From Carrick Rangers to FC Volga Tver

The story of how I came to support FC Volga Tver of the second division west zone is not a typical one.

I can look back to September and, it is strange to say, be grateful for my then-inability to translate the Russian language.

Having arrived in Tver, a town situated two hours to the north of Moscow, in order to study on exchange, I sought out the local football team. After a quick and erroneous glance at the club website, I headed to Khimik (which means ‘chemist’) stadium to watch a game.

Except there was no game. Only an army of volunteers cleaning and redecorating. Having asked in broken Russian when the game would begin, and not understanding the answer, I concluded that I had simply arrived too early and that Volga Tver fans were methodical in their pre-match preparations.

I returned two hours later to the same sight. By now, I had realised that football would not be taking place today and, with nervous anticipation, decided to mime my way to a pair of gloves and a paintbrush.

Thinking back, I fully understand the bewilderment on the faces of the 40 or so fans. All that I had been able to tell them was that I had arrived from Northern Ireland to study Russian and that I like football. Thankfully, I was put in the company of a few similar-aged guys and we managed to communicate by naming footballers and giving the thumbs up or down in response.

I later learnt that the ‘clean-up day’ was held in order to prepare for the arrival of Zenit St. Petersburg in the last-16 of the Russian Cup.

The willingness of the fans to include me in the group made a great impression. That my newly-found friends began inviting me to socialise with them was a great motivation to improve my speaking skills.

In the presence of the Volga Tver ultras, a group of perhaps 30 supporters, and the fan base as a whole, I have always felt very welcomed. Several have taken an interest in my local team, Carrick Rangers of the Irish Premiership, and wear pin-badges on their jackets.

Russians, in general, are fiercely proud of where they are from. Rarely have I had a conversation and not been asked how I like the town, the people and then hearing suggestions on what to do next. Sometimes, they offer to act as a guide. When I asked one of my friends, Andrei, where he would like to travel in Europe, he replied, “Why would I travel to Europe when I haven’t travelled through all of Russia?”

I meet Alex Malyuta, Alex Strakhov, Alex Pakin and Misha Plekhanov at least once a week. The first two I met at the clean-up day, after which they gave me a tour of the town centre. A typical outing would begin by going to a cafe to discuss English and Russian football.

Unsurprisingly, Leicester City has been a constant source of debate. I was told that Everton signing Baye Oumar Niasse is much more likely to succeed in England than Newcastle’s Seydou Doumbia. It was through such conversations that I really became interested in Russian football. Then we walk or drive around Tver, going to places which only locals would know.

There is certainly a sense of community among my friends, all of whom are aged from late teens to late-twenties. For example, when the winter break began, several football fans began supporting the local hockey team. I have been invited to every game and it has been a great way to compensate for a lack of live football. Last week, four fans, none of whom consider hockey to be their favourite sport, travelled five hours to Yaroslavl for an away fixture.

With another fan, Ilya Zernov, I watch Russian Premier League football in bars around Tver. In terms of top-flight support, Spartak and CSKA dominate in the town; I would not wear Zenit colours in a hurry. Through Ilya, I have become acquainted with a wide circle of people. When they realise that I am a foreigner, a conversation about Russian and English films is never too far away. At the end of March, I hope to participate in a mini-football tournament within the Tver region.

Hospitality and generousity have been shown in abundance. A flag, scarf, hat, t-shirt, calendar and pendants, all either for free or for a heavily discounted price, make up my collection of memorabilia.

Volga fans are a lively, vocal group on matchdays. Instead of wearing replica tops, they have fan t-shirts and there is always a drummer to lead the chants.

My first game at Khimik, a charming, homely stadium situated a stone’s throw from the river Volga, was a 1-1 draw against Domodedovo. The multi-coloured seats, with no roof for cover, and the white palace-like building for VIPs give a rather unique appearance. A welcome message over the PA system made the day even more memorable.

Two games particularly stand out. Firstly, Zenit, led by Andre Villas-Boas, arrived in Tver on 23^rd September with a boisterous and sizeable following. An hour before kick-off, the queues stretched long from the stadium and it was reported that 8,300 people (excluding those watching from perimeter walls and the roof of the neighbouring Putevoy Palace) had squeezed in to watch. Around 300 would typically attend the games of Volga. Play was stopped for five minutes to allow the smoke from flares of the visiting fans’ ‘fire show’ to disperse from the pitch. To the surprise of everybody, the hosts fought valiantly to bring the opposition, containing the likes of Javi Garcia, Danny and Dzyuba, to extra-time, in which Denis Tkachuk netted a hat-trick to give Zenit a 3-0 victory. Villas-Boas remarkably refused to attend the post-match press conference because it was to be held in a sports hall.

Secondly, the visit of table-topping Khimki proved to be more than worth the entrance fee (100 roubles). Though the away side played expansive, fast football en route to a 2-0 victory, it was the verbal ping-pong between the fans which really caught my interest. One side would sing in support of their team, then the other would follow suit, before both Volga and Khimki unified to chant in support of Russia.

Volga started the season like a runaway Sapsan (Russia’s express train), going the first nine games undefeated. A 3-0 defeat at Tekstilshchik began a rot of one win in the next nine games, the last of which was a 2-1 away loss against Karelia in mid-November before winter decided to put an end to all things football. The second division west zone, which is part of the third tier of Russian football, is due to resume on 11^th April, with 10th-placed Volga travelling to Moscow to play an Andrei Kanchelskis-managed Solyaris, who sit second in the table.

Volga boss Emin Agaev, capped 64 times by Azerbaijan, has signed no fewer than seven players during the break and has allowed several to depart. Speaking to the club website on 8^th March, Volga’s 49^th birthday, he said: “We are making plans in order to find the best combination. Today we managed to form a system, in which each position has two candidates. Such competition within the team should help in proper matches.

“Tomorrow morning the whole squad is going to the south of Russia. A three-week training camp will take place and we will play a series of friendly matches.”

Fans consider the aforementioned visit of Zenit and a quarter-final appearance in the Russian Cup in 2010 as the most notable moments from recent years.

I wholeheartedly wish Volga Tver, the club with a small budget but big ambitions, the success which its wonderful fans deserve.

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