Radyukevich CSC

Radyukevich Clotaire Sports Club, commonly known as Radyukevich CSC, Radyukevich, or The Jukos, were a Candelariasian professional football team based in the city of Clotaire in north-east Candelaria.

Though the team could not replicate their early success – winning the NFBL twice – in the modern era, the Jukos became one of the most widely popular clubs in the Candelarias with polls suggesting a nationwide support surpassed only by Albrecht FC and Albrecht Turkish. The club were league runners-up in CMSC X and won the CMS Cup in XXIV; but during the International Era they typically struggled to mid-table finishes and were relegated three times, totting up the period’s second-worst overall CMSC1 goal difference behind Gamboa FC. Their best league position in this period was fourth, in both the first and last CMSC1 championships of the international period, while their sole international title was the fifteenth Series B Champions Cup.

Radyukevich were known for the performative quirkiness of their fanbase; and in particular their supporters’ habit of releasing live animals, most frequently pigs, onto the pitch. Within their home city they were generally seen as the more middle-class rivals to Port of Clotaire.

By the time of the collapse of professional football in C&M Radyukevich were owned by Krytenian businessman Anthony Swann and were widely considered a potential ‘team of the 40s’. Though that period of Candelariasian football would never come to pass; the club lived on after a fashion with Swann retaining the rights to the team’s corporate identity. Much of the playing staff were transferred to the new Jukos, RCSC Northwood replacing the defunct Linford United, which played for seven seasons in the Liga Calania before Swann divested his controlling stake in the club. He continued to own the rights to the Radyukevich CSC name and brand.

Pre-CMSC
Radyukevich Clotaire Sports Club were founder members of the original NFBL barely eight years after their establishment. Their early history as an amateur club was therefore brief, and came a decade after modern rivals Port of Clotaire were formed.

The 1920s were a boom time for the sport in the north-east of Candelaria, with Clotaire a particularly important football city home to dozens of clubs representing all districts, social classes, and minority groups. Radyukevich was established in 1929 by the cosseted sons of small businessmen, drawn from various youth groups and church concerns, and naming their club after their recently deceased sporting mentor Aleksandr Radyukevich. The man himself had encouraged sporting excellence of all kinds in his boys, but football soon became the primary business of the club, with all other non-football teams having been phased out before the 1940s.

From the very start, Radyukevich CSC became notorious in the north-east for eschewing the strong-armed tactics of Port of Clotaire and their other contemporaries, in favour of encouraging more technical play, and melding individual flair with rapid passing and a more intelligent kind of team-work than the ‘roll-your-sleeves-up’ variety that was universal across Candelaria at the time. At the same time, they abandoned naïve and primitive formations, with their older players paying close attention to developments overseas. While they were initially mocked for being ‘defensive’ – avoiding playing six or seven players up front – their more advanced use of counterattacking half-backs and passing centre-backs saw them emerge as the most successful club in the north within barely four years of their creation.

As they embraced professionalism, entered the NFBL, and developed one of the biggest fanbases in the country; the Jukos became as well-known for their supporters as their players, with their vast crowds cultivating large number of self-indulgently whimsical traditions that soon infected generations of players – from the pre-match dance, the kelu, broadly modelled on the Ulek of Ariddia, to the crowd’s habit of releasing live pigs onto the pitch at comically inopportune moments and their fans’ traditional love of lutes, not to mention the very existence of their long-serving lilac kits and boots.

On-field, their amateur success soon transferred into the NFBL, with Radyukevich taking the 1939 and 1941 national titles and invariably sitting amongst the major contenders up until the early 1950s. A series of mediocre managers were the primary reason for their initial decline, but their struggles were furthered as the league became increasingly money-soaked, with the Clotaire Dragons (later ClotaireAutos FC) becoming the pre-eminent team in the city – without that new franchise being able to match the attendances of either the Jukos nor PoC despite their two NFBL titles.

Early CMSC
Invited into the CMSC for its III campaign, the Jukos seemed destined to be major players – but their commitment on bringing through local talent playing the ‘Radyukevich way’ cost them dearly in the face of millionaire-backed sides with few compunctions over playing less-than-beautiful football. Their greatest season in the league came in CMSC X, where a side led by beloved, home-grown veteran captain Coleman Mustard and managed by former star Jim Sepheris were beaten to the title only by KT Hotspur. The following two seasons also saw them among the major contenders before fading to fifth and fourth places respectively.

In later years, the Jukos joined Port of Clotaire as a solidly mid-table side – albeit one still insistent on playing, if not the ‘right way’, then at least as inventively and generally ground-breakingly as possible. Following their move to the Hilltop Stadium, Radyukevich became something of a cup team after years of utter failure in the CMS Cup, reaching three finals in three seasons, albeit with only the XXIV trophy to show for it.

In XXV, under young manager Finlay Endee, a hugely unpredictable side finished fourth in the league, inspired by self-proclaimed ‘evil maggot’ Damien Waterman – a brutal defender who had a short spell as a C&M international and enjoyed cult status for a time – as well as big forward Rusty Katic. This relative success came at the expense both of style and youth development, further exacerbated by the arrival of three foreigners – among them Uir ‘keeper Gari Kilod, a charismatic fans’ favourite for many years hence. The club also signed the league’s first Sorthern Northland international, Min Cho-Hi, though it would be PoC who would become known as C&M’s Sorthern team.

That side survived relegation by just a point, the closest Radyukevich had ever come to dropping out of the top-flight, and dispensed with a trio of managers en route to the arrival of Vincent Peluso, arguably the most negative manager in the club’s history. He too was soon sacked during XXVII, and replaced by the messianic figure of Mustard – a hugely popular choice who convinced the board to lavish comparatively vast funds on his team. Despite the arrival of the veteran Benji Fu, and international stars Julius Rotherwell from Demot and the Krytenian David Wolverton, their awful form continued – again surviving only by a point, and even then thanks only to the CMSC1’s move from a sixteen to an eighteen-team division.

Yet another new manager arrived, but by now the Jukos appeared cursed. Their side was still considered strong enough for at least a return to mid-table respectability, but they were instead relegated, compounding the worst era in the club’s history.

In the three seasons that followed, Radyukevich ploughed their way through two promotions bookending another relegation and any number of managers, with the one particularly bright spot being their SBCC3 run, with saw the club under Sid Lindström qualify via the preliminary stage and oust three sets of Vephrese opposition on their way to the final in Estresse Intenso, before losing 2-0 to Aliança of Cafundéu.

The club was relegated in XXXI despite Luke Naylor being one of the strikers of the season, and the season generally was overshadowed by one of the least edifying moments in the club’s history. On Matchday 13, the Jukos lost the Clotaire derby 1-0 thanks in part to a diving header off the line in the ninetieth minute by their former defender Jari Virta – a lifelong Radyukevich fan turned PoC player, who celebrated the full-time whistle with exaggerated badge-kissing and a jig perceived to be in mockery of the home team’s traditional pre-match dance. Later that night Virta was shot in the kneecap by Gary Hall, a season ticket holder, while celebrating victory at one of the city’s trendiest nightspots in a rare act of gun violence in the Candelarias.

Virta returned to action before the end of the season, even playing at home against Radyukevich in a 4-1 win in which his every pass was cheered by both sets of supporters, but despite the ‘lone wolf’ nature of the attack the incident badly damaged the club’s reputation for some time – as well as forcing them to play several home matches in Khatib-Gassett as the investigation continued.

With former utility defender Tommy Tohver at the helm, Radyukevich’s XXXIII campaign in the CMSC1 aimed to recapture some of their former glory in terms of their playing style, but on all fronts the club remained a shadow of its former self – and with survival the first and only significant goal.

Later seasons
The predictions of even the most sympathetic of Candelariasian sportswriters were soon knocked into a cocked hat by Tohver and the Jukos, who began the season with a most spectacular run – winning every one of their first five matches to top the nascent table.

In couldn’t last, even with their inspirational form sending Christian Fernández Montes and Zachary Adekunde into the Big Blues squad, and Radyukevich failed to win another match for the rest of the Apertura. The points accrued from their sparkling start gave them a massive safety net however, and as the Sarzonian duo of Jared Clayton and Cullen Maxwell grew further into their roles and long-serving captain Wayne Davis continued to show his top-flight credentials, the team won a total of ten matches to stay up with few qualms.

Whether the club could possibly hope to challenge for top-half consistency any time soon, without the billionaire owner of so many of their CMSC rivals, remained hugely questionable however and the following season saw Tohver able to make only a modest number of signings, with Adekunde and Fernández still bearing the brunt of the responsibility to keep the club competitive.

XXXIV ultimately proved to be a highly forgettable season for the Jukos, with a side beset by injuries never more than a handful of points above the drop zone without ever looking particularly perturbed by the prospect of relegation. The club did suffer the ignominy, following a final day defeat at Tenderville United, of slipping behind Port of Clotaire, but Tohver himself remained consistently linked with a move on to bigger and better things with Albrecht FC supposedly interested in him as a successor to Andy Le Lan.

With Tohver’s future assured, the Jukos went into XXXV with much higher hopes. A trio of Somewhereistonian natives, including full international fullback Jurgis Ģipslis, joined the club with the defence further strengthened with the arrival of Ben Palmer from Candelaria-Allemali.

But Radyukevich’s relationship with the CMSC1 during the International Era, it would soon become even clearer, was simply destined not to be a happy one. Far from pushing towards a Globe Cup spot, the club struggled from the start and, though still playing attractive football and despite the emergence of a plethora of young stars (including the hugely exciting teenage striker Nathan Paganel), Tohver’s team had fallen into the bottom three by Matchday 24.

By then, the club had already sold Adekunde to Sargossan giants Ciudad Soluca, a move that appeared to many supporters to effectively see the board accept the inevitable. With the team back in the drop zone, Tohver’s exit became sadly inevitable, and his replacement with Mustard – still viewed as messiah-in-waiting by many fans, and who had been responsible for bringing through the likes of Paganel and his new strike partner Ben Clayton during his time with the academy – was instantly met with derision in the wider media.

Mustard duly failed to win a single match during his second short tenure, and Radyukevich’s sad fate was sealed yet again. Yet it appeared impossible for an increasingly disdained boardroom to sidestep the charms presented by those considered ‘their own’ – with the charms of far more experienced managers ignored in favour of handing the job to Wayne Davis. Certainly a Jukos legend, albeit during a highly disappointing period in the club’s history; the immensely hard-working if technically impoverished Davis was the kind of captain that Jukos supporters had grown to adore, despite arguably representing the very opposite of the club’s more elegant heritage and, after his retirement from playing at the age of thirty-two, he was welcomed back into the dressing room by supporters and what remained of the gutted squad alike.

Much to the surprise of most, Davis proved an able coach – at second division level at least – in both the domestic and international scene. SBCC15 saw Radyukevich become the scourge of the Jaseuyeon group, knocking out two sides in their march to the final against the West Bend Wildcats – a 1-0 win in extra time, with Amy Idle scoring from a Francesco Gaggioli corner, giving the club their first international trophy. The campaign was certainly a distraction, and Radyukevich surrendered their place in the automatic promotion positions to Turks’ Club late on, but from third Davis’ side eased past Albrecht Independent FC and Melin Professionals to return to the top-flight.

The Swann Song
Davis’ first season in the big time as a manager provided one of Radyukevich’s best seasons in years, culminating in a potentially era-defining move.

Prior to kick-off the first team was almost entirely shaken up, with goalkeeper Daniele Lanchini, full-back Finlay Edwards and promising striker Jasari McDermott – all Jukos boys from childhood – the only players to keep their regular starting spots. They were joined by a trio of West Zirconians, with veteran centre-half Lewis Fox immediately handed the armband, who completed the new defence alongside Edwards and two extremely combative Osarians. Davis made no apologies for his intention to make Radyukevich’s back four an unnerving proposition for any forward, but XXXVII’s Jukos had more to recommend them than merely robust defending. One of the season’s dominant figures, for any club, would prove to be Patrick Williams – a midfielder who had fallen out of favour with his national team coach but took to Candelariasian football in a big way, as a creative goalscoring midfielder soon attracting envious glances from wealthier clubs.

Still on a high from their play-off final victory and SBCC performances, the team soon appeared set for at least a comfortable mid-table finish – but even snatching fourth place from the PoC didn’t look entirely beyond them; a 4-2 victory over eventual champions Albrecht FC, on matchday fourteen, helping them push their great rivals all the way right up until the Apertura’s close. Powering into the SBCC16 quarter-finals along the way, Davis’ men would fall just two points short but – against almost everyone’s expectations – continued their momentum into the Clausura.

The distraction of a debut Globe Cup campaign – albeit one over relatively quickly, an aggregate victory over Hatton Town setting up a narrow, Eliminatory Stage, ousting by Strestrenas OC – certainly contributed to a drop-off in form but, though the club concluded their league season with a negative goal difference, they still managed to finish sixth and earn a second tilt at the Globe Cup.

What was more, the team’s performances saw them earn the attentions of Krytenian billionaire Anthony Swann, CEO of SBCC sponsors Cygnus Technologies and owner of Mercia Bromham in the O-League. The brief presence of future Krytenia manager David Wolverton on their right flank years before had left the Jukos the Candelariasian club garnering by far the most interest in his and Swann’s homeland, and an unsurprising choice of target (albeit, if press reports are to be believed, this third choice following unsuccessful approaches for both major Caires outfits). Reaction from the Hilltop faithful varied considerably, with fears expressed that the club’s much-vaunted unique traditions could be threatened by chairman Patrick Whelahan’s exit in favour of one of Swann’s people, but many appear mollified by news of the new owner’s investment at Mercia Bromham – a vast new stadium for the Krytenian club, and the arrival of C&M’s own Andy Le Lan as their manager – announced soon after Swann’s move for Radyukevich was formally confirmed by the CMSC.

The team was soon augmented by inevitable Krytenian signings, with fans delighted to discover that that meant two of Mercia Bromham’s brightest young talents – striker Damon Parker, fresh from a dominant display at the Di Bradini Cup and winger Tom Scarborough. Though the team bounced back from a heavy opening day defeat at Albrecht FC in the vast new Tristar Songstress Stadium’s first competitive fixture to win 3-1 at Arrigo Portuguese, the late exit of Williams via a stretcher cast a pall over their Apetura. Radyukevich blew hot and cold throughout, the team inexplicably failing to be invigorated by a significant uptick in the number of animals released onto the pitch as the season progressed (the usual piglets having been joined by sparrows, linnets, guinea pigs and, away at Mayo Valley, an oriole).

The Globe Cup including a satisfying away goals victory over Krytenia’s Ousevale Borough prior to a group stage in which Radyukevich squeaked through to the later knockout stages and a thrilling 5-4 aggregate defeat against Soldarian FC. They returned to the competition the following year, though on this occasion the club exited in the group stage. Domestically they slipped to tenth, racking up thirteen draws along the way.

Despite their new signings it was a home-grown Candelariasian in the form of Francesco Gaggioli who had been their star man, and his exit soon after the close of play to Radyukevich’s step-sisters at Mercia Bromham was a significant let-down and an unnerving sign to some fans that the Jukos risked being reduced to feeder club status.

Swann soon reacted however with a host of new signings that would make Radyukevich one of XXXIX’s most changed teams. The club’s willingness to allow Gaggioli to leave was explained by the arrival of Warren Kennedy-Worthington, the latest Kennedy off the Stanton Town production line, for an undisclosed fee widely believed to have finally broken the record set years earlier by Drunn Delek’s move to Tenderville. While his arrival was somewhat overshadowed by the repeated misspelling of his second surname as Workington and the sacking of the long-time kit-man and several members of the media team as a result, it was a major statement of intent. The squad’s Bekkside theme was augmented by the presence of Starblaydi Carnophin Narquelie to partner Parker up front, though Swann was unable to spend further crazy money on foreign signings due to the limitations on international registrations and the inability to exploit the Granny Rule in the same way as their arch-rivals PoC had come to enjoy when it came to their many Sortherners. Most other newcomers were therefore Candelariasians picked up from relegated clubs, though they too – including resolute McDonald SC midfielder Sascha Connah and Ironside-Talinger goalkeeper Cockburn Wu – were widely considered astute moves.

Early in the season in appeared a genuine possibility that the title race might be a north-east Candelarian affair, with Radyukevich right up there with Caires City and Caires Sports, but lengthy injury lay-offs for both Connah and, once more, for Williams, blunted their hopes considerably. Further injuries were to follow, with even the stand-in Candelariasian youngsters in midfield decimated, though there appeared little explanation for this run of bad luck beyond, indeed, simple misfortune. By the close of the Apertura they were ten points off the lead, though they did sneak into the Globe Cup.

Their run in that competition was brief, but much better was to follow domestically. Radyukevich closed out the Clausura having lifted themselves into fourth, quite some way behind the title rumble but enough to secure a first Champions’ Cup berth. In a different time fans and neutrals alike would have looked ahead to a period where the club might finally have taken their place among the CMSC and UICA elite alike, but by now it had become apparent that it was not to be. In the weeks that followed the collapse of Candelariasian football in the aftermath of the Beatrice event however, Swann was less satisfied than most other CMSC owners to wait years, and perhaps many decades, for a return on his investment. Whilst Radyukevich played out their TQCC run – making it through to the quarter-finals and an exit to Ad’ihani side Tallyn Rovers to become the final CMSC team to play in the competition – plans were being rapidly formulated for an unexpected new chapter in the club’s history.

RCSC Northwood
While other Candelariasian clubs were soon wound up or survived only as charities or cultural artefacts, the Jukos suddenly found a whole new existence as Radyukevich Clotaire Sporting Club of Northwood. Anthony Swann added to his sporting portfolio by taking over and winding up second-tier northern Krytenian club Linford United; their replacements handed a spot in an expanded Liga Calania to play against Krytenian, Starblaydi and Jesseltonian opposition under the name of RCSC Northwood at Linford’s stadium and retaining much of their fanbase but with a new nickname, club colours, decidedly porcine badge and a largely Candelariasian-Krytenian playing staff.

While the star man Kennedy-Worthington was sold to Avidia United, the core of the team remained familiar as they embarked on a league season played at Brecklands, a 46,137-seater, three-standed stadium. That the stadium’s fourth side consisted entirely of a vast graffiti wall was just the kind of thing to endear this hybrid outfit to fans back in Clotaire and, despite the significant public disapproval now directed towards football and the significant gap in the perception of time now existing between C&M and Krytenia, there remained many hard-core Candelariasian Jukos fans who would be glued to Northwood’s exploits on a daily basis for many months to come. Others turned their backs on a club that seemed to many to represent exactly the kind of artificial franchise that Radyukevich supporters had always prided themselves as being the antithesis of. As for the Linford locals who had seen their club rinsed of its prior identity – they were lumberjacks, and presumably didn’t care.

After an opening day win at Caversham, the new Jukos remained unbeaten through four matches but ultimately settled for a respectable midtable finish. The following term however, the Liga Calania’s sixth season, was a different story. Though still based around Parker and Scarborough, the club now boasted an ever more Krytenized spine with the veteran Conrad Di Maggio dominating the midfield and youngster Daryl O’Grady doing much the same in the heart of the defence. Northwood went top on MD24 before being brought back down to earth with a 5-1 home defeat to Likas the following week, and ultimately finished third to take a Champions’ Cup place once more.

Their runs in this competition would be their last, and their competitiveness domestically would soon begin to fade. Northwood had their moments, however – making the Copa Calania final in both the league’s eighth and ninth seasons, though they were beaten on both occasions by Iskara Daii and Kepayan respectively. By this time their principal stars were Krytenia international defender Colm Ó Riordan – ironically a player of Sorthern heritage – and target man Dexter Schwarzkopf, both products of a well-funded academy system. There were no Candelariasians on the field as the team were ousted by Jan Mayen Islanders of the Polar Islandstates in the preliminary round of the thirty-first Globe Cup, the final international outing for what could still, if you squinted, be considered a Candelariasian club.

Northwood finished tenth in the twelfth Liga Calania season, and it would be their last. Swann divested his controlling stake and the club, now under a consortium of local business owners, reinvented themselves once more as AFC Linford, returning to United’s old red and green colours. They would become a yo-yo side, and ultimately drop into the third tier of Krytenian football, while Swann retained the rights to the Radyukevich CSC name and ownership of the Hilltop Stadium that remains occasionally used for concerts and other events. In their half of Clotaire there are various officially unrelated clubs bearing the name of the Jukos, Lilacs and Pigmen, several of which frequently host amateur sporting meets in athletics, cycling, rowing, gymnastics – but seldom, if ever, in football.

Home stadium
The Hilltop Stadium, the Jukos’ home since XXI, was undoubtedly one of the more eccentric grounds in the CMSC – an almost certainly deliberate affectation providing another sign of their owners’ and supporters’ desperate urge to underline their uniqueness.

Most obviously, the executive and press boxes are suspended from the roof of the main stand, without any apparent consideration towards the matter of stairs. Instead, members of the media, the board, and other assorted bigwigs were lifted up by normal paying supporters into the boxes via holes in the bottom – a situation which, while undeniably egalitarian, could become somewhat hairy if the team has not been performing well of late, or if certain media outlets had been unnecessarily critical of the club or its support. It is probably for this reason that Radyukevich CSC was the undisputed second team of almost every member of the popular football press. Standing at 31,093 seats (this figure in itself may be deliberate… we’re not entirely sure), the stadium was built with further expansion in mind - an occurrence that would never come to pass despite Anthony Swann’s hopes to do just that.

As its official name might suggest, the Hilltop Stadium was built on top of a hill. Pope Hill is noted for being a steep climb up towards a relatively small plateau, with matchday parking taking place some way away – instead, supporters of either competing club reached the summit either on foot or via ski lifts carrying up to forty people per cabin. The stadium’s west end, housing the small stand for away supporters, juts out slightly over the hill and was known to list somewhat during high winds. To the mild surprise of most, the subsequent decade of football-free neglect has yet to see it collapse.

Notable CMSC1 International Era players
Goalkeepers
 * Flag of Ex-Nation.png Gari Kilod
 * Christian Fernández Montes
 * Ciaran Stockley
 * Cockburn Wu

Defenders
 * Jay Jay Anderson
 * Sivman Cadmer
 * Finlay Edwards
 * Lewis Fox
 * Benji Fu
 * Carlo Gaggioli
 * Jurgis Ģipslis
 * Raefael Higuain
 * Hansson Kemp
 * Cullen Maxwell
 * Min Cho-Hi
 * Ben Palmer
 * Jacin Raellis
 * Jari Virta
 * Damien Waterman

Midfielders
 * Morgan Banz
 * Jared Clayton
 * Wayne Davis
 * Siiri Eenpalu
 * Francesco Gaggioli
 * Damion Hyde
 * Warren Kennedy-Worthington
 * Anto Parrott
 * Thomas Scarborough
 * Jackson Tanzani
 * Patrick Williams
 * David Wolverton

Forwards
 * Zachary Adekunde
 * Ben Clayton
 * Aldo Diarra
 * Giles Harpas
 * Rusty Katic
 * Jasari McDermott
 * Carnophin Narquelie
 * Luke Naylor
 * Nathan Paganel
 * Damon Parker
 * Zlatko Redzic
 * Julius Rotherwell