Favours, motors, failures?

[Kewell08]

I assume Mr Lebedenko is Mr Shepelenko? Little bit confused otherwise...

Lovely stuff though!

[nette000]

TTL, thank you. The first matchday comes quite soon in the game (I am using all the leagues, full detail, and my machine didn't crash on that ) ), but somehow I am just not getting to that continue button or pressing the space bar.

Dixie Flatline, Welcome, and thank you. I hope the match reports will not change your opinion.

Kewell08, thank you for spotting that. I totally overread. I know myself a little, though, so I can't promis it won't happen again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The spell with the chairman had given my assistant manager the chance to sneak out. I hoped it was for training. It took some time before I had found a door with the tag менеджер, or menedzjer. And, lucky me, it seemed to be mine. It seemed that either Vitaly Levchenko was a firm believer of the clean desk policy or its contents had been impounded. I only saw the keys of the desk’s drawers and a PC. I turned to Natalia.

“Could you ask if anybody knows how to log in?” I asked her.

“I somehow expected the first question to be to fetch coffee,” was her answer.

“I somehow expected you to be able to do more then that.” She had seemed to have been the personal assistant to those Russians from Murzhisoft, and that seemed to be more then making or fetching coffee. There was a hint of a smile as she turned around. It gave me time to start the PC, and to open the desk.

It was as empty as I thought it would be. There were two pens, and an empty blocknote. My first official acts as Knyazha manager: testing ballpoints and switching on a PC. I did not really feel exhilarated.

Natalia returned, with a guy that would have been a hit in Revenge of the Nerds parts 1 through 132. “This is Dmitri. He is the system admin and the webmaster.”

“I still have to make an account for you, sir.”

“Or maybe you could let me use the name of my predecessor.”

“I could, but I still need run a few tests before that.”

“On this machine?”

“Indeed. It is a new machine. Mr. Gryshenko’s machine was taken away by the police.”

“Do you have a backup?”

“I was allowed to make complete backups of all the computers,” Dmitri looked at me as if I were a filthy bug. Did I say something wrong? He sat down. “I will run some final tests, then I will install some new antivirus software, before I put in Office and the networking software. After that, I must return to my office to check on the website and to write something about a new manager we have.”

“You need a hand with that?”

“That would be nice.”

“Isn’t it time to see where Borys is?” Natalia interfered , after translating Dmitri’s latest answer.

“Borys gone to field,” Dmitri answered in English. “To train.”

“You speak English?” I was surprised.

“MCSE was in English, not in Ukrainian or Russian. Nice meeting you”

All Natalia said after looking at my astonished face was: “We are not backward here.” I already had the impression they were not backward here.

It was busy on the pitch when we arrived. Players were shooting at … I had to count them… 9 goal keepers. And there were over 50 players on the field. Borys saw us, waved, and walked our way. “Did you sign the contract?” he asked.

“Tak, ya robyv.” Yes, I did. He smiled, relieved, and shook my hands. Yes, both. Then he walked to one of the goals. “This man, * ” and he pointed to the big man in the goal, “this man is our team captain, has played for Volyn Lutsk and Arsenal Kiev, and for Nistrul Otaci in Moldova. He is the team captain. I will introduce you to the team formally tomorrow, but maybe you can have a word with him.”

“Are there any other players I’d need to meet?”

Borys answered without hesitation. “Andryi Bashlay. Defender, who could become very good. Came from the Dynamo Kiev reserves. Is immensely talented, but couldn’t make it and decided to leave because Gennadi Lytovchenko did not think he would make it into the Dynamo first team. Could be because he just whacks the ball forward. He chose us over Prykarpattya. And then we have our strikers, Olexandr Malyuk and Olexandr Morozov, our holding midfielders. Do you have a playing style?”

I shrugged. “It depends on the players. I will not play a central striker if I don’t have such a power forward, and I won’t play wings if I don’t have them. But if Bashlay whacks the ball forward, I need to see the forwards play, because that could mean a 4-3-3. How do you play now?”

“4-4-2.” Borys quickly drew a line-up on a sheet. It reminded me of Football Manager. This was real, though.

http://i33.tinypic.com/2j42grt.jpg

* Pic taken from the Knyazha website, URL http://www.fckniazha.com.ua/upload/iblock/eb3/500-500.jpg

[Kewell08]

Little disturbed when I saw all those arrows. Then I remembered it's 09

Good luck! Enjoying as always.

[tenthreeleader]

“This man, * ” and he pointed to the big man in the goal, “this man is our team captain, has played for Volyn Lutsk and Arsenal Kiev, and for Nistrul Otaci in Moldova. He is the team captain. I will introduce you to the team formally tomorrow, but maybe you can have a word with him.”

If I had a word with him, that word would be "yessir". He looks like he could bend steel with his eyeballs.

[nette000]

Kewell08, I hope you get used to the 09 screens. I will not change the skin to cause any further confusion, promise.

TTL, as long as he keeps the ball out, I don't mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Borys whistled, and waved to the goalkeeper, who waved back. Borys gestured, and the man left his goal and trotted our way. He looked a good six feet tall.

“Roman Bayrashevski, this is the new manager, Robert Alsham. Mr. Alsham, this is Roman Bayrashevski, the team captain.”

The man looked at me, shook hands, and said: “I did not think we would get a successor for Mr. Levchenko. But I hope you forgive me if I say that I never heard of you before.”

“To be honest,” I answered, “I had never heard from you before, but you already have quite some experience. You are the team captain, is that correct?”

“I am, unofficially. And welcome to the club.”

“Tomorrow he will be formally introduced to the squad,” Borys said. Bayrashevski nodded, and grinned. “You lost.” Borys smiled as well. “Then I’m glad we only do this for the first squad,” he answered. “I’ll bring in the wodka… or was it horilka?”

“Your choice,” Bayrashevski said, and he walked back. I looked at Borys Rudenko. “A wager?”

“Yes, about how many competition games I would manage.”

“And?”

“Roman said I there would be a manager before the competition would start.” Competition? Borys had a point there.

“What day does it start?”

“For us? On Saturday. Away to Sebastopol.”

“How do we get there?” I feared I would be a loooonng trip. “By plane?”

“By bus.” Right. I did not know how long it would take, but at least I could enjoy the scenery.

“We leave at six in the morning,” Borys continued. Unfortunately, he wasn’t joking.

I walked back, muttering in myself. “Six AM, means we [beep] leave at five, I won’t be in the best of moods.”

“That makes two of us,” Natalia said.

Back in the office, Dmitri had finished his work with the PC. He had left a note, giving me the username Ralsh and password relegation. Maybe he meant something by that. Of course, I had to change my network password directly. It became promotion. It may not be realistic, but it is my intention.

He was friendly enough to send me an email.

I won’t be the first one to welcome you at Knyazha, but anyway: welcome to the club. I hope you can drop by and tell me something about yourself for the website. I don’t know if you have any use for it, but I have added Mr. Levchenko’s folders to your directory. There should be a file with the players performance reports, but I believe Mr. Rudenko has the most recent version. Below are the results of the friendlies so far.

Knyazha – FC Lviv : 1 – 1

Knyazha – Nyva Ternopil : 0 – 1

Knyazha –Mykolaev : 2 – 0

Knyazha 2 –Knyazha: 0 – 2

Knyazha –Kremin : 6 - 0

[nette000]

Indeed, Borys had at least added the last two friendlies, together with his own assessments of the players.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2qxvls8.jpg

Handy. It was only a pity that there was not such a list for the previous matches, and it would have been a bonus to have such a file for last season as well. It would help in the negotiations with the agents. But I would keep this

My stomach grumbled. I guess that part of my body finally realised I had been out for a week. Natalia heard it as well, sighed, shook her head, and slumped outside. I used that time to start creating a list of all players. Given the amount that crowded the field, that would take a while.

I thought it was a pity that both Vitaly Levchenko and Borys Rudenko did not give the other goal keepers a chance, but then again, that was life. What else had Borys said? That I should talk to some of the players. He mentioned two holding midfielders. That might be a system I would try out, outside of the league.

Outlook popped in. I opened the mail, and apparently the news of my appointment as Knyazha manager had been brought out. I received a nice, welcoming email from CrimeaMaster. He had the decency to write his drivel in English:

From the hardcorefanse of PFCF to the new manager. Welcome to hell!

The Crimean war has restarted, and again the English will be in tears. DIE, PIG!!! PFC Sevastopol Rules!

I presumed that CrimeaMaster was not unlike Roger. First to shout obscenities, first to run away. Would the guy be as quick as well? Or would he have found somebody like Graham, who would make no fuss but hospitalise him when Roger would attack him with a knife. I felt homesick. I missed the banter, though CrimeaMaster had try to make me feel at home.

[nette000]

Somehow, I can thoroughly enjoy it when the way that a team plays causes the opponent’s fans to fall silent and to send them home. Such notes as CrimeaMaster’s would get the best out of me. I would do my best to make the team snatch away the victory and leave …. Where does Sevastopol play, anyway? Wikipedia is your friend in such matters.

It did not disappoint me. They play in the Sevmorzavod stadium, and their friendlies indicated that they are no pushovers. The pundits at ukrainiansoccer.com predict they will end two places over our predicted league position: 12th against our 14th. Skybet’s odds also indicate that favourite roll. I don’t mind that role, the pressure is on them and their manager, Sergyi Puchkov. They play a 4-4-2 as well, but more static compared to Borys’ tactics. So, the team relies on speed and power up front. You could say they rely on striker Andryi Schevchuk. Let’s see whether my defence can cope with him, he scores on average once in each two matches. He scored three in the last two matches of Sevastopol, so hopefully he won’t on Saturday. With their main goal keeper injured and unlikely to be fit in time for the opening match, I felt Knyazha had a chance of taking at least one point back to the Kolos stadium.

Natalia came back with pastries. They were called varenyky and were better then anticipated. “Wipe your hands clean,” she observed. “Your assistant is coming.”

Borys Rudenko knocked before he came in. He looked at my desk, and saw the site of ukrainiasoccer.net. “Already applying for a new job?” he asked.

I shrugged. “What job? Cleaning up the Sevastopol fans after their first bitter defeat of the competition? I was not hired to clean the stadium and to comfort the home fans.”

“You are sure of yourself.”

“No, I only pretend to be. If you don’t flinch when you’re in trouble, you can be able to talk yourself out of it, that’s what I’ve learnt.”

“So, you were already busy with the next match.”

“I was.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Not yet, but I wish to play with a 1-3-4-2 formation.”

“Sweeper?” Rudenko stared me blankly in the eyes.

“Schevchuk. I’ll have to sacrifice a player. If he is to become a sweeper, so be it. Since I haven’t seem them play yet, do matchplay. Set Zaitsev on Lytovchak and Bashlay on Mandziuk.” The first pair, I only knew from the team sheet. Borys told me to have some words with the second pairing.

“Anything else?”

I grinned. As Lord Blackadder would say: “I have a devious plan”. I told Borys to arrange a game of attack against defense. “A succesfull attack ends with a goal and counts . An unsuccessful attack counts for the defense. Otherwise the attacking side would win.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the attackers win 5-0, but the defense were 8 times successful in keeping the ball out, they win 8-5.”

“I see,” Borys said. “Nice… I never thought I would learn from you so soon. Guess you English have better facilities and bring in fresh ideas.”

“Thanks.” I was moved, Borys seemed sincere, and he had done a good job keeping tabs on players. Getting the trust of the second in command seemed to do that. He wanted to walk to his office but I had one twist to add to my plans: “We have two strikers and a centre forward, right?”

Borys nodded. I continued: “Start with him as a classic CF and move him forward when you are halfway. If you play the game in three blocks, have those strikers play as wingers in the last block. If we are ahead in the game, the others will pour their men forward after all.”

Borys nodded. “Could be fun. Doing it in three parts gives all three keepers a stint.” He left, and soon I heard a coffee machine prattle. It was time to look at the squad again.

[Dixie Flatline]

Natalia came back with pastries. They were called varenyky and were better then anticipated. “Wipe your hands clean,” she observed. “Your assistant is coming.”

I haven't had varenyky in years. They're very nice if they're authentic. I can't stand borscht, though.

KUTGW!

[nette000]

I never had neither varenyky nor borscht. Varenyky seem appealing to me, however, my tastebuds have an antipathy against beetroot, so whether I would like borscht remains to be seen.

------------------------------------------------------

“Couldn’t you just put Bashlay on that striker and put him in as DM, with the instruction to whop the ball forward?”, Natalia asked, between two bites. “It would keep them play in the 4-4-2 they know.”

She had a point. And she had read Borys’ report on Bashlay as well.

“He doesn’t look where he passes the ball.”, I objected.

“Does it matter? If he gives a long ball forward, he has time to readjust his postion.”

“Spoken like a football manager.” I thought I could put enough trust in them to keep the 4-4-2 and to keep Bashlay as CD. I didn’t see the rest of the morning session with the games, though. Things could change. I told Natalia my thoughts, and she agreed that Knyazha might hit Sevastopol on the counter attack.

After lunch, the technical drills started. Dribbling, long passing, triangles, name it. I had to use the solar screen quite often. After all, it looked good, though I sensed that not everybody pulled his weight into training. The games ended in an 14-11 win for the defence, mostly thanks to Bairaschevski in the goal. They were leading 7-1 in his stint. Mandziuk and Bashlay battled it out together in a friendly fashion, but the striker did win, especially in the second and the final part. Unfortunately, Borys had not delved into this for the reasons why, so I had to compare them.

After I was done in helping Dmitri with my profile for the Knyazah website, Natalia wanted to go home. “You can take that stuff with you.”, she said. “We’ll look at it at home.”

“We look at it? That is sweet of you, thank you.” Natalia looked sharply at me, before nodding. “You’re welcome.” Briskly she took Borys’ sheets with player data and put them in her bag. I now understood why it was so big.

The language course continued in the kitchen. As a small ‘thank you’ I prepared a potato salad for tomorrow. I hoped the yoghurt and lemon juice would not make things to sour.

We did not compare Bashlay to Mandziuk, but Natalia had made a copy of Vitaly Levchenko’s files. In there, we found Shevchuk’s data. Comparing him with Bashlay gave one noteworthy conclusion: Bashlay had to grow into the player Rudenko and Bairaschevski envisaged before he would man mark Shevchuk:

http://i40.tinypic.com/307wwo6.jpg

“I guess you are right to place Bashlay as a sweeper.”, Natalia said.

“I will have to talk with Rubenko and the squad about this tomorrow. I prefer a 4-4-2 with wingbacks and a diamond in midfield, but I guess we don’t have the players for that.” Then a realisation hit me. “You know a lot about football. Did you learn that from Andrei and Leonid?”

The look in Natalia’s eyes was one of hurt. “No.”, she said, “But I don’t want to talk talk about it.” It made me curious, but I decided not to press.

“I won’t push you. If you need to spill this out, you’ll have my undivided attention.” Apparently it was the correct answer. Natalia smiled and thanked me. “Maybe you should take a look at this defender.” she added. “Vitaly Levchenko decided not to buy him, but the guy seems good.”

http://i40.tinypic.com/5v545u.jpg

I looked at his data. “He came from Illichievets. Why is he still a free agent?”

“Natalia shrugged.” I know Leonid… Urzhenko gave Levchenko permission to contact Boyaryntsev’s agent, and that the agent declined.”

“Then I guess we must have a word with Mr. Shepelenko… chairman Shepelenko.

[nette000]

July 9th, 2008

When we arrived at the Kolos stadium, Victor Shepelenko was not expected to show up. Natalia called the chairman at the police station. He was not in, and commissioner Shepelenko was not expected to show up. I recognised her saying “Business, of course”, and the tone she used was one of disapproval.

“So, we mail.”, was the conclusion.

“H-hm.”, came Natalia’s reaction. It was in line with her communication so far. Perhaps I had written too much about my first working day at this beautiful club (you never know when chaiman Shepelenko will read this). “But not until after the morning session.”

“Why?”

“Because we will use Borys’ PC. I asked him and he is OK with that.”

“But his keyboard is Cyrillic!”

“And your email will be in Ukrainian. It’s not only talking we do, we actually can read and write as well.” That left me without arguments.

“Sane thought.”, I uttered. Natalia shrugged, and went out for her third coffee since we arrived.

Next, my introduction to the players was planned. We HAD been studying. I knew now what the Ukrainian terms were for goalkeeper (голкіпер, golkiper), left defender (лівий захисник, livyy zakhysnyk) and all other playing positions, but most was in English. I shook hands with all of them (know I know what the royal family must face, over and over again). After that, I held a speech. Not a great one, but an honest one.

“Good morning, gentlemen. I am as new here as some of you. For some of you, it will be the first time that the club plays in the First Division. However, I think it is the first time for all of you that the club owners have been arrested. This should not deter us. I would not be surprised if we want to make the stay in here as shortlived as possible, in a positive sense. We can exit the First Division either by going down or by going up. Somehow, I doubt we will be fighting for promotion, but we should not be looking at relegation.

There are some things that may concern you. The first is, you are dealin with a new chairman, and a new manager. Not only that has changed, the financial situation has changed as well. It means that the wage budget has been cut. It means that we must rely on Borys and the youth academy to make sure that Schaslyve is known not only for its music school, but also for its hard to beat football team. It also means that we will look at all contracts again.”

One of the players raised his hands. “Does this mean that you will still follow the promises Mr. Levchenko gave?”

“If you are better in kicking the ball in the goal of the opponent then in keeping the ball out of our own goal, you will seldom be played as a goalkeeper, if that is what you mean.”

“I was promised a key role, but now I find myself on the transfer list.”

“I will have a look at the player statuses. There are eighteen people that can put their sporting gear on, which means I will have to disappoint quite some people. I will use the next two matches and the training session to get to know you, and what you can do. Mr. Rubenko will have to do the hard work in that period.”

“What system will you use?” That was Roman Bairashevski.

“We will start with 4-4-2 as it is, although in the match against Sevastopol I intend to neutralise Andriy Shevchuk and use a 1-4-3-2 formation with Bashlay as marker.” Both Roman and the defender nodded. Roman continued: ”And later?” I was ready for that.

“We have two holding midfielders, but that is only interesting in a sweeper formation,” I answered. “But if the players develop the way I hope, then we will play an altogether different 4-4-2. Not pure backs on the flanks, but wingbacks. They should be able to run the marathon in about twenty minutes, because I want them to go forward and take the play to the opposition’s throat.” More players nodded. I continued.

“We need a good holding midfielder, but the central midfielders should be capable of defending as well, and to disturb the build-up. Then we have an AM who has more liberty, as it will be his creativity and skills that should provide the opening for our strikers. The beauty of this system – if it works – is that you can quickly switch to 4-3-3 or 2-5-3. However, there is plenty of time learning a new system and switching systems. I won’t keep you away from the training pitch until I finish the following announcement. This season’s team captain will b Roman Barashevski, and the vice team captain will be Andriy Bashlay”

That went well, all in all. The players went outside, and I went inside. After all, I had to make my first email in Ukrainian.

Chairman,

Though the new situation has given me a wage budget that forces me the utmost restraint, there remains an urgent need to strengthen the team on the left defensive position. Borys Rubenko and Vitaly Levchenko have discussed the situation while the club was still under its previous ownership, and both came to the conclusion that Leonid Boyaryntsev is the best available player for this position (see attached file).

The player has had previous First and Premiership experience with Illichivets and Stal Achevsk. Since the club is already over its wage budget I hereby formally request permission to contact the Boyaryntsev’s agent and inquire about his contract requirements.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Alsham

It was past lunch when the email was finished. Natalia had in the mean time offered Borysfen Borispil a friendly between their youth team and ours.

I was pleasantly surprised when an English language email arrived.

Dear Mr. Alsham,

The Board recognises both the financial constraints and the need to field a competitive team. Therefore, we will allow you to offer up to € 1,000 to obtain this player. Yes, we calculate with Euros, while this makes it easier to negotiate with Western European clubs.

We do need to emphasise, that the current financial position does stress the need for toning down of the wages. It will be a part of your review. Have a nice day.

Victor Shepelenko,

Chairman FC Knyazha

(Proceed! I pressed Proceed! The story is afoot!)

[nette000]

July 10th, 2008

The youth match is on. It’s hosted in Kolos, on July 23rd. That was the good news. Borys Rudenko showed me the Novosty Shaslyvskyi which neatly told us that the new manager of Knyazha had made an offer for former Illichivets defender Leonid Boyaryntsev.

There actually has been interest for one of the transfer listed players as well. Belarussian outfit FC Minsk has made an offer for Sergiy Sakhno. I haven’t seen him play, so I intend to answer only after the Sevastopol match. Borys has put him into the starting line-up.

Roman Sobko of the Borysfen Football Daily was sent to my office for an interview with the new Knyazha manager. I was hoping for a good press, and dreading that he would be talking about Boyaryntsev.

Is it a dream come true, managing Knyazha?

It is NOT a dream come true… yet. Both the club and I have embarked on an adventure that may indeed fulfil my dreams. But I have just started. I am pleased with that, to make a start here.

You have started to pick up the language. How hard is it for your job not to speak the language?

It will effect my work, but I trust that it won’t take long before I know how to express myself.

How do you approach the game tactically?

I love attacking football, but I am not to keen on tactical suicide. I intend to let the players dictate the game, but to remain wary of the break, so that would mean sensible attacking to me.

What will you bring to the man handling side of the job

I believe in responsibility. The players are professional. In order to make a living, they must work together. I will occasionally be involved but there must be a level of trust.

How involved will you be in the day-to-day aspects of running a club?

As much as time allows. I trust the assistants to do as much as possible, but I want to know what is happening. If things go as they should, I will just be looking.

New managers often bring change. How will it be with you?

It is too early to say anything about that. The people I met seem capable enough of doing their jobs.

You seem uncertain in this area.

I intend to assess the situation first, before I take action, but if I have to act on first impression, then I’d say that the setup in itself is good enough, so I don’t expect major changes.

The readers are curious about various facets of your job. What can we expect in the transfer market?

We are on a tight budget. I will try to make sure that any transfer is well thought out. But it is too early to even start thinking. If I feel comfortable with all positions adequately covered, there is no need to get players, then I’d focus on nurturing our youth players.

Recent reports have linked the club to Volyn defender Kovalyuk. What can you say about that?

Again, that it is too early to say anything about changes. So no transfer stories from me, I am afraid.

July 11th, 2008

Robert Alsham is looking forward to his first match against Sevastopol.

There is the tension for the manager: have I prepared my team better then the opponent. Are THEY ready? Yet, in the case of Mr. Alsham, the excitement overshadows the tension.

“The reason for it is simple,” the new manager explained to me. “The action is on the pitch. All that matters to me is that the players can leave the field with their heads held up high. “ Mr. Alsham and I were sitting in his office, and the new Knyazha manager looked quite relaxed before his first official match.

I learnt a few things about the Englishman. His naming of the captain and the vice captain met the approval of the team. The vice captainship of Andriy Bashlay shows the trust given to the highest-profiled new arrival at Kolos. Yet, Alsham does not wish to single him out as the most important player. “He is important, but there is a whole team that will have to work together to make things work.”

Yet, Alsham does not know where the team stands. “Normally, you have the pre-season preparation in which the team is formed. Here, I believe there was some turmoil. It seems players and staff have reacted well, but it will have had its impact. And, though I’ve seen the squad train, it is on the pitch where they will have to deliver. We will see on Saturday where the team stands.”

Obolon is most likely to succeed in grabbing the First Division title, according to the Knyazha manager. “But that is mostly because it is one of the few clubs in this league that I’ve heard about before.” He strives to remain well above the relegation places. “I don’t know how it was in previous seasons, but, even though I am here only since a few days, I noticed the professionalism in the team. A first season will not be easy, but I don’t think it will be an uphill struggle.”

Mr. Alsham will face Sevastopol with Knyazha. Striker Shevchuk has been in form in the pre-season campaign. I asked whether the team would play as he indicated. Here, the Knyazha manager grinned, and merely said: “Sevastopol is far away, and the team needs all the support it can get. ”

- “Do I get a free ticket?”

-“No, but if you buy one, you’ll get a place in the bus we hired to bring the supporters to Sevastopol.”

Knyazha will be looking for sensible attacking play. He will not put a marker on Shevchuk, though. “Though Andryi Khanas will have to catch him. If that doesn’t work, Bashlay is the backup if Schevchuk outsmarts or outmuscles Khanas.”

Two interviews in one week. That’s a bigger frequency then my job interviews.

[nette000]

“Robert?” Somebody tried t shake me out of my dream, where I was walking in the rain (what else?) in lovely Frodsham (where else?). Nobody around, not Jamie, showing off whatever he had bought from drugging me and sending me to the Ukraine. Not Becky, the ever-rotund screaming hysterical couch potato. I was really enjoying it.

“Robert, wake up!” It was Natalia. She was already up in gear. There are worse things to wake up to then to see such a sight. You would forget why you were to wake up so awfully early. Sevastopol away. By BUS.

Somehow I managed to get dressed and hop into the car in time. Only Voronin was yet to come, but even he showed on in time to let the bus leave at 7.00. I don’t know how we made it into Sevastopol. I slept throughout the drive.

Somehow, I managed to remain calm. The stadium was half filled, with almost 4,000 spectators. “I wonder how long it will take Vauxhall Motors to get 3,766 paying spectators into Rivacre Park.”, I said to Borys. Grudenko stared blankly at me. “Doesn’t matter. We’re about to begin.”

It seemed that notion had passed the players, though. From the kickoff, Zozulya was hounded by Shevchuk and Shakhov, lost the ball, and tripped Shevchuk for the first free kick of the match. Sevastopol tried to put Knyazha under pressure, but Sakhov’s attempt was something between a through ball and a shot. In any case, it was wide.

Bairashevski took the goal kick. It was long, to Zozulya. He flicked the ball in the path of Morozov, who tried to outrun Sevastopol defenders Volkov and Dovzhyk. He fell on the edge of the penalty area. The referee didn’t react. Neither did Morozov, nor the other players. Guess it was nothing, so no need to shout.

The ball was brought forward, but picked up by Nalygach. He passed to Sakhno, who, after a double one-two, gave Zozulya all space to cross the ball into the box. Why he had to hut Kultishev, I don’t know.

“They are too hasty.”, I muttered. Borys said nothing. In stead he offered me a chewing gum. Nalygach’s corner was headed away, Oleg Volkov picked up the ball and ran forward before trying a long ball over the width of the field. An easy pickup for Nalygach. He tried t find Morozov, but in stead he returned the ball to Sevastopol. Pleshakov did a better job in passing the ball, but Bairashevski was out of his area before Shevchuk could pose a danger. His long ball forward ended in the safe hands of his counterpart, Monits.

It was not good football. I had seen better passing on the training. When Lutsenko let an easy Monits goal kick slip from his foot though, Shevchuk showed his class. He was quickest to react, and gave a beautiful through ball to Sakhov. I thought he would go and try to round Bairashevski, but the Sevastopol striker chose to latch on quickly. Too hasty, and the ball went over harmlessly.

When Andriy Khanas kicked a ball over the sideline, without a Sevastopol player within range, I made my first shout. “Try to be aware what is happening, lads! There is no need to give the ball away when there is nobody around!” Oleg Volkov eventually got the ball and failed in sending it out of the stadium. Another goal kick.

We were woeful in keeping possession. Morozov clearly was accustomed to midfielders playing closer around him. When Lutsenko let Kiva unmarked in the 12th minute, I started to mutter.

Borys interrupted me: “Igor and Roman should communicate in those situations. I think that is worth telling them.” He was right. And, despite the atrocious passing, Knyazha seemed to be able to contain Sevastopol. However, when Chepurnenko gave away the ball twice within one minute, I started wondering if the youngster should have stayed in bed.

Halfway the first half, Sevastopol dominated, but they were not able to create anything worthwhile. If Knyazha came forward, it created unrest in the Sevastopol defence. Lutsenko’s shot in the 26th minute was the first highlight for Knyazha. Monits had to punch the shot away.

When I say that the next highlight was me asking Olexandr Mandziuk to take a look at the Sevastopol defence and tell me what he was thinking, I think it shows that the game had to come alive. I told him as well that he would enter the fray in the second half. “I know, boss.”, he answered. “You told me in the bus, just before you fell asleep…”

“Again… Ooch!”, Natalia added. A Sevastopol defender blocked a Lupashko cross for a corner. Khanas took it. It was long. In fact, it was so long, that the last player before the side line, Sevastopol DM Kiva, headed it away for another corner.

“They buckle easy under pressure. If our passing had been better, we might have been up a few goals.”, I said.

“That would give you something to tell the lads during the break.”, Rudenko replied. I nodded. The second corner was less long, but headed away. Nalygach picked up the ball, and brought it back in. Zozulya shoelded it, and passed it to Morozov. He rifled a shot in… just over the bar. Our best effort so far. Despite that, the half-time whistle came as a relief.

“Gentlemen, I’ll start by telling that the statistics don’t tell the whole truth. What they DO tell, is that Sevastopol beats us in possession, attacking play, passing and crossing. We lead the heading and tackling department. If one looks at the stats, people will predict that in the end, one point is the most we can get out of here.

What those statistics do NOT tell, is that I have seen a team that matches the opponent. You have Shevchuk in the pocket. The statistics don’t tell anything about the panic in the Sevastopol defence when you get close to the goal. That’s why I think that our better composure wins us the day today.”

I told Chepurnenko that I intended to keep him on the pitch until the 60th minute. “Here, you learn the most. You have been outmuscled, but that is something you can work about. Use brain power, in stead of muscle power, use your speed.” I’ll have to take a look at Borys’ notes. Maybe I should tell him that he is the one to try the long shots. Pronevych would be his replacement. I told him to warm up.

The second half started, and Sevastopol tried to put the thumbscrews on us. We were lucky that Lupashko wasn’t booked for his upending of Volkov. The offside track worked, though. Twice in five minutes the flag went up before I even could start to worry. The second of those saw Khanas play the free kick long. Zozulya received the ball, and got tackled from behind by Dovzhyk. Lutsenko took the free kick. It was blocked by the two(!)-man wall, but Lupashko picked the ball up. He went to the right, looked about, and saw Sakhno in acres of space. Sakhno pulled the trigger, but sent the ball over.

The third Sevastopol offside call was a lucky one for us. I doubted that Shevchuk was offside, and he could have gone to Bairashevski unopposed, but I am not the one to complain about it. I can only complain about the fact that Morozov lacks the strength to act as target man. We’ll play without a target man the next time.

A goal kick from Monits saw Antonyuk and Schevchuk fight for the ball. Antonyuk won, and hoofed the ball forward before grabbing his knee. Sevastopol played the ball outside. Lytvinenko replaced the right back, and moved to a CD position. Bashlay took Antonyuk’s position at the right. Bashlay did not return the throw, though. He searched out Morozov, who directly was brought down by Dovzhyk. I could not blame the Sevastopol fans for their boos and whistles for Andriy’s action, but I thought Dovzhyk’s yellow was more then justified.

Lutsenko took the free kick. He passed it to Lytvinenko. Lytvinenko went to the right. Turned backwards and forwards, and finally sent in a cross. Sakhno and Sevastopol captain Oleg Volkov went for the ball. I could not see which of the two hit it, but the header left Monits rooted on the ground: Sevastopol 0, Knyazha 1. It became silent, except for the busload of Knyazha supporters.

The stadium announcer told us that it had been an own goal. For me, it showed me that Sevastopol has a defence that easily loses it. That lack of composure will make it hard for them to stay up, if Shevchuk can be contained. We did a good job of that, so far. Shevchuk´s strike partner, Sakhov, was replaced by Mazurenko.

Sevastopol was loosing composure as they gifted the ball to us from kickoff. Bashlay was the happy receiver. He played it long, where Zozulya picked the ball up. Only a clear obstruction by Golobolov prevented Dmitro from testing Monits. That test came two minutes later, but the Sevastopol keeper passed it easily, unfortunately. I used the throw to bring Pronevych for Chepurnenko. Though the youngster had picked up a bit in the second half, he had been virtually invisible.

Monits also passed Zozulya´s second test. This time, he needed a lightning reflex. The resulting counter showed that containing Shevchuk was a team effort. Khanas was in front to add offensive weight for a long Bashlay throw, so was nowhere in site when Golobolov played a long ball forward. Sakhno slid the ball away far enough for the team to fall back and dispossess the striker. It had been one of the rare occasions where Golobolov bested Zozulya through fair means. The striker was far more lively then Morozov. I told Mandziuk to warm up.

In the 71st minute, Shevchuk was replaced. We had won that tactical battle, and we had the best of the game at the moment. We nearly doubled our need when a Lupashko free kick skimmed the post. That lead to the first decent Sevastopol attack of the match, but again, the offside trap worked. Bairashevski had made a great save, though, even if the goal would have been disallowed if the shot had gone past him.

With a quarter to go, I replaced one Olexandr with another: Mandziuk for Morozov. The latter had been in the defenders’ pockets. It was back and forth play in the next minutes, mostly because of player errors any possession by both teams was shortlived. When Sevastopol switched to a 4-2-4 the pressure mounted.

“I’d gone for 3-4-3 with one holding midfielder.”, I said. Borys nodded. Was he still chewing the same gum? I sat back and relaxed. Sevastopol tried, but never became threatening. When they swing the ball straight into Bairashevski’s hands with corners, it is unlikely a team will score from those. In stoppage time, Kuitishev showed however that Sevastopol could even take worse corners. His swung harmlessly behind the goal line.

“Oh my God,” I muttered. “I would be barking mad now, if I would manage those.”

“But gaffer,” Morozov answered. He had returned from the showers to watch the remainder of the match. “You are managing Knyazha. Isn’t that madness enough?” He might have a point, but when the referee blew the final whistle, I was at least a manager with a win.

Matchday 1

Standings

[nette000]

The three points in the bag made the return trip a lot more agreeable. I had been satisfied with the defensive affort, though I was not happy with the passing. That could have had something to do with the switching to a 5-3-2. At least that was what I told the lads, but one can’t be happy with less then half of the passes connecting.

Physio Gerasimenko had fount the time to look at Antonyuk. The defender had a bruised rib. He would be out 6 days to two weeks. “If Dmytro bruised a rib, why did he grab his knee?”

“Don’t know,” came the answer. “But he is in the bus, so you can ask him.” Which I did.

“I landed badly, that’s why I grabbed my knee. But I think that’s when I started feeling what the elbows of Shevchuk had done.”

“They were not the most sportive lot. I am amazed that defender, Golobolov, got away with what he did.”

Antonyuk nodded. “That’s why he became Man of the Match.”

July 13th, 2008

Auto-forwarding is a nice thing. Only one mail arrived on Saturday (I don’t count those that are caught by the club’s spam filter). Leonid Boyarintsev’s agent mailed that the defender would be pleased to sign a two year contract. If the club would reconfirm its commitment, they would sign the papers tomorrow.

“I guess it’s best to drive down to Kolos,” Natalia said. “I’ll draft a contract, so that Mr. Shepe… Chairman Shepelenko can approve it tomorrow morning.”

“You are afraid of him, aren’t you?”, I asked. Natalia nodded. “And you should be, too. If we mail it, you will show him commitment, and the chairman will appreciate that.”

“Why are you afraid of him?”, I persisted. Natalia didn’t budge.

“Maybe I’ll tell you later, but hopefully you won’t find out yourself.” Then she recovered. “We’ll go to the stadium, I’ll make the draft. We’ll go to Shaslyve to show ourselves, have lunch – you buy – and then we’ll clean the house.”

“It’s not dirty!”, I protested.

“Which makes the upkeep more easy.” Natalia sounded like my mother.

While Natalia went typing, I logged in to see what the Internet could tell me about the next opponent: Kommunalnik Lugansk. In the friendlies, there had been goals by Igor Prodan (1), Yuriy Krudinov (3), Konstyantyn Vyzhonok, Sergiy Malyi and Andriy Prokopov. In their first match against Volyn Lutsk, they probably felt they were robbed because the equaliser came in the sixth minute of injury time. Their site spoke of a foul outside of the penalty area. The referee gave a penalty.

That did not matter to me. What mattered was, that their team captain was out for three weeks, and that the whole team played cohesive. There was nobody to single out, but perhaps for playmaker Balytskyi. We would play 4-4-2 next Saturday. One of our own holding midfielders would have to neutralise the DM/CM.

July 15th, 2008

Today I was hugged and kissed by several men. I felt awkward, even after Natalia had explained that it was an expression of their joy.

“Why are they so happy then?”, I asked.

“Because of your landing of Boyarintsev.”, Natalia explained.

I looked at her. “Oh my God, what if we get promoted?”

[nette000]

July 16th, 2008

I made a decision. It is about Sakhno. I won’t remove him from the transfer list. The midfielder played sufficiently on Saturday, but I don’t think he will be quick enough for a fixed position in the team. Minsk has offered us for the second time 1,000 Euro and 20 percent of the sale-on. I talked with Borys Rudenko.

“I think Sergiy can still offer us a lot. He is a key member and would not be miscast in the Premier League.”

“Then why was he put on the transfer list?”

“We needed the money when our main sponsor fell away.”

“As if his 20 Euro will matter a lot for the wage cap.”

“It doesn’t. And I agree with you that a thousand Euro’s is too little to accept.”

“Even though he won’t haunt us in the competition.”

“If Minsk sticks to its offer, you mean.”

Short, but sweet. I drafted a polite email thanking FC Minsk for their interest. Unfortunately, Knyazha was of the opinion that the midfielder was worth a better offer.

Next, fan co-ordinator Vasyl Shutoff wanted to know of me whether I’d plan something special for the fan day. It would be on Saturday, the match against Komunalnyk Lugansk. Strangely enough, the betting stations expect a comfortable win for us.

Natalia had a “nice” surprise for me. As an exercise, I had to translate an article. I learnt that way that Emile Heskey wanted to move away from Wigan to a bigger club. Later that evening we leisurely zapped through the digital channels.

July 17th, 2008

When I arrived for match day that morning, Minsk already had reiterated their offer. I told Natalia to reject it again, and tell them we didn’t need a reiteration, but an improvement. Then it was the dressing room.

“Borys?”

“Yes?”

“Why did you put Voronin in as left back?”

“To mark their right midfielder.”

“But Borys, I’d rather force THEM to think defensively.”

“I know, Mr. Alsham…”

“Robert.”

“I know, Robert, but YOU said that, despite the odds, we should not underestimate Komunalnik. AND when I wrote down the team sheet, we did not know how long Nalygach would feel his ribs.”

“You are right. But today is fan day, Nalygach is fit, and I can’t treat the fans with a defensive approach when I want to take the match to Komunalnik, in stead of them taking it to us.” I may write this down quickly in this diary, but believe me, It took me some time to say this in Ukrainian. “So I’ll stick with Nalygach this game. The only other change I make to your plans is to team up Morozov and Mandzyuk up front.”

Borys nodded. “Levchenko never gave a motivation when he altered my teamsheets. And I can follow your reasoning, despite your accent.”

The line-up was different, but that’s what you get when you revert to the classic 4-4-2. “I expect a stern test today, despite the betting odds. Come to think of it, when the betting is rigged, the referee might act as twelfth man, so be careful in your tackling. When you play a decent game, and let the ball do its work, we’ll win nevertheless. So, enjoy it out there.”

With those words, the players were sent out. It was warm, but the breeze was refreshing and the weather had been kind enough to make 830 people pay for a match ticket.. Moroziv started the game, and passed to Lutsenko. He gave a long ball to Mandzyuk, but Balytsky read the intention and passed to Khlaponin. His pass forward was an easy pick for Lutsenko, who again tried to find Mandzyuk. Again, Balytsky was there to defend. His long ball forward was caught by Silich. I relaxed. The match was only half a minute old and already it resembled something above the level that had always made me leave Rivacre Park with an unsatisfied feeling.

Silich had passed back to Bashlay. Again he tried to find Mandzyuk. This time, the striker managed to outwit Balytsky and head the ball towards Morozov. He used his speed to outrun two defeders, but was tripped by Fyachenko. Free kick. I sighed. If the defender had Mandzyuk in his pocket, then I would have to work without the target man. Lutsenko shot… wide. Still a polite round of applause went through Kolos.

It was interesting to see the duel between Balytsky and Mandzyuk. It was hard, but fair, even though the Komunalnik defender had taken a knock when he and Mandzyuk collided in a heading duel. The ball was kicked out of play and dutifully returned to us.

In the seventh minute, Mandzyuk had a pop. It sailed over. We were dominating, although we had to resort to such long-distant attempts. After ten minutes, Komunalnik finally managed to create an attacking move. Sergeev had put on the turbo and stormed forward on the right flank. His attempted cross was blocked by Nalygach.

Five minutes later, Lutsenko was given a second attempt at goal. Dyachenko had tripped Morozov, and the referee put the ball down at about 25 meters from the Komunalnik goal. This time his shot was blocked. “Third time lucky!”, I yelled.

“I doubt that his English is better then your Ukrainian.”, came Natalia’s wry comment. Borys started to laugh, and explained it to the bench. The next moment again was near Zbarakh’s goal, when Bahlay tried to surprise him by a lob. The defender had seen correctly that the Komunalnik GK had been out of his goal, but he was back in time. I did have to write down, that he had moved away from his position. I expect a right back to try that on the right side of the pitch, not the left.

After twenty minutes, Bayrashevski had his second ball contact of the match. The second loose ball in his area. Combine that with one pass back, and I felt that with hindsight I could have fielded either Kysylytsa or Bovkun, or maybe even Skrypnyk or Vlasyuk, the two most important GK’s in the youth team.

It was a pity that our end pass still was non-existing. A Sylich cross being blocked. A Morozov cross not finding any Knyazha player. It looked better, but there still was plenty of room for improvement. Zbarakh was the busiest of both goalkeepers on the field, but I think his current workload would have been a lot heavier if our passing had been better.

You will always see that when you mutter about something, the opposite happens. Khanas picked up a Dyachenko clearance, half up our own half, looked up shortly, and saw that Mandzyuk had moved away from the central defenders. He did not hesitate, but lofted the ball forward. Mandziuk picked the ball up, easily rounded Zbarakh (though I can’t fault his decision to come out), and scored his first league goal from the season.

“DALI!!! KNYAZHA!!! DA-LI!!! KNY-A-ZHA!!! SCHAS-LY-VE!!!” Forward Knyazha. For-ward Kny-a-zha! Schaslyve! I believe the fans were happy. Mandzyuk was as well. The third Lutsenko freekick was over again.

In the 29th minute, finally a situation close near our penalty area. Shinnik had upended Matkyevich, which was worth a free kick. It ended in the wall. A few minutes later, a break by Komunalnik was cut short by Lutsenko, who held Kudinov. His jersey survived, but Lutsenko earned a yellow.

It was a midfield scrap the next minute, with quite some small fouls. Most were from the Komunalnik Lugansk players. And after Kudinov went down and Bashlay kicked the ball out of bounds, they did not return it to us. In the 36th minute, the referee decided to act on those small fouls and booked Danaev after he tripped Morozov. Though Knyazha was put a bit more under pressure in the last ten minutes, I only could complain about the passing during half time.

The second half started much in the same vein as how the first half ended. But now, every ball contact from Knyazha was followed by an enthusiastic ‘Olé’ from the crowd. In the 55th minute, Balytsky tackled from behind. I gesticulated for the ref: “Oy! Shouldn’t that be a booking, ref?” The man could wonderfully pretend not to understand plain English. Morozov got a good chance from the freekick, but his shot nearly hit Mandzyuk, who was standing behind the goal line being treated. I signalled Zozulya to warm up.

At the hour mark, Khanas tried his luck, straight into the hands of Zbarakh. Lytovchak upended Sergeev, but was worse of. That small spell in which we played with ten put us onder pressure a bit. Silich gave away a free kick. Slabishev took it, and hopefully Lutsenko did take notes. Slabishev’s free kick sailed over the wall, and dropped down sharply. Bairashevski had time enough to tap the ball over for a corner, though.

The corner set Sergeev free, but he put the ball straight into Bairashevski’s hand. The next Komunalnik attack saw Sergeev again alone before the Knyazha goalkeeper. Sergeev missed woefully. I signalled Boyarintsev to warm up. Nalygach couldn’t cope anymore with both the midfielders and Sergeev on his flank. Zozulya was ready as well to enter the field. Both did in the 68th minute.

Kommunalnik did fight to salvage a point. One can say that. Bashlay made one very important clearance. “The others were slow to react, but it is good that one Bashlay can contain four Kommunalnik players.” It was a bittersweet observation. I should have tried a 3-5-2 with a holding midfielder, a playmaker and an attacking midfielder/CF. Come to think of it, we have one on the bench who should be excellent for that role.

A counter in the 75th minute led to a slot by Silich, which was blocked. The next attack saw Zozulya being tripped by Dyachenko (again). Lytovchak took the kick (he takes them all on the left side), it was headed away by Kravchenko, to Zozulya. He crossed the ball, not into the penalty area, but over it. Oschmachko picked it up, and passed it long to Danaev. Bayraschevsk rushed out and kicked the ball forward. Parkhomenko took the throw, just on the Komunalnik half. He threw it to Bakalyas. The young right back passed it back, and Parkhomenko tried to launch Kovgan, who had slipped away from Khanas’ covering.

Again, Bayrashevski rushed out and cleared the ball. It found nobody, but Zbarakh rushed out to return the ball into the Knyazha penalty area. Tkachuk picked it up. Lytovchak ran into the Komunalnik penalty area, drawing with him Dyachenk and Knyarev. Zozulya had slipped away from Bakalyas and made a run into the penalty area as well. Bakalyas stood rooted, Osmachko had to leave Morozov, but was sent astray by a quick turn from Zozulya. He shot, and left Zbarakh without chance. Beautiful finish. I told the lads not to hurry in dead situations.

They got all the help from the Komunalnik players, who created a lot of dead moments for us by committing small fouls. If they would do that with a trigger-happy referee, they might get into trouble. In the 83rd minute, Kovgun earned a corner for Kommunalnik, though he started from an offside position. Lutsko headed it over. Despite the pressure and the fould, the Knyazha players kept their composure.

In injury time, Bayraschevski launched Morozov beautifully. The striker failed in finding the goal, though he did find Zbarakh. I think Morozov will have to find the same composure as the defenders. I don’t think he will be either in the line-up or on the bench next match. I need to give more players a chance, don’t I?

At the end of the match, the spectators rewarded the team with a warm applause. Bairashevski said what had to be said. “Well played. They had the ball. We had the game. It is not the possession that counts, but what you do with it. Against Sevastopol we were lucky, against Lugansk we did it by ourselves.”

Zozulya started chanting: “Kny-a-zha! Kny-a-ZHA!”, but Bairashevski stopped him. “You may have scored a goal, Dmytro, be we have only played two league matches.”

I jumped in, and added: “Roman is right. According to Teletext, we are leaders in the First Division, but there are 32 matches left. A lot can happen in those matches. You may yell, and chant, but after the match there are some conditions. Either we have secured the league title or we won a match by a margin of at least three.” Zozulya looked a bit disappointed, so I added: “You may use it as a rallying call, of course, but after a game that we dominated hat isn’t necessary.”

Borys felt where I wanted to go. He continued. “If we play like this, and continue to work on our weak spots, like passing and crossing, there will be plenty of opportunities to start chanting.”

“So you might start exercising tomorrow. You may do so in the morning. Because of a match well played, we’ll start at half past ten. Knyazha dali!”

Results match 2

Standings round 2

[nette000]

We, or I rather, spent the evening browsing to the UEFA results. It had been the qualification, and I read about the upset in Northern Ireland, where Gary Hamilton’s 87th minute strike had given Glentoran a shock win over German giants Hertha BSC. I remembered from my courseware that even entering the qualification stage in the first round meant € 56,000, and I started hoping for a good cup result.

I read the reports about Naftovyk-Ukrnafta. The team had had a more reliable sponsor, and despite being unable to score, they seemed a capable lot. Skybet agreed with that, and put them in as firm favourites. They play as a collective. I took it to discuss with Borys a 4-1-3-2 lineup. The battle would be fought in midfield.

July 18th, 2008

We are playing against Naftovyk-Ukrnafta tomorrow, but their gas station here in Schaslyve has a car wash, and after each win, I can wash the Lada for free. A nice gesture from Pavel, even if the car still looks like a bucket after it has gone through it. At least it is a lean bucket.

He has also given me an address from a friend from him in Kharkiv, who sells car parts for tuning. I will neither win any elegance contest nor turn this car into a race monster, but new spark plugs and new wiring for the battery would make this care more reliable then you would expect from an average Lada.

Borys had little to add to my suggestion for a 4-1-3-2. “I’ll give you my suggestions after the morning session, boss. By the way. FC Lviv informed about Sakhno and Chepurnenko.” FC Lviv is the leading team for our co-operation. Hopefully we can reverse roles next season, but that is somewhat optimistic.

I shrugged. “Sergiy is for sale.", Borys added. "I don’t know what they intend to do with Eugene Chepurnenko. He seems not to be ready for the first team yet.”

“Then you might consider him leaving as well.” I grumbled. Eugene is no part of my plans tomorrow, and he makes 60 Euros pro week. Thrice as much as Sakhno. Borys gave me a long stare. Finally he said: “I’ll give you something on Monday to take into consideration.”

“You can just tell me that you disagree. What I see, is that he is not ready.”

“You have seen only one match.”

“And he was as invisible in the match against the reserves, according to the reports. YOUR reports.” Borys shook his head. He didn’t say anything, but he did not dare to go against hierarchy.

“But if it makes you happy, he’ll get another 45 minutes tomorrow, but I then we’ll play the normal 4-4-2.”

Yes, tomorrow would be a serious test. The first match against one of the appointed big guns of this competition. A calculated loss at the beginning of the competition, but Naftovyk-Ukrnafta haven’t found the net so far. So we might again confound the experts by snatching at least a point. I intended to play the 4-1-3-2, but I’ll try to keep Borys happy. This is an opponent the team can learn from, so in this match performance is more important then the result. I will need to talk to Eugene, though. He shows his talent in training, but it would be nice to see it on the pitch as well. Since we will be in the bus for quite some time, I guess we can have a long conversation.

[nette000]

We had plenty of time to talk. Before we left, I announced who would be in, I took Chepurnenko and Bairashevski apart.

“It’s going to be a long sit, Roman, but you will have to be around as the captain.”, I said. Roman nodded. Then I turned to Chepurnenko.

“As in Sevastopol, you will get a free role. That does not mean you can freewheel on the pitch.” Chepurnenko nodded. “I didn’t play the best match of my life.”, he said.

“You noticed it, too? You weren’t in the game, because the defenders were all over you. Then it is hard to make an impact, unless you pull the weights as much as Olexandr Mandzyuk. That means you must use your head. It means you have to read the game, and if Olexandr is covered, and Dmytro is out of position, you look whether they created space for you, or that you can pass it back or to another midfielder. You have the skills, so use them. Don’t fear the opponent, let the opponent fear YOU.” I said loads more, Natalia translating the lot, but this was the gist of it.

http://i43.tinypic.com/in4bhc.jpg

Roman Bairashevski's was the shortest conversation. “Keep ‘m out, Roman.”

“Who? The balls? Of course, boss.”

Kyrilo Silich was more apprehensive. “They are good.”

“So? They will need to show it. We have a camera, and we will record the action. This is a match we can learn from, and that is why I want the best youth players relevant experience. Hopefully the 17-year old would not only feel chuffed from that remark, but also put in some extra effort. “Just try to hamper that number 30, that Kucys, as much as possible and launch Eugene (Chepurnenko) or Andryi (Malyk).

Andryi was the other nervous player. I told him to sit together with the strikers (Mandzyuk and the subs Zozulya and Morozov) and create an understanding. “If you want to put in an extra effort in shooting practice, try to get one of the keepers along and I am more then willing to help you exercise. Here, I want you to move as much as possible, and create space either for yourself or Olexandr. If one of the defenders is sending too much passes forward, put him under pressure. Just do your best.”

July 19th, 2008

The players were quiet in the dressing room. Was it apprehension, or politeness?

“When I see you look at me that way, I am getting itchy. Today, people think we will end not topping the charts. Last season, Naftovyk was two leagues above Knyazha. Now we are in the same league. So there is no need to fear. The only thing you need to fear is Monday morning, when you don’t put an effort into this match. We are not expected to win, but that does not mean we are expected to give the match away. Make sure we leave the match with our heads up high. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but be prepared to learn from them. Give them a match. That’s all I want, that’s all what the fans want. Give them a match.”

The whistle went, for a near empty stadium. The stadium announcer went to quick for me, but I recognised the number of 220 and attendance. Ivachenko took the kickoff for Naftovyk, back to Monakhov. Mandzyuk tried to pressurise the defender, but he deftly stepped aside and passed the ball to Kikot. The CM showed Lytovchak and Chepurnenko his heels, but was forced to pass back by Boyarintsev. His pass back to RB Larpenko was not inderstood. Boyaryntsev walked towards the ball to take the throw.

“Leonid has trouble motivating himself.”, Borys said to me. I looked at my assistant. “He never heard from you before.” I looked back at the left back, and then back to my assistant manager. “Strange he didn’t mention that when we held talks with him…” I mused.

Boyaryntsev threw to Malyk. Andryi could have passed the ball to either Lytovchak or Chepurnenko, but he chose to try and pass Yesip. The midfielder ran forward on the right, before finding Kyrylov. He shielded the ball, while Khanas tried to get to the ball. It was a duel of strength, that was ended by the whistle.

Karpenko took it, short to Yesip. Boyaryntsev had anticipated it, and picked up the ball. He stumbled, but remained on his feet. Still, referee Gerenda thought that Yesip had tripped Leonid.

Bairaschevski took it long, but defender Kharchenko rose over Mandzyuk, and headed the ball to Kikot to start a new Naftovyk attack. Chepurnenko tried a sliding tackle to dispossess Kikot, but only managed to bring down the player. Monakhov passed to Bidnenko, who outmuscled Silich and dummied Chepurnenko to give Kikot some space before passing him the ball. The midfielder took a few paces, and shot. It had the power, but lacked direction.

The goal kick was long, and this time it was Monakhov who outjumped Mandzyuk. He tried to launch Kyrylov, but Lutsenko outjumped the Naftovyk forward. Again Monakhov won the duel against Mandzyuk, but this time he used too much force. Chepurnenko lined up the ball. Mandzyik started running, and tapped the ball to Malyk, who did not hesitate, but hit the ball directly at the Naftovyk goal. That went much closer then Kikot’s shot on the other side of the pitch!

The next minutes were drab. Neither Naftovyk nor Knyazha were able to keep the ball into possession for longer then a few seconds. On the midfield, Chepurnenko had problems finding Silich, on the right Bashlay and Shymko did not gel well. I could switch Bashlay and Khanas anytime, to see whether that would go better, but if the players were to learn from this match, then switching them in the first minutes of the match was no option.

Ponosenko strained something while trying to follow Shymko’s feints. His cross was hoofed away by Yesyp.Lytovchak pickup up the ball, and passed to Chepurnenko. Eugene found Kyrylo Silich, but his shot sailed over.

Slowly, the players seemed to connect. A long string of passes was only interrupted when referee Gerenda deemed a Chepurnenko challenge on Kikot to be too harsh. I thought both players went for the ball, but the Naftovyk midfielder did need treatment on the sideline.

It was not spectacular, and a neutral spectator might bore himself to death, but Naftovyk played with patience, as did we. It was confidence that both teams showed. For me, that was a reason to relax a bit. Not because of the match, but because our previous opponents, Komunalnyk Lugansk and Sevastopol, had lacked that confidence. We could keep up with the best so far. To win this kind of matches, we will have to better our game though.

“I think I’ll follow your advice next week to put Andreyi (Bashlay) on Olexandr (Shymko)’s position.”, I said to Borys.

“I think that playing both Simich and Chepurnenko in central midfield was more of a risk.”, he replied.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t say anything because you said this would be a learning experience,” Borys continued. “But I believe it is better to pair both players to an experienced partner. Now the only experienced midfielder is Lytovchak, on the left.”

I think he has a point there. So even I have already learnt something today.

[nette000]

Sorry for the slowness of updating. There are too many good stories in here wasting my time. So thank you to all who contribute here.

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After 18 minutes, Naftovyk manager Gorodov ordered Lithuanian CM Kucys to warm up. I looked at them, and shook my head. Apparently, Gorodov thought his team should already have a comfortable need. I did prefer them to play as they were doing though. If all shots would be as harmless as Yesip’s in the 19th minute, the spectators would not be satisfied, but Knyazha would snatch away a point.

The next Knyazha attack was interrupted by offside. And worse, I sat on one line with Mandzyuk when Khanas sent the ball forward, and referee Gerenda was right. Kucys was still warming up. I started wondering if I should ask Dyachenko to do the same, as Kyrylo Silich was regularly being beaten in the duels by Bidnenko. Borys Rudenko had noticed as well. He shouted to the player: “Kyrilo, wake up! We have a match out here!”

Kyrylo wasn’t the only player who needed to wake up. Lutsenko needed to adjust his visor. His freekick when Mandzyuk was tripped in he 26th minute did not go to the penalty area, it went to the ball boy on the sideline. Some whistling could be heard.

The final quarter of the first half started with a dominating Naftovyk. Kucys was still warming up. Bairashevski had the goal kick. It was long, to Mandzyuk. Monakhov and Kharchenko sandwiched the striker, who fell down. Shymko picked up the ball, and tapped it over the sideline. Mandzyuk could walk himself over the sideline for treatment, but we were down to 10 for a while. Lytovchak switched more to an AMC/FC position, without me needing to shout him to do so. That was another thing to write down.

There was more to write down: the unwillingness to shoot, little to no anticipation, not watching where you would pass. I couldn’t help but wonder what Gorodov would say in the Naftovyk dressing room. Kucys was still stretching himself and doing his warming up, and now Zaychuk was ordered to get ready as well. The half time whistle was a relief.

I was short in my words: “Today, some of you are showing you have dreams. To fulfil those dreams, you will have to [beep] WAKE UP! The only reason it is a draw is, that at least the back part of the team is awake, and that Naftovyk is not willing to take advantage of the drowsiness some players have.

At this moment, I think we have been lucky. We shouldn’t need to be lucky, we should need to bring the game to our opponents. I know you can, and I want you to show it.” Natalia translated, and I left it to Borys to talk the squad through the second half.

The second half started with a surprise. Godorov had put back Kucys and Zaychuk on the bench. Now it was defender Oleg Ptachyk who was warming up. I reacted in kind, and let Olexandr Lytvynenko remove his training gear and start up was well.

“This is just tactics now, Olexandr.”, I said. “He is trying to make me change tactics. I think I will let you warm-up some five minutes before you can sit down again, but in the mean time, if you do the exercise as close to their dug-out as allowed, you might catch some conversation. The spectators are quiet enough.” The defender nodded.

The first chance was for Naftovyk. Kyrylov got a shot at goal. Bayrashevsky watched the ball sail harmlessly past. When Boyaryntsev gave a ball that neither Lytovchak nor Speedy Gonzales could get before the goal line, I signalled Nalygach to join Lytvinenko. When Mandzyuk did not go for goal, but for Naftovyk players in stead of team mates, Morozov had to get up as well.

Lutsenko got booked for obstructing Ivaschenko, which added to my chagrin. It didn’t get better when Lytovchak seemed to have strained something in the 55th minute. I had just signalled the three players to sit down again.

Roman did return, though. That could not be said from Naftovyk’s CM Bidnenko. Kucys finally entered the fray, after miles of warming up. That was the signal for me to bring in Nalygach for Lytovchak. I did not want to risk an injury, I also told Olexandr Morozov that he would get some minutes replacing Mandzyuk. The striker was not in the game. Malyk wasn’t in the game either, but I was hoping he was learning from the hard time he was having on the pitch. He managed to put in a shot, but it was lacking as much direction as our passes.

In the 70th minutem Gorodov made his moves: Valuta for Monakhov, Ptachik for Kikot, and strikers Kyrylov and Ivaschenko were replaced with Schepstytskyi and Prokuror. I looked. C lucky clearance by Chepurnenko sent Mandzyuk towards the Naftovyk goal. His shot did not trouble Velychko, though, and I ordered the substitution.

The game dragged on. Nalygach was muttering about a tackle that was worth a penalty in his eyes, but not in mine. Then, the unexpected happened. Boyarintsev threw to Malyk. The LB did not look, or chose to ignore that the young striker had three defenders in his back. Valuta won the duel, and headed the ball to Karpenko. He passed to Kucyk, who was hounded by Chepurnenko. He passed to Sheptytskyi, who passed the ball to Yesip (Nalygach had let him go), leaving Boyarintsev totally out of position. Yesip dutifully deliverd the ball to Khanas (well seen by Nalygach), who passed the ball forward, to nobody.

It meant Karpenko could pick up the ball again. He passed to Kucys, who found Prokuror, whose nod-on was picked up by Bayraschevsky. His kick went to Malyk, who again lost from Ptachik. Scheptytskyi again outjumped Boyarintsev, Nalygach again didn’t go along with Yesyp, but the ball went to Prokuror, who outran Lutsenko and rounded Bayraschevsky with finesse.

It was time to try to get even. Zozulya in, Malyk out. It did not help, though. I had seen enough, but I would go over it tomorrow.

“We did live up to the expectations, but you did your best. I could fault the passing, but I can’t fault your attitude. Well fought.” With those words, I left the dressing room and went to the press conference.

“What did you think of the match?”, I asked Natalia.

“We were not good.”

“No, but we tried.”

[nette000]

The press room was small, and nearly empty. I recognised Roman Sobko , and another man introduced himself as Eugene Bondarchuk from the Akhtyrka Football Gazette.

You put down a spirited performance, despite losing. The expectation was that Knyazha would lose heavily.

Despite the loss, I was pleased with the performance.

Do you feel a penalty should have been awarded?

If it could give us a point it should, of course.

In all honesty, if it had been a penalty I would have written it down. But I had to say this. I did say more, but that was not worth repeating.

What did you think about the refereeing. Did it affect the match?

I don’t think so. I do feel that there have been errors, but they did not influence the match as a whole. Referees are human.

Bogdan Yesip had a great game, didn’t he?

Indeed. I have to admit he was good today, though I hope that he doesn’t repeat that against us. Hopefully my midfielders will have a look and learn from this match today. Roman?

There are rumours that you are in the market for new players. After today’s match, will you bring in new players?

I don’t speculate, and I do not wish to discuss things with the press before those matters have been discussed internally.

Those reports have linked you with IgroService DM Volodymyr Martynov. Are you prepared to let your thoughts go over that story?.

Unfortunately, no. I could confirm it, and you would write something about it. I could deny it, and you would write something about it, because it is news about Knyazha, and of interest to the fans. So I would have asked the question as well. But it would be a new player, and like I said, I don’t discuss those matters before discussing them internally. “

Here, Natalia stepped in and declared the conference over.

Robert,

If you want to make this a better read, try to make it less boring.

N.

What the…! A diary is personal!

0 – 0 - 0

“You are not supposed to write in other people’s diaries!”

“You never told me, Robert! You asked me to tell you what I thought of it.”

“Those are basics, Natalia! BASICS!”

“No, the basic is that YOU ARE AN IDIOT, ROBERT ALL SHAM! I HATE YOU!”

July 19th, 2008

I made the local news. Not only with yesterday’s press conference.

The Ukrainian Football Association has issued a warning to Knyazha manager Robert Alsham, following his criticism on the refereeing in the match between Naftovyk-Ukrnafta and FC Knyazha yesterday. The decision not to award a penalty to FC Knyazha was justified. Given Mr. Alsham´s previous record, no other sanctions were imposed.

Otherwise, it was a quiet Sunday. Natalia didn’t say a word to me, and I didn’t say a word to her. I used the time to watch images from the match, and to re-read my diary. That wasn’t too good for my mood. Natalia was right. My diary IS boring. I’ll just go on, and hopefully somebody will make good use of it if I become famous enough to get my own biography.

[nette000]

July 21st, 2008

We are on speaking terms again. And it was me who apologised. I did so as Borys Rudenko agreed with Natalia that my diary was boring. Including myself, that were three people who agreed.

Knyazha agreed on the Minsk offer for Lupashko and to an offer from Dynamo-2 Kiev for Sakhno. I have no qualms of selling players to the competition, though I wonder how other people think about it.

July 22nd, 2008

I browsed the websites of our competitors, and saw that IgroService’s Sergyi Tukach was available on loan. He could be a fierce competitor of Shymko, with a more defensive approach. I asked Dmytro Kostychen to make a report on him. I amused myself with the transfer rumours. It is a good addition to Borys´ suggestions.

Currently we are linked to unemployed midfielder Victor Zhak. We are not linked to Artem Jevlanow, but if Chepurnenko keeps on playing below the potential that Borys Rudenko thinks he possesses, we might vie with Zakarpatiya for the services of their former AM. He is looking for a club, after all.

There are more players, though, whom I should discuss with chairman Shepelenko.

July 23rd, 2008

Kostychen thinks that Tukach is a good buy, and he IS available for loan. Mr. Shepelenko would contact the club to negotiate a season long loan.

Zozulya injured his wrist while doing exercises with the weights. The second more influential player out. This meant that Malyk would get another shot. Going for youth meant that I was not altering the 4-4-2 line-up. I had already picked up Volodymyr Kushnirov, and had left him out in the youth team’s friendly yesterday against the U21 of Borispil. It had never become a match, and Knyazha ended deservedly on the better side of the 2-0 score line. It gave me no new insights, which meant I would have to find another opponent to see which players might be material for the main force.

July 24th, 2008

Zakarpatya is not willing to loan out players to same league opposition. Volodymyr Karpenko signed his first professional contract, and I had another picture of me on the Knyazha site. Lupashko was not on training. Chairman Shepelenko brought the player to the Borispil airport yesterday, to discuss terms with the Minsk board. I think Lupashko will return to tell that he accepted their offer. Minsk made an offer on Sakhno as well. Since I prefer players to leave us for clubs we won´t see in our league, I accepted their offer.

July 25th, 2008

Victor Lupashko did not come to Kolos to say goodbye. He called Bayrashevsky and told him he had accepted the Minsk offer. I already knew that, the chairman and I had signed our agreement to finalise the move and had faxed it back to Belarus. We are still way above the wage budget. However, we are making a profit, and hopefully that means it will get a boost for the next transfer period.

The betting agencies predict a comfortable win for Zakarpatya tomorrow. I had a word with the youngsters, especially Volodymyr. The left midfielder looked fired up.

“Don’t be afraid tomorrow. Bring the game to them, and have faith in your teammates. If somebody makes a mistake, try to force your opponent into making mistakes as well. There is also something else for you to think about. Only a very few know about you. You can change that.”

Hopefully Malyk would thrive better in front then on the AM spot last week.

July 26th, 2008

It was silent in the dressing room. It was the silence of a tomb. The players looked nervous, and frankly, I did not know why. Of course, Zakarpatya was another relegated team, and the next match would even be harder, againt the third relegated team, Obolon.

“Like against Naftovyk, this is a match for you to learn where you stand. The pundits tell this is a match which will see Zakarpatya take three points. If you let yourself be awed by your opponent, yes, those pundits will be right. However, we are not here to lose without a fight. If you let your head hang down, I have less problems to say goodbye and good luck to you then with Victor Lupashko. No matter how good you are, your spirit counts as well. Show them you’re not afraid, and either fear will creap into their system, or we give the spectators a reason to return, because we gave them a match.”

To my relief, Bayrashevsky started to clap, Kushnirov and Andriy Bahlay followed suit, and then the whole team clapped. I didn’t need anything more then to shout: “Dali! Daly! Dali!”

Maybe it helped. Zakarpatya had the kickoff, before 650 paying spectators. The first pass forward was intercepted by Kyrylo Silich, who in that way had more good moments then in the whole match against Naftovyk. Some good passing followed, so far a rare commodity here in the Kolos Stadium, which eventually gave Chepurnenko a chance to shoot. Dombraya threw himself before the ball for a corner.

Zakarpatya was good, but Knyazha seemed to have the upper hand. Chepurnenko and Kushnirov did also do their defensive duties with zeal, and when the Zakarpatya players chose to kick the ball out of play when put under pressure, I knew we were causing them more problems then they had anticipated.

This didn’t mean that Zakarpatya was not dangerous. Kostyuk had a shot inches wide, and Zakarpatya’s passing was better then Knyazha’s. But one could say we tried more. It showed. Boyaryntsev threw to Kushnirov. He passed back to Chepurnenko, who gave the ball to Malyk. The young striker did not hesitate, turned away from his marker Gusarev, and sent in a rocket from outside the area. Babenko jumped… stretched… and could not reach the ball.

I saw my colleague walk to the edge of his area, and gesticulate. He wanted more pressure, that was obvious.