feel silly knowing that I could be still at Tom who will be in Premier Division this season. Before I could get too down on myself my luck started to turn, I had a call from Tatiana today. She wants to come to Moscow and live as a family again, she wants me to be there for our baby when it is born in about 6 weeks! I do not care about the football now, if my beautiful wife comes back to me and we can settle in Moscow to start our family I will be happiest man in Russia. After pay-out from Torpedo manager job I can afford to live well without work for a time yet so now I look for a nice home for my family to live now.

[Guest]

Tatiana has just joined me at our new home in Moscow nearby Torpedo, the house is beautiful big place with lovely gardens it was former home of famous Russian pop singer who is not famous now and needed money. My wife is due to have baby in just days now I am so excited to have opportunity to be back with family around me, I will not make mistake again.

Shiagichevskiy to Army Men?

Rumours are rife that CSKA Moscow boss Valery Gazzaev is on the way out to be replaced by former Chelsea, Tom Tomsk and Torpedo Moscow manager Vlad Shiagichevskiy after losing in the 2nd round of the UEFA Cup 5-2 on aggregate to local rivals Locomotiv Moscow, this follows a lowly 7th place finish last season at a club which demands success and European qualification. CSKA are now confronted with at least an 18 month exodus from Europe and chairman Eugeny Giner has publicly stated that Gazzaev (also Russia’s national manager) can start focusing completely on his Russian national duties as he is no longer required at CSKA.

[Guest]

Today my Tatiana gave birth to a beautiful baby girl she is so tiny and red, we have decided to call her Milja after Tatiana’s mothers mother. After hearing rumours about CSKA position I am unsure what to do, I have told media that I have not spoken to Mr Giner at CSKA and this is true I have much respect for Valery Gazzaev as he is close friend and repected manager of national side. I decide to ignore rumours and celebrate my beautiful daughter Milja’s birth with my weary wife, this is start of beautiful new life now.

Locomotiv or Spartak

Locomotiv Moscow and Spartak Moscow who between them have won the last eleven Russian Premier Division titles have been made equal 6-4 favourites for the 2006 title, the other title contenders are expected to be CSKA Moscow at 12-1, Torpedo Moscow 16-1, Krylja Sovetov 25-1 and Dinamo Peterburg 33-1. As the bookmakers predict it is highly unlikely that the league winner will come from any team other than Spartak or Locomotiv, especially given the respective financial turmoil and managerial upheaval at Torpedo Moscow and CSKA Moscow.

[Guest]

It has been almost two months since I was shown the door at Torpedo and to be honest I feel good about myself, it would have been the wrong decision to continue in the job when my heart simply wasn’t in it. The CSKA Moscow manager position officially became available last week and I must admit the attention from Mr Giner has been flattering, I have laid down my extensive requirements and if the club and I can come to agreements then I may be back in a manager’s seat sooner rather than later.

[Guest]

Army men get their man

After over two months in the wilderness esteemed manager Vlad Shiagichevskiy has taken charge of CSKA Moscow for the recently commenced Russian Premier Division season. Following prolonged negotiations Shiagichevskiy will take control for Saturday’s Dinamo Moscow fixture, CSKA have started with a 3-0-1 (w-d-l) record under caretaker Alexandr Kuznetsov and Shiagichevskiy has stated that Kuznetsov will play a major role in the ongoing control of the first team. Club chairman Eugeny Giner has expressed his delight at attaining the services of Shiagichevskiy after the debacle at arch-rivals Torpedo and has ensured that CSKA under their new boss will challenge Locomotiv and Spartak for the title this season.Shiagichevskiy has stated that he is very happy to be at an ambitous club with aspirations for European success.

Yes I’m back in management, I know it wasn’t planned but when the opportunity came up it was too good to refuse. Mr Giner has provided a substantial transfer budget of 114m R (2.24m pounds) which I hope to wisely spend during the mid-season transfer window once I have fully assessed my new squad. The clubs overall financial status is slightly uneasy right now but if I can lead the club back into Europe we will soon clear the debt, importantly Mr Giner has expressed his ambitions to make the Army Men the most feared side in Russia by breaking the strangle hold of Spartak and Locomotiv and then taking on Europe. This unfortunately was the main problem with life at Torpedo, no ambition to greatness.

[Guest]

CSKA Moscow squad 2006

I will retain my favourite 4-4-2 formation with CSKA as I have with Chelsea and Tom but I will have to see how well the wide wingers can play in this roles as they are very important, if they struggle I may change slightly. 5-3-2 is my backup tactic so we will see what happens in the first few games. The club has a very talented first-team bunch (listed below) to which I will hopefully add a few recruits mid-season as the transfer market has already closed, unfortunately there is a lot of dead wood mainly senior players who have played little in the past few seasons – so I will be hoping to clear the squad out in the coming season ot two.

Goalkeepers - Veteran Azerbaijan keeper Dmitry Kramarenko and up and coming local product Veniamin Mandrykin will battle for the top spot, I expect Mandrykin to force his way into the side by season’s end. As back-up we have youngster Vladimir Gabulov who looks promising but I’ll look to sign another keeper to add some security to the keepeing ranks.

Defenders – In Denis Yevsikov and veteran Eugeny Varlamov CSKA are blessed with two class central defenders however there is little cover with Russian international right-back Alexey Berezutskiy the best choice back-up. Alexey Berezutskiy is the first choice right-back however twin brother Vasily Berezutskiy offers a quicker, more attacking full-back option. At left-back experienced Russian international Andrey Solomantin (32 caps) is the obvious selection with Oleg Kornaukhov providing sound back-up.

Midfielders – The crucial central midfield slots will be shared between club and Russian captain Igor Yanovskiy (56 caps), Czech anchorman Jiri Jarosik and young Russian star in-making Alan Kusov, providing depth will be veteran Elver Rahimic. On the left wing I will have to start Yanovskiy as there are no true wingers at the club, Spartak Gogniev who is a forward will have to play on the flank a bit till the transfer market opens mid-season. Right-wing poses similar problems as once more there are no real wingers, experienced Lithuanian midfielder Deividas Semberas (44 caps) will start right and Rolan Gusev may play a little, however once more I will be looking to strengthen this position on the transfer market.

Forwards – Up front Denis Popov looks a star, tall and strong Popov will be my main man up front. Playing off Popov will be Dmitry Kirichenko or youngster Sergey Samodin, beyond these three there is little talent so I will look to add another decent striker during the season.

[Guest]

April ‘06

Shiagichevskiy’s first match in charge of CSKA Moscow travelling to neighbours Dinamo Moscow ended with success following powerhouse striker Denis Popov’s towering header from Varlamov’s corner. CSKA played a perfect counter game and the 1-0 result was fitting, with young defender Yevsikov rock-solid. Tom then travelled to the Eduard Streltsov and went down valiantly to the Army Men 2-1, goals from Popov and Gogniev saw off the Tom challenge with Yanotovskiy pulling one back for the visitors. CSKA’s visit to Amkar ended with the new bosses first loss in charge with a Vitaly Semin strike leading Amkar to a deserved 1-0 victory. In the match of the season so far league leaders Spartak Moscow travelled across town and were 2-0 up on CSKA after 36 minutes, just on half-time Kirichenko pulled one back for the Army Men with a stunning strike from just inside the area. CSKA’s comeback was complete when Popov’s strike with 12 minutes left was too strong for the Spartak keeper, final score 2-2. At Anzhi it looked like Gogniev’s first-half strike would see CSKA home but a lucky late equaliser for Anzhi’s Stepanov was enough for 1-1 and a share of the points.

After my first month in charge of CSKA I can already see the problem of having no wingers with my preferred 4-4-2 formation, in last match against Anzhi I tried a 5-3-2 formation which worked okay as we were unlucky not to take the three points. This is a problem I am already looking to fix as I have targetted a number of wingers who will be available mid-season, we must keep competitive until then so the 5-3-2 will probably do for now. Popov looks like a star, I can’t believe he’s only played 9 times for Russia – tall and strong with a deadly header, his lack of skills when the ball gets under his legs is his only weakness. Kramarenko has looked sound in goals so far and is keeping out Mandrykin for now.

Monthly record

RPD (5) 2-2-1

Standings (5th) 5-2-2 (17pts)

[Guest]

May/June ‘06

May started well for CSKA Moscow with a 3-0 away win over Dinamo Peterburg Popov scored either side of the half following work by Kusov and Kirichenko respectively, before Jarosik iced the result from the spot following a foul on Kirichenko. In a bitter match CSKA overcame arch-rival Torpedo Moscow 1-0 at the Eduard Streltsov, Kirichenko’s late header sealing the result for Shiagichevskiy over the club which he walked out of following numerous verbal clashes with the board in early January. Against Rotor CSKA wasted many chances with Popov the main offender, the 0-0 scoreline flattered the side from Volgograd but they fought well to the whistle with Estonian keeper Sergey Pareiko the saviour. June only featured one fixture for CSKA, another 0-0 draw this time away to Shinnik who kept the match tight throughout and exploited CSKA’s lack of creativity in midfield.

We have edged up to 4th place and the team was starting to perform well before the last two 0-0 draws which were dissapointing to say the least. Thankfully we have reached the mid-season break for the World Cup (No, Russia did not make it!) which means by the time we return I’ll be unveiling at least a couple of signings if not more. If anyone is interested home life is good and well balanced right now, Tatiana has settled well in Moscow (her sister and mother too have moved nearby into a house I set up for them) and little Milja is doing very well – she is so beautiful.

Monthly record

RPD (4) 2-2-0

Standings (4th) 7-4-2 (25pts)

[Guest]

World Cup

The 2006 World Cup semi-finals saw Argentina taking on Spain and Surprise packets Cameroon up against France. It took penalties for the Argentines to advance after a dour 0-0 match after 120 minutes with Spain. In the other semi France ended Cameroon’s dream with a sound 3-1 scoreline. In the final Pires’ 19th minute penalty was soon cancelled out by Crespo and the 1-1 deadlock held till full-time, as the match limped towards penalties when Fabricio Coloccini bundled over Djibril Cisse in the area, once more Pires scored from the spot and France had secured the 2006 World Cup. Spain claimed 3rd place with an easy 4-0 win over Cameroon.

In transfer news we have secured the services of three attacking wingers and a quality defender. Carlos Arturo Marinelli has joined for free after he was released by Middleborough, Carlos can play either flank and we hope that given some match time he can turn into something special – at Boro he hadn’t played much for the past 4 seasons and at only 24 the Argentinean has much to offer. Young Russian right winger Valery Leonov has joined from Torpedo Metallurg for 1m R (20k), Leonov is a quick winger with a good allround game. We signed Peter Sedunov from Boden in Sweden for 3.75m R (75k) where he has spent the past 6 seasons, at 29 Sedunov (a former CSKA junior) is an attacking left winger who can also play up front. Finally Arten Chelyadinskiy has joined from Sokol Saratov for 1m R (20k), Arten is a top central defender at Division 1 standards and I expect him to step up to the Premier Division. I am particularly excited about seeing how Marinelli fits in with our current side, I expect he may take a while to settle however I plan to give him every opportunity to prove what he’s worth.

[Guest]

July ‘06

CSKA travelled to Ural for the Russian Cup 2nd round fixture and returned with red faces following the first division sides 4-0 thrashing, Mandrykin in goals was hapless for the Army Men but the team was simply outplayed all over the park. The Army Men recovered from their shock exit from the Russian Cup with a 2-0 victory over Chernomorets at the Eduard Streltsov, Popov set up both goals as Kirichenko and Sedunov gleefully took their chances. Sedunov’s successful return to CSKA was spoilt as he limped off the park with a suspected groin injury. High flying Saturn hosted CSKA Moscow and a tough fought encounter ended 1-1 with Kirichenko’s early strike for the Army Boys cancelled out by Muratovic’s finish for Saturn following a blunder by CSKA keeper Mandrykin. At home to a quality Zenith Peterburg outfit, CSKA expected a challenge and they got one. Popov stabbed home a Solomatin throw to make it 1-0 however Zenith pulled it back late in the match, Kusov looked to have scored the winner with a cracking drive in injury time however it was ruled out for off-side (??) and the game ended a 1-1 draw.

It looks like Peter Sedunov will miss a couple of months with his groin, unfortunately this took the shine off his first goal for the club he first played for 8 years ago. Marinelli’s first game for the club was woeful against Ural but he wasn’t the only one, Mandrykin deputising for the injured Kramarenko in goals was terrible but it looks like he’ll have to step up as Kramarenko will be out for a further 2 weeks or so. A dissapointing month in general but the new lads are starting to fit into our system, Marinelli’s got over his first match shocker and put in a few sound performances now. As the transfer window comes to a close we’ve just added another four new signings, all free transfers. Former Ajax winger Pius Ikedia will add depth and flair to our midfield ranks as will left winger Jofre from Barcelona, the 26yr old Spaniard looks a real talent – his crossing is deadly accurate so with Popov in the middle we will cause problems. Also joining are former Boavista and Charlton keeper Sergio Leite and experienced Spanish forward Salva from Valencia. Jofre and Salva are both recovering from long-term injuries and won’t be available for about a month according to the physio.

Monthly record

RPD (3) 1-2-0

Standings (3rd) 8-6-2 (30pts)

Russian Cup (1) 0-0-1

[Guest]

August ‘06

Krylja Sovetov looked determined to hold CSKA Moscow and they did, 0-0 in a dull encounter in which the Army Boys should have taken the points but for Popov’s missed chances, the loss of Jarosik (groin injury) just made matters worse for CSKA. Another away match for CSKA but a better result this time with a 2-1 win over Rubin much thanks to Popov’s finishing game being on target this time, two headers from the big man put CSKA ahead before a late Sibaya screamer put some respectability on the board for Rubin. Locomotiv Moscow struggling in 5th place travelled to the Eduard to play 2nd placed CSKA and left with their tale between their legs and the season precariously on edge. The Army Boys put 6 past the Loco defence with Popov claiming a hat-trick, Kusov two including a curling 30 yard strike and an Mnguni own goal - with Aldonin’s goal no more than a consolation, 6-1 and total domination for CSKA over the pre-season title favourites. It was Dinamo Moscow’s turn to travel across town to play the Army Boys and two first-half Popov header’s (from pin-point Marinelli and Ikedia crosses) had Dinamo reeling, Bulytin pulled one back just on the half but Popov completed his hat-trick from a delightful Vasily Berezutskiy through ball to make it 3-1. To complete August Tom hosted CSKA at Trud Tomsk and made it difficult for the visitors, however on 18 minutes Yudin was sent-off for Tom and the ten men were forced to battle on before finally conceding a disasterous own goal just on half-time when Musatov passed the ball past Ostapenko in Tom’s goal. A Popov penalty on the hour mark after Chelyadinskiy was fouled in the air completed the result as CSKA won a hard fought contest 2-0.

At the end of August we have hit the lead in the race for the Russian title, to be honest I didn’t expect us to be challenging the likes of Spartak and Locomotiv this season however their bad form has helped catapult my boys up into top spot. It looks like Torpedo will be the real challengers which is surprising for me personally given their current squad and financial issues, the new manager has done very well. We have lost Jarosik for a couple of months but I think we can cover his loss with our new recruits who are all starting to fit in with our style now.

Monthly record

RPD (5) 4-1-0

Standings (1st) 12-7-2 (43pts)

Top 4 – CSKA Moscow played 22/43 pts, Torpedo Moscow 21/41, Spartak Moscow 20/40, Saturn 20/37

[Guest]

(Oh yeah if you're intersted, Arsenal over Chelsea and Liverpool in the EPL, Man U over Arsenal in the Champions League final and Juventus over Marseille in the UEFA cup. Bit late on the season update there! Chelsea 2nd for 2 years in a row under Van Gaal after me. )

[Guest]

Eyy, you can't let Torpedo beat you now, right?

[Guest]

(Read on skuja, just read on my friend)

September ‘06

CSKA Moscow continued their winning form with a 3-0 result against Amkar at the Eduard Streltsov, In a tight first half Yevsikov broke the deadlock just before the half heading home Yanovskiy’s corner, substitute Samodin replacing Popov (holding a potential shoulder injury) scored twice in the second half to secure the result.

Another good win but at a cost as Popov will miss about a month with a dislocated shoulder. This gives Salva and 21 year old Samodin a chance to work together up front, Samodin is a youth project of the club and he scored his first senior goals on the weekend so I am happy to give him more time on the pitch with Popov unavailable.

Dinamo Peterburg were on the end of Jofre’s first strike for CSKA in the 2-0 loss against the league leaders, Jofre took the ball on his left wing before cutting in dribbling past 4 players and firing past the motionless keeper from the edge of the area, his Spanish compatriot Salva scored with a simple tap-in to complete the scoring.

It tell you something, Jofre’s goal had to be seen to be believed with all the superstars I managed at Chelsea none scored a better goal than this one. Torpedo have caught up winning there last 4 matches and now lead us by 1 point, the next match against our ach-rivals at Luzhniki will be crucial in the race to the title.

In what was billed as the match of the season Torpedo Moscow unbeaten in 11 league matches and back on top of the table at home to CSKA unbeaten in 16 league matches and winning the past 6 matches taking them to 2nd behind Torpedo. Torpedo had the early chances and on 6 minutes CSKA’s Solomatin brought down Panferov for a penalty, Panferov stepped up but Kramarenko foiled him making a great save. On 14 minutes Samodin had the Army Men’s first chance and took it with both hands, crisply finishing from Salva’s flick-on after great work by Marinelli who was chopping up Torpedo on his own. At half-time Torpedo were lucky to only be one goal down after Marinelli had absolutely dominated on the right wing but Salva had fluffed a couple of great chances. Early in the second half a direct ball by Kusov up the middle released Samodin who rounded the stranded keeper and made it 2-0 on the hour and it was all over, Salva finished off Torpedo on 83 minutes with a simple breakaway goal once again putting the ball past the dejected keeper who’s defence had been cut open time and time again by CSKA’s efficient passing game.

Great win by the boys this puts us 2 points ahead of my former (if only briefly) club with just 6 matches remaining. With the confidence the team is playing at present I can’t see us losing any of remaining league fixtures, but I shouldn’t be getting ahead of myself. First lets dispose of Anzhi.

15th placed Anzhi travelled to Moscow with hopes of upsetting title favourites CSKA and they almost did. In a tight first half the Army Men could have seen off the tigerish Anzhi outfit but despite all the good work they simply couldn’t break down Anzhi’s dour defence. As the second half slowly merged into the monotony of the first CSKA introduced Leonov on the right wing and it was to be the telling move, Leonov’s work down the right won a corner and from the subsequent Yanovskiy corner Leonov headed powerfully into the far corner of the net for the deciding goal, CSKA 1-0.

I almost spoke to soon about winning the remaining matches easily, Anzhi played really well and I was beginning to worry before Leonov finally put the ball in the back of the net. Popov should be back in about a week now, we need his power and stability up front.

Monthly record

RPD (4) 4-0-0

Standings (1st) 16-7-2 (55pts)

Top 4 – CSKA Moscow 25/55, Torpedo Moscow 26/53, Zenith Peterburg 26/44, Spartak Moscow 25/43

[Guest]

October/November ‘06

Saturday’s match at Volgograd came to life after 22 minutes when Salva put CSKA ahead finishing from Jofre’s low cross, however just minutes later Rotor hit back through Mysin with a cracking goal 1 on 1 with Kramarenko. Then on 26 minutes Marinelli’s long free-kick was powerfully headed goalwards by Yanovskiy beating the Rotor keeper to the near post and putting the Army Men 2-1 up. After a frantic 3 goals in 4 minutes of play CSKA slowed the game down and there was no further scoring.

Today (Sunday) Torpedo defeated Rubin 3-0 to keep the pressure on us at the top, however we remain 2 points up still with a game in hand. On Tuesday we play our co-tennants Spartak Moscow in an away match at the Eduard Streltsov, when I say co-tennants they own the stadium - as was pointed out to me when I requested that our stadium be expanded recently!

Spartak Moscow came out firing against CSKA and after just one minute Kontsevoy slipped behind the Army Men defence and finished emphatically to give Spartak an early 1-0 lead. The lead only lasted a matter of minutes before Popov announced his return for CSKA powerfully finishing from Salva’s downward header to equalise, just before half-time Jofre weaved through Spartak’s midfield dribbling from left to right flank before crossing for Popov to head home at the near post. Second half substitute Samodin iced the result with a 79th minute screamer from 35 yards in of the post following Vasily Berezetskiy’s defence splitting diagonal ball, 3-1 to the Army Men.

We stretch our lead out to 5 points now and the league is looking ours, the last three fixtures see Shinnik and Saturn travelling to Moscow before we face Chernomorets away for the final match of the season. I swear Samodin is something special, every time I start him on the bench he comes on as a sub and scores a cracking goal – this one was special though.

[Guest]

Shinnik had no chance against a rampaging CSKA outfit on a run of 10 wins in a row and a scary 20 league matches undefeated. On just 7 minutes Popov scored his 100th goal for the Army Men following Kornaukhov’s through ball and as it turned out it would be a game of milestones. Marinelli decided he would make his mark scoring his first goal for CSKA with a cracking 35 yard curving shot into the top corner of the net, just 5 minutes later he scored his second with a stunning 30 yard drive from wide on the left. Just on the half hour Yevsikov completed Shinnik’s misery heading home Yanovskiy’s corner to make it 4-0.

With Torpedo going down 3-0 at the hands of Locomotiv the title is ours! Bit of an anti-climax in the end but I’m not complaining.

Army Men claim league title

Vladimir Shiagichevskiy has led CSKA to the Russian Premier Division title in only his first season in charge, the Army Men have broken the Spartak/Locomotiv stranglehold on the league title which had stretched to eleven seasons without a side outside of these two raising the trophy. At 12-1 in February to win the title CSKA were expected to achieve European qualification but nothing more however a continuing run of 11 wins and 21 league games undefeated has secured the championship for Shiagichevskiy and his Army Men.

[Guest]

After sealing the Russian Premier Division title CSKA Moscow celebrated by demolishing 4th placed Saturn 6-0 at the Eduard, Popov helped himself to 4 goals whilst Salva and Yevsikov scored one a piece - the Army Men’s aerial dominance was evident with 4 headed goals. For their final match of the season CSKA disposed of Chernomorets 1-0 in a close match thanks to Samodin’s tap-in after a Popov shot which was too hot for the Cherno keeper. The Army Men had ended the season with 13 wins on the trot and undefeated in the last 23 matches.

The final margin of 8 points was a little flattering but I’ll take it, I am looking forward to taking on Europe next season and defending our league title now. Our squad is strong enough for European competition so I won’t need to make many additions over the off-season, I will however be attempting to off-load a lot of the senior players who are not contributing to the first team squad. We currently have 56 players in the full squad and whilst our wages are under what the board requires we are losing too much finance due to player contracts which we don’t require, this will be amended.

Monthly record

RPD (5) 5-0-0

Standings (1st) 21-7-2 (70pts)

[Guest]

Russian Premier Division 2006

Final standings – CSKA Moscow 70, Torpedo Moscow 62, Zenith Peterburg 51, Saturn 50, Spartak Moscow 48, Locomotic Moscow 47, Rubin 45, Shinnik 45, Dinamo Moscow 43, Rotor 39, Krylja Sovetov 39, Amkar 37, Chernomorets 33, Tom 32, Anzhi 23 ®, Dinamo Peterburg 20 ®

Russian Player of the Year

1st - Vladyslav Vaschuk Spartak Moscow

2nd – Sergey Ovchinnikov Lokomotiv Moscow

3rd – Igor Yanovskiy CSKA Moscow

Foreign Player of the Year

1st – Srdjan Stanic Spartak Moscow

2nd – Jacob Lekgetho Lokomotiv Moscow

3rd – Arten Chelyadinskiy CSKA Moscow

RPD Team of the Year

CSKA Representatives – Denis Yevsikov, Andrey Solomatin, Denis Popov

RPD Golden Boot

Denis Popov CSKA Moscow (26 goals)

CSKA Moscow Fans Player of the Year

Denis Popov

[Guest]

Just 2 losses for the league season haze, nice on to Europe!

[spurzgrrl]

Центральный Спортивный Клуб Ðрмии!

<Central Sport Club of the Army!>

Пойдем!

<Go!>

удача в Лиге Чемпионов.

<good luck with the Champions League>

[Guest]

good job and good luck next season..

[Guest]

(Cheers sg + skuja i plan to hit europe hard as soon as the next european season starts up!)

Winter ‘06/07

As the small but encouragable core group of Army Men supporters continued to celebrate our first league title since the Russian Premier Division was formed after the then USSR was dissolved 15 years ago now, I was more concerned about our burgeoning debt currently close to 240m R (4.8m pounds). The chairman Mr Giner and the board have ensured me they have no long term financial concerns however we have continue to accumulate the debt over the past 12 months since I’ve been in charge, notably it is almost double what it was when I took the job. Despite the boards claims I’ve decided a squad clean out is necessary, no current first teamers will go unless they wish to but fringe players on excessive wages and any others not up to scratch must be sacrificed, our youth system will provide depth for the squad this season. Regular European action over the coming years will help fix the financial situation so I must ensure that we can maximise the revenue from such fixtures this season.

At the end of my winter clean-out 25 players have departed from the Army Men to all corners of the country. Most notably first team squad players Mandrykin, Gogniev, Tsaplin and Semberas have departed with Mandrykin the only one I reluctantly let go following his wishes to pursue his career at a bigger club – so he went to Zenith Peterburg (?) for 50m R (1m pounds). I have added just one senior player with 31 year old Bulgarian keeper Radostin Stanev exercising a release clause in his contract with Lokomotiv to sign for just 6.5 m R (130k), Stanev will challenge for the number one keeping position. The CSKA youth academy also promoted 14 players to the squad so as hoped youth will be our depth this season, importantly we retained the squad which took us to glory last season so I certainly believe we’ll be around the mark again.

[Guest]

(This will be my last post for a week or so as i'm going away from my CM on a little trip, i'll be raring to go by the time i return!)

[Guest]

Hope to see you back soon! I'm hanging for the your euro campaign since i can't play myself

[PAFC]

Good story, looking forward to some further updates when you return.

[Guest]

Haze! where is you at?

More updates pls?

Your buddy skitter!

[Guest]

January/February '07

The new squad looks much tighter than last season now, i have offloaded a few bad influences and i can honestly say that our best XI is good enough too challenge in Europe, now we have 6 months of football to gain some form before the crucial European campaign takes off. I love this club however i fear for it's future given the dire financial state of Russian football. Following indepth discussions with Mr Giner i see that the only way too secure the future of the Army men is too succeed in Europe, that's were the money is so we must go as far as possible this season.

The local media have placed us as equal favourites with Locomotiv Moskva and Spartak Moskva at 6-4 however i can't see either team coming close too us, in fact i'm so confident that i'll step down is we don't backup and re-claim that league title in 2007.

[Guest]

CSKA Moscow squad 2007

I will retain my favourite 4-4-2 formation with CSKA following the success of last season, hopefully it can stand up in the rigours of Europe.

Goalkeepers - New signing Bulgarian international Radostin Stanevand Azerbaijan keeper Dmitry Kramarenko will fight for the top job with promising youngster Vladimir Gabulov a sound 3rd choice.

Defenders – In Denis Yevsikov and Arten Chelyadinskiy CSKA are blessed with two class central defenders and veteran Euginy Varlamovoffers good cover. Alexey Berezutskiy is the first choice right-back however twin brother Vasily Berezutskiy offers a quicker, more attacking full-back option. At left-back experienced Russian international Andrey Solomantin (36 caps) is the obvious selection with Oleg Kornaukhov providing sound back-up. With three Russian internationals at the back our defence is very solid.

Midfielders – The crucial central midfield slots will be shared between club and Russian captain Igor Yanovskiy (62 caps), Czech anchorman Jiri Jarosik and young Russian star in-making Alan Kusov, providing depth will be the versatile Peter Sedunovand veteran Elver Rahimic. Jofre has made the left wing his and Carlos Arturo Marinelli will start on the right, he is more at home on the left but can go both ways. Valery Leonov has shown glimpses of class on the right and if he progresses further Marinelli might be freed up for a more central role. With our mid-season aquisitions last season the midfield is now our real strength.

Forwards – Up front Denis Popov is an absolute star. Playing off Popov will be the former Valencia goal sneak Salva. Dmitry Kirichenko and youngster Sergey Samodin provide cover for the big 2. I will hope to add a couple of youngsters in this area for future benefit.

[Guest]

March ‘07

h Krylja Sovetov 3-0 Popov, Yevsikov, Salva

a Tom 5-1 Samodin, Popov, Salva, Jarosik(2)

h Amkar 2-0 Salva, Popov

n Russian Super Cup Spartak Moskva 2-1 Salva(2)

The season opened with a few relatively easy fixtures and thankfully the side disposed of these sides comfortably. Opening the season away against a former club in Tom, we managed to get things rolling with 5 goals and plenty of confidence. The Russian Super Cup was treated as no more than a friendly but it was still good to come away with a result.

[Guest]

April ‘07

*V. Berezutskiy out for 2 months with groin tear*

*Yanovskiy out for 2 months with torn hamstring*

a Rotor 2-0 Salva, Leonov

*Stanev out for 1 month with dislocated shoulder*

h Dinamo Moskva 3-0 Jarosik, Popov, Salva

a Torpedo Moskva 2-0 Salva(2)

h Rostov 1-1 Leonov

*Kusov out for the season with torn cruciate ligament (knee)*

*Yevsikov out for 1 month with fractured ribs*

Injuries have hit hard this month but we have continued our good early season form and sit comfortably on top of the ladder after 2 months of the season. Salva has hit a rich vein of form recently taking a lot of pressure off the broad shoulders of Popov. The Torpedo match was a great victory considering Popov was magnificently marked out of the match however Salva stepped up with 2 exquisite 2nd half strikes, we were also forced to play Jarosik(dm) in goal for the last 10 minutes following a minor injury forcing Kramarenko off the pitch!

[Guest]

May ‘07

a Spartak Moskva 4-2 Popov(3), Salva

h Chernomorets 3-0 Salva(3)

*Stanev returns in goal*

h Shinnik 3-2 Popov(2), Marinelli

3 games and 10 goals in May, Popov and Salva once again taking apart opposition defences with ease. Against Spartak we were 4-0 up at the half before they mounted a 2nd half charge once it was already over, our closest opposition were still at least a couple of yards off the pace. In an interesting announcement this week Dinamo Moskva announced Alexandr Tarkhanov as their new manager following the mystery resignation of the former boss (no press release, no history!!).

[Guest]

June ‘07

a Rubin 2-1 Popov, Kirichenko

a Alania 3-1 Jarosik, Popov(2)

h Lokomotiv Moskva 2-0 Salva, Popov

As we hit the mid-year break with a 13-1-0 record I feel quietly confident that the premiership is already in the bag, our nearest opposition Spartak sit 11 points off the pace with Lokomotiv a couple of points further back. I’ve started to focus on the European campaign resting first teamers whenever possible and giving a few of the fringe players and youngsters a bit of league action.