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Zenith St. Petersburg today announced the appointment of unknown Piotr Novgorod as the new manager of the White-Blue-Light-Blues. The club’s shock appointment comes scarce days after respected manager Vlastimil Petrzela was forced into a hiatus from managing due to an advanced case of plotdevitis. The club, which opens up Premier League play in a few weeks, announced that despite the change in management it still considers the team title-favorites…
The club now known as Zenith St. Petersburg came into existence in 1940, as the result of the merger between the two most prominent teams in Leningrad. Despite consistently playing in the top-flight of Soviet football for the better part of 50 years, the club only has two trophies to show for it, a 1944 Soviet Cup win – and a long overdue league title in 1984. Shortly after this title, Zenith went to pieces, suffering relegation down into the depths of Soviet football. When they made their top flight return in 1996, of course, everything had changed – communism no longer being the “in” thing, Leningrad had reverted to its old name – St. Petersburg. Zenith followed suit, and have remained in the top flight since, several times contending for the title only to fall short.
--from uefa.com--
The current Zenith team is built around a backbone of top Russian youngsters, with a sprinkling of Eastern European journeymen – and as other teams in the league make expensive forays into South America, Zenith have reached only as far as Macedonia and Norway for starters. The Russian Premier League has 16 teams, and each team plays each other only twice – leaving Russia with a relatively short 30 match season.
That’s the situation as I walked into management. Despite being the only major club in Russia’s second city, there is a paucity of silverware in the trophy case, especially in comparison to their rivals in Moscow. Zenith have a truly astounding number of players under contract, most of whom are dreadful and not worth mentioning – but those that are useful will be tough to sort out – as there is no time for friendlies. Zenith are no longer in the UEFA Cup, after falling flat in the first round again, but are in the Quarterfinals of the Russian Cup – which was won by Terek the last time around.
Financially, we’re on pretty good footing. I’ve got a £2.6M transfer fund to fool around with, and I can offer prospective White-Blue-Light-Blues £6,000 a week to ply their trade at Petrovsky, the 21,500 seat stadium Zenith call home. We’re currently under the wage budget by a comfortable margin.
The squad is well stocked to make a challenge for the title, but contains a definite lack of quality compared to teams from Western Europe. To make matters worse, top teams are starting to sniff around some of my better players and they’re starting to get itchy feet. I couldn’t make too many changes, as the transfer window closed barely a week after I became manager – allowing time for only one successful bid.
Vyacheslav Malafeev : The current Russian No. 1 is looking to reclaim the Goalkeeper of the Year award he won a few years ago from Igor Akinfeev at CSKA Moscow. The 26 year old is consistent in goal with reliable hands; but while his distribution and reading of the game may sometimes leave a little to be desired, but along with Akinfeev, he has to be considered the class of the division. While scouts from some Serie A teams have been asking pointed questions about him, he’s going to be hard to pry from his hometown team.
Kamil Contofalsky, Slovakian : Also the No. 1 for his national team, Contofalsky is my idea of the perfect back-up keeper. He isn’t the athlete Malafeev is, and his hands aren’t as reliable meaning he’s clearly the back-up. But he’s better at directing the defense, and is capable of some scintillating displays between the sticks, so Malafeev had better not get complacent as a patchy run of form could see Contofalsky entrench himself between the sticks.
Pavel Mares, Czech : The 29 year old Czech international is the starter at left back. A fantastic athlete with a solid head on his shoulders, he’s equally adept in both defense and attack, willing to go forward to whip in a cross or run some ill-fated right winger right into the ground. Unfortunately, he’s a fairly ambitious fellow and Zenith doesn’t seem to be a big enough club to sate his desire. There is a clear possibility he won’t finish the season with us.
Rahmatullo Fuzailov, Tajik : The prospective starter at right back, the Tajikistanian was my only signing, making a £1M move from fellow Premiership club Shinnik. Excellent going forward, and lethal from set pieces the full-back can sometimes go a-wanderin’ on the defensive end.
Erik Hagen, Norwegian : Practically exotic from the far-away shores of neighboring Norway, Hagen is an imposing figure in the center of the defense. Pretty much useless going forward, he’s strictly in there to put the fear of god into the heads of opposing strikers. Not the most technical, or level-headed of players – when he goes in for a tackle, he doesn’t particularly care if he gets the ball or he gets striker – just as long as he gets something. Starter, and he’ll wear the captain’s arm band.
Ivica Krizanac, Croation : One of two contenders for the other center-back spot. He’s got good foot-speed, and he reads the game well, meaning he’s usually in the right place at the right time. Competent in the air, he doesn’t do anything spectacularly, just well above-average. He’ll be in season long competition with –
Milan Vjestica, Serbian : He’s not athletically gifted like the other two, but he will offer more going forward. Probably the best tackler on the field, he’s rarely going to foul somebody unless he really wants to. If he were just a little faster, or a little better in the air he wouldn’t be playing in Russia.
Jan Flachbert, Czech : Transfer-listed by the previous management, but I’m not sure why. Sure, he’s a little overpaid – but he’s a reasonably decent full-back. Nothing special, but he’ll see his fair share of games.
Alexey Katulskiy : Hey, a Russian. Not that good, and wouldn’t get a mention except his ability to play all across the back-line and even a little in midfield. Cheap and versatile.
Velice Sumulikoski, Macedonian : The projected starter at defensive midfielder – he’s capable of playing in the defense, and it shows. A tough nut to crack roaming in front of the back four, he’s got the ability to thread a nice pass here and there which is strictly a bonus.
Olexandr Gorshkov, Ukranian : The oldest member of the squad at 35, Gorshkov is a classy central midfielder. Capable of a crunching tackle now and again, he’s also solid going forward. Highly paid for his services, I’m afraid old age is starting to take a toll on his legs, so he’s not going to be a regular starter.
Radek Sirl, Czech : This one’s an odd duck. A left-sided player, he tells me he can play either as a fullback or as a balls-to-the-wall winger. A pretty good player with the ball at his feet, he’s not going to have too much trouble slipping by anyone put in front of him. I’m hopeful of a profitable relationship with Mares on the left side.
Vladimir Bystrov : One of the Russian starlets in the team. He’s pure winger. Playing on the right side, he’s fast and brilliant with the ball at his feet. He’s not going to defend at all, his job is to pick up the ball, run by a few people to the byline, and cross it for the strikers.
Olexandr Spivak, Ukranian : I’m not sure where to put him. Able to play anywhere in the midfield, there isn’t anything he does exceptionally – but there isn’t anything he doesn’t do pretty well. Not as good a winger as the previous two, but not as good attacking as my other choices – he’s in quite a bind. Too good to leave out, I’ll find games for him somewhere.
Oleg Trifonov : He’s a left winger, but he’s just here to make up numbers. Decent enough shot on him, but not much else.
Vladislav Radimov : The 29 year old was born in St. Petersburg, but only recently made his way to Zenith. Spells at CSKA Moscow and Zaragoza in Spain have established the player’s class, but at Zenith he should have a home until he’s ready to retire. As an athlete he’s nothing special, but he’s brilliant on the ball, and roving behind the two strikers. A dangerous, dangerous player.
Igor Denisov : I am excited for this guy’s future. At only 20 years of age, he’s making Radimov’s hold on that attacking midfield slot a tenous one. While not as brilliant as Radimov, he’s a more complete player – faster, stronger and able to offer support for the defense. Unfortunately, he’s an ambitious one – and without the former respected manager, he may feel he needs to move one.
Alexandr Kershakov : Ah, the star of the team. He’s a complete striker, with natural born finishing. An excellent athlete, he’s strong and fast – while not diminishing his skills on the ball. Already scouts from Ligue 1 and Serie A are sniffing around, but he seems to be content here for the time being.
Andrey Arshavin : One of only four players capable of holding their own in Europe on this team – he’s pacey, determined and clever with the ball without losing himself to tricks. A very versatile player, he can play up top, on the wing, or roam behind the strikers.
Lukas Hartig, Czech : Uhm, he can jump. A serviceable target man, that’s about it.
Dragan Cadikovski, Serbian : He’s a strong guy and decent with his head, but that’s all she wrote.
We opened up like a house on fire, belying my apparent conservative approach. Bombarding the Rubin goal, they barely got the ball out of their own half before Hagen, Vjestica or Gorshkov would snuff out the attack. Our opening shots left a little to be desired, with Arshavin and Radimov both hitting the side of the net from angles which would’ve been better served with passes to the center. In the 8th minute, we had an attack fall to pieces and Rubin attempted a quick counter – unfortunately, their left centerback was lazy with one of his touches and Bystrov nipped in and disposessed him before centering for Kerzhakov. The Russian prodigy held off a last ditch tackle from a panicky Rubin defense before slotting it by the hapless keeper. Zenith 1-0 Rubin. Things went from bad to worse for Rubin when one of their midfielders, Tomas Cizek clattered Radek Sirl to the ground with a truly atrocious tackle. The ref had no choice but to send him off, and Rubin were in quite a pickle now. We continued to batter at their goal, using our man advantage ruthlessly and it paid off in the 39th minute, when Bystrov ran onto a long ball from Gorshkov before crossing to a wide open Arshavin at the far post for the easiest goal he’s ever likely to score. Zenith 2-0 Rubin. Try though we might, we couldn’t find a third goal in us, and had to settle for the dubious safety of a 2-0 first leg lead.
Post-Match Analysis : We were clearly the superior team, and I feel disappointed we didn’t kill off this tie with a third, or even a fourth goal in the second half. I’m pretty sure we’ll walk the away leg, but our finishing today left something to be desired. Not just the missed shots, but some of the selfish decisions made in front of goal by my midfielders disappointed me. I’m left to wonder if perhaps the lure of playing for a bigger club is affecting their judgement in match.
Did I forget the tech details? FM 5.0.5, Top two leagues in Russia, France, Germany, England, Spain and Italy - top leagues in Turkey, Holland and the Ukraine.
March 13th, 2005
Title odds were released for the gambling community today. As expected, CSKA Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow were joint favorites – the Army Men and their fellow Muscovites getting 7-4 odds on hoisting the trophy. Zenith were joint thirds on the list, at 20-1 odds with two other Moscow teams, Dinamo and Spartak, whom we just happen to open the season with in a few hours.
Russian Premier Division, Match 1
Spartak Moscow vs Zenith St. Petersburg
Katulskey was suspended for the opener, which meant that I’d have to throw Fuzailov into the grinder from the get-go. I was a little concerned as the media had us as heavy underdogs and Spartak would be looking to get the season off to a winning start at home. It came as a surprise then when we made the brighter start to the match. They came out flat-footed, and clearly unable to cope with Arshavin and Radimov working up the center of the field. Kerzhakov’s aim was off a bit today, but only the post denied him a first half brace as he hit a couple radio balls that left the keeper stuck in concrete. Despite dominating the first half and rocking Spartak back on their heels, we had nothing to show for it at the interval other than a happy and raucous away section. After some orange slices and Gatorade, we continued our bright play in the second half. Arshavin in particular was causing havoc working off Kershakov, and he created the first goal when Kershakov nodded down a cross for him as he calmly slipped by one man before Clemente Rodriguez slammed him to the ground in the area. Rodriguez received a yellow, and Radimov made the ensuing penalty look easy. Spartak 0 – 1 Zenith. The goal seemed to jolt Spartak out of their malaise as right from the kickoff they had the best of play, only denied by some imperious defense by Fuzailov, and Malafeev’s reflexes. In the 74th minute Rodriguez went in late on Arshavin again, and was kindly asked to depart the match. Down to ten-men Spartak seemed doomed, but the disadvantage led them to play some inspired ball, as they befuddled my defense again and again. Only seven minutes before time, the inevitable equalizer came as a bang-bang Spartak move concluded with my center-backs in the middle of nowhere and a Spartak forward passing the ball into the back of the net with ease. Spartak 1 - 1 Zenith. After that, the match stalled and the game ended a disappointing draw.
Final : Spartak Moscow 1, Zenith St. Petersburg 1 MoM : Wojciech Kowaleski, Spartak
Post-Match : We really should’ve taken all three points from this one. We were the better team for most of the match. Kerzhakov is already getting crap in the press for his performance, but six inches is all that separated him from a mediocre performance and two goal of the season candidates. To be fair, a draw in this game is probably a good achievement for us, but the manner in which we gave up the soft equalizer is something that’s going to stick in my craw for a few days yet.
March 14th, 2005
Fresh off our draw against Spartak, Pavel Mares and Vyacheslav Radimov were both quoted in a local rag expressing a desire to move on. I’m not sure who exactly a pair of 29yr olds where expecting to come swooping in for them at this point in their careers, but I have a sinking feeling when they mention big clubs – they mean Moscow. Apart from being two key members of the squad I would not care to lose, the example they’re setting for some of the younger players is something a rookie manager cannot afford to deal with.
From Russia, without a clue. 
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