So, How Do the Experiences Add up?



Although I am biased to CSKA I wondered how the 2 experiences of the weekend matched up against each other, and will try to remain disinterested:


The Football

Unfortunately, there is no competition here, Knyazha are on an upward march and CSKA are on a downward spiral. We were happy to chat during the CSKA game, but the Knyazha match held our attention from beginning to end

CSKA 0 Knyazha 1


The Stadium

Although Chapaevka holds a certain charm it's still a training camp and has plastic pitches. The ground at Boryspil is fit for the Premier League and the seats are in a lot better condition than at most Vische Liha grounds.

CSKA 0 Knyazha 2


The Fans

The CSKA fans are a bunch of nutters and have some misguided views, but they are friendly, know their football and get behind their team. One Knyazha fan actually asked us which team was Knyazha, which would have been daft enough even if it didn't have it written on their shirts.

CSKA 1 Knyazha 2


The Atmosphere

The CSKA boys made some noise, any noise at the Knyazha game was drowned out by techno remixes of Depeche Mode coming from the AIDS awareness festival in the park behind the stadium.

CSKA 2 Knyazha 2


The Booze

Chapaevka has a shop where you can buy beer and it might be hit or miss if they don't keep enough coldies in stock. The kiosks near the ground at Boryspil suffer from the same problem, however Chapaevka has a pub opposite, which is pretty welcoming to foreigners. In Boryspil the only pub I saw was in a cinema, which is never a good omen.

CSKA 3 Knyazha 2


The Programmes

Easy enough to come by and of reasonable quality at Knyazha. At CSKA we didn't get any, as you had to negotiate with the toothless buffoon. Also they looked fairly crap and like more rubbish glorifying hooliganism

CSKA 3 Knyazha 3


The Facilities

Stadium Kolos used to have the worst toilets known to man. They have built some new ones, but by the end of the game they were getting pretty rancid and most people couldn't be bothered to wait in the queue. Where as CSKA play at dynamo's training camp and only the finest porcelain will do when you are faking those pesky UEFA drug tests.

CSKA 4 Knyazha 3


So, there we go Knyazha scores higher in most of the categories that matter, but CSKA win on the strength of their bogs.

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