For several weeks now, the reality show “Who Wants to Become a Legionnaire” has been on the Match TV channel. Its essence is to find players from ordinary guys who can play for the Premier League club.
The mentors of the show are such well-known footballers in the past as Valery Karpin, Evgeny Savin, Sergey Yuran, Ruslan Nigmatullin and others. We tried to find pros and cons in this show. And here's what happened...
pros
- Many of the guys who take part in this project were selected from the distant "depths" of our country. Thanks to a smart move by Match TV, we learn that street football is alive not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Perhaps one of the guys in the future will be in the RFPL team.
- The guys train under the clear guidance of experienced coaches. So it won't be easy for anyone. Sergey Yuran is especially distinguished, who talks to his wards, like Felix Magath in best years. Some even had to be sent home because of a breach of discipline. It is right, big football- he is. He does not forgive mistakes.
Minuses
- Unfortunately, not all the guys participating in this show simple guys from the yard ... Also, football players who had professional contracts in their hands are fighting on an equal footing with them. Kirill Laptev played for a professional club from Sweden, but due to disagreements with the coach, he had to leave the team and try his hand at reality. Nikita Demin tried his hand at the Nike Academy, but turned out to be weaker than other participants. However, he also decided to take part in the Match TV project. And finally, the most incomprehensible person to me who takes part in this project is Vasily Pavlov, who once played in the same team with Evgeny Savin and played under the leadership of Karpin in Torpedo Armavir. In view of the lack of interest in him from professional teams, Vasily decided to try his hand at the project. And at the age of 26 to play with very young guys.
- Also, a guy named Ular passed the selection for this show. He comes from distant Guinea, came to our country to try his luck and be in some club. So in our country, people complain about the lack of good players with a Russian passport, and so they were given the opportunity to prove themselves in difficult conditions. But why is there a legionnaire in this show? Yes, perhaps he plays well and is drawn to our language and culture… However, Guilherme, Fernandez, Joazinho have already received Russian passports in our country. I won't be surprised if this Guinean also wants to get a passport with a double-headed eagle on the cover ... It's better to let your guys try to break into our football.
These are the pros and cons we identified in this new project called "Who Wants to Become a Legionnaire". Let everyone make a conclusion for themselves, whether to start watching this show or continue watching without straining English football(well, or who likes what kind of championship).
"Who wants to be a legionnaire?" - the grand show of the only open sports channel in the country. Each TV company has some kind of product in which more money, efforts and skills are invested. Usually this is a licensed format, a great example is the First and his The Voice (“Voice”) or Got Talent (“Minute of Glory”). In addition to broadcasts on Match TV, there are no real shows that would leave viewers at the screen outside the big games. “Who Wants to Become a Legionnaire” is the second attempt after “Fight in the City” to make a sports reality show.
It didn't turn out very well, to be honest. In an effort to make a pop item - that is, to organize the observation of young beautiful people to make it interesting - "Match" takes the path of large channels and clearly wants to bite off a piece of the audience from those buttons that are not connected with sports in any way. But in these attempts "Who wants to become a legionnaire?" looks weaker than many reality shows that are on competitors. It has a lot of miscalculations in terms of editing, dramaturgy and plot construction.
The role of the leader is not fully understood Evgenia Savina. He obviously improved as a showman for a year of work in the frame, but still loses in charisma, for example, Ruslan Nigmatullin, whom the camera loves more than his own mother. In the episode with the settlement of the participants (the beginning of the second issue), Savin was clearly superfluous in general. Usually in the rules of a reality show, such moments show leaders, leaders among the participants. They do not need extra people who will ask who will sleep on a cot. Such slightly artificial moments (some small bonuses that obviously not everyone will get and inflame the conflict) are laid down at the level of producers, but for some reason the editorial group sent the host to the players. Then this minor flaw led to the problem of identifying the leader in the frame and forced the bosses to come up with an attraction with curling .
There are few stories in KHSL that are told to us from the screen. Something personal about the participants that would make the audience fall in love with the characters was only revealed in the first episode. Did the editors really not find anything in the biographies of all the players who came to the casting and got into the top 50? Twitter already found Kirill Laptev, who won similar competition, but for some reason they didn’t tell about this in the profile. Why? 26-year-old guy who played in "Armavir" ValeriaKarpin, looks like a less strong story than a contract with Nike.
This show also exposes several problems with Russian sport and the people within it. Athletes and coaches are still hard to express thoughts on camera and speak the language of archaic Soviet media. The episode in which Sergei Yuran consoles a participant who has dropped out due to an injury, will be included in the list of the most shameful scenes of our television. You don’t believe for a second that the coach doesn’t give a damn about a personal tragedy young guy- to pass a huge selection and fly off due to a stupid damage to the Achilles. It is physically awkward to look at this scene: Juran stands over the football player and chooses words as if he is answering the question of a five-year-old daughter, what is sex. I can easily believe that the director and cameramen reached out their hands to their faces at this moment.
Injury is also an oddity of the first episodes. There were already two of them, but the cameras did not shoot any of them - only shots of running doctors and football players writhing in pain. Imagine that in the "Titanic" you were not shown a single plan for the wreck of the ship, and after some interruption with the waves, they immediately gave Rose with Jack on the ice floe. Didn't the base have enough operators? Why was there not a single synchro of the first injured player in the release? Did you record an interview with him? It looked very strange when only partners who have known him for a couple of days talk about a poor footballer.
Sincerity is, in principle, a big problem “Who wants to become a legionnaire?”. It is amazing that in 100 minutes of the timing of the final releases, one swear word was heard. In the world in which he lives Valery Petrakov, members of the football team swore obscenely once - for whom do you keep us, "Match TV"? Tell all these young guys already that the editors would rather sit and swear obscenities than see a lifeless picture on the montage.
Do not believe the bosses and the audience. The premiere episode, which usually collects a share more than other episodes, did not hit the top 10 in a week either in Moscow or in Russia - that is, it did not break the bar of 0.4% of the rating across the country. Imagine the numbers of the rest of the series and be horrified.
To keep you motivated to watch Who Wants to Be a Legionnaire, here are 5 things that seemed good:
1. The scene with the selection of participants in the top 25. Karpin, Sabitov, Bezuglov and Nigmatullin really go well together and look juicy together. Chemistry on the jury is what you need in reality.
2. The story of a guy who came to the casting in memory of the coach. A well-told plot, built-in dramaturgy, bright details pulled out of the character, such as donated boots. There was not enough journalistic work - the football player said that his coach played at the U-21 World Cup. So what was the name of the coach?
3. Powerful output Valeria Karpina at the end of the second edition. It was not clear why a general manager of an already assembled team was needed, but after a 1:4 defeat, he came to the locker room and destroyed all the players with a couple of offers. Very much.
4. Producers are quick to fix mistakes. For example, in the first series, all the characters were titled in the format "Last Name - First Name", as in kindergarten. In a week, everything was back to normal - no “Yuran Sergey”, although this is exactly what the coach himself says about himself.
5. Clear criteria for the expulsion of participants: screwed up - left the project. This worked both in the preliminary stages and in the main rounds. Sabitov, Karpin, Yuran and Nigmatullin nominate the weakest man from training, look at them in the match, analyze the game of each and only then expel the weakest. No offense, all right.
Today on "Match TV" starts the show - "Who wants to become a legionnaire?". It's absolutely New Product, which does not have this moment analogues in the world. The essence of the show is that ordinary people who are fond of football will compete with professional football players. The idea of the project belongs to Alan Prudnikov.
Alan Prudnikov - the son of a famous goalkeeper in the past Alexey Prudnikov, itself closely associated with football. He already has solid experience in the agency industry. It was Prudnikov who brought to Russia Ruuda Gullita, who worked in Terek in 2011. With his mediation, a midfielder moved to Manchester City Alexander Zinchenko. He also represents the interests of a number of other players. And now Alan decided to implement a completely different project in form. On sports TV.
“This is a football project with an emphasis on selection,” Prudnikov told the Championship. - We held castings in different cities of Russia. We looked at several thousand guys, of which 50 of the best were selected. 25 of them have arrived at the base and will live in conditions as close as possible to those in which they work professional football players. Another 25 remained in stock. When the main ones drop out, the guys from the reserve clip will have a chance. The whole process takes place under the close attention of the general manager of the project, Valery Karpin. And the guys train under the guidance of the famous former football player Sergei Yuran and his coaching staff. coaching staff also full-fledged, as in a real football club. This includes assistant coaches, goalkeeping coaches, fitness coach, massage therapists, doctors, administrators. In a word, everything is like a professional team!
How did the idea for the show come about?
- A little over two years ago, my friend Vadim Barlamov, co-author of the project, returned from America. He infected me with stories about how football players are screened in the States. We have improved this system. We thought a lot about how to implement the viewing process in Russia and the CIS, we discussed it almost every day. In the end, everything grew into the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a show. We monitored all similar projects in the world, took into account their mistakes. And as a result, they created an absolutely unique scheme of both views and the show itself. We were offered to implement this project in other countries, but we wanted to do it for the first time in Russia.
It so happened that later we proposed the project to the Match TV channel. A wonderful sponsor appeared in the person of Gillet. Representatives of the company themselves chose our project and financed our show. We are grateful to Tina Kandelaki and the Match TV channel for paying attention to our show and not being left behind. We really hope that this cooperation will not end in one season and we will give everyone a chance to get into professional football.
In which regions did you conduct screenings?
We settled on eight cities. These are Simferopol, Sochi, Rostov, Grozny, Vladikavkaz, Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Why were they chosen?
- First, we needed places suitable for climatic conditions. The weather had to allow both the participants and the film crew to work in comfortable conditions. After all, we were pressed for time. It was also important that the local authorities did not interfere with the casting in the open air.
I'm already getting several calls a day. From governors, mayors and various high-ranking officials who really want us to look at the guys in their regions. Applications are already in the thousands.
- If the second season starts, which regions of Russia will you go to?
- I would very much like to start the second season from Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, as well as visit Altai and Siberia. Ideally, you want to cover 36 cities.
- What is the purpose of your project?
— It is difficult to express in one word all the goals that we are pursuing in the project. But the main impetus was the pain from the fact that thousands of children systematically every year, for one reason or another, find themselves overboard. professional sports. You can't even imagine how much every month I and my friends agents in Everyday life We receive messages and calls that someone, for one reason or another, cannot get a chance. This is exactly the chance we want to give to everyone. And we have already received the most important result. If only you could see with what eyes the guys give themselves on the field. And how at the casting they proved through sweat and blood that it was they who deserved to reach the final.
- You easily managed to find a common language with television people?
“We are very lucky in this regard. Production in the person of Alla Kurakina very quickly finds a common language between representatives of sports and television. We can say that in this respect we have complete harmony. There is a correct understanding of how our common project should look like.
— Who is included in your staff of breeders?
- Oleg Shirinbekov is involved in castings in Russian cities. Now he is a coach, and earlier he was a wonderful football player for Torpedo and the USSR national team. He was also for a long time responsible for the selection in football CSKA. Besides him, this Ravil Sabitov, former player Dynamo and Lokomotiv, former coach of the youth and Olympic team of Russia. Also Ruslan Nigmatullin, ex-goalkeeper of Spartak, Lokomotiv, CSKA and the Russian national team, who once admitted best player championship of Russia. I have already talked about Vadim Barlamov. Until recently, he was a FIFA agent, and has worked in the United States for the past 10 years. Everything was under the control of the general manager of the project - Valery Karpin, who needs no introduction. And at the final casting in Moscow, 6 scouts already took part in the selection of the 50 best.
Evgeniy Savin became the leader of the project, which we are very happy about. From the very beginning, Zhenya was very much inspired by the project and sincerely worries about the guys. His approach is a reflection of how we want our project to be.
- From which regions do you have the most guys?
- During the project, there were many interesting football players. Even from abroad - from Spain, France, African countries. Of course, there were many representatives from the CIS countries and from all over Russia. It was especially gratifying that final part many guys who represent the Student League of Russia passed. This suggests that student football is developing strongly in our country. Behind him is the future. Perhaps this particular league will be the springboard for guys who fall out of the system football schools and after them they cannot find themselves. A vivid example of this is Andrey Arshavin, who got into big football from the student team.
- Do you already have favorites who can repeat the path, for example, Alexander Zinchenko?
- There are favorites, but I will not disclose their names. I hope that they will adequately go all the way to the final and that specialists will pay attention to them. The same Zinchenko is a wonderful example for them. Sasha went from amateur to professional in a short period of time.
- What awaits the guys at the end of the show? What is the main prize?
- Throughout the show, the players will participate in matches. Vadim Barlamov and I invite scouts, club leaders, sports directors from all over the world. They will definitely be present at the games. And at the end of the show, after the final match, the clubs participating in the project will offer the best of the best to sign contracts or go through trials in their teams. And the most important prize, I hope, is that the guys will gain invaluable experience and will no longer give up. On the contrary, they will follow their dream of getting into big football and becoming a professional football player.
Why should we become fans of the show "Who Wants to Become a Legionnaire?"
- Nothing is written there, there must be real emotions - first of all, the players. All this is not for money, not feigned, but on emotions, on the desire to become a football player ..
Does the atmosphere of reality resemble the atmosphere of a real team?
- Unexpectedly quickly it became like any professional team - in terms of the relationship between players and coaches. Their leaders are revealed, brought to the fore. Groupings appear, not in a bad way - someone communicates with someone more, someone less.
Juran has already kicked the footballer out of training. What's happening?
- I wouldn't say it's unprofessional. There was a normal discussion. This can and does happen in professional teams. Nothing supernatural or scary. To argue with the head coach in training is unacceptable. Juran said about it: “Before training or after, guys, if something is not clear to someone, come up.”
How is your generation different from today's?
- This can be explained in one moment. If from the age of six to 14-15 we spent all our free time on the street, playing football, hide-and-seek, tag, climbed trees, stole apples, ran away from the watchmen, then the current generation spends all this time at home, sitting on the couch, at the iPad , iPhone, in social networks, without developing speed, agility and other physical skills.
Will you gesture on the project?
- If necessary, of course, I will. And it probably already was. 25 people who are in the project have already understood this. But you need to gesture when you need to. Sometimes you need to cheer, praise, and sometimes you need to talk tough with someone. All this happens in real life, real team, even though we say "reality show".
Think back to your toughest conversation with a football player.
- For example, with a football player who, after an injury, could not believe in himself. There was a fear of getting hurt again. It was painful for me to pronounce these words, but I understood that only they could bring a person out of a stupor. It turned out: after that he began to play. I said: “If you are afraid, stop with football. If you play the way you do now, you'll end up any way."
Wooden but hardworking - what to do with such a player?
- Better wooden and hardworking than a talented lazybones. McGeady and Quincy [Owusu-Abeye] are the most gifted, the most talented, they had everything. But they did not use all their talent for its intended purpose and did not achieve everything that they could achieve.
I could take McGeady and Quincy on reality TV. To look at these players not on the field, but outside it, in everyday life, in everyday life. It would be interesting. Then the fans would understand a lot of what happens later on the field.
"Who wants to be a legionnaire?" - from March 26 on "Match TV"
Our goal is to truly find talented football player and give him the opportunity to prove himself at a professional level. The host of the show is Evgeny Savin, the general manager of the project is Valery Karpin, the team coach is Sergey Yuran.
In total, 1595 people took part in our quiz, of which 420 users answered all questions correctly. According to the results of a random drawing, among all those who did not make a single mistake, the user under the nickname becomes the winner. It is he who gets the Asus ROG GR8 II gaming computer. Congratulations to the winner and thank you to all the quiz participants!
The terms of participation
On March 26, a unique reality show starts on the Match TV channel, the purpose of which is to find a truly talented football player and give him the opportunity to prove himself at a professional level. If you want to know everything about football, then you simply owe it to how real, confident players become. "Who wants to become a Legionnaire" will give you such an opportunity.
In the meantime, test yourself - take part in our quiz "Who wants to become a Legionnaire", answer all the questions and become a participant in the drawing of the main prize - the Asus ROG GR8 II gaming computer!