Bad omen

This is Nalchik's first taste of the Russian top flight. Their promotion last season was so unexpected that Yuri Krasnozhan's team were immediately written off as no hopers. A dire pre-season reached its nadir with a 6-1 defeat by FC Zenit St. Petersburg's reserves. Over 60 players were given trials, but most departed as quickly as they had come, leaving Krasnozhan with the backbone of his promotion-winning side, none of whom had played in the top flight before.
 

First win They were given a baptism of fire. Nalchik's opening matches were against Russia's big three, but rather than roll over as expected they were quickly turning heads. A 1-0 defeat by PFC CSKA Moskva was followed by a 1-1 draw with FC Spartak Moskva. Nalchik then won their first Premier-Liga match, 3-2 away to FC Lokomotiv Moskva. Nine matches and six wins later they sit one point clear of CSKA at the top of the table. No one considers them favourites for the drop any more.

'Money doesn't play football'

In the cash-rich world of Russia’s footballing élite, Nalchik are poor relations. Their official budget is a modest €5m, amongst the lowest in the league, but as the architect of Nalchik's success, coach Krasnozhan, declares: "Money doesn't play football. We always remind ourselves of that and we've been able to convince the players of that as well." Nalchik are publicly owned but funded by Arsen Kanokov, president of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria on the border with Georgia where Nalchik are based. The region is mountainous, with rock-climbing the preferred sport. Nalchik, founded in 1959, once played under the name of Elbrus, a nearby peak. "The Republic does not have any excess money to spend on football," Kanokov said. "My managers have had to cut spending to meet our budgetary targets. The club would eat up a considerable part of this budget."
 

'Determination' Twelve games into season Krasnozhan seems to be doing just fine on the meager resources at this disposal. "It's too early to draw conclusions but Spartak [Nalchik] need to be respected," says Vladimir Eshtrekov, one of the best footballers in the history of the Kabardino-Balkaria region and now a sports director at Lokomotiv. "Time will tell if they last long up there. Their success is very unexpected, but I think one of the reasons behind it has been the determination of their players, their will to prove themselves. In the first rounds opponents may have underestimated Spartak, now the attitude is different." 'Spirit' That is down to Krasnozhan, who before this season was less known even than the club he coaches. Krasnozhan started his playing career at Nalchik, but spent most of it at smaller teams across the republic. He returned as assistant coach in 1999 then took the helm in 2004, winning promotion in his first year. Krasnozhan attests there is no secret to Nalchik's success, just hard work. "We were considered outsiders for many reasons but no rule stipulates we can't be successful.

There's only one formula for that, work. We devote a lot of time to team cohesion, discipline and organisation. But the hardest work is forming a team, a team which has its own spirit."

'Lucky'

Avoiding relegation is still the professed aim, but midfielder Vitali Lanko is taking a philosophical approach to each match. It seems to be working, Nalchik's 4-1 win away to FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast last Saturday was their fifth straight in the league. "So far we've been lucky," Lanko said. "A lot of random things happen in life." Kanokov, however, is thinking of things far grander than a mid-table finish. "We didn't set any goals, but the hunger has grown. It may not be modest to dream of medals, but I'm doing just that. Finishing fifth or seventh might be more realistic though." Valeri Gazzaev, coach of champions PFC CSKA Moskva, is playing a waiting game. His side trail Nalchik by one point, and he warns the hard work is only just beginning. "The table doesn't lie, but the season is long, and for us the most important thing is to be first after final round," he said. For the moment, though, Nalchik are enjoying their moment in the sun.
 

Source: UEFA.com

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