Extra ties stretch Tobol too far

Closing straight
With the season now entering its final third, traditional giants Tobol are trailing leaders FK Aktobe and FC Irtysh Pavlodar by three points and sit just a further three points ahead of surprise contenders FC Kaisar Kyzylorda. Ogai's side fought bravely in the UEFA Cup first qualifying round, losing 2-1 on aggregate to FK Austria Wien, but the coach feels such distractions may have been costly for his side.

'A mean trick'
"The tight schedule played a mean trick on us," said the coach, whose side finished second in 2007. "As many as eight of our players are being regularly called up to national teams. And we also had very tough matches against Austria Wien in the UEFA Cup. But I do not agree we are playing badly. We still have ten games ahead including home fixtures against leaders Aktobe and Irtysh."

Still afloat
Kaisar beat Ogai's side 3-2 on 26 July, and they are defying early-season predictions that their initial league successes were a flash in the pan. "I am not afraid to say that Kaisar's success has everything to do with conscientious work by the players and coaches, sensitive attention from the board and local authorities plus high morale," said their coach Vladimir Nikitenko.

Shakhtyor defeat
Morale is still pretty low at FC Shakhtyor Karagandy who are showing little of the sparkle that saw them finish third last season. They are now tenth after a 1-0 defeat against rock-bottom FK Energetik Pavlodar. "We lack consistency, that is true," conceded coach Ivan Azovskiy, who is also on the staff of the Kazakhstan national team.

Tactical shift
"There are many reasons for these upsets," he added. "I took charge midway through the season. The team were used to playing with three men at the back while I prefer four, the way the national team plays, so the lads needed time to get used to that. We also are very poor finishers and squander a lot of chances. Still, we have to do our best to climb as high as possible."

Hope undiminished
Tenth place would be paradise for FC Ordabasy Shymkent who are plunging toward relegation under Serbian coach Jovaca Nikolić. "I insisted that we buy new players but unfortunately the board could not meet my demands," he complained. Energetik, meanwhile, have picked up eight of their eleven points since Vladimir Linchevsky took charge on matchday 12 but remain bottom. However, the coach said: "The team are still hopeful that we can stay in the top flight."