ian1964 10,416 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 IT is best known in Russia as the place where Ivan the Terrible massacred the entire population in the middle ages. But Kenny Miller has been reassured that Kazan is not murder any more ââ?¬â? by a South African called MacBeth. The Rangers hitman is weighing up the prospect of a Ã?£2million move to Russian champions Rubin Kazan. And one player who has been there for six years reckons Miller will find it far easier to settle than he did thanks to the transformation of the city 700 miles from Moscow. MacBeth Sibaya admits he struggled with the massive culture shock when he moved to Kazan in 2003. The Bafana Bafana international could not find anyone who spoke English, and ate all his meals in the club house because there was nowhere decent to eat. He could not even open a bank account because foreigners were not allowed to. Now Sibaya reckons that Kazan is on the up, thanks to money being ploughed in by the local government. They have used the oil wealth of the Tartarstan Republic to give a makeover to a city that was the centre of the military industry back in the days of the USSR. They built tanks and planes here, and latterly helicopters for the campaign in Afghanistan. Stopper Sibaya said: ââ?¬Å?When I first came here it was so difficult for me in terms of lifestyle. ââ?¬Å?It was a different world. It was like the places you saw in the movies when they portrayed the old Soviet days. ââ?¬Å?No one spoke English. I could never find a newspaper to read and eating out was not really an option because the only restaurants were Russian. ââ?¬Å?I used to eat all my food at the Rubin club house after we finished training and thankfully I was a good cook before I came here. That meant I ate properly at home. ââ?¬Å?It was difficult to get things from supermarkets, but now we have everything on the shelves. ââ?¬Å?There has been so much development in Russia over the recent years and Kazan is more comfortable now. ââ?¬Å?There are plenty of places to have a coffee and there are plenty of new restaurants ââ?¬â? my favourite one is a Chinese ââ?¬â? while there are also huge shopping malls with all the best clothes. ââ?¬Å?There are plenty of nice apartments now, so that is no problem. I can catch up with all the news from home on my computer. ââ?¬Å?In fact, most websites in Russia now have English language pages. If Kenny Miller came here, it would be good for me to have someone to talk English to though. ââ?¬Å?Most of the players only speak Russian and you have to learn it to survive. I played against Miller when South African faced Scotland in 2007 and he has played for top sides in Scotland and England, so he will do well here.ââ?¬Â In Kazan, only half the population speak Russian. The other half are Tartars, fiercely proud of their own language and culture. Sibaya came to Rubin in 2003 from Norwegian club Rosenborg purely because of Kurban Berdyev, the manager who last November guided the club to its first-ever Russian title. Advertisement The midfielder admits he had never heard of Kazan, but next season the whole of Europe will know all about them when they make their Champions League bow. Berdyev has been trying to bring a few star names to Kazan for that campaign, failing in a bid for Udinese hitman Fabio Quagliarella before switching his attention to Miller. Ghanaian star Stephen Appiah, who was once at Juventus and was on trial at Spurs last month, is also being lined up. Former Spurs hitman Sergei Rebrov, is another who could smooth Millerââ?¬â?¢s switch to Russia if he takes up Rubinââ?¬â?¢s offer to almost double his Ibrox wages. Veteran Rebrov understands English from his four years in London with Spurs and West Ham and has rebuilt his career since Berdyev took him under his wing. Sibaya added: ââ?¬Å?I didnââ?¬â?¢t know what to expect when I came to Kazan. I put my trust in the manager. He wanted me and he gave me a lot of support off the pitch. But I had to leave my family back in Johannesburg because my three kids are all young and there are no schools here for English-speaking kids, it is not like Moscow. ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s too cold most of the time and anyway, South Africa is a better way of life for them.ââ?¬Â Right now, it is minus 14 in Kazan ââ?¬â? which is why the team are holed up on the Costa del Sol for a pres-season training camp. Their defence of their title starts in late March. There is no skimping when it comes to the players at Rubin. They are enjoying the luxurious facilities at La Manga. Sibaya said: ââ?¬Å?The club never has any problem paying its wages on time, which is not always the case at other teams in Russia. ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve heard stories from other African players about delays, but we are well paid and I was given a new one-year contract last month which Iââ?¬â?¢m really happy with. Now Rubin want to go to the next level, which is why they are looking for new signings from Europe.ââ?¬Â If Miller takes up Kazanââ?¬â?¢s offer, he will not be the first Scot to play here. His old Hibs team-mate Garry Oââ?¬â?¢Connor had a shortlived spell with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006-07 before quitting to join Birmingham City. Oââ?¬â?¢Connor claimed he could not settle in Moscow, something that Sibaya finds amazing. He explained: ââ?¬Å?If you canââ?¬â?¢t settle in Moscow, then you will never live anywhere in Russia because it is the most cosmopolitan place. ââ?¬Å?I donââ?¬â?¢t really remember Oââ?¬â?¢Connor, but the Moscow clubs do a lot of buying and selling and change players often.ââ?¬Â Oââ?¬â?¢Connor cited the long plane journeys to away matches as the real low point of his tour of duty at Lokomotiv. But Sibaya insists Miller would not struggle the same way. He said: ââ?¬Å?We no longer have Vladivostock ââ?¬â? which is a 12-hour flight ââ?¬â? in the league because they were relegated last season. Most of the teams are from the Moscow region, and thatââ?¬â?¢s a 90-minute flight away. ââ?¬Å?Basketball is still the No1 sport here, but our crowds have doubled to 20,000 and we will fill the place when we are in the Champions League. ââ?¬Å?We are only the second team in Russia from outside Moscow to win the title, after Zenit St Petersburg. ââ?¬Å?They won the UEFA Cup and proved that Russia is not just about Moscow. ââ?¬Å?We beat Zenit 4-0 last season, just after they beat Rangers in the final and that was the moment the whole Rubin team felt we could bring the title to Kazan.ââ?¬Â http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/article2258876.ece 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maineflyer 0 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Listen to him Kenny, listen to him. It's obviously the place for you. Lot's of space to run, just keep facing east. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Listen to him Kenny, listen to him. It's obviously the place for you. Lot's of space to run, just keep facing east.If he keeps running east he will eventually arrive back where he started. What we want is for him to go there and we will get the Berlin wall built back up as soon as possible. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maineflyer 0 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) If he keeps running east he will eventually arrive back where he started. What we want is for him to go there and we will get the Berlin wall built back up as soon as possible. Hmmmm ...... there could be wisdom in those words Grasshopper. If the Chinese could be persuaded to make a small extension to their own wall, we might have him trapped forever. Aaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahah. Edited February 21, 2009 by maineflyer 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Ally 0 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Said it a million times. Poor man's Nacho Novo and in that respect a criminal waste of our meagre transfer funds. Bite their hand soff for �£2mil. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Sounds like an absolute dump, eh I mean a beautiful place Kenny. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisabeer 409 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 sorry I like Miller, especially when he bangs in the goals the way he did today. get off the guys back. and if you all like the Idea of moving to Russia so much you can move there yourselves! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Agree with Gisabeer.... I hope Miller signs a contract extenstion. He has been carrying an injury for weeks hence his poor form. Ws should never have played him. This did damage to BF also. Didnt anyone notice how much we improved when he came on against Celtic?? Some of his touches were delightful!!! Yet too many fans simply saw him wearing a hooped jersey - wake up 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 He misses way more than he scores and runs about like a headless chicken. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisabeer 409 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 He misses way more than he scores and runs about like a headless chicken. So did Ally McCoist till Hateley showed up. Hell i can remember when they used to sing Sally McCoist! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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