Loko move for Aliev

According to http://www.fclokomotiv.com/, Lokomotiv have enquired Dynamo Kiev about 24 year old midfielder Olexandr Aliev. On the word of the same site the Railwaymen are ready to pay over 8million euros for the Ukranian ace. Recall that Lokomotiv were interested in acquiring Aliev on the appointment of Semin. However soon Loko ended up any interest in Aliev and instead tried to lure Lokomotiv fan-favourite Marat Izmailov back to Moscow. Unfortunately the price asked by Sporting Lisbon proved to be a stumbling block and thus for the time being, any potential transfer of Izmailov is practically impossible.

Thus, knowing that bringing a playmaker is a must, Semin renewed his interest in Aliev. In my view Aliev would be an excellent acquisition. He will for sure become our new Loskov. Actually his playing style is almost identical to that of Loskov. The fact that Semin knows well Aliev, owing to the 18 months they spent together at Dynamo Kiev is a bonus. Unfortunately, despite Semin persistance to bring the player, the Lokomotiv board seems to be a little bit reluctant to fork out some money in order to finalise the deal. I just hope that the Lokomotiv board allocate the required amount and see Aliev in red-green colours before long!! It would be just a really excellent transfer coup, something which we, Loko fans, haven't experienced for ages. In my opinion Torbinsky's transfer from Spartak was the last one! Forza "Lakamatifff"!!

Avramov to Moscow, Pelizzoli to Firenze

In an interview between gazzetta.it and Fiorentina transfer guru Panteleo Corvino, Corvino conceeded that Serbian goalkeeper Vlada Avramov may move to Lokomotiv Moscow while forgotten Italian Lokomotiv keeper Ivan Pelizzoli move the opposite way in a swap transfer deal. In doing so Fiorentina will release another place for a non-EU player. In my opinion such transfer will not only suit the Italian side, but will also be a good deal for Lokomotiv. Apart of Avramov's undisputed skill, a keeper with 8 years experience in Italian football would for sure help Lokomotiv's cause! However I believe that before bringing Avramov Lokomotiv should sell another keeper. Even though competition is key, however 5 goalkeepers may be a little bit too much. . .

Lokomotiv show interest in Palermo duo

According to the agent Stefano Caira which represent striker Igor Budan and midfielder Fabio Simplicio, both 29, Lokomotiv are interested in the services of the unwanted Palermitan duo. While the latter transfer may prove very challenging given the player's importance to Palermo, the transfer of the former player is very realistic since Budan failed miserably to cement his place in the starting line-up. Actually he played only 5 games during last season, in which he failed to find the back of the net on any occasion. Personally, with regards to Budan we should look elsewhere. He look well past his prime.

On the other hand, in my opinion Lokomotiv should do their best and try to lure the Brazilian powerman to Moscow. As I had already deduced luring Simplicio to Moscow is not an easy task, especially with Serie A giants Lazio keeping their tabs on the Brazilian. However with the contract talks between Palermo and the representatives of Simplicio stalling for the time being, a move to Moscow can be all the cards. Moreover the number of Brazilian players plying their trade in Russia (4 in Lokomotiv only) may tempt the Brazilian to Russia. Hope so anyways! He would strengthen our midfield; thats for sure!!

Duo up and running again

Lokomotiv centre-backs Jan Durica and Marko Basha had returned to the main squad after both of them recovered from their respective injuries. This means that Dmitry Torbinsky is the only injured player remaining. It is expected that he will recover by mid-August.

On the other hand, Lokomotiv head coach Yury Semin intends to register three new defenders to the Lokomotiv squad. These are Malkhaz Asatiani and Tarlas Burlak, who returned from their respective loan at Dynamo Kiev and Volga Nizhny Novgorod. The third one is Sergey Yefimov who recovered from a grave injury which kept him out of action for over a year. Welcome back all of you!

Lokomotiv scores at death and draws in Dushanbe

In a friendly match played yesterday, Lokomotiv faced current Tajkistan top division holders FC Regar-TadAZ from Tursunzoda (Interestingly, Regal-TadAZ, who were founded in 1950, were declared Tajik champions 7 times in the last 8 years.) In front of a healthy crowd of about 22 000 people, Lokomotiv obtained a 2-2 draw from the encounter, a good result considering the fact that the majority of the squad led by Rinat Bilyaletdinov for the occasion consisted of youth players. Loko's goals were scored by Dmitry Poloz and Vitaly Dyakov in the 68th and 97 th minute respectively.

The starting line up was made of:

Pelizzoli (Kiselev 58'), Kambolov, Yefimov, Sharifi, Grichenkov, Fomin, Drozdov (Samokhin 58'), Voynov (Dyakov 67 '), Poloz, Chochiev (Pankovets 69'), Minchenkov.

Luckless Lokomotiv held by a poor Dynamo

In a very entertaining contest, Lokomotiv were unjustly held by a really poor Dyanmo. Lokomotiv practically dominated the match from first to last and they SHOULD have scored at least another two goals. To add insult to injury the ref waved away two possible penalty claims. Despite "losing" two points, as a Lokomotiv fan I cannot but be very happy with the performance put by they guys. Sychev was inspirational, Bilyaletdinov seemed to return to the Bilya we know AND as I said many times, we have a gem of a player: Gatagov. One word: Amazing! Shuffling the formation once again, Semin opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Giulherme regained his place while the returning Rodolfo was the only change from the back four which started last match. Actually he took the injured Sennikov's place. Charles and Glushakov protected the back four while the trio who assisted Sychev up front was made of Gatagov, Bilyaletdinov and Odemwingie.

From the begining, the match looked bright for Lokomotiv. The first chance of the match fell to the feet of Glushakov, whose his well-hit freekick skimmed the crossbar. Within minutes it was Gagatov who tried his luck from 25 metres out but his shot went wide. On the 31st minute, Rodolfo put Sychev clean through, but the latter's effort was neutralized by Gabulov. Sychev didn't looked to be disheartened with his effort but rather it motivated him and from then on he was totally unstoppable. Aftwerwards Odemwingie had a goal ruled out for an offside. Kombarov's half-chance at the end of the first half resulted to be the only Dynamo's chance of note of the first half as the referee blewed for half-time with the score being 0-0.

Apart of the goal, the second half was all Lokomotiv. Sychev, Bilyaletdinov, Gagatov started to create havoc within the area of the blues, while Odemwingie seemed to up his game from the first half. Furthermore Charles passing really impressed me. So did Glushakov work-rate! After Bilyaletdinov, Odemwingie, Charles and Sychev came close to open the score, on the 70th minute, Gagatov put free Bilyaletdinov and our captain fired Lokomotiv infront, sending the crowd into raptures in the process! Lokomotiv haven't played such beautiful football (Semin's football) for ages! However, within 8 minutes the game was level again. Dujmovic lost Kerzhakov, and the latter's shot ended up in the ended, albeit with the help of the upright. With ten minutes left, Lokomotiv upped their tempo and started to look for the winning goal. However neither today luck wasn't on our side. Neverthless Lokomotiv really looked bright and full of ideas today, for sure it augures well for the future!! FORZA LOKOMOTIV, yep my friend, its BACK!!! =)

The match was refereed by Yury Baskakov.

Player Ratings:
Guilherme - 6 - Solid and composed, however could have done a little better with Kerzha's goal.

Yanbaev - 7 - Linked up well with the attack
Dujmovic - 6 - Lost Kerzhakov for the goal and nearly gifted a goal to Dynamo. Played out of position yet again but was solid throughout all match though.
Rodolfo - 8 - Excellent match from the centre-back. Passed some excellent balls, particularly the cross with his outer-left. Unbelievable staff from a defender.
Kuzmin - 7 - Strong as ever, good match from the former FC Moscow man.

Charles - 7.5 - Won and sprayed some good balls
Glushakov - 7 - Amazing work-rate, never stopped going. A good match from the youth graduate.
Odemwingie - 6.5 - Spilled a chance, and was somewhat quite in the first half. Tired out as the match went on
Bilyaletdinov - 8 - A captain's performance. Took his goal very well and full of tricks.
Gatagov - 8.5 - This lad has a great future. Amazing stuff from the 18 year old youngster. An Izmailov-like performance. Sent in some good crosses and seemed unstoppable at times!

Sychev - 8 - Apart from his lost chance, Sychev was unstoppable throughout all the match. Skipped players as if they were just cones, and came close with a 25 metre shot. Could have won a penalty. Great match!

Lokomotiv looking to lure Rosina to Moscow

According to Italian website Tuttosport, Lokomotiv are ready to rival Zenit Saint Petersburg for the sigining of former Italian-U21 international Alessandro Rosina. According to the report, Torino are holding out for a fee of 10 millions euros for their star player. Recall that Torino lost their Serie A status in the preceding season. Keeping in mind Tuttosport's reputation, I believe that such transfer will never go through because 99 percent I believe that Lokomotiv ain't even interested in the transfer of Rosina at all!

Kocis tracked by Catania

According to Romanian media, former Sheriff Tiraspol, Rezvan Kocis is being tracked by Italian Serie A club Catania. The press states that Catania sees Kocis as a perfect replacement for Genoa-bound Italian midfielder Marco Biaganti. In my opinion, Lokomotiv should sell the player if any opportunity arise. Personally I don't see him fit in the 4-4-2 tactic. Moreover, his sale would raise some funds which Loko can use to bring a much needed playmaker.

Torbinsky back in September

Lokomotiv midfielder Dmitry Torbinsky, who has been out injured from May 10, is expected be up and running again by September. Recall that Torbinsky undergone an operation in order to recover from his groin injury. All the best Dmitry!

Berlin calling for Basa

According to some reports, Hertha Berlin are interested in the services of Loko central-back Marko Basa. Actually they see the Montenegrin defender as the direct replacement for Josip Simunic, who recently traded Hertha for Hoffenheim. Recall that the player is also being tracked by French Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux.

Held in Perm

In a match which for the most part was under torrential rain, Lokomotiv were unable to bring home the three points. Despite looking the better team of the two Lokomotiv didn't took their chances and eventually they paid the price. Yury Semin altered the formation and opted for a 4-5-1 one. Cech regained his place and took the place of the injured Guilherme. Predictably Yanbaev and Kuzmin started on the flanks while Dujmovic, on his return to Perm partnered Sennikov at the back. Gatagov and Bilyaletdinov started on the wings while Charles and Glushakov together with a little more advanced Mudjiri completed the three in the central midfield. Sychev completed the line-up.

The match kicked of under torrential rain and this seemed to hinder the play of both teams. Actually the match took more than a quarter of an hour in order to produce something of note. A cross from the right by the Loko number 10, Mudjiri was met very well by Sychev, but likewise was the response from Narubin. On the 35th minute, during an Amkar attack, Sennikov was unintentionally violently hit on the head and thus he was unable to continue the match. Eventually, Sennikov's injury allowed 17-year old Maxim Belyaev to make his debut in the Premier League. Recall that Belyaev debuted with the Loko seniors only 4 days ago in the Russian Cup clash with SKA-Energiya. Likewise, Jean Carlos, was unable to continue the match for the Red-Blacks and thus he was replaced by William de Oliveira.

In the second half the men in white shirts came out a little more aggressive and started to take the match to Amkar's half. After a chance apiece, and with Lokomotiv looking the most dangerous, the men in stripes shocked the visitors and broke the deadlock. A corner from the left was flapped by Cech and from close range Sikimic made no mistake. This error proved to be costly as within the remaining 25 minutes Lokomotiv were only able to score a single goal. Glushakov was brought down in the area and justly, Lokomotiv were awarded a penalty from which Sychev made no mistake, thus breaking his duck in the process. In the last quarter Bilyaletdinov could have won the match for Loko. Following a mix-up in Amkar's box, Bilyaletdinov was put clean through by Sychev, but, instead of shooting, Bilyaletdinov opted to pass the ball in the centre. However his pass was clearly misjudged and thus Lokomotiv lost another opportunity. Semin played his last card, that is Fininho, which however proved to be ineffective. One-all was the final score, a score which neither team benefited from. While Lokomotiv continue to langiush in the middle of the table, Amkar remained in the relegation zone. Kuzmin was the only Loko man to be booked.

Player Ratings:
Cech - 5 - Dealt with everything thrown at him. However fumbled a corner, which eventually cost the match for Lokomotiv.

Yanbaev - 6.5 - Bombing forward continually as usual, however with little end product.
Sennikov - 6.5 - Replaced early in the first due to a hard challenge. Played well till his injury. From this blog I wish you a speedy recovery!
Dujmovic - 7.5 - Played out of position but really impressed. Man of match. Played with bags of confidence at the back, inspired confidence throughout all the team. Could have scored as well.
Kuzmin - 7 - Strong at the back. Attacked more than usual.

Gatagov - 7 - Does he play with fire in his belly? Amazing work rate. Never gave up. A real gem of a player!
Charles - 6.5 - Sprayed some good passes.
Glushakov - 7 - Poor in the first half but grew immensly in the second half. Won the penalty for the Railwaymen
Bilyaletdinov - 6.5 - Some neat touches. However far from the Bilya we know. In my opinion this is all due to lack of match fitness.
Mudjiri - 7 - Linked up the midfield with attack very well. Although nowhere near Loskov, his performance really was joyful to watch. A sort of Loskov-like performance.

Sychev - 7.5 - Finally scored! Really grew in confidence after scoring, never stopped going. A true Sychev performance.

Substitutions:
Belyaev - 7 - To say the truth, I was bewildered by the performance of the 17 year old. Despite playing his first ever Premier Liga game, he seemed that he have been playing for ages. Really grew in confidence as the match progressed.
Kocis - 6 - Rarely threatened
Fininho- N/A - Brought on in the dying minutes of the game; at least touched the ball.

Loko vs Amkar

Following last week's poor showing against Tom, today, Lokomotiv will look to bounce back and bring home a much needed win. For the encounter which is being billed a difficult one following Amkar's two straight wins in the last two rounds, Lokomotiv will have 4 important players unavailable for the match. These are Guilherme, Basa, Durica and Odemwingie; whom all of them have been training on their own during the last few days. Furthermore Torbinsky is still unavailable for the red-green. I just hope that today we will make it!

Match Preview
Who? Amkar-Lokomotiv

Where? Zvezda Stadium
Date? 19 July 2009 (today)
Time? 16.00 (Moscow time), 14.00 (C.E.T.)

Black Sea back in Moscow

Swiss goalkeeper Edin Jakupovic, who passed the last two years at loan at Swiss side Grasshoppers returned to Lokomotiv after his loan deal expired. As of today Jakupovic will be training with the youth squad led by Rinat Bilyaletdinov. According to sports.ru the possibilites that Black Sea Jakupovic (as known by the fans in red and green) remains at Lokomotiv are very minimal. However, he might get his chance should Lokomotiv sell some of it's keepers that it currently has on it's books. Recall that some days ago Tottenham showed their interest in the 24 year old.

Basa on the move?

According to some reports, French Ligue 1 champions Girondins de Bordeaux made a formal enquiry for Lokomotiv's Montenegrin centre-back Marko Basa. The French club are ready to pay 5 million euros, some 500 000 euros less Lokomotiv paid Le Mans for his transfer 12 months ago. With Yury Semin prefering Malkhaz Asatiani over Basa, the transfer of the latter is just a matter of time rather than if. Personally I am against such transfer. I would prefer if Lokomotiv sell Durica rather than Basa. In my opinion Basa did very well during his time in Moscow. It will be a pity should he leave the Russian capital but anyways, Forza LOKO!

Over and Out

Today Lokomotiv played their first match of the Russian Cup 2008. Eventually the first match resulted to be the last match of the competition. Fielding practically the Loko-youth team, the Moscovites ultimately slumped to a 2-1 defeat to SKA-Energiya. Goals from Konovalov and Garbuz in the 34th and 43th minute respectively paved the way for a win to the Khabarovsk side. Despite Lokomotiv clawed one back on the 51th minute through a Mudjiri's penalty, Lokomotiv were unable to score another goal and force the game into extra time. Thus Lokomotiv were eliminated. However credit to the youngsters who did relatively well considering the fatigue and other factors such as bad weather! Lokomotiv is proud of you!

SKA-Energiya will now face another far eastern team, that is Luch-Energiya Vladivostok who early disposed of Saturn with a 3-0 win. The winner of the "Far-Eastern Derby" will qualify to the quarter-final of the Russian Cup! All the best!!

The match was refereed by Nikolay Ivanov from Saint Petersburg (poor ref). The game was played at the Lenin Stadium in Khabarovsk.

For Lokomotiv the following started the match:

Cech (GK), Kambolov, Belyaev, Pavlov, Fininho, Kocis, Charles, Fomin, Gatagov, Mudjiri (Poloz, 80') and Minchenkov.

Maminov will lead Lokomotiv in Khabarovsk

Due to the fact that Lokomotiv will play far away from Moscow and with the upcoming game on Sunday the 19th in mind, Yury Semin opted to stay in Moscow together with several key players in order to prepare well for the match in Perm. Thus for the upcoming Russian Cup fixture, Maminov will take Semin place on the bench. Boris Ignatiev will assist him. Maminov will have all the squad at his disposal except Guilherme, Yanbaev, Rodolfo, Sennikov, Kuzmin, Dujmovic, Glushakov, Fall and Sychev. Furthermore Maminov would not be able to count on the services of Basa, Durica, Torbinsky and Odemwingie since these are all out injured. Despite all the absentees, I still expect that Lokomotiv makes it to the next round. All the best!

Lokomotiv interested in Spartak man

According to Sport-Express, Lokomotiv are interested in the services of former Russian Under-21 keeper Dmitry Khomich who currently is on loan at Spartak Nalchik. On the other hand the player's transfer rights belong to another Spartak, this time that of Moscow. According to Sport-Express, even though if the contract between the two Spartaks is for a whole year, it discloses that Khomich can be transfered during the summer transfer window if any club makes an offer for his services.

In my opinion, I believe that the goalkeeping department is the least of concern at present. I believe that bringing a playmaker is the top priority. However I admit that I wouldn't be disappointed if Khomich joins Lokomotiv, as long as 2 goalkeepers leave the camp, preferably Levenets and Pelizzoli! Khomich is a good goalkeeper. The fact that he is Russian and young is a bonus.

Loskov sets up a new record

During a disappointing Premier Liga round for Lokomotiv, former Lokomotiv captain Dmitry Loskov, set up a record of 391 Russian Premier Liga appearances during the match against Khimki, by thus surpassing Valery Yesipov, the Rotor Volgograd legend in the process. Recall that Loskov racked up 278 appearances for Lokomotiv in the Russian top division, hitting the back of the net 95 times during his ten year stay at Moscow.

Congratulations and all the best Loskov!! To date I still bear the hope that someday Loskov wear our sacred red-green shirt again. I just hope that that day arrives before long!! No one can deny that in 3 years Lokomotiv weren't able to find a replacement for Loskov! Well no surprise, he's just irreplecable! There is no other player on earth like him, he's the best; Come back to Lokomotiv! I deeply wish to revive the emotions of seeing a Lokomotiv playing under a leadership of a player who carried Lokomotiv in his heart. . . . .the way you did! Form is temporary, CLASS is PERMANENT!! Even at 35 of age Loskov would bring everything that Lokomotiv needs right now - that is confidence, creativity and much needed leadership!

Stalemate as Lokomotiv share the spoils with Tom

A win was a more of a must rather than a need. However in a rather open training session-like match Lokomotiv failed to make their possesion count and thus, they were kept at bay. Semin, on his anticipated return to the Lokomotiv Stadium opted for a 4-4-2 formation. As expected Guilherme was favoured in place of Cech. The backline was made of Yanbaev and Kuzmin on the flanks while the veteran Sennikov partnered Rodolfo in the centre. In the middle, Dujmovic kept his place in the middle of the park while Charles lost his place to Glushakov. Fininho and Kocis started on the wings. Up front Semin opted for the partnership of Fall-Sychev.

The first half was rather a balanced one, in which except for a half chance neither team had a clear chance to break the deadlock. Both sets of defence seemed to be marshalled well and thus both goalkeepers were rarely threatened. However from the beginning the home side looked to be the one taking the initiative with some first touch football. Nevertheless unsurprisingly the the final pass was lacking. On the other hand Tom appeared to be happy to sit back and play for the draw. No wonder they operated with the counter-attacks which generally were well controlled by the Lokomotiv rearguared. The only chance of the first half fell at the feet of Fall, in which he through an acrobatic move from 5 metres out he could only hit the post.

During the interval Semin opted for a double substitution with Bilyaletdinov and Gatagov taking the place of the ineffective Fininho and Kocis respectively. The move seemed to pay dividends as Lokomotiv came out much more offensive than the first half. As the game progressed Gatagov grew in confidence and started to spray some inviting crosses. However nothing concrete materialised. On the other flank of the pitch Bilyaletdinov showed his lack of competitive playing time and rarely looked to threaten except for a solo run. Sychev looked desperate for the goal more than ever and although he tried and tried luck wasn't on his side today, for a change. One cannot help but feel badly for the lad. With 15 minutes remaining Tom produced their only chance of note in which Guilherme responded well to a strong header from 5 metres out. Shortly after Semin played his last card, Minchenkov for Fall. However the substution didn't worked out and thus Lokomotiv had to content with a draw. On the other hand Tom achieved what they played for. No Lokomotiv player was booked.

The match was controlled by Vyacheslav Popov from Yekaterinburg. 11, 800 were present at the stadium.

Player Ratings:

Guilherme - 7 - Strong in the air but need to work a little bit on his decision making though. Grew in confidence as the match progressed on. The only positive of a dull afternoon.

Yanbaev - 6.5 - Good at pushing forward and rarely troubled at the back
Sennikov - 6 - His age exposed both his experience and lack of agility.
Rodolfo - 6 - Rarely troubled and strong as usual. Tried his luck from distance but without results.
Kuzmin - 6 - Like his backline colleges rarely troubled a back.

Kocis - 5 - Poor game from the Romanian, unsurprisingly replaced at half time
Dujmovic - 6.5 - the best of the 4 in the middle.
Glushakov - 4.5 - really poor at passing the ball, couldn't get going. Seemed to be playing out of position.
Fininho - 4.5 - Totally Ineffective

Fall - 5.5 - Could have opened the score for Lokomotiv, but hit the post from close range. Personally his lack of agility hinders the fast passing game Semin wants.
Sychev - 6 - All he needs is just one goal, totally bereft of confidence. A moderate rating for his willingness to help the team.

Substitutions:
Gatagov - 6.5 - The most one likeliest to score for Lokomotiv. Best player of the second half. A hot prospect.
Bilyaletdinov - 6 - Introduced in the second half but exposed his lack of competitive football
Minchenkov - N/A - No time to influence the match.

Sand at Lokomotiv Stadium?

According to some reports, Lokomotiv are interested in the services of Argentine hitman José Gustavo Sand. Currently Sand plays for Club Atlético Lanús of the Primera Division Argentina. Sand, who is 28 years old became top scorer in the Primera División Argentina for the first time in the Apertura 2008 championship with 15 goals in 19 games. In the Clausura of this year he became the first player to become top scorer in consecutive tournaments in nearly 30 years. The last player to achieve such feat was no one else Diego Maradona. This happened in 1980. Jose has also 2 caps for the Argentine National team to his name.

Despite his undisputed talent, I believe that Lokomotiv should look elsewhere. At 28 years of age, players may start looking for future financial security and thus choose lucrative contracts. Because of my stance against players who play for the $ in their pockets rather than for the club I hope that Lokomotiv doesn't sign an Odemwingie-like striker. After his first year, Odemwingie rarely puts 50% of his effort for Lokomotiv. When Nigeria played with France about 2 months ago I was totally perplexed with Odemwingie's performance. I wondered, is this Lokomotiv's player? WOW!! I've never seen him put such effort for ages. I just hope that if Lokomotiv sign Sand he prove me wrong and show me that he is no Odemwingie and thus it's not a requirement to be a Russian to play for the red-green shirt rather than the $!!!

However in the end I believe that Sand is a profilic stiker, and should he join Lokomotiv and makes his maximum effort, I am sure that he will increase massively our fire power up front and thus become a key player by time. Nevertheless I believe that Lokomotiv should focus on bringing a playmaker rather than another striker. In my opinion it's that what Loko lacks. Moreover I believe that a talented playmaker would certanly unleash Sychev! Remember Loskov-Sychev?! Forza Loko!

PS - I just hope that coming August, I log on onto http://www.en.wikipedia.com/ and remove "Peter Odemwingie" from the "Current Squad" of the page of Lokomotiv Moscow on wikipedia!! Otherwise I just hope that he changes his attitude (which lately REALLY gets on my nerves) and start playing for Lokomotiv the way he plays for the Eagles!!!

Finally, break is over!!

Finally the Premier Liga is back!! To say the truth I really missed it. 4 weeks seemed tooo long! Certainly I'm not alone. For sure also the players are raring to go. The installation of Semin seemed to have instilled both a sense of beleif and a high motivation amongst the players, something which they lacked for the previous seasons.

Despite the persisting talk of a squad overhaul, only one player left (Ivanov to Krylya Sovetov) the camp while no one eventually arrived. It's no secret that I hoped for a signing of a playmaker such as Loskov or Izmailov. The talk of potential arrivals, as always, except the one of Ciro really thrilled me. Usually as a result of my cynicism towards the management, I get infuriated easily when we do not sign any needed player or otherwise sign a player which we totally don't need. However this time nothing similar occured. I totally belief in Yury Semin, and I am 110% sure that he knows what he is doing. He was the man who build the club and I am sure he will be the man that will re-build the club again!!

Today Lokomotiv host Tom Tomsk in a match which is being billed as the first step towards Lokomotiv revival. Key players such as Bilyaletdinov, Glushakov, Odemwingie and Asatiani are expected to mark their return. However other key players are still being left out injured. Torbinsky and Basa are just two of them. For the match, Guilherme is expected to take over Marek Cech between the sticks while there is the talk that Bilyaletdinov may start on the right wing. With regards to the latter I strongly believe that Bilyaletdinov have all the credentials to excel, while regarding the former I can't wait to finally see him in action. Recall that Guilferme was brought to Moscow 2 years ago and still he have to make his first appearance for Lokomotiv. Credit to him he never moaned or something and his patience may be finally and justly repaid! Best of luck Guilherme!!!

Match Preview

Who? Lokomotiv - Tom

Where? Lokomotiv Stadium

Date? 12 July 2009 (today)

Time? 17.30 (Moscow time), 15.30 (C.E.T.)

FORZA LOKO!!!

Ligue 1 duo interested in Marko Basa

According to the wesbite http://www.transfermarketweb.com/ both Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux and 2004 UEFA Champions League finalists AS Monaco are interested in the services of 26 year old Montenegrin centre-back Marko Basa. According to some reports, Basa would relish the opportunity to return back to the Ligue 1. Recall that Marko Basa had only left the Ligue 1 for Lokomotiv a little less than a year ago. To date he he played 19 Premier Liga starts and scored a single goal in the process. I just hope that if he leave, HOPE NOT THOU, Lokomotiv at least should try to recoup the amount they paid for his transfer.

Former Lokomotiv Alexey Smertin hangs up his boots

Former Lokomotiv Moscow defensive midfielder Alexey Smertin, aged 34 years, has decided to hang up his boots, by thus bringing to an end a glittering career which spanned 17 years. Smetin started his football career at his home-town club Dynamo Barnaul. In his first two years Smertin played 42 games and scored 2 goals. After he earned a transfer to FC Zarya Leninsk-Kuznetsky, and thereafter to Uralan Elista. In 1999 he moved to Lokomotiv and during his two year stay Smertin played 39 games in which he found the back of the net seven times. His strong performances for Lokomotiv hasn't gone unnoticed and soon Smertin was transfered for the fourth time, this time outside of Russia, to be exact to Girondins de Bordeaux. After three years playing in France, Smertin was bought by the Russian owned Chelsea FC. After three years wearing the blue shirt of the Londoners, and two seasons turning out for Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic respectively, Smertin returned to Russia, this time to wear the blue shirt of Dynamo Moscow. After playing the whole season of 2006 for the Moscovites, Smertin left Russia again to play for another London club, this time Fulham. Eventually this resulted to be his last transfer and after nearly a year unattached, Smertin decided to hang up his boots. Moreover Smertin have 55 games to his name for the national of Russia. Furthermore on some occasions Smertin had the honour to captain the side, for instance the tournament of EURO 2004. Additonally, Smertin had the honour to represent the national side in the World Cup of 2002.

During his career, Smertin won several awards being:

• the best Russian player (1999)
• the Cup of Russia (2000)
• the Cup of France (2002)
• the Cup and Championship of England (both in 2005)
  

All the best for the future Alexey!!

Lokomotiv beaten by Maccabi

Yesterday Lokomotiv played the last friendly of the series of friendlies played on Austrian soil. This time the opponents were Maccabi Haifa, from Israel. In a rather balanced match, Lokomotiv were unable to make their chances count and thus ended the match on the losing side with the score of 2-1. The sole goal was scored from the spot by Davit Mudjiri. Despite the loss, Lokomotiv head coach Yury Semin seemed to be rather satisfied with the display of his players. With regards to the possible transfer of Nigerian Sekou Oliseh, who passed the last days training with Lokomotiv, Semin conceeded that the coaching staff will monitor the player more closely and will decide his fate in the coming days.

Lokomotiv wins over Dynamo

Today, Lokomotiv played a friendly match against Ukranian powerhouse Dynamo Kiev, the team which were lead by our Yury Semin for the last 12 months. Recall that another great Russian tactician in the form of former CSKA Moscow head coach Valery Gazzaev was installed in place of Semin. In a very interesting affair, Lokomotiv recorded a 3-2 victory over their Ukrainian counterparts.

Artem Milevskiy opened the score on the quarter mark for Dynamo Kiev. However Lokomotiv pegged Dynamo immediately with a goal from Senegalese striker Baye Djiby Fall following some good work on the left by the rejevunated Sychev. Fininho put Lokomotiv ahead on the 34th minute but Tiberiu Ghioane restored parity on the 58th minute. When the match was looking to be heading for a draw, Lokomotiv snatched a late winner from a penalty scored by Dmitry Sychev. Moreover it's important to point out that in the 64th minute Olexander Aliev saw his penalty being palmed away by Loko goalie Guilherme. A really good test and result for Lokomotiv!!

* I would like to excuse myself for posting a post which cited that Lokomotiv shared the spoils with Dynamo Kiev. The reason was that the website I used to find out the result wasn't updated and thus I ended putting up the wrong score.

Lokomotiv step up interest in Izmailov

What a transfer coup it will be!! According to Sport-Express head coach of Lokomotiv Moscow Yury Semin is interested in the services of former Lokomotiv fan favourite Marat Izmailov. Currently Izmailov, who as every Loko fan know play as an attacking midfielder ply his trade at Portugese Liga club Sporting Lisbon, whom he signed permanently for just 1 year ago for a fee of 4.5 million. Recall that Izmailov played the preceding season (2007-2008) for them on a loan basis. Before his first ever transfer away from Lokomotiv that is his switch to the Portugese capital, Izmailov played 141 mathces for the Railwaymen, in which he found the back of net 21 times.

For sure the return of Izmailov for Lokomotiv, subsequent to that of the Great Semin would boost the club. Certainly it will be another dream coming true. Moreover such transfer will help to restore the level of Lokomotiv to that of 5 years ago. . .to that Lokomotiv I truly enjoyed to watch, to that Lokomotiv that made every Lokomotiv fan proud, to that Lokomotiv who played for the red-green shirt, to that Lokomotiv that ruled Russia! Forza Loko!!

Lokomotiv will face SKA-Energiya

Following SKA-Energiya Khabarovsk one-nil win over FC Chita, Lokomotiv will face the Khabarovsk team in the 1/16 finals of the Russian National Cup. The match will be played at the Lenin Stadium in Khabarovsk on the 15th of this month. Unfortunately I believe that this encounter will turn out to be a difficult one for the Railwaymen. The long trip coupled with the current form of SKA backs my argument. I just hope that former Lokomotiv Moscow striker Sergey Ovchinnikov who currently makes part of the SKA setup does not come to haunt us back!!!

Jakupovic to Tottenham?

According to Eurosport.ru there is the possibility that coming August Lokomotiv keeper Eldin Jakupovic will be wearing the colours of Tottenham. Recall that currently the Bosnian-born Swiss international Jakupovic is currently on loan at Swiss club Grasshopper. It is claimed that the 6ft 4in goalkeeper would command a fee in the region of €2.8 million.

Lokomotiv draws with Mlada Boleslav

Yesterday, Lokomotiv played another friendly match, this time against Czech top division club Mlada Boleslav. The final score was 2 - 2. Two goals in the first half scored by Odemwingie and Glushak in the 20th and 35th minute respectively put Lokomotiv two-goals up at the break. However when a win seemed to be a certainty for Lokomotiv, Mlada Boleslav managed to peg back Lokomotiv by scoring two goals in nine minutes, the first one being on the hour of play. Ultimately the match finished two all.