In 2011, the club began to give more opportunities to young players such as Mikhalyov, Kolomeytsev, Burmistrov and Sekretov. The team had an inconsistent season, memorable for the club and the fans were dramatic matches with Kuban Krasnodar, which ended in a 3–2 defeat, a 1–1 draw with Zenit at the Petrovsky Stadium and a 2–1 victory over Spartak Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium. On 28 September 2011, after a series of ten matches without a win in official matches, the club parted with Rashid Rakhimov by mutual consent. The next day, 29 September 2011, the team introduced its new head coach, Miodrag Božović, who had been head of Amkar in 2008 and led the club to fourth place in the Russian Championship and the final of the National Cup. After the first half of the 2011–12 Russian Championship season, the team was in 12th place.