Russian Premier League Guide, v. 3.0

Let us try this one last time.

Zenit Saint Petersburg



Official Website http://www.fc-zenit.ru
American Supporters http://afz.zenitsbp.org

The origins of Zenit Saint Petersburg date back all the way to 1925, when a team was formed consisting of shop collective workers from a Leningrad metallurgical factory.

Shurik's additions:

Originally members of the metallurgical workers' sporting society, they were called Stalinets Leningrad (translated as "Stalinist") up until 1940. This was the year when the plant became part of the military industry and its sports teams were transferred to the Zenit sporting society. Stalinets were merged with a club called Zenit which played in the second division and assumed their name. The LOMO Optical Plant took up the ownership of the team after the war and in 1990 the independent city-owned professional club was created.
Zenit won their first honours in 1944, claiming the war-time USSR Cup after defeating CDKA in the well-attended final. The club was always adored in Leningrad but wasn't able to make much of an impact in the Soviet League. In 1967 Zenit finished last but were saved from relegation because the powers that were decided it wouldn't be prudent to relegate a Leningrad team during the 50th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, which occured in the city.
The Eighties have finally brought some glory to the Northern Capital: the bronze medal in 1980 and, finally, the Championship in 1984, the club's only league title to date.
After being relegated in the first year of the Russian League, Zenit returned to the top flight in 1996 and have been decent since. The've claimed the 1999 Russian Cup, finished third in the League in 2001 and made the Cup final in 2002.
Not the wealthiest of Russian clubs, Zenit are currently in a rebuilding process.

Shurik's 2003 update:
Backed by the strong leadership of their president Mutko, Zenit have launched an all-out attack on the Moscow domination of Russian football. They have finished second in 2003 (their first silver medal) and will be among the favourites in the coming season.

Club colours are Blue, White and Sky Blue, however, the kits are most often royal blue and white.

Lokomotiv Moskva



Official Website http://www.lokomotiv.ru/

Founded by the Moscow railroad and currently owned by the Ministry of Transportation. Traditionally wear red and white, but the colors of the logo and the flag have prompted the nickname Red-Greens. Other monickers are Loko, Railwaymen and the Steam Train. Lokomotiv plays at the spankin' new Lokomotiv Stadium in Cherkizovo, which seats 30,000.

The club has been near a top of the league for a number off years now, and this past season finally broke the Spartak stranglehold on the title & bested a determined CSKA Moscow squad in a "golden game" tiebreaker to win the 2002 RPL title. Currently Loko is having one of the better runs any Russian team has had in Euro competition, having advanced to the 2nd round of the Champions League, including a thrilling draw with Real Madrid in Spain which saw Loko actually ahead 15 minutes from time.

A Bit Of History By Shurik:

The team's origins date back to 1920, when a team called KOR (The October Revolution Culb) played in the Moscow Football League. After MFL's demise, KOR was taken over by the workers of Moscow's Kazan Railroad and played in the city championship as "Kazanka". Joined the Transportation Ministry's Lokomotiv Sporting Society in the early Thirties.
The club's only significant achievements in the Soviet era were winning the original USSR Cup in 1936 (though this victory was greatly aided by the fact that Dinamo Moscow, the first USSR champion, didn't participate in the torunament) and the 1959 second place in the league.
The club was traveling back and forth between the top 2 divisions during the last couple of decades of the USSR, but its fortunes turned dramatically in post-Soviet era. In the 11 Russian seasons Loko have won 1 gold medal, to go with 4 silvers and 2 bronzes. They've also made the Cup final an astonishing 6 times, going 4-2.
The main reason for this success is the wealth of the transportation industry in the capitalist era.
Despite being one of the country's most powerful clubs, depite enjoying tremendous success in European competition (let's not forget the Cup Winners' Cup semifinal in 1999!), Loko still don't have a fan base to come close to Spartak, CSKA or Dinamo.
It is growing, however, thanks not only to the winning, but also to the beautiful new Lokomotiv Stadium, the best football facility in the country.

 

Spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz



Official Website http://www.fc-alania.ru/

The pride and joy of North Ossetia, their name being the native name of the republic, their colors (red, yellow and white) the colors of the republic's flag, and their badge the republic's seal.

In the first 10 Russian League seasons they were the only club besides Spartak to win the Russian championship (in 1995).

Shurik's 2003 update:

The club's origins date back to 1921, when a football team representing the V.I. Lenin United Workers Club (ORK) was formed in Vladikavkaz. In 1937 "Lenin United" joined the Spartak sporting society and carried this name until 1995. The club was called Spartak-Alania in 1995, then changed it to Alania (the republic's native name) in 1996, and back to Spartak-Alania in 2003. The return of the title-winning name didn't help, as the Red, Yellow and White finished 13th last season.
So, in 2004, with the introduction of the new, locally-based ownership group, the club returns to the name Alania Vladikavkaz.

CSKA Moscow



Official Website http://www.cska-football.ru/

CSKA (Central Sports Club of the Army) Moscow. Founded by the Red Army in the early 1920's, the club's most recent accomplishments are the capture of the Russian Cup in 2002 & the double win of the Premier League and the USSR Cup in 1991, the last Soviet season. Usually referred to as the Red-Blues, the Army guys and the Horses, a derogatory nickname, referring to the club's Army ownership (still in place, despite the professional status). Currently the club plays home matches at the Dinamo Stadium. Usually a big rivalry with Spartak and Dinamo, this season however fully renovated CSKA battled eventual winner Lokomotiv to a tie in points, with the title being settled in a dramatic "golden game".

A Bit of History by Shurik:

Yet another legendary side, CSKA officially recognize their birth date as 1923.
This was a momentous year in Soviet sports. The powers that were had desided that all sporting organizations in the young Soviet state must belong to either municipal/regional governments or industrial units and trade unions or governmental organizations. The era of loosely-assembled Western-style football clubs had ended, which meant the death of the powerful Moscow Football League and most of its members.
One of the giants of old, a club called OLLS (The Society of Skiing Sport Enthusiasts), founded in 1910, didn't quite disappear but instead was handed over to the Red Army's Civilian Military Training Program (aka "Vsevobuch"). Vsevobuch assumed ownership of the OLLS Stadium, and renamed it "The Training and Show Field Of the Vsevobuch", or OPPV. Football was still being played at the facility, by the organization's new-founded team, also named OPPV. Actually, a bulk of OPPV players came over from the defunct OLLS. The new side also kept OLLS' old colors (dark blue shirts and white shorts). All this has lead some historians to believe that CSKA's real birth date should be recorded as 1910, the year OLLS were founded.
Be it as it may, 1923 is the year where the history of Russian Army football begins.
From 1923 to 1935 OPPV played in various citywide tournaments, mostly as a semi-amateur outfit, and had a measure of success. The eventually changed their colours to the now-famous red and blue (these being the colours of the lapels on the Vsevobuch uniform) and, before the first USSR championship started in 1936, were given over to the Central Red Army Club (an officers' recreation facility), or CDKA. They played under this name for the remainder of the Thirties and throughout the Forties (the unfinished 1941 season, when they were called KKA, or Red Army Team, was an exeption). CDKA's era of dominance was in the first post-war years, when the Army was deservingly idolized by both the people and the government.
The honeymoon ended rather harshly in 1952. Disgusted by Team USSR's failure to win gold medals at the Helsinki Olympics, Joseph Stalin found his scapegoat in the Army side (by then called CDSA, or Central Soviet Army Club), holding its 4 national team players most responsible for the final loss to the hated Yugoslavia.
The players were disqualified indefinitely and the team was folded. CDSA was reborn in 1954, after Stalin's death, but was never able to regain its status as the unquestionable power of Soviet football. The club went through 2 more name changes after it was taken over by the Defense Ministry. The incredibly-hard-to-chant CSK MO (Central Sports Club of the Defense Ministry) was by popular demand replaced by the catchy CSKA (Central Sports Club of the Army, prnounced "tseh-es-KAH").
For the longest time CSKA's footballers were in the enormous shadow of the club's ridiculously powerful hockey team (31 national titles from 1947 to 1991), the Eighties being the worst of the decades, marked by relagations and loss of the fan base. The rebirth came under the patronage of Pavel Sadyrin, a great coach from St.Petersburg, who got the club promoted in 1989, won second place in 1990 and led the team to a golden double in 1991, the last Soviet season.
This success, coupled with the hockey team's plight, brought the fans back to CSKA and now they are second in numbers only to those of Spartak.
In the post-Soviet era the club all but severed its ties with the Army, as the Defense Ministry remains only a minority shareholder and the owner of naming rights. The past several seasons were rather successful: the team won silver in 1998 and bronze in 1999, to go with a Cup victory and another second place in the league this year. One burning issue for CSKA is the lack of their own playing field. They currently play home matches at the E.Streltsov Torpedo Stadium while their ancient and decrepit G.Fedotov CSKA Stadium is awaiting renovations.

Shurik's 2003 update:

The year of triumph and controversy for CSKA is over.
On the plus side, the Horses have won their first Russian tite (and eighth overall, counting the Soviet successes), having led the League from Day 1.
On the minus side, they crashed out of the Champions' League qualifiers, were lambasted all season long for an ugly style of play and their coach disgraced himself with the national team.
2004 will be the season of new hope for the Horses, as they will try to not only win but also to gain the public's respect in the process.

 

Dinamo Moskva



Official Website http://www.fcdynamo.ru/
Supporters site http://www.dynamofans.com

Originally an Interior Ministry club, Dinamo (Dynamo) Moscow was founded by the first Chekist chief Felix Dzerzhinskiy. The intimidating origins are not forgotten, as the White-Blues are often referred to as Garbage, a Russian criminal-lingo word for "cops". Dinamo won the first USSR Championship and was the dominant team in the pre-World War II years. Haven't won a League title since 1976, and for that reason now enjoy a slightly older, but still quite extensive fan base. Their ground is the historic Dinamo Stadium in Petrovsky Park, which seats 36,000.

Shurik's additions:

Dinamo is the third most decorated club in Soviet history, having won 11 league titles (they trail Dynamo Kiev and Spartak, with 13 and 12 respectively).
Lev Yashin, the greatest goalkeeper of all time, played his entire career with Dinamo.
Dinamo were the first Soviet club to try their fortunes in the West, when they travelled to England on a good-will tour in 1945. Completely unknown to the Western world, the Soviet players shocked and amazed everyone. Among other things, they rode roughshot over Cardiff City (10-1), defeated Chelsea and played to a 4-4 draw in a thick fog against what effectively was the English national team (although wearing Arsenal kits).
After decades of dominance, Dinamo's fortunes declined as Spartak and Dynamo Kiev seized the reigns in Soviet football.
Recently they have been very respectable but never quite among the championship contenders. The post-Soviet era has brought the White-Blues 1 silver and 3 bronze medals, to go with one Cup victory (after one-upping Rotor Volgograd in a very, very, very long penalty-kick shootout)


Krilya Sovyetov Samara



Official Website http://www.kc-camapa.ru/

Shurik's notes:

Samara is a sleepy provincial town, but it loves its club. The colors are blue and white, but the local fans have been keen on adopting green as the third colour. The reason for that is probably to make the Wings (Krylya Sovetov means the "Soviet wings" in Russian) different from a host of other Russian teams who wear blue and white. The club has partially approved the idea, adding green to the flag but leaving the kit colours as they were.
Originally owned by the local airplane factory, the Wings have never been a power in Soviet times, usually treading the muddy waters of the First and Second Leagues.
They haven't won any medals in the post-Soviet era either, but have managed to avoid relegation.
Lately, with the influx of money from the club's primary sponsor, Siberian Aluminum, the Wings have soared to the upper portions of the League ladder, finishing fifth in 2001 and 2002. Much of the credit is attributed to head coach Tarkhanov and the captain Andrei Tikhonov, a former Spartak legend.
The Wings spend freely in search of foreign talent and always field an exciting side.

 

FC Rostov



Official website http://www.fc-rostselmash.ru/

(Changed by Shurik)

Called Rostselmash up until 2003 after the team's one-time sponsor, the Rostov Agricultural Plant.
The club has been representing the football-crazed southern city in the RPL since 1992, with the exception of 1994, the time of their brief relegation.
Never quite a contender, Rostov usually fight it out in the bottom half of the standings, but are known to be exceptionally tough at home. The colours are blue and yellow.

Rotor Volgograd



Official website http://www.rotor-volgograd.ru/

In the early post-Soviet years, one of the best Russian clubs, but now Rotor has fallen on hard times. Their greatest moment was knocking Manchester United out of the UEFA Cup in the mid-Nineties, after securing a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. The traditional colors are blue and white.

Shurik's additions:

Rotor have laid a claim to 2 silvers and 1 bronze medal since 1992. They came very close to winning the RPL title in 1997, when, going into the last match, they needed a victory over Spartak. The Red-Whites, however, managed to prevail 2-0, and took the gold.
Oleg Veretennikov, Russian Premier League's all-time greatest scorer, played the majority of his career with Rotor.

 

Saturn Ramenskoye



Official website http://www.saturn-fc.ru/

Shurik's notes:

Ramenskoye is a tiny city in the Moscow region.
A complete unknown in Soviet times, Saturn mostly played in amateur torunaments.
Nowadays, the club, receiving heavy financial support from the local mafia, is boasting the beautiful football-specific facility, Saturn Stadium (15,000 all-seater).
Struck a deal with Ren TV, a cable channel, in 2002 to have all their home matches broadcast, a rarity in Russian football. Finished in 6th place in 2001 and 2001 after making their RPL debut in 1999.
Nicknamed the Blue-Blacks. After the Ren TV deal and the subsequent name change, some opposing fans refer to them as Teletubbies.

Shurik's 2003 update:
The Ren-TV deal is up in 2004 and the club will not renew it, reverting to their original name, Saturn.
Free of the Teletubbies monicker, they are now likely to be mocked as erzatz-Spartak. This is due to the coming of head coach Oleg Romantsev, a Spartak legend, who is assembling a lineup of washed-up and semi washed-up Red-Whites in an attempt to make Saturn a suburban stronghold of his past glory.
Stay tuned.

Shinnik Yaroslavl



Official website http://www.shinnik.yar.ru/

Shinnik was founded in 1957 under the name Khimik ("Chemist") and renamed in 1960 after the local tire plant, the clubs main sponsor (the word Shinnik means "tire maker").
In 1997 Shinnik took 4th place in the RPL - the best achievement to date, only to be relegated in 1999. Returning to the RPL in 2002, the team finished a very respectable 8th.
The club never had any long-lasting official colours, but have stuck to be Black and Blue since 2000.

Shurik's notes:

Almost uniquely for Russia's Middle Belt, football is not Yaroslavl's #1 sport, with most of the population religiously following hockey. It's understandable, as the Lokomotiv ice squad is one of the country's best teams. Shinnik, however, draw nice crowds once the puck season is over.
Shinnik's colours are black and blue.

 

Spartak Moskva



Official website http://www.spartak.com/

Known as "The People's Team" or "The Worker's Team". During the days of the Soviet Union, the team won 11 USSR Championships; since then, Spartak has won 9 out of 11 Russian titles since the end of the Soviet Union. Traditionally, the Russian national team has almost been entirely based on current and former Spartak players, up until the disastrous WC 2002 campaign. The club colors are red & white. Spartak plays their home matches in Luzhniki Stadium (85,000 seats, also the home pitch for the Russian national team) with Torpedo Moscow.

Currently in a bitter rivalry with just about everyone, but especially with Dinamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow. Young fans (or ultras) of the team aren't highly regarded throughout the league for their troublemaking habits and routinely being referred as "pigs" or "meat". Those nicknames also come from Moscows' Meat Factory, teams former sponsor. Currently Spartak is sponsored by Russian oil supergiant LukOil.

A Bit of History By Shurik:

Spartak are undoubtedly Russia’s most accomplished club and, along with CSKA and Dinamo, enjoy the richest traditions in Russian football.
The club was founded in 1922, in Krasnaya Presnya (the Red Presnya), a working-class region of Moscow, by young workers of the local Prokhorov Manufacture. Ivan Artemiyev, a shoemaker and veteran footballer, is mentioned in the club’s history as the most active of the team’s founding fathers. The club was known as MKS (Moskovsky Kruzhok Sporta, or the Moscow Sporting Circle) and was originally intended to be involved in different sports. Artemiyev and company raised enough money to clear up an empty lot near the factory and to build a locker room “pavillion”. The new team, clad in red shirts and white shorts, generated plenty of excitement in the Moscow football circles as some of the premier players from the soon-to-be-defunct Moscow Football League joined it, including three legendary sets of brothers: Artemiyevs, Kanunnikovs and, of course, the Starostins. The eldest, Nikolay Petrovich Starostin would go on to become the Russian equivalent of George Halas, the founder and organizer of Spartak Moscow in the mid-Thirties. N.P. Starostin, who died in 1996 at the age of 94, is probably the most legendary and revered figure in Russian football.
After MKS’ inaugural season in the MFL the leagfue folded and the club spent the next 13 years playing in the various city-wide tournaments, changing names and affiliations in the process. In 1923 the club became known as Krasnaya Presnya, 2 years later – as Pishcheviki (“Food workers”), going under the brief patronage of the Moscow Meatpacking Plant. Despite the brief affiliation, the team is still referred to as “The Meat” among ill-wishers, although some of the Spartak faithful, including most of the players, have embraced the derogatory nickname. The same cannot be said for monickers such as “Pigs” and “Swine”.
In 1927 the team was taken over by the Moscow Food Cooperative and used an English-speaker’s nightmare of a name Promkooperatsiya. However, in 1931 and 1932 the club was on the brink of extinction, as most of the leading players, including the four Starostin brothers, were lured away by the powerful Dukat side, founded by the tobacco factory of the same name. Promkooperatsiya were reborn in 1934 when Dukat folded and in 1935 the Open Sporting Society “Spartak” was created, with the Promkooperatsiya team as the founding member. Nikolay Starostin was the driving force behind the creation of the Society and served as its first President. Also, despite being 34 and long past his prime, he managed to play 1 match for Spartak Moscow in the first USSR Championship in 1936.
Spartak, still officially affiliated with food cooperatives but basically an independent side (a rarity in Soviet football of the time), kept the original MKS red and white colors and the Promkooperatsiya red shirts with a white horizontal stripe (a Spartak fixture for the following decades).
Over the years Spartak has enjoyed a wide-spread following throughout the nation, thanks to its reputation as a “People’s Team”, unaffiliated with the government (like CSKA and Dinamo) or industrial giants (like Torpedo). This lack of official support has probably contributed to the fact that the country’s premier football organization is one of the few without its own stadium. Even some high-rank fan following, such as that of one Leonid Brezhnev, or the modern-day backing by nouveau-riche oil magnates wasn’t enough to build the Red-Whites their own arena. They currently split their time between the Dinamo Stadium, the E. Streltsov Torpedo Stadium and the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium.
Some of the legendary players to don the red and white include Nikita Simonyan (one of the best Soviet strikers of the Fifties), USSR national side’s field general Igor Netto, the exciting and brilliant Fyodor Cherenkov, and Rinat Dassayev, recently included in the list of the world’s top 20 goalkeepers of all time.

Spartak were a force in the Soviet football, especially after the era of the powerful service teams (Dinamo and CSKA) had waned. They did have a biref collapse, being relegated for the first and only time in 1976, but returned to the top flight immediately and were Soviet champions again by 1979. Interestingly, the team's 1976 plight didn't turn the fans against the club as the Muscovites rallied in force behind the team. It was right about that time when the red-whites became the city's best-supported side.
After battling Dynamo Kyiv for the better part of the Seventies and Eighties in the Soviet league, Spartak found themselves all alone atop the Russian football after the breakup of the USSR.
After winning all but 1 of the Russian championships (they were denied in 1995, finishing third with a young side amidst a rebuilding process), Spartak are currently experiencing a stagnation process.
Their current management, led by head coach Oleg Romantsev, has come under heavy citicism for misusing and mistreating young talent. The Red-Whites, still the most popular team in Russia, have lost some of their fan base thanks to the emergence of Lokomotiv and CSKA. They couldn't do better than third place this year, clearly outplayed by the two city rivals. Spartak are also holders of a dubious European record as they have gone 17 matches without a victory over the last three Champions' League seasons.

Shurik's 2003 update:

Spartak have justed finished their worst season since 1976, despite winning the Russian Cup and advancing to the spring portion of the UEFA Cup. The 10th place in the league standings, the firing of two coaches (Romantsev and his successor Chernyshov), the extremely unpopular leadership of club president Chervichenko, the uglier-than-ugly style of play and the scandalous final match against Torpedo-Metallurg (which the Red-Whites were widely suspected of throwing) have all contributed to the fans' nightmare.
The famous Italian coach Nevio Scala (the first foreigner to lead Spartak since 1936) will be looked upon to save the organization from the tailspin.

Torpedo Moskva



Official website http://www.torpedo.ru/

Founded in 1924, originally known as 'Proletarian Forge' (or smithy, for you fans of Olde English), before changing their name to Torpedo in 1936. Used to belong to the ZIL automobile plant until a fallout in the mid-1990s that resulted in Torpedo leaving their historic ground and moving across town to Luzhniki, as they became property of the Luzhniki corporation. This means they have to play in the monster of a stadium, despite their tiny fan base.
(For further comments on the fan situation, see the article on Torpedo-Metallurg)

Nicknamed the Black-Whites, Torpedo hasn't been a force in Russian football since the days of Eduard Streltsov, the brilliant striker of the Sixties and Seventies, "the Russian Pele". Streltsov's refusal to play for Dinamo (at the insistence of the KGB) resulted in his imprisonment on trumped-up rape charges. He returned after serving 7 years in labor camps and was still dazzling. His back-heel pass technique is forever known in Russian football as The Streltsov.

Past glories for Torpedo include 3 USSR titles (1960, 1965, & fall 1976), 6 USSR Cups (1949, 1952, 1960, 1968, 1972, 1986), 1 Russian Cup (1993), & 3 appearances in the quarterfinals of Eurpopean/UEFA Cup competition.

 

FC Moscow



Official website http://www.torpedo-metallurg.ru/

Former names: Torpedo-ZIL, Torpedo-Metallurg.
The team belonged to the ZIL automobile plant, up until 2003. It took the place of the original Torpedo, as they became property of the Luzhniki corporation.
The Zil club quickly progressed through the ranks and was playing in the RPL by 2001, just managing to avoid relegation in its first three seasons there.
In 2003 ZIL sold their club once again, transferring the rights to a Siberian metallurgical conglomerate Norilski Nikel. The new owners' attempt to move the team to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia were blocked by the Russian FA.

Shurik's comments:

The team was founded in 1997, after the old Torpedo was sold to Luzhniki, but ZIL had been claiming that their side is "the real Torpedo", meaning the real owners of the old club's legacy. This issue was in much dispute between 1997 and 2002, as the fans of the 2 Torpedoes have split.
The Luzhniki club had historical continuity on their side.
The ZIL squad had the logo, the colours (black, white and green), the industry affiliation, the stadium and the training facility of the old team on theirs.
Most of the old Torpedo fans seemed to flock to the ZIL side, it being in the more familiar territory. Torpedo-ZIL also received support from the residential areas in which their stadium is located.
The Luzhniki club, being torn away from their roots and playing in a non-residential district of the city, managed to keep only a tiny group of supporters, those, who extended their affection for the club beyond the industry affiliation.
Nowadays, however, further dissent among ex-ZIL supporters is brewing. Some of them are staying with Torpedo-Metallurg, some have linked up with Torpedo, others are waiting for ZIL to field an amateur side.
Confusion continues.

Shurik's 2004 update:

Another transfer of ownership has occured in 2004, as the Metallurgs are now jointly run by Norilski Nikel and the Moscow City Councel. The club as been renamed FC Moscow, a move that is alienating many of the remaining fans who have now lost the last reason to claim their side is "the real Torpedo".
Whoever remains with the club will root for it exclusively because of territorialily. FC Moscow will probably wind up representing the inhabitants of the Zamoskvorechye region of Moscow, a well-populated blue-collar area, where the Streltsov Stadium is located.

Uralan Elista



Official website http://www.uralan.com/

The Kalmykian Republic club, adamantly supported by the nation's President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who has issued some positively presidential proclamations regarding the team and its fortunes.

Shurik's comment:

The team underwent a logo change in 2002, dumping the old steppe eagle design for a figure of a tiger. The reason? Mr. Ilyumzhinov was born in the Bhuddist Year of the Tiger.
Kalmykia is the only Bhuddist state in Europe and damn proud of it. Their football team is probably closely behind on the pride list, although it very rarely features a local-bred player.
The club colours are yellow and blue, those of the Kalmykian flag.
Kalmykians are ethnic Mongols who've setteled in the Russian steppes a very long time ago.
The word "uralan" is a Kalmykian fighting yell, translated as "Ahead!" or "Forward!" It is said that the traditional Russian "Urrrrraaaaa!" is based upon it.

 

Anzhi Mahachkala



Official website http://www.fc-anzhi.ru/

As if the poor folks in Dagestan don't have enough bad news these days. Anzhi surprised just about everyone in its first season in the league by reaching UEFA Cup competition & giving Glascow Rangers all they could handle. But just as quickly the fortunes of the club have fallen on hard times. This season, the club from the troubled republic (bordering another even more troubled region of Russia, Chechnya) was unable to avoid the drop & will be playing in the Russian 1st division in 2003.

Shurik's comments:

"Anzhi" is a reference to Makhachkala's old name - Anzhikala.
The club, which features some native-born players, is adored and worshipped throughout Dagestan and they will definitely do everything possible to get back into the top flight.
Their colours are green and yellow, although an all-white kit was generally worn last season.

Sokol Saratov



Official website http://www.sokol-saratov.ru/

Two seasons ago, as a newcomer to the RPL, the Falcons did very well & finished respectably in the middle of the table. However 2002 saw Sokol produce a disatserous campaign, resulting in a relegation.

Shurik's addition:

Saratov is an old Russian city on the Volga River an "Sokol" is Russian for "falcon".
The colours are blue and white, whith striped or hooped shirts being the usual outfit.

The 2 teams promoted to the RPL for the 2003 are our old friends Chernomorets Novorossisk (seems to be some debate as to under what moniker the Black Sea Sailors will be playing under in 2003, as well) and Rubin Kazan

 

Shurik....not sure what you think, but the recent abysmal performances of just about everybody (with the notable exception of Loko, of course) in Euro competition, that RPL teams should be seeking any way & every way into UEFA competitions, even the lowly Intertoto. However, I'm glad there will be at least ONE Cup that the Neva lads haven't bombed out of yet....

Torpedo Metallurg? Thumbs down. Norilski Nikel Moscow & Torpedo-Yenisei Moscow, even worse. Torpedo 1924....now THAT[/] doesn't sound too damn bad...wish they would have went with that one, instead.

When was the last time a Siberian team was in the top flight, anyway??