Marian Pahars
Encyclopedia
Marians Pahars is a Latvia
n former footballer
, currently the manager of Skonto FC
. He spent most of his career as a striker
at Southampton
in the Premier League and with Skonto
in Latvia.
His Latvian
given name is Marians; however, most football media have internationalised his name as Marian since he began playing in England
.
. When he was about 8 years old, Jurijs Andrejevs
, a coach from Skonto Riga visited his school, as a result of which Pahars decided to play football. Andreev was to have a major influence on Pahars’ football career.
At 18 he signed for Pardaugava Riga moving on to Skonto Metals and then into the Skonto Riga first-team in 1995. He started playing as a midfielder
, usually on the wings, before moving into a striker’s role.
His best goal ratio came in 1995 when he scored 8 in 9 games, which he followed up with 12 in 28 games the following season, as he became a regular in the Latvian national team. In his prime he was dubbed the "Latvian Michael Owen
".
In the 1998 season he scored 19 goals in 26 games for Skonto, and his progress was attracting attention from bigger clubs; he had trials with Salernitana
(Italy), Werder Bremen (Germany), and Casino Salzburg (Austria), but he was recommended to Southampton’s manager Dave Jones by Gary Johnson
, the manager of the Latvian national team.
Saints agreed a fee with Skonto
of around £800,000 and despite difficulties in obtaining a work permit and objections from the PFA, these problems were overcome and he joined the Saints in March 1999, thus becoming the first Latvian to play in the FA Premier League
.
He finally made his debut as a 70th minute substitute away to Coventry City on 5 April 1999, with his home debut at The Dell coming on 17 April, when he came off the bench to score the crucial equaliser – and almost got a winner – against Blackburn Rovers
in a 3–3 draw. At this time Saints were desperately trying to survive in the Premier League and had gone in to the final game of the season needing a win to guarantee their place for a further season. Pahars scored twice in the 2–0 win over Everton
at the Dell, thus securing Saints’ status in the Premiership for the following season.
He made 33 appearances during the 1999–00 season finishing as the club's top scorer with 13 goals. By now, Dave Jones had been replaced as manager by Glenn Hoddle
, who decided to move Pahars to a wide position, with the theory that he could scare the opposition, with his dribbling and pace, and provide for others as well as score himself.
After an impressive start to the 2000–01 season – finding the net six times as a striker, he returned to a deeper role, and his form slumped as a result. He was still a threat providing his team mates with opportunities, but his form was patchy and inconsistent and he only found the net three more times to take his tally for the season to 9 goals.
After an indifferent start to the following season, he came off the bench to score the winner away to Bolton Wanderers
on 15 September 2001. He scored at a regular rate over the next three months including the winner in a 1–0 victory over Charlton Athletic
on 24 November – Saints first win in their new St Mary's Stadium
.
Unfortunately, after the New Year the goals dried up again but he finished the season with his best total for the Saints of 16 goals in League and FA Cup
. Pahars’ 16 goals and 14 from strike partner James Beattie
meant that the duo had the second best strike rate in the Premiership.
In the summer of 2002, Pahars required a hernia
operation, which forced him to miss the whole of pre-season and although he scored a penalty in a 1–0 home win over Everton on 11 September he never fully recovered from his injury. His early season was rather stop-start and was not helped by the suspension for receiving a red card at home to Manchester City on 5 October. He then severely injured an ankle in November 2002, which kept him out for most of the rest of the season with another operation on the eve of the FA Cup Final
to round off a miserable 2002–03 season.
The start to the 2003–04 season was again hampered by injury and comebacks for the reserves were ruined by injury recurrences. He did manage to play the closing minutes as Latvia claimed a place at Euro 2004. With that as an added incentive to get himself fully fit he found himself back in the Saints starting line up for 3 successive games which all ended in victories. His first goal of the season – and in more than a year – came at home to local rivals Portsmouth
on 21 December 2003 in a 3–0 home win when he curled a superb right footer in to the bottom right corner.
After recovering from injury, he was then injured in 2004–05 pre-season, which ruled him out of the early part of the season. Comebacks for the reserves were promising, until problems flared up again, causing him to miss the whole of the season in frustrating circumstances, as Saints were relegated after 28 years in the top flight of English Football.
His 2005–06 season was another frustrating one with injury after injury once again seeing his comebacks ruined. He did make 10 appearances during the season, scoring one goal, but it was not enough to save his Saints career, and, in May 2006, after seven years with 156 appearances and 45 goals for the club, it was announced that his contract with Southampton would not be renewed for the following season.
After the final game of the season, on 30 April 2006 Pahars took part in a 'lap of appreciation' by the Saints players around the St. Mary's pitch, in an emotional goodbye for the player and many of the Southampton fans present. He is remembered fondly by all of the Southampton fans, and widely acknowledged as one of the best players the club has seen in its long history. He will always be remembered as a symbol of the team's lost Premiership status, and will always be sorely missed.
Pahars signed with Anorthosis Famagusta FC
a Cypriot
team managed by former Georgian International Temuri Ketsbaia
.
His injury problems were frequent during his stay at the club, and, as a result, in January 2008, he was released.
In 2008 he joined his former home-land club Skonto FC
, playing there for one season and helping the club reach good results in the national championship. After the season he left Skonto FC
, joining FK Jūrmala-VV finishing his career there with two games in the national championships.
. His first goal for his country came in his ninth match at home to Poland
in a 3–2 defeat also in a friendly on 17 February 1997.
On 2 September 2006, he returned to the Latvian national team for a match against Sweden
. As of April 2007
, he has played 69 times and scored 15 goals for Latvia.
In his early days in England
, he was often introduced as "the Latvian Michael Owen
". While successful at Southampton, and adored back home, his numerous problems with recurring injuries meant that his full potential could not be realised.
Despite Latvia not qualifying for the World Cup Finals
they did have success in June 2001 when they beat Estonia
and Lithuania
, to lift the Baltic Cup, with Pahars scoring in both games. Pahars was then named Latvian Footballer of the Year
for a third successive year in November 2001.
During a spell of injuries, he managed to play in the closing minutes as Latvia claimed a place in the European Championships in 2004 with a 2–2 draw in Turkey
on 19 November 2003.
He again struggled for full fitness before scoring his first goal for Latvia in a 3–1 friendly win over Kazakhstan
on 18 February – his first international goal since May 2002.
With so many injury problems over the season he was a substitute for all three of 2004 UEFA Latvia's Group matches at Euro 2004, although he did taste the championships by coming off the bench in all three games.
's assistant at Skonto FC
alongside legendary Vitālijs Astafjevs
. He became the champion of Latvia in 2010 once again, this time in an assistant manager's role. In 2011 Starkovs
left for FK Baku
in Azerbaijan and Marian became the manager of the club.
|1994
||Pārdaugava
||Higher League||17||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995
||Skonto-Metāls||Higher League||16||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995
||rowspan="4"|Skonto
||rowspan="4"|Higher League||9||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996
||28||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997
||22||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998
||26||19||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="8"|Southampton
||rowspan="7"|Premier League||6||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999–00||33||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01||31||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||36||14||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||9||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||14||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||Championship
||8||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Anorthosis Famagusta
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||17||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007–08||2||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2008||Skonto
||Higher League|||19||8|||||||||||||||
133||45||||||||||||||||
137||43||||||||||||||||
19||4||||||||||||||||
289|| 92 ||||||||||||||||
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n former footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, currently the manager of Skonto FC
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
. He spent most of his career as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in the Premier League and with Skonto
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
in Latvia.
His Latvian
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
given name is Marians; however, most football media have internationalised his name as Marian since he began playing in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Skonto
Born in Chornovolia (Černovoļa)http://www.euro2008net.com/en/qplayer/269 in Ukraine of Latvian parents, Pahars grew up supporting Spartak MoscowFC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
. When he was about 8 years old, Jurijs Andrejevs
Jurijs Andrejevs
Jurijs Andrejevs is a former footballer who is currently the sporting director of Liepājas Metalurgs.Previously he was the manager of the team but was released in 2008 after an unsuccessful season....
, a coach from Skonto Riga visited his school, as a result of which Pahars decided to play football. Andreev was to have a major influence on Pahars’ football career.
At 18 he signed for Pardaugava Riga moving on to Skonto Metals and then into the Skonto Riga first-team in 1995. He started playing as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, usually on the wings, before moving into a striker’s role.
His best goal ratio came in 1995 when he scored 8 in 9 games, which he followed up with 12 in 28 games the following season, as he became a regular in the Latvian national team. In his prime he was dubbed the "Latvian Michael Owen
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
".
In the 1998 season he scored 19 goals in 26 games for Skonto, and his progress was attracting attention from bigger clubs; he had trials with Salernitana
Salernitana Calcio 1919
Salerno Calcio, or simply Salerno is an Italian association football club from Salerno, Campania.The club is not the legitimate heir of the former Salernitana Calcio 1919, but there is however a sports continuity between the two companies thanks to Article 52 NOIF of FIGC, and the fact that they...
(Italy), Werder Bremen (Germany), and Casino Salzburg (Austria), but he was recommended to Southampton’s manager Dave Jones by Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson (footballer)
Gary Johnson is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Npower League Two's Northampton Town....
, the manager of the Latvian national team.
Southampton
He had a trial in a reserve team match against Oxford United on 10 February 1999 in which he scored a perfect hat-trick – a header and a goal with each foot in a 7–1 victory.Saints agreed a fee with Skonto
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
of around £800,000 and despite difficulties in obtaining a work permit and objections from the PFA, these problems were overcome and he joined the Saints in March 1999, thus becoming the first Latvian to play in the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
.
He finally made his debut as a 70th minute substitute away to Coventry City on 5 April 1999, with his home debut at The Dell coming on 17 April, when he came off the bench to score the crucial equaliser – and almost got a winner – against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in a 3–3 draw. At this time Saints were desperately trying to survive in the Premier League and had gone in to the final game of the season needing a win to guarantee their place for a further season. Pahars scored twice in the 2–0 win over Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
at the Dell, thus securing Saints’ status in the Premiership for the following season.
He made 33 appearances during the 1999–00 season finishing as the club's top scorer with 13 goals. By now, Dave Jones had been replaced as manager by Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
, who decided to move Pahars to a wide position, with the theory that he could scare the opposition, with his dribbling and pace, and provide for others as well as score himself.
After an impressive start to the 2000–01 season – finding the net six times as a striker, he returned to a deeper role, and his form slumped as a result. He was still a threat providing his team mates with opportunities, but his form was patchy and inconsistent and he only found the net three more times to take his tally for the season to 9 goals.
After an indifferent start to the following season, he came off the bench to score the winner away to Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
on 15 September 2001. He scored at a regular rate over the next three months including the winner in a 1–0 victory over Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on 24 November – Saints first win in their new St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
.
Unfortunately, after the New Year the goals dried up again but he finished the season with his best total for the Saints of 16 goals in League and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. Pahars’ 16 goals and 14 from strike partner James Beattie
James Beattie (footballer)
James Scott Beattie is an English footballer who currently plays for Sheffield United as a striker.Born in Lancaster, Lancashire he came through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers eventually signing professionally for them in 1995...
meant that the duo had the second best strike rate in the Premiership.
In the summer of 2002, Pahars required a hernia
Hernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
operation, which forced him to miss the whole of pre-season and although he scored a penalty in a 1–0 home win over Everton on 11 September he never fully recovered from his injury. His early season was rather stop-start and was not helped by the suspension for receiving a red card at home to Manchester City on 5 October. He then severely injured an ankle in November 2002, which kept him out for most of the rest of the season with another operation on the eve of the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 2003
The 2003 FA Cup Final saw the holders Arsenal, beat Southampton. The match took place on Saturday, 17 May 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and ended 1–0 with a 38th minute goal by Robert Pirès separating the sides....
to round off a miserable 2002–03 season.
The start to the 2003–04 season was again hampered by injury and comebacks for the reserves were ruined by injury recurrences. He did manage to play the closing minutes as Latvia claimed a place at Euro 2004. With that as an added incentive to get himself fully fit he found himself back in the Saints starting line up for 3 successive games which all ended in victories. His first goal of the season – and in more than a year – came at home to local rivals Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on 21 December 2003 in a 3–0 home win when he curled a superb right footer in to the bottom right corner.
After recovering from injury, he was then injured in 2004–05 pre-season, which ruled him out of the early part of the season. Comebacks for the reserves were promising, until problems flared up again, causing him to miss the whole of the season in frustrating circumstances, as Saints were relegated after 28 years in the top flight of English Football.
His 2005–06 season was another frustrating one with injury after injury once again seeing his comebacks ruined. He did make 10 appearances during the season, scoring one goal, but it was not enough to save his Saints career, and, in May 2006, after seven years with 156 appearances and 45 goals for the club, it was announced that his contract with Southampton would not be renewed for the following season.
After the final game of the season, on 30 April 2006 Pahars took part in a 'lap of appreciation' by the Saints players around the St. Mary's pitch, in an emotional goodbye for the player and many of the Southampton fans present. He is remembered fondly by all of the Southampton fans, and widely acknowledged as one of the best players the club has seen in its long history. He will always be remembered as a symbol of the team's lost Premiership status, and will always be sorely missed.
Anorthosis Famagusta
In July 2006July 2006 in sports
See also: 2006 in sports-31 July 2006 :*Baseball: The Chicago Cubs trade four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux to the Los Angeles Dodgers for middle-infielder Cesar Izturis. *Cricket: South Africa in Sri Lanka...
Pahars signed with Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Αnorthosis Famagusta FC is a Cypriot football and volleyball club which is originally based in Famagusta, but is now temporarily based in Larnaca, due to the Turkish invasion. Anorthosis is one of the most successful clubs in Cypriot football, having won 13 league titles, 10 Cypriot Cups and 6...
a Cypriot
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
team managed by former Georgian International Temuri Ketsbaia
Temuri Ketsbaia
Temuri "Temur" Ketsbaia is a Georgian football manager and former player. As a player he represented the Georgian national team and played for Dinamo Tbilisi, Anorthosis Famagusta, AEK, Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Dundee.Ketsbaia is often regarded as having played a major role...
.
His injury problems were frequent during his stay at the club, and, as a result, in January 2008, he was released.
Return to Riga
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
, playing there for one season and helping the club reach good results in the national championship. After the season he left Skonto FC
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
, joining FK Jūrmala-VV finishing his career there with two games in the national championships.
Latvia
He broke into the Latvian national team at the start of 1996, and made his debut on 12 March 1996 in a 1–0 friendly defeat away to CyprusCyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
. His first goal for his country came in his ninth match at home to Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
in a 3–2 defeat also in a friendly on 17 February 1997.
On 2 September 2006, he returned to the Latvian national team for a match against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
. As of April 2007
April 2007 in sports
See also: 2007 in sportsSee also: 2007 in sportsSee also: 2007 in sports -30 April 2007 :*Basketball:**2007 NBA Playoffs: First Round...
, he has played 69 times and scored 15 goals for Latvia.
In his early days in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he was often introduced as "the Latvian Michael Owen
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
". While successful at Southampton, and adored back home, his numerous problems with recurring injuries meant that his full potential could not be realised.
Despite Latvia not qualifying for the World Cup Finals
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
they did have success in June 2001 when they beat Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
and Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
, to lift the Baltic Cup, with Pahars scoring in both games. Pahars was then named Latvian Footballer of the Year
Latvian Footballer of the Year
Latvian Footballer of the Year is an association football award for Latvia. It is held by the Latvian Football Federation.-Winners:* 1995: Vitālijs Astafjevs* 1996: Vitālijs Astafjevs* 1997: Jurijs Ševļakovs* 1998: Mihails Zemļinskis* 1999: Marians Pahars...
for a third successive year in November 2001.
During a spell of injuries, he managed to play in the closing minutes as Latvia claimed a place in the European Championships in 2004 with a 2–2 draw in Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
on 19 November 2003.
He again struggled for full fitness before scoring his first goal for Latvia in a 3–1 friendly win over Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
on 18 February – his first international goal since May 2002.
With so many injury problems over the season he was a substitute for all three of 2004 UEFA Latvia's Group matches at Euro 2004, although he did taste the championships by coming off the bench in all three games.
Management career
In 2010 he accepted the invitation to became Aleksandrs StarkovsAleksandrs Starkovs
Aleksandrs Starkovs is a Latvian football coach and a former footballer. Starkovs is currently in his second spell as manager of the Latvian national team and is also the manager of FK Baku, having previously managed clubs such as Spartak Moscow in Russia and Skonto FC in Latvia.-Playing...
's assistant at Skonto FC
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
alongside legendary Vitālijs Astafjevs
Vitalijs Astafjevs
Vitālijs Astafjevs is a former football midfielder from Latvia, currently the assistant manager for Skonto Rīga.- Club career :...
. He became the champion of Latvia in 2010 once again, this time in an assistant manager's role. In 2011 Starkovs
Aleksandrs Starkovs
Aleksandrs Starkovs is a Latvian football coach and a former footballer. Starkovs is currently in his second spell as manager of the Latvian national team and is also the manager of FK Baku, having previously managed clubs such as Spartak Moscow in Russia and Skonto FC in Latvia.-Playing...
left for FK Baku
FK Baku
Football Club Baku is an Azerbaijani football club in Baku, Azerbaijan. The club sponsored by the Baghlan Group Company and ZQAN Holding.FC Baku plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League and have won two Azerbaijan Premier League championships and two Azerbaijan Cups.-History:FC Baku was founded in...
in Azerbaijan and Marian became the manager of the club.
Career statistics
|-|1994
Latvian Higher League 1994
The 1994 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the fourth domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Twelve teams competed in this edition, with Skonto FC claiming the title.-First round:-Topscorers:-Awards:-Skonto...
||Pārdaugava
FK Daugava Riga
Previously FK Daugava 90 is a Latvian football club located in Riga and currently playing in Latvian First League. Formerly under the name Daugava the team was the headliner of Latvian football where played most of the countries top players but with the collapse of the Soviet Union the team ceased...
||Higher League||17||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995
Latvian Higher League 1995
The 1995 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the fifth domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991...
||Skonto-Metāls||Higher League||16||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995
Latvian Higher League 1995
The 1995 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the fifth domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991...
||rowspan="4"|Skonto
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
||rowspan="4"|Higher League||9||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996
Latvian Higher League 1996
The 1996 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the sixth domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991...
||28||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997
Latvian Higher League 1997
The 1997 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the seventh domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Ninth teams competed in this edition, with Skonto FC claiming the title.-Final table:-Match...
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|1998
Latvian Higher League 1998
The 1998 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the 8th domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Eight teams competed in this edition, with Skonto FC claiming the title.-Final table:-Match...
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|1998–99||rowspan="8"|Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
||rowspan="7"|Premier League||6||3||||||||||||||||
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|1999–00||33||13||||||||||||||||
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|2000–01||31||9||||||||||||||||
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|2001–02||36||14||||||||||||||||
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|2002–03||9||1||||||||||||||||
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|2003–04||14||2||||||||||||||||
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|2004–05||0||0||||||||||||||||
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|2005–06||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
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|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Anorthosis Famagusta
Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Αnorthosis Famagusta FC is a Cypriot football and volleyball club which is originally based in Famagusta, but is now temporarily based in Larnaca, due to the Turkish invasion. Anorthosis is one of the most successful clubs in Cypriot football, having won 13 league titles, 10 Cypriot Cups and 6...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Cypriot First Division
The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...
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|2007–08||2||0||||||||||||||||
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|2008||Skonto
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
||Higher League|||19||8|||||||||||||||
133||45||||||||||||||||
137||43||||||||||||||||
19||4||||||||||||||||
289|| 92 ||||||||||||||||