Russian Football News As 2018 has turned into 2019, it is time for an annual tradition on Russian Football News: The RFN Top 50. We rank the 50 best players in the Russian Premier Liga (RPL) in 2018 by their performances throughout the year, think of it as the RFN Ballon d'Or, next up are the players ranked 35-21. This is the fourth year in our annual tradition, and definitely, the hardest yet, let us know who you would have picked, and we hope you enjoy it. READ MORE: RFN TOP … [Read more...]
RFN Top 50 2018: 50-36
February 27, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Russian Football News As 2018 has turned into 2019, it is time for an annual tradition on Russian Football News: The RFN Top 50. We rank the 50 best players in the Russian Premier Liga (RPL) in 2018 by their performances throughout the year, think of it as the RFN Ballon d'Or, and we start with the players ranked 50-36. This is the fourth year in our annual tradition, and definitely, the hardest yet, let us know who you would have picked, and we hope you enjoy it. READ MORE: RFN … [Read more...]
Kokorin and Mamaev - Four months, no sentence, no end in sight?
February 26, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Kokorin and Mamaev in the dock at one of many hearings they have faced | RIA Novosti Russian football stars Aleksandr Kokorin and Pavel Mamaev have spent over four months in jail after their double assault in October. The two of them will remain in custody until at least April 8th while they still wait for a court decision on a verdict and the punishment they may face. While held, Mamaev even played football for the Butyrka jail five-a-side team, scoring seven times in a match that ended … [Read more...]
Russian Premier Liga - Transfer Window Review
February 25, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Sardar Azmoun, Zenit's new signing from Rubin mad an instant impact against Fenerbahce in the Europa League | RIA Novosti The long winter transfer window in Russia has finally shut and with a couple of weeks until the season resumes, we look back at what every club did this winter. Akhmat Grozny In: Damian Szymanski (Wisla Plock)Out: Idrissa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Zaur Sadaev (Ankaragucu), Ayub Batsuev (Chaika, loan), Idris Umaev (Palanga, loan), Chingiz Magomadov (Ural)In a first-team … [Read more...]
Leandro Paredes to PSG - Catastrophic Loss, or Necessary Sacrifice?
February 18, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Leandro Paredes being announced at PSG after his €40m move | FourFourTwo After weeks of rumour and speculation, one of the worst kept secrets in Russian footballing circles finally happened on 29th January when Zenit St. Petersburg sold their star Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes to French giants PSG. Speculation persisted over the future of Paredes in St Petersburg from the start of the new year and English giants Chelsea were the first club to register an interest in Paredes amongst … [Read more...]
Yaroslav Rakitskiy - Zenit’s new defensive rock
February 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Rakitskiy being unveiled as a Zenit player | FC Zenit Chasing a first RPL title since 2015, Zenit St. Petersburg currently sit at the top of the standings, just one point ahead of Krasnodar. However, at one stage in the season, this lead was nearer to double figures over the chasing pack. A disappointing run of three defeats in four games prior to the winter break has seen Zenit's quest for the title stall. New manager Sergei Semak decided to be patient in the transfer market and give a … [Read more...]
2018/19 RPL Mid-Term Report - Part Four
January 31, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Russian Football News With the long winter break now having arrived and Russian football set for a three-month hibernation, it is now time to look at the season so far and how it has transpired for each RPL member club. This mid-term report will look at the pre-season expectations for each club based on their squad and summer signings, cross-referencing with last season’s performance and reputation. Then deducing whether or not each club is achieving its pre-season goals so far this … [Read more...]
Rostov Rejuvenated - Smart Transfer Recruitment Pays Dividends
January 17, 2019 by Leave a Comment
The new, almost often sold-put Rostov Arena embodies a club reborn | Sport-Express Up until late November, Rostov had spent the whole season in the top five positions of the RPL - enough to qualify for European football in 2019/20. Despite a disappointing 1-0 loss to Krylia Sovetov dropping the Selmashi down to their lowest position of the season (7th), their success has been both refreshing and highly commendable. Success is no stranger to the small team from the south. Under Kurban … [Read more...]
2018/19 RPL Mid-Term Report - Part Three
January 15, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Russian Football News With the long winter break now having arrived and Russian football set for a three-month hibernation, it is now time to look at the season so far and how it has transpired for each RPL member club. This mid-term report will look at the pre-season expectations for each club based on their squad and summer signings, cross-referencing with last season’s performance and reputation. Then deducing whether or not each club is achieving its pre-season goals so far this … [Read more...]
The Russian-English Premier Liga & English Football National League
January 8, 2019 by 1 Comment
Russian fans often scorn the RPL clubs when they complain about having to play midweeks. Invariably, they cite the English Premier League as an example: "Look, they've been playing midweeks all the time since time immemorial, and they are no worse for wear." Yes, they have and they are, but there's a nuance. This season, the furthest north-south travel in the English Premier League is 471 km long (flying distance between Newcastle and Bournemouth; all further distances are given as flying), … [Read more...]
