The deputy general director of the Green Grove sanatorium Vladimir Shishkin has been turned into a television star in recent days. He already seems to have told everyone what a wonderful place the team chose to prepare for the game with Macedonia. What is unique in its ecology. And generally convenient. It turned out that he had to work hard to persuade the RFU.
“Initially, they wanted to place the team at the Radisson Lazurnaya Hotel,” he told the SPORT Today correspondent with excitement. - But I persuaded ... I took advantage, honestly, of my connections in Russian football. Have competitors taken offense at me? I don’t think so. But I explained that there is no need to live there. Ecology is bad.
Vladimir Shishkin readily took out his photo album (already quite battered - probably in the process of repeated demonstrations to journalists) and began to show pictures.
- Here I am with Semin when he worked with Lokomotiv. Here - with Romantsev and Yartsev. Here - with Petrakov, when he was still training Torpedo-Metallurg, ”he said.
All of these trainers were united by the fact that not everything went wrong in their career. Only Petrakov in business, and even that ... But Vladimir Shishkin did not notice this similarity. On the contrary, he said that after the training camp in Sochi, the teams who trained here did not lose to anyone.
“But you know, Green Grove is a very decent place,” continued Vladimir Shishkin. And, it seemed, he could no longer be stopped. - We got into the official application of Sochi for the Olympics. That is, we don’t need to redo anything, everything is ready.
The deputy general manager stood up, pointed to his watch and went to the airport to meet the national team. As soon as he left the sanatorium, the light went out all over the Green Grove. It went out completely. Perhaps, with the introduction of the sanatorium in the Olympic application, they all hurried up? Or with this application itself?
Employees in a panic began to run around the territory. Someone thought of an autonomous diesel engine, but for some reason it was impossible to start it. Perhaps they simply could not be found in the dark.
“About two hours everything was cut off,” someone said into the phone. - What to do? Arrange a team tour of Sochi. Let them ride somewhere. No need to lead here right away.
The fact that night Sochi is not night Paris did not occur to anyone. There is nothing to show here either during the day.
Light was given after 45 minutes and as unexpectedly as it was extinguished. It turned out that somewhere there was an accident. The staff of the sanatorium claimed that it touched a vast territory, but the hotel, located near the Grove, functioned normally.
Half an hour later, the football team arrived. The view of the players was not too tired. Well, maybe only some.
- Where to have dinner? - Eugene Aldonin it was instead of "hello" to the administrator.
“Oh, we have prepared everything for you,” she said. - Eat and go to the rooms. Do not open the door with a key. It's open.
- Where to eat? - the soldier asked gloomily.
“Oh, so go left and then right,” the administrator wailed again. - Everything is covered there. Everything is delicious.
Roman Pavlyuchenko walked next to Pavel Pogrebnyak. They did not pound and do not call each other names, which means that all conflicts are in the past. Roman even managed to tell that in Bor, waiting for the plane, they were sleeping.
- What else could we do in our free time? He asked in surprise.
And really. These are football players.
Sergei Ignashevich looked very focused. He tried to type an sms message. Something he did not succeed.
- How's your leg, Sergey?
- …Fine.
“Doesn't it bother you at all?”
- …Yes.
After an exclusive (and the longest one in recent times) interview with Ignashevich, you could end your career, as Olympic champions do.
Equally laconic was another army soldier, Yuri Zhirkov. In Sochi, rumors reached that he was injured. But the midfielder vehemently denied all speculation. Gathering full lungs of air, he clearly said: "No." Bearing in mind that he has no injuries.
It should be added that due to the late departure from Moscow, the preparation plan has changed a bit. Instead of two workouts on Saturday there will be one. And it will be open not only to the press, but also to fans.
Alexey Shevchenko