Evgeni Plushenko

[CrazyKittenLady]

I gotta play a bit of devil's advocate here, because I just listened to the latest TSL episode while doing the housework and what they actually said was that there definitely is some visible improvement to Sasha's skating since she's been working with Plushy (I can get behind that). On the other hand, we all know that the system in Russia is rigged to a certain extent, and if Sasha wants to have political backing in the Olympic season, she would get more of that under Eteri than under Plush (and while I abhor that system, sadly that's also the truth).
So on this occasion, I don't think the outcry against TSL is justified. And anyway, they are just two guys who barely know their rockers from their counters, I don't think Plushy gives a fig about their opinion, and rightly so.

 

[anonymoose_au]

because I just listened to the latest TSL episode

Ugh, please don't give them clicks, they're horrible I hate them so much. I'm sure any miniscule progress Sasha T has made in their eyes is entirely due to Dima M or divine intervention or anything but Plushy showing the least bit of competence.

I'm so over it, day after day it just humiliation upon humiliation. How can he stand it?

 

[Philippa8187]

I’ve said before that Plushy is in this for the long haul. He would not have renovated the cottages close by to the new rink if he wasn’t. It’s a tough position he is in, but we know he thrives on having a challenge.

 

[anonymoose_au]

It’s a tough position he is in, but we know he thrives on having a challenge.

I know, I know, but there's a limit.

Asking Maxim Kovtun of all people could have no reason whatsoever but to make Plushy look like a complete idiot.

Full offense to Maxim what qualifications does he have to comment on Plushy in any way? He's not a 4 time World and Olympic champion like He Who Must Not Be Named, or a coach with years and years of experience with dozens of champions like T Tarasova or Eteri or Mishin.

Plus they know the history, Plushenko who stole Maxim K's Olympic Dream and disgraced Russia in the Individual competition at Sochi. This just reignites that old debate, the one where Plushy should have paralysed or killed himself rather than withdraw or alternatively the one where he's faking injury. No need to be picky he's a traitor either way.

Maybe they should just start asking everyone on the street what they think of Plushy's coaching skills or lack thereof, have a little poll.

Then they can bring it to Sasha T's parents and they'll yank her out of the Academy so fast.

PS. I'm also personally embarassed because I follow Maxim K on Insta and had no idea what he was banging on about just that he was on TV so I reacted with a - cause you know "Good for you being on TV". Too bad he was there to drag and humiliate Plushy

 

[Sweet Dream]

Ковтун: Плющенко допустил ошибку во время чемпионата мира

Ковтун: Плющенко допустил ошибку во время чемпионата мира

amp.championat.com

Well if that isn't the most embarrassing thing ever, Maxim Kovtun is giving Plushy coaching advice. Maxim Kovtun who's not even a coach, no not even a novice one, was actually asked to give his opinion on television to who knows how many millions of Russians and his opinion was Plushy is a moron.

What...the... actual...

That is how Russian journalism works, so don't take it seriously.

It's so hilarious (by which I mean exasperating as Hell) that Eteri absolutely lost her mind over Plushy's comment about Alina maybe needing a different approach to coaching and has been eviscerated for it ever since by the all and sundry, but at the same time Plushy's expected to just sit there and take this crap from every man and his dog.

I read somewhere that Plushy and Zagitova had reached some agreement on the coaching change before that iron lady jumped out and smashed them all. It was very clear that she would have no other choice but to retire if she stayed with that group. After that text message was leaked to the press, she must have been under huge pressure from which side you can imagine. Thankfully Plushy did not proceed to stir up the hornets' nest. Compared to the state-owned Club, he still looks quite small and weak, despite being a great champion in this field. Don't you find it funny/ridiculous that they would rather see their Olympic champion leave the competitive ice for good than let her make her own choices?

PS. I'm also personally embarassed because I follow Maxim K on Insta and had no idea what he was banging on about just that he was on TV so I reacted with a - cause you know "Good for you being on TV". Too bad he was there to drag and humiliate Plushy

Obviously the language barrier was to blame for this slip, anonymoose!

 

[anonymoose_au]

That is how Russian journalism works, so don't take it seriously.

Sigh, they seem to take it seriously though and you know what they say "No smoke without fire." If pretty much everyone they ask thinks Plushy is a disaster as a coach they can't all be wrong can they? I don't think even Professor Mishin has had anything positive to say about Plushy's coaching this far. He may not have joined in the pile-on, but yeah

By the way yesterday marks the 4th Anniversary of the Academy's opening.

They must be feeling pretty bad about themselves as the official Angels account hasn't even said anything.

One of the young skaters Ilia (I can't remember his last name unfortunately) did and marked the occassion:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNSUobSJH4F - The caption is cute

Well I'm sleepy and need to do my stretches before going to bed so I shall be off.

Until next time.

 

[chasingneverland]

I think part of the thing is the calibre of the skaters that went to Plushy. If it was just Ekaterina or Stanislava or even Veronika, it would have been one thing.

He would have been allowed more allowance to make mistakes and to grow as a coach. Ekaterina and Stanislava are not high ranking skaters, and Ekaterina isn't even skating for Russia. There are no great expectations for either of them.

For Veronika she is a extremely talented young skater and there are high expectations; however, she's not even junior eligible. There is time there. Time to learn what works, time to build confidence, time to improve skills, time to gain consistency, etc.

However, that doesn't apply to Aliona and Sasha. Now obviously, he was going to say yes when they asked. But these were the reigning Euros and GPF champions and bronze medalists - and they had been expected to medal at World's and both were World's champion contenders. They were 2 of the top 3 skaters in the WORLD. Even though Sasha's senior debut was disappointing for her, it wasn't for Russia. Russia still swept everything. And Aliona and Sasha were/are a big part of Russia's 2020-2021 and 2022 Olympic plans. There isn't time for mistakes and learning as a coach because Russia and Aliona/Sasha themselves don't have time for that.

Basically he took the risk in taking them because they're sooo high profile and soo much of Russia's expectations rests upon them. Their success is EXPECTED, so even their success doesn't really get praise - it is what is expected. Their perceived failure is catastrophic though.

(To be fair though, the same was expected of Anna. The difference is for the most part Eteri's skaters are consistent - yes, they have difficult content but that's not their main thing - it's actually that they're consistent. They may fall, have bobbles on step sequences/spins, etc but it never derails their program and they pretty much always save their skates even with falls, so they maximize every other point they can get. Also their programs are optimized to help them even when they do make slight mistakes.)

I understand why Plushy took Sasha and Aliona. Why wouldn't you? Unfortunately, he IS a rookie coach and isn't allowed the chance to grow as a coach and learn what works. Mistakes WILL happen. But because they can't afford them he can't really either. Which puts more pressure on them and him.

The other thing too with Plushy is he coaches like he would have wanted to be coached - or he coaches for a skater like himself. Which makes sense - it's what he knows. And another area where he would improve over time. It works for Sasha because they're soo similar and have similar drives. But it also has the potential not to work because sometimes she'll need to go for consistency rather than jumps. She'll need balance. It also means that he doesn't connect as well with skaters who aren't like him. Again this would come in time but hasn't come yet. He also is visibly nervous when his skaters skate - once again understandably - but when they're nervous skaters as well, it isn't exactly calming - it isn't exactly a stabilizing presence which can also adversely affect his skaters. All this will obviously be improved with time but he doesn't have that luxury. Not with skaters of this level.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Whole post

100% this! Thanks for describing the Plushy coaching conundrum so eloquently, @chasingneverland !

 

[anonymoose_au]

Indeed, thanks for your post chasingneverland always nice to have input from others

I think part of the thing is the calibre of the skaters that went to Plushy.

Yes...there's no denying it really, Plushy and the Academy - mostly Plushy since he is head coach has shot himself in the foot.

I can't blame him exactly, he has a go-get-it attitude, one that served him so well as a competitior. Problem is, it's now a liability, let's face it I can't think of a single coach in any sport, anywhere in the world who would have done this. It's like a first timer taking on Simone Biles, or Michael Phelps, or whoever the top team is in any sport. It just doesn't happen and for good reason, as you said success is expected with these athletes, demanded almost. Let's say Plushy had succeeded with Aliona, would it have mattered? Not really, because she is/was the top skater in the world, of course she was going to stay there. The only way she wasn't is if some loser coach who doesn't know squat interfered, enter Plushy.

Now Aliona has returned to Crystal and the improvement is already there, soon her 3A will come back and she'll be none the worse for it. I don't want to blame her, but part of me is very annoyed at what she did. She didn't even come to the Academy for Plushy, but for Sergei R. Now the Academy's reputation is in tatters and she's off on her merry way. She's having tons of fun at Crystal (see the new Tutberhouse Tiktok) and Sasha is getting so much pity because she's all alone at the Academy with no real friends except her dogs. She says she doesn't use Social Media, one hopes not because if she did, she'd feel like quite the outcast now all the girls she grew up with, her old friends, having great time and she can't join in. It's depressing to think about.

I understand why Plushy took Sasha and Aliona. Why wouldn't you?

I do understand and I argued with others about it, Plushy brought it on himself I guess, but once asked by Sasha and Aliona there was no way he could refuse. To do so would have ended the Academy then and there. Not only would he have looked like an utter coward, it would have been the ultimate insult to the coaches he works with. It would have shown no faith in them whatsoever, they probably would have stormed out en masse. There was at least a chance it all could have worked out, but it was a gamble.

Unfortunately the gamble failed. The more I see of the fallout from World's the less I see Sasha's bronze as a good thing. So many fans are so angry, maybe not at Sasha herself, but certainly at the judges and especially at Plushy who claimed he was going to help round out Sasha's skating, work on her artistry. But when push came to shove? Sasha scrapped into bronze by jumping. Most fans hate that, despise it. Sasha winning the free and picking up the bronze is everything that's wrong with figure skating. And right there - smack in the centre of the debacle is Plushy, the original jumping bean, the arm-failing, posing empty skater who symbolises all that is wrong with skating. The jumping machine who inspires no feeling except "Gee, he sure can jump. Nice for a circus, but not our lovely sport."

So now what? I can only see dark days ahead...first Sasha has to make the Olympic Team and the more I see out of Crystal the less certain I am this is even possible. Barring disaster that no-one wants to see, Anna and Kamila are going. That leaves 1 spot, Daria U is working on her 3A, it's pretty likely it'll be a go by next season, Maiia has two quads ready to go, both are seen as more artistic than Sasha. Aliona of course can beat any quadster. Liza Tuk is determined to add a quad which will make her very valuable since she's already got the 3A that can be done in the SP. ETA: And it looks like Zhenya Med will be ready for next season too. Meanwhile, Sasha has quads that she often falls on and artistry that disappears when she focusses on said quads in order to land them.

She and Plushy may be similar in temperament, but their skating is almost completely opposite. Plushy was the King of consistency, it was his greatest strength. I think he landed over 90% of jumps he ever tried in competition. Sasha on the other hand is all over the place, one day she can land everything the next who knows? I imagine Plushy is utterly baffled by this and probably can't understand it. If it continues into next season - and I can't imagine it won't - I can't see the coach-student relationship continuing in any meaningful way. It'll probably fall on Dima M's shoulders and while I'm sure he'll do an amazing job, that won't do anything for Plushy's coaching reputation. Then when he shows up at competitions with Sasha people will sneer and say "Plushenko's no coach, he's just a chequebook. Now he's in the Kiss and Cry stealing others glory and making it about himself."

Even if Sasha DOES make the Olympic Team it's still bleak, only by out jumping her competitors can she hope to medal. At which point the catch 22 sets in. Artistic Sasha is what fans demand, but artistic Sasha is unable to win, she might not even make the podium. That's not why Sasha is competing, it would break her heart to miss the podium at the Olympics and I don't think fans going "But you looked so PRETTY out there" will soothe the pain one bit.

But if she pulls out all the quads, she's ruining the sport, along with Plushy. She may get gold, but she'll be about as popular as Plushy is in the end, which in the long-term she might come to regret. And of course Plushy will be reviled even more for finally turning the sport into a jump fest and destroying it just as they always said he would.

He also is visibly nervous when his skaters skate

This is the greatest irony of all, for Plushy's other strength was nerves of steel, no matter how big the occasion, how huge the stakes were, I can count the number of times he let that get to him on one hand. I can think of only one actually, World's 2000, when he completely messed up his LP. Even at Salt Lake City for his LP when he knew the gold was gone and quite possibly silver or bronze too he didn't falter.

Not that it really mattered, no-one minds a skater looking nervous before they skate, in fact people are sympathetic and cheer that skater on even more. But a nervous coach? A nervous coach is a liability and doesn't belong in the field.

Sorry for the novel...and my pessimism. It's just...I hate what's happening and I can't see how it can get any better.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Edit: this once was an embedded youtube video, but the coding doesn't seem to work at the mo????

 

[Sweet Dream]

The AOP is made up of quite a few training groups with different coaches, and Plushy is only responsible for the skaters in his group. I don't know why Ekaterina and Stanislava were mentioned here, whose coach then was Volkov, not Plushy.

Seems that the discussion is again back to the beginning. Why are people always questioning the competence of a man with 4 Olympic medals as someone's coach simply because of his lack of experience? They only want to see some immediate results, but considering the injuries and the spreading pandemic, how could they be possible？IMO, the most serious mistake he made is that he underestimated so many things and the fickle nature of the people in this circle. Taking Trusova and Kostornaya has made him lose much more than he expected. In a sense, I do agree with anonymoose that he should have concentrated on growing his own skaters, but at the same time, who could completely decline such a tempting offer? Whether you like it or not, this is not a certain one-sided cooperation, and he is not forcing his will on anybody, but I would rather he were living a much happier and more comfortable life now.

 

[chasingneverland]

The AOP is made up of quite a few training groups with different coaches, and Plushy is only responsible for the skaters in his group. I don't know why Ekaterina and Stanislava were mentioned here, whose coach then was Volkov, not Plushy.

Seems that the discussion is again back to the beginning. Why are people always questioning the competence of a man with 4 Olympic medals as someone's coach simply because of his lack of experience? They only want to see some immediate results, but considering the injuries and the spreading pandemic, how could they be possible？IMO, the most serious mistake he made is that he underestimated so many things and the fickle nature of the people in this circle. Taking Trusova and Kostornaya has made him lose much more than he expected. In a sense, I do agree with anonymoose that he should have concentrated on growing his own skaters, but at the same time, who could completely decline such a tempting offer? Whether you like it or not, this is not a certain one-sided cooperation, and he is not forcing his will on anybody, but I would rather he were living a much happier and more comfortable life now.

He put his name on the school. The coaches and training facilities ARE under his jurisdiction.

Also, he WAS listed as a coach on Ekaterina's own ISU page.

 

[Sweet Dream]

He put his name on the school. The coaches and training facilities ARE under his jurisdiction.

Also, he WAS listed as a coach on Ekaterina's own ISU page.

You are free to talk as much as you like!

 

[anonymoose_au]

He put his name on the school. The coaches and training facilities ARE under his jurisdiction.

Also, he WAS listed as a coach on Ekaterina's own ISU page.

Indeed he was, and while he wasn't Rina's main coach he would consult with her and Alexander Volkov about choreography and all that. I thought it was a rather good system, Plushy had his group of novice skaters (Kirill S, Sofia T etc) and would assist the much more experienced Volkov, kind of like an apprenticeship (which I guess when the school is named after you is kind of weird, but whatever, it seemed to work alright). For all my doom and gloom in the last post (and there was a lot, yikes!), I think Plushy could really be an amazing coach. He and Sofia T and Kirill S could have risen up the ranks together and no-one could have claimed he "stole them" or took ready made talent.

But alas as Plushy himself admitted in his autobiography (published way back in 2007) he's always in a rush. Until now it's always worked for him mostly, he became one of the youngest Worlds medallists ever, he's put on hugely intricate ice shows, ones that other ice show creators would have taken years to work up to, he even managed to regain competitive form in record time! That silver in Vancouver (and gold at Euros and Russian Nats) in 2010 happened after only 6 months of intense training. The lead up to Sochi was a huge race against time too...

So yeah...

But Sasha T gave an interview to the Olympic Channel where she had some nice words to say about Plushy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNXWNF3Jn0x/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link - If you click on the replies you'll see the English translation. I was hoping to copy and paste it but alas it won't let me do it on my mobile phone.

But yes, Sasha T does seem happy to be at the Academy. Which is good because it'd be pretty awful if she felt she had no choice but to stay there because of the circumstances.

In way more cheerful news, because this is a FanFest dangit!

With Baby Arseniy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNVENmIqpip/ - This is so adorable! Just awwww

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNVIkR9KpvU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link - Sanya and Senya Sasha has to be one of the best siblings ever! I was nowhere near as kind to my little bro...there's a photo where it looks like I'm trying to squash him (admittedly there's less than 2 years age difference between us).

There's probably other stuff, but as I'm at work I must be off.

Until next time!

 

[anonymoose_au]

Edit: this once was an embedded youtube video, but the coding doesn't seem to work at the mo????

This is working now, although I side eye anything from the Boss T channel because they're yet another YouTuber of dubious background They're one of those people who slow down jump videos to .000001 of a second to spot teeny tiny faults in the skaters technique and call them cheaters.

 

[chasingneverland]

Indeed he was, and while he wasn't Rina's main coach he would consult with her and Alexander Volkov about choreography and all that. I thought it was a rather good system, Plushy had his group of novice skaters (Kirill S, Sofia T etc) and would assist the much more experienced Volkov, kind of like an apprenticeship (which I guess when the school is named after you is kind of weird, but whatever, it seemed to work alright). For all my doom and gloom in the last post (and there was a lot, yikes!), I think Plushy could really be an amazing coach. He and Sofia T and Kirill S could have risen up the ranks together and no-one could have claimed he "stole them" or took ready made talent.

I agree completely! I'll reply to your longer post when I get a bit more time. But I will say: It's not as bad as you think!

But Sasha DOES seem happy!! And as I love her, I'm THRILLED for that!! I think she and Plushy really do understand each other.

 

[chasingneverland]

You are free to talk as much as you like!

What does that even mean?

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

I just read this statement over in the Mikhail Kolyada fan fest:

Somehow i feel that this thread must be the most unhappy one in the fan fests.

And I was like, nope, you ain't seen nothing yet, come over to us in the Plushy fan fest, we mope and complain all day long.

 

[anonymoose_au]

I just read this statement over in the Mikhail Kolyada fan fest...

"Somehow i feel that this thread must be the most unhappy one in the fan fests."

And I was like, nope, you ain't seen nothing yet, come over to us in the Plushy fan fest, we mope and complain all day long.

I saw that too! I was going to reply with "Really, you guys are amateurs."

Then I felt bad because I have done most of this complaining here.

But then looking around I stumble on articles like this:

https://www.eurosport.ru/figure-skating/story_sto8211526.shtml

ETA: Might as well post the whole sorry thing here:

EVGENI PLUSHENKO ACTS LIKE IN SHOW BUSINESS. THIS DOES NOT WORK IN RUSSIAN SPORTS.
Two-time Olympic champion in figure skating Evgeni Plushenko finished his first season as a coach: his student Alexandra Trusova won the bronze medal of the world championship. Other skaters of the academy were not so successful, and the Angels press service launched a strange flash mob, shifting responsibility from Plushenko to other coaches. Why is this needed??

Valeria Kukaleva
AUTHOR:
VALERIA KUKALEVA
PUBLISHED ON 08/04/2021 AT 16:19 GMT + 10
Evgeni Plushenko's first full season as a coach is officially over: his students will not go to the World Team Championship. The academy opened in 2017, but the two-time Olympic champion only began to devote himself fully to organizing the training process in the off-season 2020. He could not do otherwise: Alexandra Trusova and Alena Kostornaya, coach Sergei Rozanov and other skaters - not claiming medals of major starts, but notable personalities in Russia and even the world - went to his school.
Plushenko's guys and girls did not achieve outstanding victories in the 2020/21 season: the best result is Trusova's bronze at the World Championship. Most likely, she would have shown exactly the same result a year ago in Montreal, if the tournament had not been canceled, so there can be no talk of a global improvement. Although experts agree in the conclusion that Trusova has noticeably increased in sliding.


Eugene also did not bring other students to a new level, but this is absolutely normal. Plushenko is just getting used to coaching, he has no noticeable failures, and the departed Kostornaya, Stanislava Konstantinova and Yekaterina Ryabova rather confirm the tireless work in Angels. It is aimed at improving and correcting the mistakes that led to the breakdown of the relationship. Everything seemed to be correct, until a strange reaction from the press service of the academy followed the publication of colleagues from Sports.ru. They sorted out the seasonal results of the "Angels" skaters, and then the academy and the athletes one after another began to be noted in social networks, renouncing Plushenko and at the same time protecting him. Like, I trained not with Evgeny Viktorovich, but with another person. Plushenko is not to blame for my poor results.

Konstantinova, Leonid Sviridenko, Vladimir Litvintsev spoke. And if Stasya really trained in the group of Alexander Volkov, then Leonid, after switching to Plushenko, said the following: “I came to skate with him. Evgeny Viktorovich is present at all trainings. Basically, he builds up work with me, he has already shown a lot of interesting things. I also work with Sergei Alexandrovich Rozanov. "
But when Sviridenko did not show outstanding rentals in the season, it suddenly turned out that it was Rozanov who became his main coach, and Plushenko seemed to be left on the sidelines. The same is with Kostornaya, who in the end still preferred to return to Eteri Tutberidze in "Khrustalny".
"Good day! Evgeny Viktorovich does not train Volodya Litvintsev and Leonid Sviridenko (their coach is Sergei Alexandrovich Rozanov). Stanislav Konstantinova also never trained with Evgeny Viktorovich, he was not at any of her training sessions (her coach is Alexander Sergeevich Volkov). Alena Kostornaya trained all season also with Sergey Alexandrovich Rozanov! You don't sign coaches. We train 100 children with 12 coaches! Don't mislead your subscribers. This is incorrect and definitely wrong! " - literally so the statement of the academy sounded.

Why an attempt to shield Plushenko is needed is unclear, because at least about Kostornaya, these words are incorrect. Eugene spent the whole year commenting on Alena's condition and personal interaction with her, sat with the skater in a kiss and cry, and was listed as one of the coaches on the chart - his name was in front of Rozanov. And that was at the final of the Russian Cup - Kostornaya's last competition for the Angels (literally, not formally - she never stopped representing Sambo-70 by paper).

At the Plushenko Academy they know firsthand what PR is - even sports news feeds are often commented on by Yevgeny's wife Yana Rudkovskaya. The well-known music producer is clearly aware of how the information support is being conducted, but he is transferring the methods of promoting show business to sports, where everything works differently. Especially in the Russian figurine. Konstantinova, Litvintsev and Sviridenko probably didn’t themselves decide to suddenly make similar statements - they were given good advice.
The goal of whitewashing Plushenko, shifting the unsuccessful performances of the academy students onto other coaches, looks ridiculous, because in some cases this is a banal lie. Russian sport is not used to transferring blame onto someone else (if this is not biathlon) - it is customary here to admit mistakes, clench your teeth and say "work on." This is how Tutberidze acts, who also has disadvantages and criticisms. But the bulk of the fans accept her several times warmer than Plushenko, who is also followed by the name of his wife.

And no wonder we're so unhappy here... This one is the worst yet. It's every horrible catastrophising thought I've had about Plushy written out in an official well-respected sport page and more. It's a complete enviseration. I know Plushy is known for his ego, but really this has to be too much. This is too humiliating....if Edwin was still posting this would be it's own thread so fast...

This is pure, unadulterated hatred. This is deliberate destruction of the Academy. Every aspiring skaters' parents in Russia is going to see this. Every parent of a skater currently at the Academy is going to see it. Everyone is going to see that going to the Academy is where figure skating careers go to die. All overseen by the most reviled skater in the world.

My heart is breaking but the people have spoken, Plushy has no choice, it's time to sell up and ship out while you still have some respect left.

 

[anonymoose_au]

Well Australian SBS is showing highlights of the ladies competition at Worlds...

I really hope they don't show Sasha T's dumpster fire of an SP(OK I shouldn't have written that. I'm just angry) or if they do I've already missed it - I've just been at the gym.

Sigh, I am dispondent fellow Plushy fans. Maybe I'm a crappy fan, but if you ask me Plushy doesn't need this BS, if you ask me he should take his name off the Academy, it can just be the Angels Academy, keep providing it with funding and pop his head in three or four times a year for a Master Class like He Who Must Not Be Named and Tatiana V for the skating clubs named after them. Then maybe all those horrible journalists will finally shut up and leave him alone.

Like can you even imagine what it must be like for Plushy? Every day he opens the newspaper or opens social media he sees hundreds if not thousands upon thousands of words about what a failure he is, what a useless coach he is, what an egomaniacal monster he is. I don't care how "overinflated" the haters say his ego is, no-one can withstand that much hate, no-one should HAVE to withstand such hate. There's coaches out there who have physically and sexually assaulted their students and they get less hate than Plushy who's only crime is impatience, having a lot of money and a wife that all of Russia wishes would die in a fire.

And who is defending him? No-one worth a damn (I certainly have no clout I'm just an hysterical fan), far from defending him in fact most are joining in on the hate parade. I'm still incensed that not one damn person has called out Maxim Kovtun. Can you imagine if Johnny Weir came out and told Stephane Lambiel (who let's not forget had a pretty crap Worlds showing with his students too) he didn't know how to coach? Let's compare the pair huh?

Maxim Kovtun

1 time Grand Prix Final Champion
2 time silver and 1 time bronze medallist at European Championships
4 time Gold and 1 time bronze medallist at Russian Nationals
Junior World Champion

Plushy

Olympic Champion
Olympic Team Event Champion
2 time Olympic Silver medallist
3 Times World Champion
7 Times European Champion
4 Times Grand Prix Champion
10 Times National Champion
Junior World Champion

And people are calling Plushy egomaniacal? Where the Hell does Maxim Kovtun get the sheer GALL to think he can tell Plushy how to do anything? Plushy was breaking records before Maxim Kovtun could even stand up straight in a pair of skates. He was breaking records AFTER Maxim Kovtun could stand up in skates.

I maintain that no-one else, not one other skater or coach has ever EVER have to put up with the sheer insolence that Plushy has to without any support from anyone with power whatsoever.

Let's not forget the Russian Figure Skating Fed's humiliating smackdown on him after Rostelecom. They've never done that before, not once.

And I don't see why he has to or why he even wants put up with this BS. He should give the entire Russian figure skating world an enormous "F you" and get the Hell out.

(And don't @me about Lakernik's visit, his advice was about as useful as a bucket of **** and just brought Plushy even more hate for messing around with Aliona's programs. If you told me he did it on purpose to get Aliona to leave I wouldn't even be surprised).