Russia - Tom Tomsk

The second part of my review of Wales' qualifying group (or perhaps its just a weak excuse to write about some of the more interesting aspects of the country) examines Russia, the largest nation on the planet and one with surely the most expansive footballing top division in the whole world.
Great picture of the 2007 season here

The Russian Premier League season finished on the 11th November with Zenit St. Petersburg taking the title away from the Moscow club's iron grip. Russia's capital city provides the Russian Premier Division with a third of its clubs (6/18) and at a stretch could also claim FK Khimki (Khimki lies right by the Moscow canal and is only a few miles from Moscow). The more interesting clubs in Russia (to me) are the clubs that lie outside of Russia's capital and into the wilds of this huge country. In particular, Tom Tomsk - everyone's favourite Russian club. "What do you mean?", I hear you cry! Well, let me explain....

If you were forced to choose a Russian side to follow then you'd almost certainly choose the Siberian side Tom Tomsk. Not only do they play in an incredibly exotic location, there are also very few football clubs on the planet that can boast that their club name contains the name of a womble!

Wellington in New Zealand and the Bulgarian national team are the only two I can come up with. Interestingly (again, to me) Tom Tomsk do have a Bulgarian midfielder by the name of Aleksandr Mladenov on their roster. So there is a distinct possibility - nay a certainty - that Mladenov can be described as Mladenov (Tom Tomsk and Bulgaria) in a World Cup sticker album. Marvellous.

Like most Russian sides Tom Tomsk have had numerous names during their history. Tomles, Sibelekmotor and Manometr amongst others. But the most intriguing name was probably "Buvrevestnik". While other football clubs in the Soviet Union were named after factories (steel, cars, engines) the Siberian club were named after a seabird, a storm-petrel to be precise.

The storm petrel is the smallest of sea-birds and breeds in dense colonies on cliffs (so wikipedia tells me). It's not clear from anything I've read whether there was a deliberate attempt to name themselves after a seabird unfortunately. Obviously it's not too uncommon in football clubs, especially in England, to be "nicknamed" after a seabird. I have my doubts whether Buvrevestnik were named on a purely ornithological basis, after all a lot of Russian outposts and military bases were also named after the bird. Still, it is great to hear of a softening, however slight, of the often stiff Russian exterior. The genteelness continues when you hear their nicknames of Olenevody (Reindeer Herdsmen) or Valenki (a type of winter footwear), these facts do nothing but endear me more to the Siberians. It's also worthwhile to note that their badge contains a very nice Latin phrase "Sui Generis" which means "unique in its own characteristics".. Or at least, that's what the internet says it means...

The final selling point is obviously the woman on a horse that you've been puzzling over whilst reading this post. The only person sat astride a beast like this on matchdays in England is likely to be a police officer. At Tom Tomsk it's a rather fetching young lady who parades herself (and the horse) around the pitch before matches.

Do easyjet fly to Tomsk?.... I'm sold.