Ambiguous decision: why Slutsky left Rubin without waiting for the winter break in the First League

Rubin head coach Leonid Slutsky left the club unexpectedly for many.

As reported on the official website of the team, he made this decision on his own and left of his own free will.

In addition, according to Sport-Express, he will not be paid a penalty.

On Tuesday, November 15, the mentor said goodbye to the players at the base and thanked everyone for their trust.

The situation looks rather strange and ambiguous.

Yes, Kazan do not shine in the First League, and fans have repeatedly chanted chants and even wrote a petition calling for the specialist to be dismissed.

They did not like the gray and indifferent game of the team, as well as the "ignorance and rudeness" on the part of the players towards the "fans, the city and the republic."

However, in early October, after two defeats in a row, this conflict was extinguished, while the Rubin management again found itself on the side of Slutsky.

The team then went on a six-match unbeaten streak.

At the moment, Kazan has 31 points: from the leaders of the championship - "Alania" and "Baltika" - the gap is only four points.

And Rubin's chances of returning to the RPL are quite high.

The club failed in the Cup of Russia, but this tournament this season is still in the background compared to the task of playing in the top division again.

However, it seems that it was the unsatisfactory results that caused the coach to leave.

According to the Insidelar Telegram channel, whose authors write mostly about Kazan citizens, in fact, Slutsky was fired, and the wording “of his own free will” is just an attempt to “save face” of the specialist.

The last straw for the management, according to rumors, was the match with Yenisei, which is also fighting for access to the RPL.

The confrontation ended in a draw 0:0, and Leonid Viktorovich could not restrain his emotions, and the chief referee sent him off the field for insults.

At the same time, Rubin has only two games left before the winter break - with Ufa away and Neftekhimik at home.

The decision to resign looks impulsive and thoughtless: it would be more logical to change the coaching staff after these meetings.

As a result, now Yuri Utkulbaev will have to work with the players.

There is another version: in Pari NN, after Mikhail Galaktionov left for Lokomotiv, they are currently actively looking for a mentor, and the candidacy of Leonid Viktorovich is one of the priorities.

In Nizhny Novgorod, such rumors are denied.

The sports director of the club, Igor Kudryashov, said that there were no plans to make any personnel changes in the team.

“Anton Khazov is currently acting as head coach, so we will build on the results of the team.

While there is a result, we do not consider the candidacies of Leonid Slutsky and other specialists, ”Sport24 quotes Kudryashov.

This version is also doubtful because Slutsky did not leave Rubin in the summer, since he considered, among other things, his fault that the team had relegated to the First League and promised to return the club to the RPL.

Leonid Viktorovich would hardly have quit halfway through.

According to the former Kazan coach Rinat Bilyaletdinov, the coach's decision is most likely not fully thought out and, rather, caused by some situation within the team.

“It would seem that there are two rounds before the winter break, you can re-equip, prepare, move on, but something happened.

We don't know, we can only guess.

I see this decision as illogical, because that year I stayed, and here is such a decision.

This begs the question: what was the solution?

If not for a hot head, then not for a cold head - that's for sure.

Somehow quickly accepted without much thought.

Maybe something will come up, but not in the form of conjectures, but will say, explain why.

There were no grounds, the team shares 3rd-5th places, ”the specialist explained in an interview with the Championship.

At the same time, Bilyaletdinov himself is not averse to returning to the club, which he headed in 2015, and helping him get into the RPL.

He admitted that he closely follows the performances of the team.

“Wooed” to “Rubin” and Sergey Yuran: the coach has not yet found a job after leaving Khimki.

Among the candidates are also Kirill Novikov, Igor Cherevchenko and Vadim Garanin.

As for Slutsky, in addition to Pari NN, he can be invited to other teams from the top division.

After the failure of "Krasnodar" in the 17th round, when the "bulls" lost to Orenburg 1:5, there were rumors about the resignation of Alexander Storozhuk.

The option with another southern team, Sochi, is also not excluded, which is also stalling after the departure of Vladimir Fedotov and so far occupies only ninth place in the standings.

However, the return of Leonid Viktorovich to the RPL may be one of his last attempts to rehabilitate himself for the failures of the past six years.

After success with CSKA and leaving the national team for Euro 2016, a recession followed, and Slutsky is unable to interrupt it.

Despite his great coaching knowledge and experience, at first he did not succeed at Hull, then at Vitesse.

It seemed that the specialist was reborn again in Rubin, but even here everything ended sadly.