retired_swmchick2006

Russian 1st Division - Week 2

St Pete's Boys vs Fakel
Attendance: 6707
Weather: Wet, 8 degrees

Starting line-up: 4-4-2 Diamond, Berberov, Jenkov, Tonerovski, Kharp (c), Chrzipplerinski, Golo, Powersov, Anerdov, Nicholas, Abuzaglo, Bull

1st Half:

Despite Fakel coming out with an attacking and pressing mindset, it was Bull who had the first chance of the game. Playing up front for this game, the player got to the end of a Tonerovski long ball and his flash shot had to be turned around the post by the keeper's fingertips.

Abuzaglo had the next chance of the game, but his half-volley of a Golo pass went sailing well over. Fakel's Schegolev threatened the St Pete goal with a long mazy run, but Berberov was up to the task and punched the player's shot away.

In the 17th minute, Abuzaglo had another chance but his header was well saved. Fakel did quite poorly to clear the resulting corner, and the visitors must not have been watching last week because when the ball finally was knocked down, the ball fell perfectly to Nicholas and the midfielder turned on the ball and knocked it into the net for the lead. 1-0 Nicholas

After a close tackle by Golo in the St Pete area, Bull broke up the attacking play of Fakel by holding back a player, and promptly got a yellow.

At the 30 minute mark, a Jenkov overlap and cross fell nicely for Abuzaglo but his left-footed shot was well held by the Fakel keeper. Seconds later, the striker would not be denied and he headed home a Nicholas lob to score his first of the season. 2-0 Abuzaglo

Now up by two, the Boys were enjoying the atmosphere in front of the home crowd, who seemed to be warming up to their young player's style. Nicholas, finding the ball at his feet in the 37th minute, looked around and decided to make a run at goal. He skipped past one challenge and then with a quick turn on the ball beat another Fakel player. His right-footed blast soared home well for another goal. 3-0 Nicholas

Fakel had the better of the closing minutes of the 1st half, but both chances were were wasted high and wide.

2nd Half:

Bull came off for Georgikov.

In the 49th Abuzaglo's swerving shot forced a good save, and 7 minutes later another of his attempts miscued and sailed well high. Nicholas took two attempts at goal from long range in the 57th and 58th minute, but one was saved and the other went wide.

Misja came on for Golo in the 60th minute.

Good team play freed up Georgikov, but his shot was well wide of the mark in the 73rd. Jenkov was replaced by Raskolnikov in the 77th, just second before a Fakel error in front of their goal gifted St Pete's their fourth. 4-0 (own goal)

Final: 4-0

MOM: Nicholas

Manager's picks: Nicholas again, obviously, for another great day. Abuzaglo and Golo were top notch as well.

Manager's goat: Bull's only action of the game came in the 1st few minutes and did not give any confidence about his ability to play up top.

Overall assessment: Great home win. Nicholas off to a flying start.

retired_rlkoenig16

Just read all that great stuff.

Toothrotski looks liek quite a handy goalkeeper and will only get better with age.

retired_ccropley1

Good start by Abuzaglo...

Interesting combination of stats too... Are we all aggressive buggers?

Oh... and don't bother asking me to pass the ball.... could go anywhere

Looking forward to my first appearance at the back as well.. Predicting red cards flying everywhere with the lethal combination of 20 Aggression and 7 for tackling

retired_ccropley1

oh... forgot to ask before..

Did my Moroccan/Spanish come through as well? Can you even have more than 2 nationalities in this version?

I ask because it didn't come up on my profile, but buffrokov has it on his

retired_jupiter

:thup: for my first start, but I didn't appear to have much of an impact.

Great updates though.

retired_aurie1201

Kopiteski Pravaya seemed to hang his head a little as he grabbed his gear from the training room after the 4-0 demolishing of Fakel "The Torch". He lived a short distance from the Stadium, and in what was always his ritual, he would walk home thinking about how the games had gone. Breaking for the Exit gates, three reporters from the St. Petersburg Times, on hand to cover the game for what they thought would be the beginning of the end for newly promoted team - saw in Pravaya's gait, a chance for s juicy tidbit about his dissapointment that he didn't make the line up for game, (after contributing well to the first victory with some great play up the flanks and an assist on Evanov Nichola's goal.) Like a gang of thugs they surrounded Pravaya wielding hand recorders as though they were weapons of a sort. Pravaya slowed and snorted as he was prompted to stop.

"Pravaya - surely you must be terribly dissapointed in the dismissive manner in which Maximov Jenski discarded you to the bench after just one game . . . how does it affect the teams moral when so clearly the manager is playing favorites."

Pravaya nodded his head, almost imperceptively, giving another snort and after a few moments of thought. broke the silence "Aye, you want a tidbit , a morsel for your paper. Well print this" his voice rising slowly in pitch and volume "and you make sure that you quote me correctly. Though an element of darkness surrounds this club right and the future of Pete's may appear clouded - one thing has become bright - and clear as the noon day sun. New life has been breathed into the Russian First League, and as sure as no darkness can resist the searching rays of light, neither can ingnorance and craftyness dim the glory that is become Dinamo Pete's Reborn. Each man who played today was a worthy team mate, and a hero to this revolution. Dissapointment will come when you do don't have a clear idea of what will happen." Pravaya voice returned to his normal speaking tone and he continued. "And it is obviously you who are dissapointed - that the story that you though you came here to get, did not materialise for you. But as for myself, I am dissapointed . . . " pushing past the reporters head lowered in thought again " . . . that you have interrupted my peaceful walk home." Then, half taling to himself and cracking a small grin "Brilliant game today, that. A pleasure to watch. How bout that Nikko, eh?"

retired_swmchick2006

sammay: No. The game thinks that were are all just Russian nationality. (Although we know this to be wrong.) This is mainly because I didn't want there to be any chance of one of us getting capped for another country besides Russia.

uskopite: :thup:

retired_swmchick2006

Russian 1st Division Week 3

Amkar vs St Pete's Boys
Attendance: 15848
Weather: Wet, 8 degrees

Starting Line-up: 4-4-2 Diamond, Toothrotski, Chrzipplerinski, Tonerovski (c), Molotov, Iliev, Golo, Pravaya, Korjev, Nicholas, Abuzaglo, Anerdov

1st Half:

Once again the Boys punished a team for coming out with the intent to attack, as on the very first couterattack by Dinamo, Korjev went on a long unmolested run and chipped in a near post cross. As expected, Nicholas had lost his man and with just 4 minutes gone, scored with a flashing header. 0-1 Nicholas

Nicholas had the next real chance, but his 15th minute shot went just wide. Abuzaglo was shoved down in the box (the second penalty denied by the ref as Chrzipplerinski had gone down just a few minutes before), and then recovered his wits to try and poke home a loose ball. The attempt was saved.

In the 26th minute, Golo held the ball up and waited for Nicholas to find some space. Nicholas received the ball at his feet, turned with it, faced a player and beat him, and then just blew past another before unleashing his best goal so far this season - a wicked right footed screamer. 0-2 Nicholas

Things were getting a little heated on the pitch. Tonerovski had words with Shutov, and Chrzipplerinski blatantly shoved over a player who had beaten him.

Anerdov had the next chance, but his header on a Korjev cross went over the bar. In the 40th minute, Amkar put together a good string of passes, resulting in a Fomenko goal. Toothrotski might have been picking daisies, as far away as he was from the play. 1-2

Just before the whistle, two Nicholas shots were blocked away, and when Amkar came on the attack it took a well-timed Iliev tackle to end the threat.

2nd Half:

Berberov came on for Toothrotski, who clearly didn't have his head in the game.

Anerdov flashed his long shot in the 49th minute wide for the first chance of the half, moments before Amkar forced Berberov to parry away a good attempt at goal. Anerdov was doing his best to force in a third goal but his shots in the 52nd minute (horribly wide) and 57th minute (a mistimed header) looked more comical than threatening.

Georgikov was brought in for Anerdov in the 61st minute.

After the re-start, Nicholas held the ball in the middle of the pitch and sprayed it wide to Pravaya. The winger showed great skill with the wet ball and his long run ended with a sweet banana shot that swerved into the upper 90. His first goal for St Pete's. 1-3 Pravaya

Nicholas tried another long range shot in the 68th, but it went well over. After Georgikov's diving header in the 76th minute the game started stuttering to a halt. Bull came on for Golo, but there was no more action from either club.

Final: 1-3

MOM: Nicholas

Manager's Pick: Nicholas 3 straight perfect performances will be hard to beat. His stats through 3 games would be good for an entire season. Golo did brilliantly protecting the back four, and assisted Nicholas 2nd goal. Korjev and Pravaya did well on the flanks, the former scoring a goal and the latter looking like the playmaker he wants to be.

Manager's Goat: Toothrotski looked to be sleepwalking in his first half, and deserved to be taken off.

Overall assessment: A good win, but a little complacent. We need better perforances from those playing up top, as Nicholas won't always carry us through.

retired_janeane

Good few games for Golo, seems to be caple of the job i intended. Nice to chalk up an assist as well!

For a fairly volaitile team we seem to be keeping the red mist away for just now, maybe there are fireworks in the offing.

retired_sanwillia8

Wow...karma seems to be paying me back for two bad players I had in the NZ and small nation game. :thup:

I'm just hoping not to do anything to jinx this...