DYNAMO KYIV AWAY – AMSTERDAM 2018

DAY 1 

The decision to make this away trip was highly spontaneous. Just the week before, Dynamo had beaten Slavia to set up a tie with Ajax Amsterdam. It was relatively close and I had not yet been to the Netherlands so it seemed a perfect opportunity. After raising the idea of going to my friend Jon Spraggon,he was really up for joining up on this quick away trip. With Jon being a Middlesbrough fan, he hadn’t been able to experience a European night with his own club for a long number of years. So on the Monday morning, of the week of the game, we booked a last minute flight from Luton and a room at the Mozart Hotel. 
Our flights were very early on Tuesday. The 7:55am take off meant a 3:00am wake up according to Jon. As he was driving to the airport, I was unable to complain. Arriving at Luton with over 3 hours until our flight, we made it to the departure lounge. Luckily, Jon had some kind of Priority card and we were able to spend the morning in the Business lounge. Free breakfast and a customary Heineken to start the trip off certainly sorted out our tiredness. After taking advantage of the plug sockets to charge our phones, use the toilets with no queues and obviously make sure people knew about it on Instagram, we headed to our gate and boarded our plane. Arriving at Amsterdam Schiphol was quick. We had hardly taken off before we were descending again. Luton Airport and Schiphol really are worlds apart. Riding the travelators to the exit, we hopped on a train and within 20 minutes were in Amsterdam Centraal. The Dutch really are quite an efficient bunch. 
Coming up to almost midday, we had the option to get a tram which would take us directly to our hotel but Jon wanted to see the sights so we had to do the half an hour walk in order to check in and drop our bags off. In addition to walking past sights such as Dam Square, we also got to see the delights of globalisation when passing the likes of Primark and KFC. On top of the long walk combined with the reasonably uncomfortable carry on bag I decided to bring, it was very hot, well over 25 Celsius! Upon eventually arriving at our hotel, The Mozart, that overlooked a canal on Prinsengracht, we were shown to our room. You couldn’t complain with it for the price we paid. However, it was below ground floor level so our hotel window view was not the most picturesque, merely opening to a small concrete courtyard where other rooms also got their only source of ventilation and natural air conditioning. 
Dropping our bags off, we went in search of our first Dutch meal. So where else could we have ended up, other than the Golden Arches. Highly impressed by the bilingualism of workers from all professions, we got our meal, I went for some kind of Dutch McDonalds special burger and Jon went for nuggets. The only positive I took away from that particular experience was the mayo dip they served with the chips. Otherwise the meal price of  9,50 was way too overpriced. 
After this we headed to the Heineken experience, located inside the Heineken Brewery.  21 euros each later, we proceeded with the walk through self guided tour. We saw the brewing process, a bit of the history and then had some tasting opportunities. Three half pints in total of standard Heineken beer would have left us underwhelmed had it not been for the interactive Champions League room kitted out with a replica stadium dugout.

Next we headed for the Rijksmuseum as it was relatively close. As an iconic landmark of Amsterdam, it was understandably heaving with tourists. Luckily I was able to secure a vantage point on top of the ‘t’ in the Iamsterdam sign. Jon tried his best with trying to fit the entire sign in for the photos but unless he stood further back in some water it was always going to a struggle. Talk about lack of dedication from your personal photographer! 
After this we made the short walk through Vondel Park, which is highly similar to Central Park in NYC or Hyde Park in London, but on a smaller scale. Cyclists were everywhere. Not just in the park but on the streets as well. It had initially been refreshing to see a city take to cycling like Amsterdam has, but after a while, their seeming God given rights to cycle as they pleased, with little regard for pedestrians, showed that this concept is best left in Holland. No signalling or slowing down from almost all cyclists was probably the biggest negative of the whole Amsterdam experience for me, which was surprising seeing as the Dutch are so efficient at the majority of things they do. 
Following our brief flirtation with Vondel Park, we carried on walking around the leafy streets, down the sides of countless canals, past the large, picturesque town houses and across the scenic bridges. Jon fancied a pizza, another well known Dutch speciality. So we looked up Pizza places on Tripadvisor and found one with over 1500 reviews. Probably too upmarket looking back in hindsight, and we were lucky to get a table as you usually had to book to get a spot. As we arrived for an early dinner, they were able to accommodate us. A pizza and a couple of bottles of Morreti later, we headed to the East side of Central Amsterdam. 
It was still relatively early in the evening, when we settled at a bar and had a few glasses of Amstel. As the bar was located in the Red Light District, it started to get a lot busier as the night got darker. Neon lights, lingerie clad women and drug dealers were everywhere you looked. Jon and I had a walk around to see what all the fuss was about. There’s no point in denying it; there were a lot of good looking women about. We even stumbled upon a Favorite Chicken in-between the countless smoke filled coffee shops. As the early start to the day began to take its toll, we decided to call it a night and made our way back to the hotel. Having clocked in over 32,000 steps, it was fair to say that we had covered most of Amsterdam’s main sights in the space of half a day. 

MATCH DAY

The next day we woke up early enough to make the most of the day before we had to head to the stadium to pick up the tickets and soak up the pre match atmosphere. Probably the biggest sight we had left to see was the Anne Frank House, so we made the short journey from our hotel there only to find it was fully booked up. Checking online whether we might be able to see it the day after, resulted in us finding out that it was all booked up until November! 
As a result, we decided to carry on walking around Amsterdam. Having done some asking around on social media, I was able to find out which hotel the Dynamo team were staying at. So we made our way there, slightly outside of the city centre. Our route took us through a deserted Red Light District again, all very quiet bar the Thai Lady-boys who seemed to have taken up certain windows from the ladies who had been using them the previous night. In the middle of the quiet RLD, I was approached by a fellow Ukrainian wearing one of those vintage style WBO Boxing belt t-shirts. I myself was wearing a Tryzub t-shirt so it was not surprising that another Ukrainian asked who I was. Oleksiy, from Cherkassy who was there with his girlfriend, and some other friends, was friendly and we had a brief chat. I was surprised to find out that he was here merely on holiday, not specifically for the Dynamo game. When I mentioned it, he didn’t even know they were in town. 
Anyway, we carried on walking to the Dynamo team hotel. Once we got there, we entered the lobby and found no Dynamo representatives nor any journalists. After milling about for another 10 minutes, we decided to leave and try and find some Dynamo fans in town. We were down on our luck. We popped in for some lunch at ‘ALL STAR STEAKS’ on the recommendation of Jon. However, the overall meal was closer to NO STARS. After the less than satisfactory food, we headed back to the hotel, got changed and made our way to the metro to get to the stadium. By now, the steps we had accumulated had started to take their toll on my feet. Definitely ended up with some nasty blisters but I had to bear the pain. Top Travel Tip: Don’t bring Nike Air Force One’s on holiday! 
As we made our way underground, I was really impressed with the Amsterdam Metro. Whilst obviously a lot smaller in scale compared to the Tube or Kyiv’s metro system, it felt a lot more modern and state of the art. As we descended on the escalators, a giant projection of the metro lines and their service status was beamed on the slanted ceiling. It was like a sci-fi film. After a half hour journey on the train we arrived at the behemoth that is the Johan Cruijff ArenA. The infrastructure around the stadium, including shops, restaurants and walkways fitted seamlessly into the location. We headed to the away end sector to purchase our tickets. 
As they went on sale at 17:00 we wanted to definitely make sure we got some after making the journey from the UK. As we arrived, there were already a good 40 plus Ukrainians in the queue. As we slowly made our way to the front, we could see certain people were being refused tickets for not having their passports and others for not being Ukrainian or true Dynamo fans. As the 60,000 seat stadium was sold out in the home end, certain tourists and chancers were trying to get in via the Dynamo sector. The Dynamo representative was not having it and turned those people away. Having a British passport myself, I approached the representative to make sure that I could secure a ticket for myself and Jon. Speaking to him in Ukrainian, I said that I reside and was born in London and then proceeded to show him my map of Ukraine tattoo. He was impressed by it and said that was better than any passport! It was a great laugh all round and a reasonably easy process to get tickets in the end. A shout out to Serhiy, the Dynamo Kyiv representative I spoke to, for overseeing the smooth running of ticket sales and vetting of supporters.
Now we had our tickets, we just had the small matter of three and a half hours to kill before KO. We went back to the station and got some beers from a supermarket. Heineken again. As we took a seat on some steps, outside the stadium and soaked up the pre match atmosphere, the Ajax fans and ultras began to arrive in their numbers. The flare, smoke and firework show, curated by the Ultras, was quite something. Finishing off our beers, we decided to get amongst it. Walking past burning used flares, we soon realised that Ajax fans certainly take their football seriously. They really do know how to get you in the mood for a football match. As the chanting and large crowds subsided as people began to make their way to their seats, we had a few chats with Dynamo Kyiv fans outside the stadium. We got a few photos with the banner outside the stadium, and as usual it was quite the conversation starter. 
Inside the ArenA, the away sector was sealed off from the rest of the venue, with a glass fence around it. As we were there quite early, we proceeded to stick up our banner with special thanks to the stewards who provided us with some sellotape. After talking to some friendly Amsterdam based Ukrainians, we made our way to the concourse for another beer and chips. We were surprised that beer was allowed on a UEFA night, but we weren’t going to complain! However, concerning the chips, we had forgotten that in Europe that’s what they call Crisps. We settled for the Bolognese flavour Lays rip offs, and to be honest they weren’t that bad. 

Re-emerging from the concourse, I was met with the sight of my banner being in the hands of a Dynamo Kyiv Ultra, who had taken it down. They must have arrived whilst we were queuing for a drink. Speaking to who I presume was the WBC Kyiv spokesperson, he explained to me in detail as to why they took the banner down and why I wouldn’t be allowed to hang it up elsewhere in the stand. Their reasoning began by explaining that they didn’t know what this banner was and who it belonged to. Furthermore, the Ultras have a special right to decide who is allowed and who isn’t allowed to hang banners in the away end due to the fact that they regularly attend Dynamo games. In order to be allowed to hang my banner in the same vicinity as the Ultras, I would have to qualify for this right after spending a year getting to know them by attending Dynamo games on a regular basis myself. This was in order for them to know that I was the real deal. 

In addition, he mentioned that Dynamo Kyiv and Ajax Ultras don’t have the best of relationships or history and as a result were anticipating a noisy welcome in Kyiv next week. As a result, they didn’t want to risk my banner being stolen and then have it seen as being associated with them. Whilst most of this was to some extent understandable, as I was an outsider to the Ultra scene to them along with the rest of the Dynamo supporters in the stand; saying that you shouldn’t be having a banner if you’re a group of under 10 people was pretty unfair. However, there was obviously no point in arguing or defying them as it would just end negatively for me and give me a bad reputation amongst travelling Dynamo supporters. 
Moving away from minor disputes, the actual football was far from great. Dynamo went 1-0 down inside 3 minutes and that immediately dampened the mood in the sector. However, a Kedziora equaliser did briefly reignite the away end atmosphere. The Ajax fans themselves were in great spirits and certainly know how to create a loud and entertaining football environment. Although some of them were less than well behaved, regularly throwing over half full beers over the enclosure into our stand. The score went 2-1 before half time and then 3-1 to the hosts shortly after the restart. Boyko would be coming out of this game with a weakened reputation after a less than convincing performance in goal. The forward play was not much better either! 

As the game finished, there was a subdued aura amongst the leaving Ukrainian supporters. Before leaving, we decided to stay behind to get some photos with the banner as we couldn’t let such an opportunity go a miss. We got back on the metro and headed to our hotel for a quick change before visiting a few more overpriced bars. I wasn’t overly in the mood after that poor result and we shut up shop at around 2am. We had a lie in the next morning before check out, walked around Amsterdam one last time and then set off back to the airport. Another away trip and another match where I have failed to see a win! Will it ever come? Let’s hope so! Czech Republic is coming up next time!

UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 – MATCHDAY 6

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 6

Dynamo Kyiv go into the 6th UPL Matchday of the season as the last remaining unbeaten side in the league. Last time out they once more emerged as 1-0 winners against, the then top of the table club, Oleksandriya. As the old saying goes ‘all records come to an end’ and this time it was the turn of Oleksandriya’s unbeaten run to fall victim to the Kyivan outfit. Viktor Tsyhankov’s clever finish from outside the box was enough to separate the sides. Elsewhere, due Dynamo’s game against Mariupol being postponed two weeks ago, Shakhtar were able to return to the helm due to their superior goal difference. They comfortably saw off newly appointed Yuriy Bakalov’s FC Lviv. 
Vorskla Poltava seem to be getting some of their resilience back which had helped them to a third place finish last season. They saw off Mariupol despite going a goal down. Vladyslav Kulach scored a bicycle kick in that game that is already being tipped as a contender for Goal of the Season. Down at the very bottom of the league, Arsenal Kyiv finally managed to get a point on the board after a 1-1 draw against Chornomorets Odessa. However, this is unlikely to relieve the pressure off of Ravanelli’s back as he still seeks his first win as Arsenal Kyiv manager.
This week also saw Ukrainian sides battling it out in the Champions League and Europa League play offs. Both Dynamo Kyiv and Zorya Luhansk were keen to get off to good starts against Ajax and RB Leipzig respectively. Zorya Londonsk Weekly flew out to Amsterdam to see the Dynamo game. However, along with the other travelling support, left disappointed as Dynamo succumbed to a 3-1 defeat. More in depth information on that away trip will be coming up in our next write up. On the other hand, Zorya Luhansk defended resolutely against a strong Red Bull side and secured a goalless draw against the Bundesliga team, despite being down to 10 men for most of the game. With no away goals conceded, the tie is finely poised for Zorya to get a result away next week in Leipzig. Dynamo have a lot to do if they want to overturn their 3-1 first leg defeat and avoid joining Vorskla and potentially Zorya in the Europa League groups. 
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 
Our sixth guest of the 2018 – 19 season is Marko Husak. Marko is a Bradford born restaurateur and bar owner. He is also a big Bradford City, Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine fan. Marko’s other passion is beer. It was his love of beer that led him to open the Sparrow in Bradford over 7 years ago with his friend Les Hall. Marko told us “We were both mad beer fans & thought that Bradford could do with a small beer focused bar. Back then ‘craft beer’ was still extremely new. It wasn’t hip or trendy. There were only 3 other bars in West Yorkshire pushing it. To put it into context, there were only 5-10 breweries in London at that time, now there are over 100.” 
The Sparrow Bier Cafe
With the craft beer scene having such small exposure in the early days, Marko says he knew it would be a difficult start but eventually his and Les’ persistence and determination ended up paying off, thanks in part to football. Marko explained “Bradford was, and still is in some ways, a bit of a wasteland. We opened on a quiet street near Valley Parade, Bradford City’s ground. We were the only bar there. Nobody gave us a chance and it was a quiet start. Soon the people of Bradford took to us, especially from the the city fans (and away fans) when the mighty Bantams played at home. Trade increased and more bars opened on the street. There are now 11 bars on the street. Me and Les sold the Sparrow a few months a go. The street got busier and the dynamic changed. It was time to cash our chips in and move on.” Another fine example showcasing how Football and Beer are inextricably intertwined! 
Aside from The Sparrow, Marko has also ventured into the restaurant business. He is a Director at Bundobust, an Indian vegetarian street food restaurant also specializing in craft beer. Marko recalled “The idea of Bundobust was born in April 2013 when Mayur Patel from Indian restaurant Prashad asked The Sparrow if we wanted to do some beer and food pairing events. The events were successful & we decided to do something more permanent bringing Indian street food & craft beer together.” 
Mayur Patel and Marko Husak
As with any business it wasn’t the easiest process to turn Bundobust from an idea into its physical restaurant form and subsequent success. Marko adds “We found a cheap site in Leeds and did most of the work ourselves. At the weekend we did pop-ups & street food festivals to make money to fund the build of the restaurant. We opened in July 2014. We had a massive queue out of the door on our opening day. We started getting good reviews from day one.” Marko and Mayur have since branched out from Leeds with their Manchester restaurant having opened in December 2016 whilst a Liverpool location will be opening this winter.
Since its opening Bundobust has had glowing reviews from the likes of Jay Rayner and featured on the Vice Website. We asked Marko whether he ever imagined that the business would grow to be such a success. He replied “We always hoped it would be successful & always dreamed of getting a review in one of the broadsheets. It really kicked off for us after the Jay Rayner review in the Observer. We’re pretty much full every night & there is no looking back. Good press does help get the punters in!”
Adrian Chiles
To tie in with Zorya Londonsk Weekly’s sporting and football theme, Marko was quizzed about whether he had any sporting anecdotes or famous sporting stars visit any of his establishments. “At the Sparrow we once had a 1960s Bradford City turn up on a reunion. That was nice. I once had a few drinks with ex City striker Ian Ormondroyd. Whilst at Bundobust we recently had some of the Indian cricket team in for drinks. Ex-ITV Sport and ex-One Show presenter Adrian Chiles called in for dinner once.” Apart from sporting stars, Bundobust also draws in plenty of musicians and actors. “We’ve had The National, Laura Marling, FKA Twigs, Father John Misty, Kings of Leon, to name but a few.”
Before we moved onto our chat about Ukrainian football, we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to ask Marko, with Bundobust currently opening up branches across the North of England, whether there would ever be any plans for a move down South, to London. He remains open to the idea and told us “Who knows, hopefully one day, although the rent is quite pricy down there.”
Viktor Tsyhankov
With Marko being a Dynamo Kyiv fan, it was only right to kick off our football chat with him by asking how he viewed their start to the season. “It’s been a solid start in the league & they’ve done well to win their first 4 games & beat Shakhtar in the Super Cup. I fancy their chances. I just don’t know where the goals are going to come from.” Furthermore, we wanted to know who Marko saw as Dynamo’s key player, going forward in the coming season. He said “Tsyhankov for me, he is their rising star. He was good last season but I think this year he’s gonna let rip! It’s a shame about this week’s result against Ajax, I think they were unlucky but I don’t think they are going to get the result they need in Kyiv to advance to the group stage.”
Bradford City
Alongside his Ukrainian team, we also wanted to know how Marko felt his hometown club, Bradford City, would fare in League One this season. Did they have it in them to better their previous campaign’s 11thplace finish? “So far we’ve won two and lost two. I feel that this mixed bag of results and inconsistent form will be the theme of City’s season. We will finish higher than 11th but will fall short of reaching the playoffs. Fans are losing faith in the German owners & our manager Michael Collins is young & inexperienced. But who knows, anything can happen in football!” Good luck to the Bantams this season! 
Finally, before we move onto our UPL PREDICTOR we had to find out a bit more about Marko’s Ukrainian football experiences. We first met in France during Ukraine’s awful EURO 2016 showing and asked him to reflect back on that. “I’ve tried to blot out France 2016 out of my memory. What an embarrassment.” We couldn’t agree more. Remembering his earliest Ukrainian football memories, Marko revealed “I missed out on the Champions League games of the late 90s. I watched them on TV when they played Arsenal, Newcastle, Man United etc. but gutted that didn’t make any of the games. I remember checking Teletext for the scores.” 
England v Ukraine – May 2000
Similar to our own very first Ukraine match, Marko’s was also the England v Ukraine game of May 2000 at the Old Wembley. Marko continued to tell us “Following that match, I went to the game v Wales in March 2001. My first football trip abroad was v Turkey in Kyiv in September 2005 (World Cup qualifiers). We lost 1-0. It was the only game we lost that campaign. I think we won every other game apart from that one. I remember the Olympic stadium concourse smelling like piss. It was grim but an amazing experience. A few years after I saw my first Dynamo game. They lost 3-1. A 30 something Rebrov, who had just returned from West Ham, came on off the bench to score a screamer of a goal.” 
In total Marko told us that he’s seen Ukraine about 15 times & Dynamo about 5 or 6 times. He has no plans to go see any Ukraine games over the next year or so but is hoping for Dynamo to draw an English club in Europe!
Keep up to date with the latest from Marko and Bundobust via the links provided below. 

MARKO’S SOCIAL LINKS:

🌐Bundobust Website 

📷Marko Husak on IG 

🐤Marko Husak on Twitter 

🐤Bundobust on Twitter 

🌏Bundobust on Facebook

🍺Jay Rayner Bundobust Review

📷Bundobust on IG


PREDICTOR TIME

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.


FRIDAY


Olimpik Donetsk v Shakhtar Donetsk
Todos’ prediction: Olimpik are no pushovers, however as is usually the case, Shakhtar just hold too much class for most of the league and as a result will narrowly win the game.0-2
Marko’s prediction: ‘Shakhtar will just be too strong for Olimpik’. 1-3
RESULT: 2-2: Pasich (18′), Danchenko OG (76′) / Marlos (11′), Moraes (17′,32′,75′), Stepanenko (41′)

SATURDAY


Oleksandriya v Vorskla Poltava
Todos’ prediction: Having had their long unbeaten run come to an end last weekend in Kyiv, Oleksandriya will be looking to make amends for the loss of points. However, Vorskla seem to be starting to perk up after a sub par start to the season. Neither will be able to break the other side down. 0-0
Marko’s prediction: ‘A close game but Oleksandriya will recover from their defeat to Dynamo’.1-0
RESULT: 2-0: Banada (15′,17′)

Chornomorets Odesa v Dynamo Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: Odesa used to be Yarmolenko’s favourite team to play against. Even with him no longer at the club, Dynamo should secure a comfortable win which will most probably be played at a low gear due to Khatskevich having one eye on next week’s UCL play off second leg. 0-2
Marko’s prediction: ‘Dynamo to make it five ‘1-0’ league victories in a row’. 0-1
RESULT: 1-1: Hrachev (84′) / Rusyn (59′)

SUNDAY


Mariupol v FC Lviv
Todos’ prediction: With no more Europa League to distract them, Mariupol can now well and truly focus on the league. They have some climbing to do to make sure they can return to the heights of last season. FC Lviv will be down on their luck once more. 2-1
Marko’s prediction: ‘A bottom of the table clash that will end all square.’ 2-2
RESULT: 2-2: Pikhalonok (49′), Churko (59′) / Paramonov (45+2′), Duarte (51′)


Zorya Luhansk v Desna Chernihiv
Todos’ prediction: Zorya worked their socks off in their Europa League play off first leg in midweek. They will want to preserve their energy for the second. Desna just haven’t been able to see out a win efficiently enough and as a result, Zorya will narrowly take all three points.1-0
Marko’s prediction: ‘Zorya to win relatively comfortably.’ 2-0
RESULT: 0-2: Starenkiy (11′), Bezborodko (73′)


Karpaty Lviv v Arsenal Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: Karpaty as usual have been toying with their supporters, putting in performances but only deciding to do so for one half per match. Their comeback last week from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 was impressive and they will be far too strong against a sorry Arsenal side.2-0
Marko’s prediction: ‘Karpaty to win big against bottom of the league.’ 3-0
RESULT: 1-2: Erbes (55′) / Orihovskiy (28′), Hryn (39′)

MATCHDAY 6 – H2H WINNER: MARKO 

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GUEST LEADERBOARD 

Total scores after week 5
Todos
220
Guests
400
Todos v Guests
P6
W2
D0     L4

UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 MATCHDAY 5



UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 5

The UPL has finally begun to return to normality after the first three hectic weeks of the season featuring a solitary draw and no managerial changes. Matchday 4 saw a return to winning ways for Shakhtar with a 4-1 rout against underperforming Vorskla, whilst Dynamo Kyiv and Mariupol’s showdown was rescheduled for 26thof September to better accommodate their midweek European preparations. Arsenal Kyiv succumbed to their fourth successive loss at the hands of the Ukrainian Leicester City, Oleksandriya, high flying, low scoring and no conceding!

Yuriy Bakalov

Jose Morais
Just like London buses, not one but TWO managerial changes came at once in the league this week! Gilmar of FC Lviv left the club as a result of the FFU finding out he did not have the required Pro Licenses to coach in the division. Why this wasn’t thoroughly looked into prior to the start of the season, is anyone’s guess! After talk and supposed official announcements that Volodymyr Mazyar would take over from the Brazilian, Yuriy Bakalov was unveiled as the new FC Lviv manager. This whole debacle was peak UPL soap opera! Across the city, Karpaty also decided to have a change after a relatively mediocre start to the season. Oleh Boychishyn made way for Jose Morais. The Portuguese coach may have experience of working as an assistant to Mourinho at Chelsea, Inter and Real but his solo management career, leaves a lot to be desired. Many are predicting that he definitely won’t make it to the winter break, and Barnsley fans have been particularly vocal in their distaste for the man, after he oversaw their relegation to League One last season. 

There were mixed fortunes in Europe for our Ukrainian contingent this week. Dynamo resolutely beat a tough and tenacious Slavia Prague 2-0 at the Olympiyskiy. They ended up 3-1 winners on aggregate and sett up a play off meeting with Ajax for that coveted UCL group stage spot. Mariupol, who already had a mountain to climb against Bordeaux having lost their first leg 3-1 at home, went to France and put up a brave fight. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be and they bowed out 5-2 on aggregate. Zorya Luhansk were last up in their tie against Braga. In a game that will go down in their history as one of the biggest in terms of collective team performance, it saw them come from behind twice to draw 2-2 in Portugal and set up a mouthwatering UEL play off tie versus Red Bull Leipzig! 

Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 


Max outside Red Bull Arena, NJ 

Our fifth guest of the 2018 – 19 season is Max Meleganich. Max is a Ukrainian living in New York City and currently works in a player/club intermediary role operating in North America and in the Ukrainian market. Max has a long social media history when it comes to Ukrainian football. He started the well followed and highly respected English language Ukrainian football source @FutbolUkraine on Twitter. After a few years of being very active, the account can now be found under the @UkrainianNT handle and has significantly slowed down in its capacity. Commenting on the current situation of the page, Max said “That was a hobby of mine and it was fun running the show while it lasted but after a certain point I outgrew the project and tried to pass it along to some younger and more trustworthy folks within our circle.” 
Max is no longer involved but stresses that if there is anyone who would be interested in managing the page then he urges them to get in touch! He points out that “Part of the duties that we all have as English-speaking fans of Ukrainian football is contributing to its marketing, appeal, and advancement in Western Europe and abroad. That was my intention when I started off, and it’s my intention now in the current role I occupy, and it will always be my intention in any future positions I may be working in.” 
Max continues in his call for the collective promotion of both the UPL and Ukrainian football in the West by saying “Ultimately what I think will work best if there is some unity amongst the projects to create one hub for the content. Perhaps start a weekly or a monthly podcast in English. I think there is interest in stuff like this. It’s a niche market but there are plenty of us to create the demand and interest.” This is a proposition that Zorya Londonsk would certainly be open to contribute toward and be a part of. Watch this space! Get in touch!
As mentioned briefly in Max’s introduction, he has stepped aside from the social media side of things and has become involved in a sports intermediary role.
In case you’re wondering what this entails, Max explained “Basically what I’ve been attempting to do is sell the Ukrainian Premier League as a market for sourcing players for the MLS. In terms of wage levels and price-for-quality these two markets would 110% find mutual benefit. We all know what happened to the Ukrainian football market after Russia invaded Ukraine – salaries collapsed, clubs are not stable, contracts can be broken. This is where opportunities come up for clubs in MLS, but also other leagues in Europe.” 
Max reveals that as there hasn’t been a Ukrainian-import to the North American market yet, there is no way to accurately gauge Ukrainian performance in MLS. “However, we’ve seen what guys who have played in Ukraine, are capable of doing in MLS such as Ex-Metalist Kharkiv player, Sebastian Blanco and Ex-Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, Ilsinho. These guys are phenomenal players in this league. Unfortunately, because no franchise in MLS has yet taken the first step in recruiting a Ukrainian player, we’re going to have to wait a bit and see what one of our own will look like in this league.” 
Andriy Batsula
Attempts at bringing a Ukrainian over have been tried. An example Max provides is that of Andriy Batsula, who recently moved to Kortrijk in Belgium. “Over the past year, and even when he was playing for Zirka Kropivnytskyy, I offered him to MLS clubs who didn’t rate him. What does Kortrijk see in him that MLS doesn’t? I have no way of gauging this disconnect for now. It’s only a matter of time. Deals have gotten close and then collapsed. There is absolutely no reason why directors of football and other front office reps in MLS should be raving about the level of Ekstraklasa, but not realize that right next door, there is a league at least several times better in quality.”
Max continues, “The UPL may well hold an automatic UCL spot, another spot available through qualifying and several Europa League spots but there is still ZERO exposure of Ukrainian football abroad and ZERO marketing of the game abroad. As a result, for some, the UPL still remains a mystery. Even though it shouldn’t be.” Zorya Londonsk agrees with the points made by Max in relation to the serious lacking of marketing strategy by the UPL and FFU outside of Ukraine’s borders.
Max is a Dynamo Kyiv fan and as is custom, we asked him on his thoughts about the club’s current lack of forward options and whether this could become detrimental later on in the season. “I know for a fact the club is working very hard to bring in a player who will come in and immediately produce. However, we have to understand that Dynamo will not spend lavish amounts on a player of this caliber. That’s why finding these gems is going to be a bit harder. I don’t think Supryaha is the player they see to fill this role. They’re working – hopefully they will remain open-minded and consider non-standard leagues when it comes to Dynamo Kyiv recruitment.” 
Ruslan Malinovskiy
In addition to his own club, we also asked Max for a few of his thoughts on Ukrainian players moving abroad. With Belgium and Turkey seeing a large influx of players from the country, we pondered whether this was a positive for the National Team or whether it was a telltale sign of the UPL’s relative decline? “I think the players going to Belgium are seeking career growth and I personally welcome this. The players who move to Turkey are also looking for career advancement whether it is for the atmosphere or better pay. We have to be happy that our players are sought after in these markets. Especially Belgium. Belgium is an excellent platform to move into the bigger leagues in Western Europe.” However, he is also somewhat disappointed. Max added that he wished the same guys that were performing in Belgium; Malinovskiy and Yaremchuk, had been given greater opportunities to play for their domestic clubs, Dynamo and Shakhtar. “Malinovskiy, at a minimum, had earned his shot after some eye catching performances at Zorya and whilst on loan at Genk, and never got it. “
Keep up to date with Max’s latest work in the intermediary field or if you’re interested in getting involved in helping to run the former @FutbolUkraine account via the links provided below.

MAX’S SOCIAL LINKS:

⚽Max Meleganich’s Sports Intermediary Website

⚽Max Meleganich on IG

⚽Max Meleganich on Twitter

⚽UkrainianNT Twitter Profile

⚽Max Meleganich on Facebook

PREDICTOR TIME 

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.

FRIDAY

Arsenal Kyiv v Chornomorets Odesa
Todos’ prediction: I have seriously underestimated Chornomorets so far this season. They’ve grinded out some decent results against their nearest rivals in the table. Here comes another one of those games. Ravanelli is clueless and doesn’t have long left to rectify things. Unfortunately, Arsenal Kyiv will continue to pay for this as a result. 0-1
Max’s prediction: Max is predicting Arsenal to get their first points of the season at home. 2-1
RESULT: 1-1: Maydanevych (26′) / Babenko (35′)

SATURDAY


FC Lviv v Shakhtar Donetsk 
Todos’ prediction:  After all the managerial nonsense of midweek, Shakhtar will have another comfortable walk in the park as Bakalov takes time to settle in at Lviv. 0-3
Max’s prediction: Max envisages a slightly closer affair between the two sides but sees Shakhtar possessing just too much for FC Lviv to handle. 0-2
RESULT: 0-2: Marlos (21′), Bolbat (90′)


Dynamo Kyiv Oleksandriya 
Todos’ prediction: The last two UPL sides with 100% records. Both have yet to concede a goal but haven’t been the most prolific when it comes to goal scoring up the other end. As Denys Boyko’s catchphrase goes “No Parasan! (They shall not pass!)” I see neither side conceding. 0-0
Max’s prediction: A narrow win for Dynamo will see them draw level at the UPL summit with Oleksandriya after last week’s postponement. 1-0
RESULT: 1-0: Tsyhankov (68′)

SUNDAY


Desna Chernihiv v Karpaty Lviv 
Todos’ prediction: Karpaty just can’t seem to close a game out from a dominant position. Morais will not have had a chance yet to have any meaningful (positive or negative) impact on his squad. Desna are similar in the sense they aren’t able to grab a hold of their games. Nobody to take charge. 1-1
Max’s prediction: Max predicts goals galore in this one with Karpaty picking up the same two goals a piece scoreline for a second time this season. 2-2
RESULT: 2-2: Bezborodko (25′), D.Favorov (42′) / Miroshnichenko (58′), Mehmeric (80′)


Zorya Luhansk v Olimpik Donetsk
Todos’ prediction: Zorya will be ecstatic after their midweek European heroics. Despite another fixture coming next Thursday, Olimpik have been far too inconsistent for me this season and my faith in them has weakened. 2-1
Max’s prediction: A narrow win for Zorya will give them all three points. 1-0
RESULT: 0-0


Vorskla Poltava v Mariupol
Todos’ prediction: Vorskla have been subpar so far this season. They will look to rectify this in Matchday 5. Mariupol will be tired after travelling back from Bordeaux and then again to Poltava. The win won’t be overtly convincing but Vorskla will get it over the line. 2-0
Max’s prediction: Max foresees Mariupol picking up a point on the road after their European exit in midweek. 1-1
RESULT: 2-1: Kulach (29′), Polohenko OG (88′) / Fomin PEN (21′)

MATCHDAY 5 – H2H WINNER: MAX


FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG


⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter


⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook


GUEST LEADERBOARD (UPDATE IN PROGRESS)

Total scores after week 5
Todos
200
Guests
330
Todos v Guests

P5

W2

D0     L3



UPL PREDICTOR 2018/19 MATCHDAY 4

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 4

The First Ukrainian El Clasico of the season came and went. Benjamin Verbic scored the winner once again, in a 1-0 victory for Dynamo. These seem to be becoming routine wins for Khatskevich and his men. However, Dynamo still find themselves in second place, as they’re being kept off the top of the table on goal difference by the mighty Oleksandriya! What a story! They’re currently on a 16 game unbeaten run!

Aside from the UPL action, Dynamo and Zorya made their European qualifying returns this week alongside the already competing Mariupol. Verbic was on the scoresheet again as Dynamo succumbed to a last minute penalty equaliser against Slavia Prague. Zorya also played out a 1-1 draw against Braga in Zaporizhya whilst Mariupol gave up a 1-0 lead to lose 3-1 to Bordeaux in Odesa. It seems like an almost impossible task to reach the UEL play off round for Mariupol now but we wish them and the other two sides the best of luck in next week’s fixtures! 

Finally, the EPL restarts this weekend, where Ukraine’s main man, Andriy Yarmolenko, seeks to prove himself at his new club, West Ham, after a difficult past season in Germany. Check out our in depth overview and analysis of his career so far and how we think he will get along in the Premier League in our featured article of the week, which can be found on our home page!
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 

Our fourth guest of the 2018 – 19 season is Stefan Jajecznyk – Kelman. Stefan is a freelance journalist with bylines in the Kyiv Post, UNILAD, New Eastern Europe, FT.com and The Mirror. Whilst he covers a wide range of news and political topics in his reporting, his primary area of expertise rotates around Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. His line of work has even taken him to the frontline in the Donbas, where he has visited Ukrainian soldiers and local residents fighting in or living through Ukraine’s war with Russia. When he’s not writing professionally, he can be found on twitter @sjajecznykMEN, where he is usually tweeting about football, Brexit and of course, Ukraine!  He is currently keeping a close eye on developments in; the war in Donbas, the country’s political sphere and the upcoming 2019 Presidential elections.
Nottingham Forest
Alongside his interest and work in news and politics, Stefan is a big football fan! He supports Nottingham Forest in the UK, whilst avidly following Dynamo Kyiv as his Ukrainian side. When asked about how he thought his two clubs’ seasons would pan out, Stefan told us that he was looking forward to exciting campaigns ahead for both sides. He noted Forest’s big spending over the summer, taking a leaf out of the Wolves book, and how that should afford them at least a shot at the play offs. On the prospects of Dynamo, he was a little less optimistic despite their strong start to the season. He’s hopeful that they can improve on previous seasons but still sees Shakhtar as too strong of a competitor to be dethroned come the end of the season.
Ukrainian Soldiers in Donbas
As we have mentioned in a previous article of ours, politics and sport are usually inextricably intertwined with this certainly being the case in Ukraine. We asked Stefan about his experience of visiting the frontline and how much of an impact the war has had on the state of football in the country. He noted that the most obvious side effect of the war had been that four current Ukrainian Premier League sides, originating from the country’s Eastern regions, were not able to play at their home stadiums. Stefan continued  “Zorya have been a real success despite the upheaval in having to move to Zaporizhya. Nomadic Shakhtar, currently based in Kharkiv, have previously shared stadia in Kyiv and Lviv while also having to deal with some not-so welcoming locals.” 

Over the past two seasons, Zorya have had to play their European matches in Odesa and Lviv due to a UEFA decision deeming the Slavutych Arena in Zaporizhya as unsuitable. Stefan wrote about this for Manchester United’s website before their trip to Odessa to play Zorya. He said “It would be unfathomable for a British side to go through something like this, the comparison was something like United having to play all their home games in Luxembourg!” Furthermore, after coming into contact with many former ultras in the Joint Forces Operation zone, Stefan concludes that the war has seemingly united a large majority of them, fighting against a common cause whilst simultaneously rehabilitating their previously unfavourable image somewhat. 
Speaking about how soldiers reacted to Ukrainian sporting stars showing them public support, Stefan told us “I wouldn’t want to speak for the troops and how they feel about athletes specifically, but generally they are appreciative of people remembering them, where they are and what they’re doing.” SLAVA UKRAINI!
Moving away from the very real but raw topic of war, we asked Stefan about his expectations concerning Ukrainian clubs in Europe this season. Would Ukrainians have something to shout about this year other than seeing their capital city host the Champions League final? Trying to avoid a football cliche, Stefan mentioned that “It’s a bit of trope now to say Ukraine is a tough place to get a result but it is true. Ukrainian sides perform better at home whilst Western sides struggle.” He’s confident that Dynamo should make it to the UCL group stages. 
Before we move onto the UPL MATCH PREDICTOR, with the Premier League kicking off this weekend, we could not let Stefan go without asking him for his thoughts on Yarmolenko. Will he break the trend of past Ukrainians and be a smash hit or flop as is customary? Stefan remains a bit sceptical. “Yarmolenko has the quality, for sure; but West Ham are a team still in a bit of flux, the stadium move seems to have hampered them and the fans aren’t happy generally. It may be difficult for him to settle.” Stefan believes that it may be possible that he follows the trend of other Ukrainian players that have gone to the EPL. “Those who usually arrive later in their careers and as a result have found it difficult to adapt to the pace and pressing the English game has.” Good Luck Andriy!

STEFAN’S SOCIAL LINKS:

⚽Stefan Jajecznyk’s Clippings Page 
⚽Stefan Jajecznyk on IG
⚽Stefan Jajecznyk on Twitter
⚽Stefan’s UNILAD Series about the War in the Donbas
⚽Stefan Jajecznyk on  Facebook 
PREDICTION ZONE

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.

FRIDAY

Olimpik Donetsk v FC Lviv
Todos’ prediction: For a second week in a row Lviv were denied a draw after defending resolutely for most of the game against Vorskla. However I think neither side has what it takes to capitalise on the other’s weaknesses. Bore draw. 0-0
Stefan’s prediction: ‘Honours even for two middling teams.’ 1-1
RESULT: 1-1 : Pasich (86′) / Adamyuk (68′)

SATURDAY

Shakhtar Donetsk v Vorskla Poltava
Todos’ prediction: Fresh from their disappointment after losing to Dynamo once again, Shakhtar will be looking to build back some form. Vorskla have been playing in first gear for most of the season so far and I don’t think they’ll change that against a strong Donetsk side.  3-1
Stefan’s prediction: ‘The defending champions’ quality will show in what I think will be a routine win’ 2-0
RESULT: 4-1 : Marlos (50′), Stepanenko (59′), Khocholava (62′), Moraes (74′) / Sharpar (25′)

SUNDAY

Karpaty Lviv v Zorya Luhansk 
Todos’ prediction: Both of these sides have had a strange start to their campaigns so far. Karpaty will still be reeling after letting a two goal lead slip against Olimpik last week. They always seem to bottle it when expectations are set too high! Zorya will have a greater focus on their UEL second leg next Thursday and as a result might slip up again. 1-1
Stefan’s prediction: ‘Another evenly-pitched game though I think Karpaty’s home advantage will give them the edge.’ 2-1
RESULT: 0-1 : Kharatin (77′)
Oleksandriya v Arsenal Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: Oh, Oleksandriya have caused quite a shock so far this season. Could they go onto win the whole UPL? The Ukrainian Leicester? It’s unlikely but one thing’s for sure, Arsenal Kyiv are awful. My vendetta against Ravanelli as a coach continues. They won’t be able to match Volodymyr Sharan’s men. Comfortable victory. 2-0
Stefan’s prediction: ‘It’s a top versus bottom clash with Oleksandriya unbeaten so far. Easy home win I think.’ 3-0
RESULT: 1-0 : Tsurikov (58′)
Mariupol v Dynamo Kyiv 
(GAME POSTPONED: PLAYED ON 26/09/18)
Todos’ prediction:There’s talk of this match being postponed for some reason. Not entirely sure as to why when Sunday would seem relatively logical for these European competing teams to meet. Either way, Dynamo will be too strong for the Azov side whenever this fixture is eventually fulfilled. 0-3
Stefan’s prediction:‘This will be a tough trip for Dynamo but I think their form and confidence will overcome Mariupol’s leaky defence.’ 1-2

RESULT: 0-2: Verbic (7′) , Tsyhankov (24′) 
Chornomorets Odesa v Desna Chernihiv

Todos’ prediction: Chornomorets have somehow outperformed themselves so far this season. After Oleksandria, they’ve definitely been the most surprising team. However, this week I feel they will suffer another defeat at the hands of Desna who have a more distinguished attacking force. 1-2
Stefan’s prediction:  ‘An early mid-table clash with plenty of goals.’ 2-2
RESULT: 1-0 : Smirnov (72′)

MATCHDAY 4 – H2H WINNER:  

 FOLLOW ZORYA LONDONSK WEEKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on IG
⚽ Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Twitter
⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook

GUEST LEADERBOARD (UPDATE IN PROGRESS)

Total scores after week 4
Todos
180
Guests
190
Todos v Guests
P4
W2
D0

L2

ANDRIY YARMOLENKO – AN IN DEPTH OVERVIEW

Andriy Yarmolenko – An Overview 

Another Premier League season kicks off this Friday with an added impetus for the average Ukrainian football fan and supporter. The Ukraine National Team poster boy and their second all time top goalscorer, Andriy Yarmolenko, has finally graced the world’s greatest league after years of links and speculation. Ever since, a few of his performances at Euro 2012 caught the eye, many top clubs’ scouting set ups have familiarised themselves with, the left footed, right sided winger. However, it is only now at the age of 28 that the 6ft2 forward has decided to make the move and take the risk. 
Historically, Ukrainians and the Premier League have not had the best of relationships. Difficulty in adapting to the league’s physical style, no winter break, a lack of playing time and supposedly even the weather have affected Yarmolenko’s countrymen before him. Some have questioned whether the move away from Dynamo Kyiv last summer was too late for him in his career, with many citing his time at Dortmund as an underwhelming disappointment. Despite this, the rest of this piece will aim to draw a more rounded analysis of Yarmolenko’s talents, traits and weaknesses and aim to predict whether he has what it takes to prove himself in front of the London Stadium crowd week in, week out.

A Short History of Ukrainians in Premier League


Before Yarmolenko gets a look in, it’s important to see where his compatriots fell short, when they arrived on the shores of Britain. Oleksandr Yevtushok was the first Ukrainian to get given a run around in the Premiership when he signed for Coventry in 1997. He failed to set the league alight as Coventry battled with relegation and the defender left after making just three league appearances in his only season at the club. 
Dynamo Kyiv legends, Oleh Luzhny and Serhiy Rebrov were next to try their luck, making their moves after impressing most of Europe in Valeriy Lobanovsky’s Dynamo side during the late 1990s. Luzhny moved to one part of North London, donning the Arsenal red whilst Rebrov moved just down the road to play for Spurs at White Hart Lane. 
Luzhny’s career in England can largely be looked back on as a success. Whilst he was never a permanent starter during his time at Highbury, he was a willing back up right back that ended up with a league title and an FA Cup medal. His time in England, as a player, ended at Wolves after which he moved into coaching. However, London has maintained a special place in his heart, as his family still live here and its also not too odd to catch glimpse of him around Mayfair, usually around the Christmas period. 
On the other hand, things didn’t work out as well for Rebrov. With an £11 million price tag weighing him down at Spurs, things never really clicked. After George Graham, the manager who brought him to the club, was sacked it marked the beginning of the end for the once prolific forward’s time in the Premier League. He never managed to emulate his 9 goal debut season and ended his time in England in the Championship with none other than West Ham United. 
£30 million Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea after the 2006 World Cup and was subject to a similarly torrid time, akin to that of Torres at the club. Aged 30, his career was beginning to wane and whilst he does have some memorable performances to list whilst at Chelsea, he will forever be tarnished as a flop when weighed up against his price tag. 
A ponytailed Andriy Voronin aka The Ukrainian Emile Heskey, docked into Merseyside, not too long after his namesake, Sheva, had moved to West London. Joining on a free, Voronin didn’t have the best of experiences during his time in England; famously stating he was homesick whilst also slating British women and the weather in the process. After 5 league goals and a loan spell away from Anfield, he left the club for good. Last season’s Champions, Manchester City, had a Ukrainian in their ranks. Oleksandr Zinchenko was moulded into a left back by Pep Guardiola despite being an attacking midfielder by trade. This position change did give him game time, deputising whilst Mendy and second choice, makeshift left back Fabian Delph were both out injured but despite winning a Premier League medal, the young player still seemed underwhelmed by his lack of consistent playing time. It seems a move to Wolves is on the cards for him. We anticipate that with more minutes on the pitch and playing in his more favoured position, he will be able to reach his full potential once he’s into life in the West Midlands. 
The commonalities many Ukrainians face in the Premier League seems to come down to playing time. Usually not first choice for the managers that bring them in or not given enough time to bed in due to the highly competitive nature of the league has meant that Ukrainians have as of yet, not been able to show the PL their full capabilities. Yarmolenko could buck this trend. 

The Dynamo Days


Andriy Yarmolenko was a stalwart in Dynamo Kyiv’s starting XI since his debut aged 17. Throughout his time at the Ukrainian capital’s most famous club, he was consistent in scoring or assisting goals. As a right sided winger, he was never supposed to be the side’s primary source of goals but on many occasions he did just that. Whilst highly talented with his left foot, it is true that his right footed exploits left and still leave a lot to be desired. However, to say that this is predictable and as a result, easy to shut him out of the game is wrong. Time and time again, in both the Champions League and the Europa League, Yarmolenko made a mockery of opposition left backs with his step overs, cut backs and through balls to overlapping wing backs. Famously he caused Roberto Martinez’s Everton countless problems, scoring a screamer in the process. 
In his later Dynamo years, as the UPL’s competitiveness and quality began to crumble as bankruptcy, the annexation of Crimea and the war with Russia began to take its toll on Ukrainian sport, Yarmolenko began to excel. Some could conclude that this was down to his weakened surroundings but this type of analysis does little to explain his instrumental performances in Europe and for the National Team. It is much more likely that from around the age of 25, Andriy Yarmolenko had finally matured as a professional footballer, taking on the responsibility of captaincy at Dynamo on occasion, before taking it permanently, once Shovkovskiy ceased to play regularly. In addition to this, he began to lead more on and off the pitch, becoming an influential character in the dressing room for younger players and taking on the responsibility of being the talisman for Ukraine’s biggest supported club, harnessing the role model duties that came with it.
Whilst at Dynamo, no transfer window was complete without speculation of Yarmolenko moving to a top European league. AC Milan was regularly mooted, whilst Stoke City and Everton were also constantly linked with the player. His aspirations always seemed to fixate on a higher calibre of club than these respective teams and as a result that’s probably why he waited for so long to leave. Once Dortmund called, it was now or never, hence why he made the jump. After 137 goals and 90 assists in competitive games for the White and Blues, it was time for him to truly test himself in a top European environment surrounded by and facing up against world class talent on a regular basis.

Dortmund – Die Scapegoat


Yarmolenko moved to Dortmund at a time when the club found itself in a weird period of semi-transition. Thomas Tuchel had been sacked at the end of the previous season and the direction Dortmund wanted to move forward in looked unclear. Over €100 million had been made available from the sale of Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona, whilst a lot of the club’s stalwarts had reached a late stage in their careers. Peter Bosz was appointed as Tuchel’s replacement, after just one promising season at Ajax. It was also around this time that Aubameyang had started to become restless began to push for a move away. Enter Yarmolenko. Dortmund began their league season strongly. Yarmolenko scored a stunner against Spurs, at Wembley, on his Champions league debut, which ended in a 3-1 defeat. All seemed well as Dortmund sat top of the Bundesliga going into the October International break. However, weaknesses in BVB’s defence and midfield were beginning to show and Dortmund’s season began to crumble as the Bundesliga resumed. Yarmolenko was still regularly contributing assists and the odd goal but Dortmund were being outscored consistently. 
As the fans began to get restless, many on social media began to portray Yarmolenko as one of the primary scapegoats. He was playing inconsistently and missing a handful of chances, but this was not directly leading to the team’s eventual defeats. Andriy’s teammates were also not replicating the kind of form they showed earlier on in the season. Bosz, seemed to have run out of ideas and the whole squad’s negative aura was clear to see. Yarmolenko, was dropped on a number of occasions but the overall team’s performances failed to change. It was clear that Yarmolenko was not the primary cause of the problem despite many laying blame on his missed chances and lack of tracking back.
Peter Stöger replaced Bosz in December 2017 and Yarmolenko seemed to fall out of favour with the new manager. Added to this was a serious Achilles injury that Yarmolenko picked up in training and this led him to miss a majority of the second half of the season. With youngsters Pulisic and Sancho given first team roles under Stöger, this meant Yarmolenko was limited to very brief cameo appearances from the bench once he did make his injury comeback. A new season could not come soon enough for the Ukrainian. Despite such an overwhelming negative analysis from fans and commentators on his first season at the Westfalenstadion, Yarmolenko’s performances weren’t as bad as they were being made out. 
Statistically, he was scored 6 goals and provided 6 assists in just 26 appearances across all competitions for the club. He was involved in the build up of many other goals, linking particularly well with Kagawa and Aubameyang, when they played together. He was only allowed to complete 90 minutes, a total of 9 times across those 26 appearances. This may call into question his fitness levels, but it was also a result of the circumstances that the team found itself in. The likes of Pulisic, Phillip or Sancho were brought on with the hope of changing the game; which they rarely did. By never allowing Yarmolenko to complete games, this meant he was never fully able to solidify his fitness levels and as a result began to drop off in the latter stages due to the previous early substitutions at around 60 minutes. Alongside this, an unfortunate injury meant that Yarmolenko experienced an uphill task of trying to persuade Peter Stöger to include him in his plans toward the end of the season, as Stöger opted for a rather unattractive style of football which did not factor in Yarmolenko’s flair and guile on the pitch. Added to this, Aubameyang left during the winter window and the club seemed to be in a state of limbo, with Stöger tasked merely with getting Dortmund into Europe through any means possible and his no nonsense, direct approach had no room for Yarmolenko. 
In hindsight, Yarmolenko’s move to Germany was probably a right one but it had unfortunately come at the wrong time, with the club in its mini crisis period. He was given little opportunity to try and help avert this crisis, on the pitch, with the demands of keeping within touching distance of Bayern, meaning world class performances were to be consistent and immediate. The Dortmund medical and physio staff should also be cited as potentially hampering Yarmolenko’s season, as a number of other key members of the squad including January loan signing Batshuayi succumbed to serious and lengthy injuries despite not having injury prone histories. Whilst short lived, Yarmolenko’s brief time on the pitch at Dortmund showed he was capable of quality, be that through his delivery, link up play or his adaptive finishing ability, which on one occasion saw him score an audacious back heel. If he is to progress in the Premier League, he needs to be able to recreate these kinds of performances against the top sides. 
His team records against British clubs aren’t the best but his individual statistics are quite impressive:

West Ham United – A New Epoch Under Manuel Pellegrini

This summer has seen West Ham rebuild. Rather than arriving into another crisis, Yarmolenko is embarking on the start of a new era at West Ham. Coming into their third season at the London Stadium, the fans should be settled. With 52,000 season tickets sold, it seems that the supporters are excited and optimistic about the Pellegrini tenure and his new recruits. Whilst this move caught many off guard, Yarmolenko must have been reassured enough by Pellegrini that he was an intrinsic part of his new look squad and playing style. With Yarmolenko expected to start in his favoured RW position, Arnautovic in the CF role and Felipe Anderson out on the left, West Ham could hold one of the league’s most underrated attacking forces. 

Yarmolenko showed glimpses of quality against Wycombe Wanderers on his pre season debut, linking well with his RB, Fredericks, but has since suffered an injury which the club seems to releasing little information about. It is still unknown whether he will start against Liverpool in their season opener as he has missed two of their last friendlies. 

Russ Taylor, Sky Sports reporter and regular Soccer Saturday ground roamer wrote in a recent report on Yarmolenko; commenting on whether he will adapt to the Premier League that, “He’s hungry and determined to make a success of this move, especially after his spell at Dortmund. And I think it’s a great bit of business by West Ham.” Russ seems quietly confident that Yarmolenko will prove his Dortmund naysayers wrong and will break the trend of Ukrainians underperforming in the Premier League. On the other hand, Zorya Londonsk recently asked Sam Inkersole, who is the West Ham writer for Football.london on his early thoughts on Yarmolenko having watched every pre season game that Andriy featured in. 
Sam said “Having missed the last two pre-season friendlies, he’s a bit behind the rest at the moment and the full extent of his hip and thigh injuries haven’t been revealed. However, the club do say he’ll be fit for Liverpool. Personally, I’m expecting Michail Antonio to start on the right wing.
He’s got a bit to prove after a difficult season at Borussia Dortmund but showed some real glimpses in pre-season. On the flip side, after about 30 minutes against Ipswich he looked absolutely exhausted.
He’s got stern competition in Antonio who has returned to form well though I still expect Yarmolenko to get the nod when he’s back at full fitness. If he can chip in with 7-10 goals and a few assists, I imagine Pellegrini will be happy.”
Sam seems to be undecided about which Yarmolenko will turn up come the time the season is in full swing. If anything, after a disappointing season last time out, Yarmolenko will have added impetus to perform for his new club after being given such faith from Manuel Pellegrini. He should thrive in the 4-2-3-1 formation, that he has played in for years, at both Dynamo and the national team. It will be important for Yarmolenko to hit the ground running at club level not only for West Ham but also for Ukraine, where he will be vital in providing goals and assists as they aim to get promoted from League B in this coming autumn’s UEFA Nations League.
Zorya Londonsk would like to wish the best of luck to West Ham and Andriy this coming season!

 Click HERE for the link to Russ Taylor’s Yarmolenko piece! 

 Click HERE for the link to Sam Inkersole West Ham Q&A!

UPL MATCH PREDICTOR 2018/19 MATCHDAY 3

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 3

Another week of UPL football has passed and we are yet to be graced with a draw! Dynamo Kyiv left it late to win against FC Lviv, with 19 year old substitute Nazariy Rusyn grabbing his first UPL goal. Meanwhile, Oleksandriya claimed their second consecutive win of the season against a deflated Zorya Luhansk side. Shakhtar returned to the top spot on goal difference after another comfortable victory over lowly Arsenal Kyiv, whilst FC Mariupol moved closer to that coveted Europa League group stage spot by beating Djurgarden 2-1 AET in Odesa. Also, UEFA released their Euro U19 team of the tournament, which included two Ukrainians; Supryaha and Buletsa. We profiled both of them and a few other youngsters in this week’s featured article about the Ukrainian stars of tomorrow. A link to this can be found on the homepage. It’s a big weekend of UPL football ahead, with the Ukrainian El Clasico kicking us off on Friday, which will certainly not be a tame affair. With many teams still looking to get their first wins or points on the board, Matchday 3 could very well pull up some surprises and surely provide us with our first dead heat of the season!


Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 

Donetsk Way (L-R):
Andriy & Stepan Luczka, Petro & Ewhen Chymera

Our third guest of the 2018 – 19 season is Petro Chymera, one of the four founding members of the well known British based Ukrainian football group and online presence, Donetsk Way. Born out of a road trip between four friends; Petro, Ewhen, Stepan and Andriy, the group is named after the road in Sheffield where their 2012 trip began. Since travelling from England to Ukraine for Euro 2012, Donetsk Way has established itself as a respected source on all things Ukrainian football on social media. In addition to this, the group are renowned for being a popular presence at Ukrainian club and national team away games across Europe and are also known to dress up as kozaks on occasion. Petro, primarily runs most of the Donetsk Way social media channels on a day to day basis and has followed all forms of Ukrainian football closely for years as a result. With such an in-depth knowledge of the UPL, Petro will be feeling the pressure in this week’s UPL MATCH PREDICTOR. 

Metalist Kharkiv Ultras v Dnipro – 27/9/2015 

As Petro has followed the UPL for years and persisted through both the highs and lows, we decided to ask him about his views on current state of Ukrainian football and in what direction he sees the UPL moving toward, in the near future. Petro answered “The UPL isn’t anywhere near the standard it once was in the early part of the decade, when Dnipro and Metalist were challenging the duopoly of the UPL and performing well in Europe. The current race behind the top two isn’t as convincing, so it is very much back to a two horse race. Shakhtar and Dynamo are regularly playing in Europe in the spring so this is a positive but the next level teams still need to do more.” 

Petro personally thinks that talk of a potential 16 team league, coming into play from next season, would be beneficial as it would avoid teams playing the same side four times a year. “SIX Clasicos a year, with the Super Cup and an inevitable Ukrainian Cup game is too much!” That said Petro admits “it is no good raising the league up to 16 teams if it is going to mean teams are pulling out mid-season like they did previously. Attendances last season were generally poor too, so getting the fans back in stadiums needs to be a priority.”

With the first UPL El Clasico of the season occurring on Friday, Petro was also asked whether he believed the result of this early derby would have any impact on who wins the championship in May? Petro responded astutely; “With another potential three Clasico’s left, I don’t think this will be the decider! Last season Shakhtar didn’t win a single Clasico but still won the league and Dynamo did the same a few years back under Rebrov, so getting the job done elsewhere is just as, if not more important.” Despite being a Dynamo fan, Petro remains realistic when it comes to assessing both of the teams’ current standings. “Dynamo and Shakhtar have won their opening games, albeit the Donbas side have done so in more convincing style. Shakhtar are currently more experienced with Dynamo having lots of new faces and young players, so the Miners probably edge it at the minute, despite Dynamo’s Super Cup win and my prediction of a Dynamo win this weekend!!”


Andriy Lunin

Finally, before we move onto the predictions, keeping with Zorya Londonsk’s topic of conversation this week; young Ukrainian talent, we asked Petro for his opinion on who he thought looks most promising for the future. “Andriy Lunin has obviously grabbed the headlines with his move to Real Madrid. He’ll probably be 2nd choice but it’ll be interesting to see if he gets any game time or even a loan move. It’s about time someone replaced Andriy Pyatov as Ukraina No.1!” 

Moving onto the UPL, Petro feels it’s time for the likes of Tsyhankov and Besedin to show their true worth at Dynamo, “they may be promising but can they deliver?” He adds that the same goes for Viktor Kovalenko at Shakhtar, “he looked a world beater a few years back, but his progression has seemingly stalled.” Petro also thinks it will be interesting to see if any of the Ukraine squad who reached the semi finals of the U19 Euros get any game time this season.


DONETSK WAY’S SOCIAL LINKS:


Go and give Petro Chymera and Donetsk Way a follow or like by clicking the links to their various social media pages found below and also check out the the Donetsk Way website for loads more Ukrainian football related content: 

⚽Donetsk Way Website 

⚽Donetsk Way on IG

⚽Petro Chymera on Twitter

⚽Donetsk Way on Twitter

⚽Petro Chymera on  Facebook 

⚽Donetsk Way on Facebook

PREDICTION ZONE


A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.


FRIDAY

Dynamo Kyiv v Shakhtar Donetsk


Todos’ prediction: With both teams back up to full match fitness now the season is in full swing, I see this ending in a draw after a tight but feisty affair. It seems written in the stars for Moraes to score and cue a twenty two man brawl after the resultant celebration.1-1


Petro’s prediction: ‘Possibly heart ruling head here, but Dynamo have edged the recent league meetings and won the Super Cup. It might be a backs against the wall job, but Khatskevich could get another one over Fonseca.’ 2-1

RESULT: 1-0 – Verbic (65′)


SATURDAY


Vorskla Poltava v FC Lviv

Todos’ prediction: Vorskla have disappointed me so far this season whilst FC Lviv were unfortunate last weekend. I see Lviv getting something out of the game. 1-1

Petro’s prediction: ‘Lviv were very unlucky against Dynamo and that last gasp defeat could burst their bubble. Vorskla are too good to keep losing so this is the tie to turn it around.’ 2-0 

RESULT: 1-0 – Careca (83′)



Zorya Luhansk v Chornomorets Odesa

Todos’ prediction: After last week’s shock loss to Oleksandriya, Zorya will hope to bounce back against Chornomorets. With one eye on their Europa League game in midweek, they should do just enough to secure themselves a second win of the season. 2-0 

Petro’s prediction:  ‘Zorya have too much about them for Chornomorets’ 2-0 

RESULT: 1-1 – Rafael Ratao (23′) / Savchenko (59′)


SUNDAY


Karpaty Lviv v Olimpik Donetsk

Todos’ prediction: Like London buses, after two matchdays of no draws in the UPL, not two, but three stalemates will come all at once. Karpaty and Olimpik have strong attacking line ups but are also very susceptible at the back. Both teams will bottle the win. 2-2


Petro’s prediction:  ‘It’s a win a piece so far, but home advantage sways it in Karpaty’s favour for me.’ 2-1

RESULT: 2-2 – Di Franco (32′), Shved (36′) / Kravchenko (58′), Teixera (86′)



Arsenal Kyiv v Mariupol
Todos’ prediction: I said at the start of the season that I wasn’t convinced by Ravenelli’s coaching record and so far I’ve been proven right. Mariupol may very well be exhausted after their AET Europa League win in midweek. They may also have one eye on Bordeaux next Thursday, but I feel they will have just enough energy left to beat this poor Arsenal side. 0-1
Petro’s prediction: ‘Mariupol are the better side but I think their exploits in Europa could distract them.’ 1-0

RESULT: 1-2 – Lola (22′) / Fomin (P) (36′), Boryachuk (44′)




Desna Chernihiv v Oleksandriya

Todos’ prediction: Oleksandriya come into this game with a 100% record but I feel they will come unstuck against a very formidable Desna side, who are still on a high after last week’s battering of Mariupol. 2-1

Petro’s prediction: ‘Desna will be buzzing after their last win, but Olexandriya have started well, I’ve got this one as the first draw of the UPL season.’ 1-1

RESULT: 0-2 – Banada (6′), Bondarenko (53′)

MATCHDAY 3 – H2H WINNER: TODOS


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⚽Zorya Londonsk Weekly on Facebook

GUEST LEADERBOARD 

Total scores after week 3
Todos
140
Guests
110
Todos v Guests
P3
W2
D0

L1

THE NEXT GEN 7: YOUNG UP-AND-COMING UKRAINIAN TALENT TO WATCH OUT FOR THIS SEASON

THE NEXT GEN 7:

Ukraine, currently has an abundance of youth players who are vying to make themselves known on the national and international stage. Some have already shown glimpses of their capabilities at senior level, while others are hoping to break into their first teams in the near future. This piece will focus on seven of the most promising young stars that Ukraine has to offer and will aim to shed some light on players that are relatively unknown to the rest of Europe. (All stats sourced from transfermarkt.com & wyscout.com)

YOUNG UP-AND-COMING UKRAINIAN TALENT


MYKOLA SHAPARENKO

Having exploded onto the scene last season with some impressive cameo performances in the Europa League, and introduced himself to the UPL with a wonder goal against his former club Mariupol, things are truly on the way up for Dynamo’s new number 10! Khatskevich has been bold enough to give the 19 year old the shirt number worn by many a Dynamo legend, showing how much faith the coaching team has in the young man’s talent. Mykola is a player who regularly takes the CAM position but can also play deeper as a CM and slightly more advanced as a CF as seen during the 2018/19 pre season. 

His main attributes are his passing and dribbling. He links the play really well, threading passes into forwards and creating openings for the wide players. Whilst he has yet to score many goals for Dynamo, he is capable of finishing in spectacular fashion. He scored in his only game for Ukraine U21’s back in March and that was with his head, so he seizes any opportunity he can to have a positive impact on the game. In terms of his playing style, it could be compared to that of David Silva, providing precise passes for team mates and being able to drive at players at speed. Shevchenko has already featured him in two matches for the Senior NT and as long as Shaparenko remains consistent he should develop into a key player for both the national and club sides in the future.

NAZARIY RUSYN


Nazariy Rusyn has made quite the name for himself at Dynamo, despite having only made 4 substitute appearances for the senior side. He has only played a total of 51 minutes for the first team, over a 3 season period but has scored 3 goals, with his only 3 shots on goal. He certainly has taken his chance to impress every time he has been given the opportunity. Having scored his first UPL goal against his boyhood club, FC Lviv, less than a couple of minutes after coming onto the pitch, it seems Nazariy will be getting more of a chance to express himself as the current season progresses. His performances for the Dynamo U21 side last season were impressive, boasting a 0.76 goals per game ratio, showing that he’s very consistent in front of goal. 

He boasts a strong build, which adds strength to his game. Allowing him to shrug off defenders and hold the ball up well in addition to his own finishing ability. FC Lviv’s owner was interviewed by FootballHub after Rusyn’s winner against his old side. The owner, who knows Rusyn very well, compared the young striker to Andriy Shevchenko. This is high praise. Rusyn commenting on his career goals, in a live call in interview to ProFootball on 2+2, said he wanted to break the UPL goalscoring record and then move onto Real Madrid. This season looks certain to be his breakthrough, being one of only two strikers in Khatskevich’s UPL squad alongside Biesedin. As the latter is in hardly prolific goalscoring form at the moment, it may well be the perfect opportunity to test Rusyn’s potential by giving him a starting place in the near future.

ROMAN YAREMCHUK

Yaremchuk may well be turning 23 in November but he is still a young talent to watch out for this season. He has already established himself in Belgium with his breakthrough coming last year. He scored 9 goals for Gent in total and had already shown glimpses of his attacking ability whilst on loan at Oleksandriya in the UPL previously. He has so far started this season well; he was prolific in pre season and scored in the opening day defeat to Standard Liege. 

He could be a very important player for Gent this season as long as he doesn’t succumb to any serious injuries, which seemed to affect him last time out. As a result he has yet to make his National Team debut but it looks quite certain that he will get another opportunity to fulfil this, come the Nations League in the autumn. Roman certainly looks a natural finisher, being able to nick a header, hold off defenders and possesses a bit of pace which allows him to drift out wide on occasion and provide assists. He currently looks like the most suitable solution to the National Team striker problem that has plagued the senior side since Sheva retired. 

VIKTOR TSYHANKOV

Probably the most well known young Ukrainian football talent across Europe at the moment is Viktor Tsyhankov. Having been named in UEFA’s Top 50 young stars to watch this season, he will be under pressure to emulate last season’s form. He made a massive contribution last year for Dynamo in the Europa League, the UPL and in the Cup. His performances seem to suggest he is a more than suitable replacement for Andriy Yarmolenko, who left the club last summer. 

Viktor can play on either wing, with stats showing he is performs better on the left. However, with Benjamin Verbic, more than likely claiming that wing this season, Tsyhankov will be playing on the right more frequently. He scores goals, gets assists, and is a very good dribbler. He is a good all round technical footballer but he is still young. As a result Viktor should not be criticised too harshly for inconsistency at this early stage of his career. He has yet to perform at his full potential so far this season but hopefully he can push on with the Champions League qualifiers coming up and unleash some of last season’s prolific form again. If Dynamo are to challenge for a domestic double and a European trophy this season, Tsyhankov will need to be at the top of his game, as he is such an influential player in this current squad squad.

ANDRIY LUNIN


It has been quite the summer for the former Dnipro and Zorya Luhansk goalkeeper. Having had a solid season with Zorya, playing in the Europa League group stages and helping his side to a fourth place finish in the UPL, rumours began to surface about top European clubs taking an interest in him. He has since secured a dream move to Real Madrid and made his unofficial debut in a friendly match against Manchester United. His strongest attributes are that he is a great shot stopper which is complimented by quick and sharp reflexes.  He is also an accurate distributor of the ball, being consistent when passing or throwing it to his defenders or to players further up the pitch.

It seems he will be the third choice keeper at Real for the time being, but the experience of training alongside Navas and the potential likes of Courtois will be invaluable to his development. Let’s hope he gets a few cup appearances or even goes on loan to another La Liga side to get match practice. He currently looks to be the most appropriate future replacement to Andriy Pyatov as Ukraine’s national team Number 1.

VLADYSLAV SUPRYAHA


Vladislav Supryaha is the youngest player on our Next Gen 7 list. At only 18, he is plying his trade in the Persha Liha (Second tier of Ukrainian football) for SK Dnipro – 1, having previously been a youth team member at former UPL side FC Dnipro. He had a successful season last year, scoring 7 goals in 28 appearances and will look to build on that this time round. He produced very good performances at the European U19 championships in Finland, scoring a superb individual goal against reigning champions England.

If he remains consistent this season, his efforts should reward him with a place in the U20 World Cup squad, where he will be able to show off his talent on an international stage. He has so far demonstrated that he has an abundance of pace, great ball control and holds natural finishing ability. On the back of his performances in the Euros, it looks inevitable that he will be snapped up by a bigger club if SK Dnipro -1 fails to gain promotion to the UPL at the end of this season.

 

SERHIY BULETSA


Serhiy Buletsa is another promising CM who can also play in a more advance attacking position, as he did in the European U19 Championships. Throughout the group stages he looked like Ukraine’s best player, scoring goals, feeding passes, dribbling at speed and delivering balls into the box. His dribbling style is reminiscent of Messi; keeping the ball close to his feet whilst travelling quickly and gliding past the opposition with ease. He is a composed finisher who has an eye for long shots; in this aspect you can draw similarities between him and Ukraine’s senior number 10, Yevhen Konoplyanka. 

He certainly has a promising career ahead of him. Yet to make an appearance for the senior Dynamo side, it seems more than likely that his chance will come at some point this season. He has a further opportunity to increase his reputation at next year’s U20 World Cup, where he will hope to emulate the performances of a young Viktor Kovalenko in 2015. Serhiy certainly looks like an exciting prospect for both Dynamo and the senior Ukraine side in the coming future. 


UPL MATCH PREDICTOR 2018/19 MATCHDAY 2

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 2

What a week of football it’s been. Dynamo Kyiv narrowly won the Super Cup in Odesa last weekend. FC Lviv rose to the top of the UPL table and Chornomorets got a shock win against Olimpik Donetsk! FC Mariupol began their pursuit of a Europa League group stage spot by drawing their first leg 1-1 away to Djurgarden of Sweden. There were also some highs and lows for the Ukraine U19 side who qualified for next years FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland. Having topped their group in the EURO U19 Championships, they were then heavily beaten in the semi final 5-0 by a superior Portugal team. All the UPL sides will have to put last week’s results to one side and push on with the continuing new season as we enter Matchday 2. With no draws in the last round of fixtures is it possible that this phenomena can carry on into this week? Let’s hope so!
Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 
Jack Cowap (L) & James Deacon (R) – Rylands Heath

Our second guest of the 2018 – 19 campaign is Jack Cowap, one half of the Luton based indie pop duo ‘Rylands Heath’. Jack and his college friend, James Deacon, started the group in 2016. Since then they’ve played at Birmingham’s ValeFest on multiple occasions, supported the Marsicans, performed at Jimmy’s Festival in Ipswich and were one of the opening acts for the 2017/18 Luton Town FC promotion celebration in the town centre.  Commenting on this Jack says “Yeah we’ve been lucky to do some really cool shows— the Luton celebration was probably the biggest crowd we’ve played to so was really cool. We even threw in some football chants for the locals (Woke up this morning feeling fine / I’ve got promotion on my mind / Nathan’s taking us up like he said he would…)” No doubt a classic on the terraces of Kenilworth Road!  Asked about what’s coming up in the near future for Rylands Heath, Jack replied “We’ve been fairly quiet at the moment,  just writing and planning for post-Uni activities! But we have got a gig coming up on 17th Aug in High Wycombe with a really cool band Only Sun who’ve got a sound I really love.” Onwards and upwards lads!

Alongside his musical talents, Jack is a passionate follower of football. He’s a big Liverpool fan but also regularly keeps tabs on  his local Luton Town side. Now he’s finished university he hopes to get to see more Luton games, revealing that the downside of Liverpool excelling under Klopp has meant it’s much harder to get tickets for Anfield. As a result it’s an easier option to stay local. 
With Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, being host to Liverpool’s Champions League final humiliation in May, Jack was asked whether the Merseyside outfit could build on this for the coming season. He said “It was a very tough night for me watching it down the pub (accompanied by none other than Mr Todos). I feel bad for Karius but you can’t complain when you splash £60 million on a new keeper alongside Keita and Fabinho. As a result I think we can come back stronger this year.” Unfortunately for Jack and Liverpool, they face Andriy Yarmolenko’s West Ham in their Premier League season opener, so it’s certain that last season’s despair will carry on until at least the Premier League’s second week! 
Finally we asked Jack about his knowledge of the UPL and Ukrainian football in general. He admitted “I don’t know too much but having lived with Andrew during my time at university meant I got a little bit of information every now and then. However, now this new blog is up and running I’m sure I’ll be an expert in no time!” 

RYLANDS HEATH SOCIAL LINKS:



Go and give Jack Cowap and Rylands Heath a follow and like by clicking the links to their various social media pages found below and also check out their Spotify and Youtube Channel for more of a listen to their music:

🎸Rylands Heath website

🎵Rylands Heath on IG

🎤Jack Cowap on IG

🎶Rylands Heath on Twitter

🎹Rylands Heath on Facebook

🎥Rylands Heath Youtube Channel

🎧Rylands Heath on Spotify 


PREDICTION ZONE


A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.

SATURDAY


Oleksandriya v Zorya Luhansk

Todos’ prediction: 1-2 – Oleksandriya will put up a fight but Zorya’s extra quality will see them over the line with back to back wins.
Jack’s prediction: 2-0

RESULT: 1-0 – BANADA (85′)



FC Lviv v Dynamo Kyiv
Todos’ prediction: 0-2 – Dynamo looked promising against Vorskla midweek but the awful weather prevented any real football from being played. Dynamo should win comfortably at the Arena Lviv.  
Jack’s prediction: 1-0 – Jack predicts a big shock in this game! He justifies his hunch by saying “Luton Airport are running new flights to Lviv from this summer so they could become my team. Also got to have at least one upset.” 


RESULT: 0-1 – RUSYN (90+2′)

SUNDAY


Karpaty Lviv v Chornomorets Odesa


Todos’ prediction: 3-0 – After the disappointing result Karpaty got last week, they’ll be wanting to bounce back with a confident win against an early overachieving Odesa side.
Jack’s prediction: 2-2 – “It’s going to be an open game with someone giving up a 2-0 lead (the most dangerous score line in football).” 


RESULT: 1-0 – SHVED (16′)

Olimpik Donetsk  v Vorskla Poltava

Todos’ prediction: 1-1 – Definitely won’t be the most entertaining game but both sides have some good forwards so I see a score draw.
Jack’s prediction: 0-0 – “This one is going to be a snoozefest and both will remain without a win.” 


RESULT: 1-0 – BALASHOV (52′)



Mariupol v Desna Chernihiv

Todos’ prediction: 0-1 – Desna showed determination despite losing to Shakhtar last time out and with Mariupol having one eye on their Europa League second leg on Thursday, the Chernihiv outfit will look to get their first ever UPL three points.
Jack’s prediction: 2-1 – A close game just edged out by Mariupol 


RESULT: 1-4 – VAKULA (68′) / KHLYOBAS (3′,22′), FILIPPOV (59′,78′)



Shakhtar Donetsk v Arsenal Kyiv

Todos’ prediction: 5-0 – Shakhtar will be non repentant as they dismantle Ravanelli’s poor Arsenal team. 
Jack’s prediction: 4-0 – A second convincing win from the defending Champions.


RESULT: 3-0 – MORAES (10′), FERNANDO (32′), TAISON (37′)


MATCHDAY 2 – H2H WINNER: ANDREW TODOS 



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GUEST LEADERBOARD 

Total scores after week 2
Todos
80
Guests
90

Todos v Guests
P2
W1
D0
L1

UKRAINIAN PREMIER LEAGUE KIT REVIEW 2018/19



KITS KITS KITS


SHAKHTAR DONETSK 

Shakhtar seem to be keeping last season’s home strip for another season. This seems to be for the best, as last year’s kit looks great and the Nike templates for the coming season look very plain and ordinary. Moving onto the newly released away kit, Nike has adopted a ‘minimalist’ approach. The beige base with subtle stripes is supposedly meant to be inspired by the dust found inside coal mines, as an ode to the history of Shakhtar as their nickname ‘The Miners’ suggests. Overall, the Donbas side’s home colours impress but the away kit leaves much to be desired. 
Shakhtar Home: 8 / 10
Shakhtar Away: 5 / 10

DYNAMO KYIV

Dynamo Kyiv have started the new season with a new kit supplier. New Balance takes over from Adidas after their partnership, spanning over two decades, comes to an end. However, after the unique designs of last season, the new strips seem very underwhelming. The home kit is very basic and seems to be straight out of a team wear catalogue. However, with the sponsor, the strip looks considerably better. Collars should be left for school PE kits and rugby teams. Unfortunately, New Balance didn’t get this memo and have added a collar to the away jersey. It makes the kit look quite dated but not in a good way. Hopefully NB will pull their finger out next season and employ more competent design and market research teams.
Dynamo Home: 5 / 10
Dynamo Away: 3 / 10

VORSKLA POLTAVA




Last season’s bronze medallists, Vorskla have unveiled some nice, simplistic kits. Whilst the same Adidas template is being used across Europe, for many club and national team away strips such as Belgium and Sweden, they still look quite clean and fresh. Whilst researching for this article, it was pleasing to see how efficient, up to date and easy to navigate the Vorskla website was. Hats off to them. The home kit whilst just plain white, still looks a lot classier than Dynamo’s. The away kit is a direct replica of the new Watford away strip, whilst slightly underwhelming for an English Premier side, it’s perfectly adequate for Vorskla who have a considerably smaller worldwide reach.
Vorskla Home: 7 / 10
Vorskla Away: 6 / 10 

ZORYA LUHANSK


Zorya Luhansk have also got a generic strip for the coming season. They debuted their home strip in their UPL opener against Mariupol. The shirt was missing a sponsor and as a result looked very basic. Last year’s strips with alternately coloured sleeves and shoulder region have been massively downgraded. Once Zorya kick off their European campaign in a couple of weeks, it would be hoped for the sponsorship issue to be rectified. News on the away kit, is so far non existent. Zorya doesn’t seem to do big kit reveals, leaving an element of surprise until the team shows up on the pitch in a new jersey.  The side played in a very old black strip during the pre season but this is unlikely to be used in competitive games. Judging from the past few seasons, the away strip will most likely be exactly the same as the home but in a black variation. 
Zorya Home: 4 / 10
Zorya Away: TBC

OLIMPIK DONETSK

As far as available information goes, Olimpik Donetsk seem to be recycling their kits from the 2017/18 campaign for another year. Only this time they have a new sponsor, in the form of a Kyiv based supermarket with a bee as its mascot. This sponsor doesn’t really compliment the already simple strip. The Joma kits are also very simple and they look neither terrible nor do they excite. Having scoured the Olimpik social media channels, they seem to have played their pre season games under a number of different outdated kits and have even unveiled summer transfers holding a different white away shirt. So it would not be surprising if a kit change occurred again at some point during the duration of the season.
Olimpik Home: 4 / 10
Olimpik Away:  4 / 10

FC LVIV

FC Lviv’s kit partner is Legea, the Italian brand, known for its designs to resonate more with the nineties and early noughties, than with the present day. However, whilst the FC Lviv home strip, which they have carried on over from their last season in the Druha Liha, screams out “Eastern Europe” with its centred badge and chevron design, the away kit is something spectacular. Arguably the best strip in the entire UPL this season, the FC Lviv away shirt looks stunning. The navy top melting into a lighter shade looks really slick and professional, the sponsor compliments the shirt well and the badge is rightfully on the left hand side of the chest. Like Veres’ black away strip from last season with silver accents, FC Lviv take over with another strong kit of the season contender.
FC Lviv Home: 5.5 / 10
FC Lviv Away: 9 / 10

ARSENAL KYIV

Arsenal Kyiv have matched their new Italian manager with an Italian company branded kit. Zeus Sports, a relatively unknown kit supplier are the new manufacturers of the Arsenal Kyiv home and away jerseys. Both home and away strips seem to be relatively basic, reminiscent of Sunday League sides. Attempting to figure out which strip is which and whether the white variant is actually the away kit has been a difficult task. Throughout preseason, Arsenal have played in old Nike jerseys and in the white Zeus attire. So a possibility still remains of it changing altogether to a different Zeus option. Additionally, it seems that Arsenal have yet to secure themselves a sponsor as well, having played FC Lviv without one.
Arsenal Home: 4 / 10
Arsenal Away: 4/10

OLEKSANDRIYA

Oleksandriya’s new bold yellow home kit looks smooth. Almost entirely yellow with black accents and black shorts, Oleksandriya continue to see out their seasons with relatively indifferent kits. They just keep updating them to newer version specifications. With a secure sponsor, that matches the kits colours, the overall design is very sleek and cool. As of yet no information can be obtained as to what the away kits will be, but judging from previous seasons, it will most probably use the same template as the new home version. A black kit and a green kit will most probably be used as the alternatives to the yellow. It is also within possibility that Oleksandriya carry over their away and third kits over from last season. 
Oleksandriya Home: 7 / 10
Oleksandriya Away: TBC

KARPATY LVIV

Karpaty Lviv maintain all three kits that they released last season, only changing their sponsor from Zik TV to Marathon Bet. Overall the kits are quite bespoke and unique, with the green home carrying a traditional Ukrainian embroidery pattern, whilst the white away features some well known Lviv sights on its abdominal region. Joma seems to be a temperamental brand that can pull its finger out when its comes to design but only when it wants to. The Ukrainian National Team also has a bold and unique Joma home and away strip combination.
Karpaty Home:  8 / 10
Karpaty Away: 7 / 10

CHORNOMORETS ODESA

Legea is the official supplier of not one but two UPL teams. Chornomorets have begun the new season wearing last season’s home shirt. It it thus fairly reasonable to deduce that they will be continuing in it for the duration. Black and navy hoops make up the home strip whilst the away is white with two black and navy stripes protruding from the bottom and top. The Legea logo of a man kicking seems to be out of place. The strips would benefit from the Legea text logo instead. Overall, these kits are underwhelming. But this is not surprising for a side which had been relegated last season, miraculously returned and along with other clubs in the UPL is increasingly cash strapped.
Chornomorets Home: 5 / 10
Chornomorets Away: 4 / 10

MARIUPOL

Mariupol are yet another club which has decided to continue with old kits for another season. Despite this, the kits do look relatively good. The dark navy home strip is smart, whilst the sponsor makes it slightly more exciting. On the other hand, the away kit is quite loud. Also a Manchester City third kit from a couple of seasons ago, the orange and purple  works well with the FC Mariupol badge colours. 
Mariupol Home: 7 / 10
Mariupol Away: 6 / 10

DESNA CHERNIHIV

Newly promoted Desna are battling it out with FC Lviv for the best looking kit of the season. Desna’s white home kit with fading upward stripes looks superb. It is simple but it very much works. The away kit, copies the same design as the home but with instead has a dark navy base and lighter blue fading stripes. The away kit really is outstanding. However, as the FC Lviv away kit is the complete package with a complimenting sponsor and a more striking badge, FC Lviv just edges it. 
Desna Home: 8 / 10
Desna Away: 8.5 / 10

UPL MATCH PREDICTOR 2018/19 – MATCHDAY 1

UPL PREDICTOR MATCHDAY 1

It’s almost upon us. After two months away, the UPL returns on Sunday. Due to the Super Cup taking place on Saturday between Shakhtar and Dynamo in Odesa, the first round of top flight matches will stretch all the way into midweek. As with most football leagues across the world, the first few games are always the hardest to predict. With a lot of personnel changes occurring across the Ukrainian Premier League, Zorya Londonsk Weekly’s in house ‘football expert’ will just have to go with his gut when it comes to predicting this week’s results. As we all know pre season friendly games don’t really show us anything worthy of note, in relation to how the rest of the season will truly play out!  

Andrew Todos of Zorya Londonsk Weekly will be making predictions for every UPL game this season, against a variety of guests. 

Our first guest of the 2018 – 19 campaign is Vasyl (Vasya) Maksymiv from Брутальний Футбол, the popular Ukrainian football site which can be also found across all social media platforms. Famous for its funny sport related memes, posts, news and videos it’s no wonder Брутальний Футбол / @BrutFoot has amassed over 118,000 followers on VKontake and over 38,000 followers on Instagram, alongside well supported pages on Facebook and Twitter. Being an avid follower of the UPL himself, Vasya supports both Karpaty Lviv and Dynamo Kyiv in the Ukrainian Top Division. 

With Zorya Londonsk Weekly being a London based blog we also asked Vasya who he follows in the English Premier League. He told us that currently he’s most intrigued by Manchester City. He’s a fan of their playing style and has been drawn in further by their world class talent. However, he does also admit that the Oleksandr Zinchenko factor also plays a role in his regular following of the Mancunian club. 

Image result for yarmolenko west ham
Andriy Yarmolenko

Through Брутальний Футбол (Brutal Football) Vasya also keeps a close eye on Ukrainian players across Europe’s top leagues. With one of those players being Andriy Yarmolenko, who recently moved to London to play for West Ham, we asked Vasya what his views were on the move and how he thought the winger would adapt to the Premier League. Vasya told us “Yarmolenko moved to West Ham at his own risk. He’s a top player. West Ham are a mid table Premier League side. As a result, I believe he’ll play an important role for them and I hope he will show his true ability when playing against all the top sides.” 


BF SOCIAL LINKS:

Go and give Vasya Maksymiv and Брутальний Футбол (Brutal Football) a follow or like by clicking the links to their various social media pages found below and also check out the BF website for loads of Ukrainian language football related content: 

⚽Брутальний Футбол (BF) Website 

⚽Брутальний Футбол (BF) on IG

⚽Vasya Maksymiv on IG

⚽Брутальний Футбол (BF) on Twitter

⚽Брутальний Футбол (BF) on  VKontakte

⚽Брутальний Футбол (BF) on Facebook
  

A correct result (WIN / DRAW/ DEFEAT) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns an extra 40 points.

MD 1 HEAD TO HEAD WINNER: VASYA MAKSYMIV

SUNDAY


Zorya Luhansk v Mariupol

Todos’ prediction: Zorya should edge this one comfortably with Mariupol having one eye on their midweek Europa League qualifier. 3-1
Vasya’s prediction: 2-1

RESULT: 2-1 – Gordienko (50′), Karavaev (85′) / Churko (P) (10′)




Karpaty Lviv v Oleksandriya

Todos’ prediction: Karpaty should start the season off strongly with their new signings after a relatively non chaotic summer against an indifferent Oleksandriya side. 2-1 

Vasya’s prediction: 1-0

RESULT: 0-2 – TSURIKOV (72′), PONOMAR (81′)


Arsenal Kyiv v FC Lviv

Todos’ prediction: I’m still sceptical about the appointment of Fabrizio Ravanelli as the new Arsenal Kyiv manager as he’s still a relatively inexperienced coach. As a result I think the solid core of last season’s Veres team that has since moved to FC Lviv will just edge out the newly promoted side. 0-1
Vasya’s prediction: 1-1

RESULT: 0-2 – VORONIN (28′), Zapadnya (50′)

MONDAY


Chornomorets Odesa v Olimpik Donetsk

Todos’ prediction: I’m predicting a relatively non eventful game but after the woeful season Chornomorets had last time out, I don’t see them starting this one off with any points. 0-1
Vasya’s prediction: 0-0

RESULT: 2-1 – RYZHUK (9′), TATARKOV (65′) / DEHTYAREV (70′)


WEDNESDAY


Dynamo Kyiv v Vorskla Poltava

Todos’ prediction: Taking into account Dynamo’s starts to recent seasons gone by, it’s usually a labored narrow victory that gets them over this first hurdle. Vorskla are a decent side so I am going for a narrow Kyivan win.  2-1
Vasya’s prediction: 3-0

RESULT: 1-0 – DALLKU (OG) (33′)



Desna Chernihiv v Shakhtar Donetsk

Todos’ prediction: Shakhtar have quite a few new players in their squad but I’m expecting them to gel quickly and start strongly with a comprehensive victory. 0-3

Vasya’s prediction: 1-4

RESULT: 0-2 – MORAES (31′), MARLOS (55′)


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GUEST LEADERBOARD


Total scores after week 1
Todos
40
Guests
70
Todos v Guests
P1
W0
D0
L1

GUEST LEADERBOARD


SCORE
GUEST LEADERBOARD
70
Vasya Maksymiv (@Brutfoot)
40
Todos (average after 1 week)