Everton winger Aiden McGeady has no doubt there are issues with Russian football but insists his experience of it was positive overall - and feels it is something other Irish and British players should try.
McGeady, who joined the Toffees in January after three-and-a-half seasons in Russia with Spartak Moscow, is back in the country for his side's Europa League Group H clash with FK Krasnodar this evening (5pm).
His time with Spartak went sour towards the end, with him being made to train with the youth team, while the broader problem of racism in the Russian game was something the 28-year-old did encounter, albeit not directly.
But at a pre-match press conference at Krasnodar's Kuban Stadium on Wednesday, McGeady rejected the suggestion from one local journalist that his stint in Russia had been "like a nightmare".
And, having then earned a round of applause from the assembled media for giving one of his answers in Russian, the Scottish-born Republic of Ireland international went on to expand on his experiences with Spartak.
He said: "I enjoyed a lot of it - just towards the end it got difficult.
"I was basically told to go and train with the youth team for three weeks. Then I was told if I didn't leave I was staying with the youth team for the rest of my contract, and I had six months left.
"So it ended on a bit of a sour note. But I always kind of got on okay with the manager and that's just the way it ended.
"Racism didn't affect me directly, obviously, but there were issues now and again, and I know something flared up the other day again with (Dynamo Moscow's former Blackburn and QPR defender) Christopher Samba.
"There are little parts of that here and there that go around but overall the fans were great, the ones I encountered anyway, and it was a good place to play football."
Asked if he would encourage other Irish and British players to ply their trade in Russia, McGeady said: "Yes - I'd encourage any player to go abroad and broaden their horizons. That's kind of why I came out here.
"Players know that in places like Russia you're probably going to get good money and that's a big pull as well, but for me it wasn't quite about that.
"I didn't really know what to expect, but it definitely opened my eyes and I probably grew up a bit.
"When we (he and his Everton team-mates) landed, they were saying 'I don't know how you played across here'. But it was good.
"There were things that were difficult to get used to, but overall I am glad I did it" - Aiden McGeady
"There were things that were difficult to get used to, but overall I am glad I did it."
Everton boss Roberto Martinez admits he has tried to make the most of the knowledge that McGeady and the Toffees' ex-Anzhi Makhachkala striker Samuel Eto'o have of the Russian game in preparation for the Krasnodar fixture.
"It helps that they have played in the league," Martinez said.
"When you come to an unknown environment like the one we have now, I think you can embrace it when you have a little bit of detail from some of the players.
"The word is that the Russian league is exciting, there is a lot of investment behind it and the teams are developing really strongly.
"We are not going to underestimate the game tomorrow."
Kevin Mirallas and Republic internationals James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman are among those to have not travelled with the party to Krasnodar, which was greeted on arrival on Wednesday afternoon by several members of the 'Russian Toffees' fans group, who informed Martinez the connection stretches back to Andrei Kanchelskis' time with the club in the 1990s.
Mirallas is set to be out for "a while" with the hamstring injury he sustained in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Liverpool, but McCarthy, who has felt tightness in his quads, and Coleman, now nursing a soft tissue problem having recovered from concussion, could be in contention for Sunday's trip to Manchester United.
The same applies to Sylvain Distin (rested) and Steven Pienaar (quad), two others missing from a squad for Thursday which features youngsters Tyias Browning, Luke Garbutt and Ryan Ledson.
"We will make changes, but that does not mean we don't want to win" - Roberto Martinez
Martinez, whose side have had a mixed start to the season but won their Group H opener 4-1 at home against Germans Wolfsburg, has stressed he is taking the competition seriously.
He said: "We will make changes, but that does not mean we don't want to win.
"We expect that everyone on the pitch knows what it means to play for Everton, wants to win, and will be able to cope with this club wanting to win every game."
Krasnodar, making their European debut this season, drew their first pool game 1-1 with Lille in France.
