Nice start to the season and good win over Shinnik they are a top side
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Russian To The Top?
An average footballers attempt to be an above average manager.
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Really good start to the season mate, hopefully it sets the benchmark for the rest of the campaign!
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Match of the Month
I chose this match as it was my first ever victory in a cup competition, rather then because it was action packed.
Indeed, it was actually quite dreary as we took the lead in the 19th minute & our opponents went down a man not long after.
From there I was happy to stretch the field, control possession & limit Dzerzhinsk's chances to counter. The hope was that they would tire from chasing us around & the result would be a goal avalanche towards the back end of the game.
Unfortunately, they defended admirably for the full 90 minutes & the game become a bit of a snooze fest. Still, you'll struggle to find a more comfortable 1-0 victory as we maintained 70% possession & limited them to 2 shots for the entire afternoon.
So, after an early hiccup against league leaders, Fakel, we managed to put together an impressive run of 6 games unbeaten, including 5 wins.
We haven't been comfortable though, regularly winning by just 1-0, but hey, a win is a win!
Table
Up to third, just one point from the summit. Gotta be happy with that! We haven't been at our free scoring best but we are managing to grind out wins, which is very encouraging.
Stats
Still not a great deal to discuss here although we have maintained our status as the First Divisions kings of possession, which is quite strange from my point of view as possession football has never really been my go but hey, if it aint broke don't fix it I suppose.
Awards
Nothing to see here, move along.
September Preview
No rest for the wicked as we face another 6 games in September plus our cup tie which will see our match against Tosno rescheduled.
On that front, things didn't exactly go to plan as we are handed the monumental task of hosting Russian champions, Zenit. As much as I'd like to think we could spring an upset there, I have a feeling my cup record will soon read 1 win, 2 losses.
One point off the top mate, keep fighting and you could achieve something really special!
Transfer Round-Up
So in total we have 9 new faces coming into the fray with 7 players leaving.
Of those 7 departures only Dmitry Pytlev played any significant role in our campaign last time around, acting as back up to first choice right back, Vadym Leschuk. The rest served as bit players, at best, & don't even merit a mention if I'm honest.
I do however, believe we have strengthen quite well, whilst also keeping the bones of the squad that performed so well last year. So without further delay, lets meet the new boys.
Solid enough looking 26 year old centre back, with 3 Russia under 21 caps to his name, bought in by D.o.F., Vasily Karelin. Central defence is one area we definitely needed to improve in, so Basel is a welcome addition who should play plenty of minutes for the club.
Another Karelin capture with the potential to be a key player for the squad. On paper, he arrives as our best keeper however, after the season David Ikanovich had last year, he'll face plenty of competition for his place in the 11.
A very promising looking young defender poached from Spartak-2 who has also been capped at U21 level. Needs to improve his mentals to be truly reliable but, if he can do that, he should develop into a top notch defender. One to watch.
I dunno about this guy but my staff seem to think he has a fair upside & at just 19 he has plenty of time to improve. He stands at an intimidating 190cm's & is decent with the ball at his feet, if he can develop as expected, he'll be a real handful for defenders.
Another addition I'm not quite sure about. Its not that Anton isn't good enough mind, in fact he may well be the best striker we have, its just that my success rate using big target men is not the best so he may struggle to fit into our style of play. Still, if I can make it work, he should do well.
Very nice looking Serbian left back who, at just 23, could be our first choice for many years to come. Not spectacularly good at any one thing but has a good all round game with very few weaknesses, Vasily has done quite well here.
When it became apparent that Vitaliy would not be offered a new contract at his previous club, I insisted that Vasily try to lure the young Ukrainian to Trud. He succeeded & I think we've found ourselves a real talent.
Possibly someone we could build a side around but wouldn't you know it, strained his knee ligaments in the first month of competition & will miss 8 weeks straight up!
Another youth international defender who could have a big role to play this year when you consider Vadym Leschuk's disciplinary record, the sale of Dmitry Pytlev & the fact that in the First Division you are only allowed to have 3 foreign players on the field at any one time.
The second player I insisted that D.o.F., Vasely Karelin, target was Central African midfielder, Brice Zimbori. With 29 caps for his national team & a good all round game, he'll bring plenty of experience to the side & should form a formidable partnership with Azamat Gonezhukov in the centre of the park. Already a favourite!
Some good looking signings mate, putting together a good squad!
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Some good additions so I expect a win over zenit. You do have over a thousand miles of home advantage
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