This post will be rather short, personal and uninformative. If you want, you can close this tab and move to other, more formal articles.
You know, since the last time I wrote, I can’t watch too much Russian football anymore. I’m trying to catch Spartak matches (and proud of seeing the Zenit rumble live from thousands of kilometres away illegally on the laptop), still follow Volga and time by time look at the table. I’m interested, but I’ve moved away from it.
But what I see inspires me.
OK, I must clarify that the Russian championship is not very quality. There are different issues that are not letting our league move to a new level. Players, contracts, stadiums, infrastructure and others. It’s not very good if we consume it in a vacuum.
But I can see the point now, which is why I’ve decided write about it.
At first, I have to say that I watch football all the time (and I’ve never said that anywhere else in any situation, and, yes, it’s a confession), but when I was saying good things about the Russian league, I was being hypocritical.
I didn’t lie; I really liked some aspects and parts of the RPL. But, in general, it was horrible for me. I could rarely even watch my team’s matches. Not to mention games of the Anzhi - Tom or Spartak Nalchik - Krylia Sovetov class. Sometimes I would put it on and walk away from the TV to do something else, then rush back if there was a goal or something like that. This was the only way I could watch the RPL.
The years passed and nothing changed. I’ve seen a lot of garbage: the fixed (I’m absolutely sure about that) Volga - Anzhi match in 2011, Volga’s financial problems and team crisis, other fixed matches and unbelievably boring games somewhere in Nalchik. Seriously, sometimes I had to take a break. I couldn’t stand what happened to Spartak anymore in autumn 2012. I was so shocked and emotionally drained after the Celtic and Dynamo defeats (although I turned the TV off at the last one after the third goal), that I missed the matches that came after it. I’ve been thinking over why I did this, but have never regretted it.
What happened after every time I’ve desperately thrown my scarf on the floor? I’ve bounced back. As every fan does. I’m not very loyal when it comes to my “first” team. But I’m always there. Despite a couple of exceptions.
But not this season.
This football year, everything has changed. It could be something inside me. Or not.
But what could I see last year?
Struggling as hell Spartak, Lokomotiv and Mordovia - looking at them trying to play football was terrifying. Alania trying to appeal to referees - Zenit, too, after the flare incident. Boringly stable CSKA and an unsurprising bunch of outsiders, including Volga, Krylia, Amkar and Rostov. Rubin performing okay in Euro games, but uninteresting domestically. And what else? Probably Terek and Kuban (I, however, have to say that I don’t like them at all. Politics and stuff.) and Krasnodar as an example of a policy of honesty and directness.
This year, it’s all different.
CSKA having to deal with selling Wagner and trying to repeat for the championship. Lokomotiv as a real contender. Zenit, who finally bought a few decent players and regained stability - Oleg Shatov as a bonus gamble. Spartak rebuilding the team again and still showing decent results. Cherchesov proving his high professionalism with Amkar, who are again looking for a European spot. Anzhi downshifting. Kuban making it for the first time to the Europa League and expecting to go back there next year. Ural back to the Premier League with the ability to stay up.
It’s all interesting. I want to watch it. Finally. I liked Tom - Ural, seriously liked it.
And the problems with stadiums in Moscow, Amkar’s financial struggles once again, Tom’s crisis and others…there’s no hopelessness in it. There’s always something to look for. To expect. I’m keeping myself updated because I want to, not the irrational feeling of having your own league you “have got to be interested in”.
I started really enjoying the RPL.
And after all, nothing matters.
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