Vladivostok's eastern promise
Friday 17 March 2006
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Luch-Energia celebrate their promotion at the end of last season (©Vasili Fedorchenko)
FC Luch-Energia Vladivostok's home ground, Dinamo, is just 100 metres from the Sea of Japan. The port city lies in the south-eastern corner of Russia bordering China and North Korea and is home to some of the nation’s most passionate fans. They will have plenty to cheer about this season, which kicks off this weekend, as they look forward to a return to the Premier-Liga for the first time since 1993.
Far East
European football cannot go any further east than this. Vladivostok is on the southern extremity of the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, over 6,000 kilometres from Moscow. FC Tom Tomsk, their nearest top-flight rivals, are a four-hour flight away. Luch's promotion last summer added a whole new dimension to the Russian Premier-Liga. The flight from Moscow can take up to 14 hours and top clubs seize every opportunity to switch ties away from Vladivostok.
It takes us two days to adapt when we travel to Moscow, but when we return home it takes a whole week to get back to normal
Sergei Pavlov
Jet lag
Luch's western-most opponents will have to cross six time zones to play them. Jet lag is a real factor, but according to Luch coach Sergei Pavlov they have it easy. "A switch from Pacific time to Moscow time is easier than the other way around," he said. "It takes us two days to adapt when we travel to Moscow, but when we return home it takes a whole week to get back to normal. It's terrible that none of the scientific recovery programs can help the team. There's no secret recipe here. This whole thing is tougher for us than for anyone else."
'Fatigue'
"One trip to Vladivostok in a comfortable Boeing is not the same as making 30 trips [west] during the course of a season. The flights are more of a problem for us than anyone else. They only have to do it once all year, while we need to work on a special training programme to help us with the fatigue caused by those flights. At first, it was hard to get into the right rhythm, but last year we worked it out and now we manage to look fresh even during away matches."
Pavlov hero
Pavlov has achieved mythic status in Vladivostok since being appointed coach in 2004. He has a reputation for success after taking provincial side FC Tekstilshik Kamyshin into the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Cup and also winning promotion with FC Uralan Elista, FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast, Tekstilshik and now Luch. Bringing top-flight football to Vladivostok is one thing, keeping it there will be quite another. Luch-Energia - which means Ray-Energy - threatened to move to nearby Nakhodka following a dispute over much-needed renovations to their 10,000 capacity Dinamo home. Discussions about a new stadium and training ground often draw more attention than their on-field exploits. "If we can implement a new infrastructure within a year, it will be a real breakthrough for us," director Anatoli Beznyak said. "We need to rebuild the arena in Vladivostok and develop the club base first of all."
'Character and style'
The Premier-Liga is no stranger to the far east, although it's a long time since a top-flight side had to travel to a town where caviar is cheaper than meat and the majority of cars are right-hand drives shipped over on the ferry from Japan. Luch enjoyed top-flight status with local rivals FC Okean Nakhodka for one season, but both clubs were relegated in 1993 and Vladivostok has not had a top-tier team to cheer since. Luch spent five seasons in the second division before suffering a further relegation and it took six years to arrest the decline. Pavlov completed the turnaround. "People here believe we won't finish bottom," he said. "No one is calling on us to lead the league, but there is a hope we will become a tough opponent with our own character and style. That is our main objective."
UEFA Cup goal
Given what Pavlov has achieved elsewhere, some are aiming higher still. "I won't be surprised if we're given the target of reaching the UEFA Cup," Luch captain Vladimir Kazakov said. "Remember what our head coach Pavlov did at Tekstilshik. No one believed in them when he started to work there. But Sergei is a true achiever, and he will never change. That's why there's a holiday mood in Vladivostok now." Europe beware – should Luch reach the UEFA Cup, away matches will take on a whole new meaning.
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