V decisive match selection for the World Cup Russia loses with a minimum score to Romania. The team captain, 34-year-old Spartak player Yuri Stoleshnikov (Danila Kozlovsky) earns a penalty and for some reason decides to shoot him with a “panenka” - weakly, in the center, into the hands of the goalkeeper. Then he throws himself into a rough tackle, gets a red one, is rude to the referee, on the way to the locker room he hits the fan and just doesn't urinate in the camera.
Stoleshnikov will be disqualified for a year. Two passes. The hero is sad and plays rugby. Here his name is the head coach of the FNL "Meteor" team in the port city in the south (a minute before the end we will suddenly be informed that it was Novorossiysk). The president of the club is a stern and beautiful young woman (Irina Gorbacheva). The doctor is also a stern and beautiful young woman (Olga Zueva). Football players don't need anything, they drink beer and play games, the director (Pavel Vorozhtsov), the mayor's protege (Viktor Verzhbitsky), cheats with transfers. The Muscovite, for the sake of order, still pulls himself together, shows the team a good example and leads it to sporting success.
In the directorial debut of the actor Kozlovsky, a gloomy realistic and the sweetest mythological views on football are combined. On the one hand, the authors clearly tried to make everything as reliable as possible. The matches are commented by genuine Genich and Arustamyan, Sychev and Gatagov are dusting for the Meteor team (for some reason, not under their own names and diligently dodging the camera), someone was not too lazy to come up with fan chants. Professional speech sounds rather authentic - minus the mate, but that's as usual.
Out of politeness, we will not disassemble the main intrigue - although it is, firstly, obvious, and secondly, completely, including the final score, is retold in the trailer - but there is nothing fantastic in it either: just look at the finalists of the Russian Cup who were determined the other day ... It is a little strange only that in the recognizable, today's football reality (Neymar at PSG, Iceland made some noise at the Euro, etc.), the World Cup moved from Russia to some other country, since we needed to be selected there; this is not important for history, but it just would seem.
And with all this, the universe of the film is absolutely fabulous. And this is not so much Hollywood, as it might seem from a recognizable formula, as domestic folklore. Starting with the firm belief that all games are negotiable (they write, Leonid Slutsky acted as a consultant for the film), and all the judges are, by definition, venal. In one scene in a very high-status match, a dastardly referee whistles for a non-existent offside position, when the goal has not only been scored, but also had time to thoroughly celebrate. But nothing: if you grab his nose in the room under the stands, he will correct himself.
The "coach" says that character, courage is not only the main thing, but in general the only thing that is required to win. You can recall the Western counterparts - "The Man Who Changed Everything" or, even closer, "Damn United" about Brian Clough - and make sure that they are talking about exactly the opposite. That big sport is philosophy and statistics, tactics and strategy, ethics and aesthetics, God knows what, but in any case, an infinitely complex phenomenon that allows the most different approaches, certainly not just physical education.
Stoleshnikov is an epic hero: a physical education teacher. Note in parentheses, nothing indicates even that he has a coaching license. If he played, it means he can teach. Evidence of at least some work of thought (monitor, circuit with chips) flashes in more than two hours in one installation for a couple of seconds. Stoleshnikov's coaching findings, which we see, are as follows: remove sausage from the diet, drive players in costumes to cut weight, send them to push weights, invite fans to train, go out to play. Look like that's it. And, of course, psychology. Make the guys believe in themselves. To make your eyes shine - that's all. Stay calm and carry on. Yes, we are fat, lazy, inept, and even dishonest, but if we still get up from the stove, we pile on everyone on sheer enthusiasm. Ah, if life hadn’t smashed this great Russian idea into dust over and over again.
As a movie, it is, in general, not ugly. Fyodor Lyass is a good cameraman, Kozlovsky is a pleasant actor, there are a couple of scenes that are almost touching and a couple that are so wild (the choral performance of a song from the movie "You never dreamed of ...") that it's even cute. But the film is definitely forty minutes longer than it should have been. The number of pretty, meaningless shots to music is simply indecent. The humor is not so much from the locker room as from the barracks. The roles of Vladimir Ilyin (a drinking but wise old coach) and Andrei Smolyakov (a demanding but loving father) are made of cardboard. The romantic line is as mechanical as an artificial offside position. Irina Gorbacheva has nothing to do at all; when her heroine introduces herself as the president of the club, it seems that she will be in charge of the feminist agenda, but after a minute it turns out that she is the mayor's daughter.
Both the life of the conventional Filimonov and the life of the lower football divisions in Russia are terribly interesting, in essence, plots. It's a pity that instead of a tragedy or farce, they sent us a motivating video.
Alex Ferguson joined Manchester United as a young 44-year-old coach. No one then, in 1986, suspected that his appearance in the club would be the beginning of a whole era in the history of the "red devils", and he himself would work in a team until old age. Last year, the Scotsman celebrated his 71st birthday.
Although Sir Alex is still as energetic and full of energy as a quarter of a century ago, he decided for himself that it was time to end with victories and titles and start living the quiet peaceful life of a British pensioner.
On May 8, 2013, Ferguson announced that he would retire at the end of the season. He managed to slam the door loudly and win the Premier League with Manchester United for the 13th time in his career. Over the years of service at the club, he managed to win five more FA Cups, win four English League Cup victories and twice lead the Mancunians to triumph in the Champions League. Not everyone is capable of meeting 71 with such a track record, but Sir Alex Ferguson did it.
Jupp Heynckes, 68, Bayern Munich
Jupp Heynckes is the same age as the victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. He was born on May 9, 1945, so it is not surprising that he devoted all his 68 years of his life to victories in the football field. Last season in “Bavaria” turned out to be especially fruitful for Hankes.
Before the start of the 2012/13 Bundesliga, Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund in the Super Cup. The confrontation with the Westphalians continued in the German championship and in the Champions League, which Heynckes also triumphantly conquered. The final chord of the German coach was the success in the German Cup, in the final of which the resistance of Stuttgart was broken.
To the disappointment of Bayern fans, Heynckes decided to follow Ferguson's example to end his football career.
The fans still had the hope that he would return, since in one of the interviews he said that he was only taking a break from work, but on June 16, 2013, he said that at 68 he would no longer coach.
Mircea Lucescu, 67, Shakhtar
Mircea Lucescu suffered a heart attack, got into a serious car accident, but at the age of 67 he still successfully leads Shakhtar Donetsk. Last season, the Romanian specialist once again led the miners to a "double" - a victory in the Ukrainian Championship and Cup.
Lucescu is in no hurry to leave Donetsk - his ambitions and strength will still be enough to one day lead Shakhtar to victory in the Champions League or even in the United Championship.
Even if it will take many, many more years.
Jesualdo Ferreira, 67, Sporting CP
During his tenure as Porto coach a few years ago, Jesualdo Ferreira has firmly inscribed his name among the team's most successful coaches. He won the national championship three times, twice - the Cup and once - the Super Cup.
But with age, the specialist has lost his grip. Over the past year, he led Sporting and led them to worst result in the history of the club - to the seventh place.
It is gratifying that after the failure he did not go to write a statement to the pension fund, but took over the reins of Braga, which finished the Portuguese championship in fourth place. The 67-year-old coach has not yet said his last word.
, 66 years old, Anji
After the failure with the Russian national team in the selection for the World Cup and with the Turkish national team in the Euro qualification, Guus Hiddink was reminded of his very middle age.
But all doubts about his professional suitability were dispelled when the Dutchman took over the leadership of Anji Makhachkala.
First, he led the team to the fifth place, the best in its history, in the Russian championship. A year later, he won bronze medals in the Premier League with the Dagestan team. In the wake of such success, rumors spread that Hiddink would nevertheless soon retire to rest on his laurels, but he decided to continue working. The Dutchman will mentor Anji players next season, having already 66 years of life behind him.
Dick Advocaat, 65, PSV
Dick Advocaat's unsuccessful performance with the Russian national team at Euro 2012 did not greatly upset. After leaving the team, he quickly found new employers in the person of PSV. With the Eindhovens, he won the Dutch Super Cup and finished second in the Dutch championship. The result is quite good for a 65-year-old coach.
At the end of the season, the lawyer said that he no longer wants to work at the club, but is ready to lead some national team.
Perhaps he should pay attention to some country that pays its citizens the largest pensions. Indeed, for successful work with the team, they will be able to help him with obtaining citizenship, and then a comfortable old age will come.
, 63, Arsenal
After the departure of Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger did not become the oldest coach in the Premier League - Harry Redknapp and Brian Kidd are older than him.
But according to the results, they cannot be compared with the French specialist.
Arsenal may not have won any significant trophies for several years now, but Wenger is still a favorite of the Gunners' fans. With him, the club never sank deep into standings Premier League and has consistently participated in the Champions League. Only Wenger has such stability in his seventh decade.
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After young and energetic Pepa Guardiola“Bavaria” put on experience. The Munich grandee already had the oldest coach in the Bundesliga, and now it looks like it will be the oldest in Europe - at least among colleagues working at the elite level. According to German media, 72-year-old Herr Heynckes ready to briefly resume his career after four years of inactivity for the sake of the Munich club. A wonderful occasion to conduct a census of the Old World's long-lived mentors.
When compiling the rating, we set the search framework wide enough so that inadvertently none of the honored veterans offend - 30 top divisions according to the UEFA rating, all the national teams of Europe and, as a bonus, China, which now welcomes not only elderly football players, but also pre-retirement (and sometimes retirement) age.
Luigi Delneri (Udinese) - 67 years 1 month 13 days
The old-timer Calcho remains one of the most sought-after trainers in his homeland. Luigi never shied away from offers, from which the luminaries of the shop turned their noses contemptuously - that's why he avoided long pauses in his career. The fans associate the name Delneri with Chievo, which he visited twice and where at the beginning of the century he was awarded the title of coach of the year. But there are more serious brands in his track record - such as Porto, Roma, Juventus. Since the fall of 2016, Delneri has been mentoring Udinese, and he does it well, since he has received a new contract for signing before the start of the season.
(Arsenal) - 67 years 11 months 13 days
Arsen and Arsenal are as inextricably linked in the minds of people as London and Big Ben, Russia and the Bears. There were other periods in Wenger's life too, but so long ago that they may seem fictional. For more than two decades, the Frenchman has been in command of the London "Gunners" - and he still hasn't fed up! With Monsieur Wenger, Arsenal have won more than a dozen national trophies - only with international ones it did not work out. It hasn’t worked out yet - after all, he will still fight ...
Lars Lagerbek (Norway national team) - 69 years 2 months 19 days
Lars did not succeed as a big player - but a strong coach came out. For nine years, Lagerbek worked in the national team of his native Sweden - in tandem with his colleague Söderberg and independently, and after 60 he decided to leave the notorious comfort zone and went to Nigeria. We owe it to him for the unforgettable Icelandic team that charmed the world in the summer of 2016 in France. And at the beginning of 2017, Lagerbek rushed to the rescue of his Norwegian neighbors, where he got the opportunity to systematically prepare the national team for the next cycle (even such a master was almost unrealistic to fix anything in this).
Marcello Lippi (China national team) - 69 years 5 months 24 days
For the past five years, football in the Celestial Empire Lippi has been raising it. Why not, if in Europe everything that can be won, and in Asia your services are more than generously paid? For four seasons, the 2006 world champion served in good faith with Guangzhou Evergrande, and in the fall of 2016 he went to the national team for promotion. With a salary of $ 20 million a year ...
Giampiero Ventura (Italy) - 69 years 8 months 22 days
The decision of Italian football officials to entrust the "blue squadron" to Ventura was, to put it mildly, ambiguous in the Apennines. Confused by the portfolio of the candidate: not a single serious trophy for sports life... A successful start in qualifying Ventura dispelled public skepticism, but not for long - before the devastating defeat by the Spaniards in September. In order to revive faith in the national team in the nation - and his organizational skills at the same time - Ventura, by all means, needs to win the playoffs and not go foolishly in Russia. Otherwise, even a valid contract may not save you from dismissal.
(Netherlands national team) - 70 years 9 days
Our good old friend was going to end his career at the end of the 2016/17 season, but he extended it at the urgent request of the officials of the Netherlands Football Union. The Little General could not leave his native team in trouble, whether he would be able to save - a big question. Three points behind the second place left Orange no room for error in the last rounds of qualifying. By themselves, victories over Belarus and Sweden do not yet guarantee orange tickets to play-offs- they also have to be large enough. In case of equality of points, the goal difference will be taken into account first of all, and it is still much worse for the Dutch than for the Swedes - +5 versus +11. If Dick still manages to break through to the final, it will be beautiful ending careers - in a country where they love and remember.
("Crystal Palace") - 70 years 1 month 27 days
Heading the club of childhood and youth, Hodgson beautifully looped his football history... It's hard to even dream of a more symbolic career finish - it's not for nothing that he abandoned the Chinese millions in the summer. Young people are not yet too respectful of their "grandfather": Pellegrino won 1: 0, Guardiola - 5: 0, Mourinho - 4: 0. Seven rounds - 0 points - after such a start, any shareholder will lose their nerves. But Hodgson is too iconic for British football to be judged by the same yardstick. He has not yet exhausted his credit of trust.
(Lokomotiv) - 70 years 4 months 24 days
Yuri Palych is still an effective "machinist" at the 71st year - take a look at RFPL table if you still doubt it. It is difficult to determine who gave more to whom - Lokomotiv to Semin or Semin to Lokomotiv - and is it really necessary? Almost all of their medals and trophies "railroad workers" are obliged to this man. Such legendary personalities should be treasured, and not surreptitiously pushed to the exit ...
Crying for Palych. The main thing about the Lokomotiv season
Yuri Semin was supposed to lead Lokomotiv at least in order to revive two of the brightest players of the railway.
("Jiangsu Suning") - 71 years 3 months 18 days
At least twice - while working with the national teams of England and Russia - Don Fabio announced the imminent retirement, and every time something held him back. In the summer of 2017, he allowed himself to persuade the investors of Jiangsu Suning: either he missed a serious business in two years of carefree life, or the offer was one of those that they do not refuse.
10 million for retirement. Capello in China: where, why and how much
Former head coach of the Russian national team Fabio Capello resumes his coaching career, agreeing to a lucrative offer from China.
("Amkar") - 71 years 11 months 7 days
No one will turn his tongue to accuse Haji Muslimovich of being old-fashioned or irrelevant - even in the 72nd year, he is open to new trends in the world of football and therefore is competitive. The colossal experience and gift of a psychologist allow Gadzhiev to discern talent where others do not see at close range, and his team - from time to time jump over their heads. The fact that Amkar, with more than modest financial and human resources, is stably in the middle of the table is primarily a merit of its wise Professor.
(Turkish national team) - 72 years 4 months 6 days
Mircea Mikhailovich did not sit out of work for a long time after his resignation in St. Petersburg - after a couple of months he accepted a new challenge. It is not surprising that he came from Turkey - the country in which Lucescu became the champion with two different clubs and into which almost every year (or even twice a season) he was wooed by the press, being the mentor of Shakhtar Donetsk. Despite the sad parting with Zenit, the Romanian Mister will certainly be pleased to once again look into Russia - next summer. But for this, his hot guys should hit the finish of the qualifying cycle - beat Iceland and Finland.
Jupp Heynckes - 72 years 4 months 26 days
Who is he?
The oldest football coach is Ivor Powell. Ivor Powell was born in Gilfach, Bargoed in 1916. His athletic career began with the South Wales League, where he played for Bargoed. In 1936, Ivor went to London to try his hand at the Queens Park Rangers, but, unfortunately, he failed. Without losing hope, young Powell knocked out a spare for Barnett's team. Once in a friendly against the Rangers in 1937, he was still spotted.
The dream Team
By the end of this year, he had joined the team of his dreams, in which he played 110 matches, but the Second World War suspended it sports career... During the war, Ivor taught physical education soldiers of the RAF. During the war (1943) he married a certain Joan Browel.
In December 1948, Ivor Powell moved to Aston Villa, for which he played 79 matches, after which in July 1951 he was retrained as playing coach for Port Vale.
Fatal trauma
In its football career Powell managed to play on international level: He played for the Wales national team and the national team. It was during one of the matches between England and Wales that Powell suffered an injury that put an end to his football career. Although after that he still tried to enter the field, not to no avail.
in the 50s, Powell began his career as a head coach at Leeds United, after which he led several English clubs and the Greek PAOK. In his work, he managed to train about 9 thousand players. Since 1973, he has been the coach of the Tim Bath University club, with whom he has achieved considerable success.
International recognition
Ivor Powell's international recognition was formalized when he was inducted into the Wales Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2006, he entered the Guinness Book of Records with the status of the oldest football coach, and in 2008 he was lucky enough to become a Knight of the Order. British Empire... At the age of 93 (in 2010), a statement was made from his lips about leaving big sport, which finally confirmed his position among the record holders. After all, not everyone can reach such heights. Now Ivor is healthy and full of energy, although he is already 95!