Jurijs Popkovs
Encyclopedia
Jurijs Popkovs is a Latvia
n football
manager
and a former footballer.
, Ukraine
. His first professional club was Dynamo Minsk which he joined in 1980. In four years which he stayed with Dynamo he made only one appearance in the Soviet Top League
. In 1984 Popkovs joined FK Daugava Rīga
which under the management of Jānis Skredelis was then on the up-rise. With Daugava Popkovs made 309 appearances until 1991 scoring 33 goals. He rarely missed a game for Daugava and together with Aleksandr Kanischev
and Genādijs Šitiks
he formed the strong midfield on the Daugava squad.
In 1993 transferred to Sweden
where he joined Visby IF Gute where he played for 2 seasons, scoring 14 goals in 43 matches. During the 1995 Virslīga
season for which Popkovs had started with Amstrig Rīga as a player he was offered to replace clubs coach Georgijs Gusarenko
.
Popkovs also played for Latvia national football team
in early 1990s, making in total 18 appearances for Latvia.
, proving Popkovs as one of the best club managers in Latvia. In 1998 when Daugava was on the road to bankruptcy, Popkovs became head coach of Liepājas Metalurgs which he brought to second place in Virslīga
in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 Popkovs was fired from Metalurgs as the club still couldn't stop the hegemony of Skonto in the Latvian league. In 2001 he took up PFK Daugava
, a team with no big ambitions and little finance. Both the 2001 and 2002 seasons PFK Daugava finished fifth in the Latvian league, but after the 2002 the team dissolved.
In 2003 Popkovs took up the new and ambitious team FK Jūrmala
with which he won the 1st Latvian league and earned a promotion for 2004 Virslīga. In 2004 Jūrmala proved itself as a tough team by finishing 5th in its debut year, just two points behind one of the league heavyweights - Dinaburg FC
. However the team owners ambitions for the team to climb higher failed to materialize - in 2005 it finished 6th and in the middle of the 2006 season when Jūrmala was again struggling Popkovs was fired.
Popkovs sat without a club the entire 2007 season, but after the end of the season he was appointed head coach of FK Blāzma Rēzekne
, Virslīga
newcomers.
On July 2009 he moved to FK Tauras Tauragė
in neighbouring Lithuania
mid-way through A lyga
season, but left the team just after a season.
Popkovs has also worked with Latvia U-21 national football team.
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 football
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...
manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and a former footballer.
Playing career
Jurijs Popkovs was born in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. His first professional club was Dynamo Minsk which he joined in 1980. In four years which he stayed with Dynamo he made only one appearance in the Soviet Top League
Soviet Top League
The Soviet Top League since 1970 was officially known as the Supreme League serving as the top division of Soviet Union football since 1936.It was one of the best football leagues in Europe ranking second among the UEFA members in 1988-1989 seasons...
. In 1984 Popkovs joined FK Daugava Rīga
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...
which under the management of Jānis Skredelis was then on the up-rise. With Daugava Popkovs made 309 appearances until 1991 scoring 33 goals. He rarely missed a game for Daugava and together with Aleksandr Kanischev
Aleksandr Kanischev
Alexander Kanishchev is a former Soviet footballer who played with Daugava Rīga and Zenit Leningrad.-Playing career:...
and Genādijs Šitiks
Genadijs Šitiks
Genādijs Šitiks was a Latvian football manager and a former footballer, one of Latvia's best footballers of 1980s.-Playing and coaching career:...
he formed the strong midfield on the Daugava squad.
In 1993 transferred to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where he joined Visby IF Gute where he played for 2 seasons, scoring 14 goals in 43 matches. During the 1995 Virslīga
Virsliga
-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
season for which Popkovs had started with Amstrig Rīga as a player he was offered to replace clubs coach Georgijs Gusarenko
Georgijs Gusarenko
Georgijs Gusarenko is a Latvian football inspector and manager and former footballer.Gusarenko made his first steps in football in the sports school Daugava in Riga. In 1959 he played in the reserves squad of FC Dynamo Moscow. From 1960 to 1962 he played with Daugava Rīga in the Soviet Top League...
.
Popkovs also played for Latvia national football team
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
in early 1990s, making in total 18 appearances for Latvia.
Coaching career
Popkovs' first club as a manager was the one where he finished playing - Amstrig Riga (renamed to Daugava in 1996). In 1996 and 1997 Daugava finished second in the Latvian league behind Skonto FCSkonto 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...
, proving Popkovs as one of the best club managers in Latvia. In 1998 when Daugava was on the road to bankruptcy, Popkovs became head coach of Liepājas Metalurgs which he brought to second place in Virslīga
Virsliga
-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 Popkovs was fired from Metalurgs as the club still couldn't stop the hegemony of Skonto in the Latvian league. In 2001 he took up PFK Daugava
Policijas FK
Policijas FK was a Latvian football club based in Riga that played in Virslīga from 1999 to 2002.-History:The football club of the Latvian police forces was founded in 1994. Until 1998 it played in the lower divisions of Latvian football as a completely amateur team. In 1998 Policijas FK for the...
, a team with no big ambitions and little finance. Both the 2001 and 2002 seasons PFK Daugava finished fifth in the Latvian league, but after the 2002 the team dissolved.
In 2003 Popkovs took up the new and ambitious team FK Jūrmala
FK Jurmala
FK Jūrmala-VV is a Latvian football club, playing in the top division of Latvian football. They are from the city of Jūrmala.-History:FK Jūrmala was founded in 2003 and its goals included creating a club infrastructure, building a modern stadium in Sloka and popularization of sports among children...
with which he won the 1st Latvian league and earned a promotion for 2004 Virslīga. In 2004 Jūrmala proved itself as a tough team by finishing 5th in its debut year, just two points behind one of the league heavyweights - Dinaburg FC
Dinaburg FC
Dinaburg FC was a Latvian football club, playing in the city of Daugavpils. In 2009 it merged with FK Daugava. The club plays at the Daugava Stadium . In October 2009 the club was eliminated from Virsliga and also from The Baltic League, because of suspicion about totalizator playing at the club...
. However the team owners ambitions for the team to climb higher failed to materialize - in 2005 it finished 6th and in the middle of the 2006 season when Jūrmala was again struggling Popkovs was fired.
Popkovs sat without a club the entire 2007 season, but after the end of the season he was appointed head coach of FK Blāzma Rēzekne
FK Blazma Rezekne
SK Blāzma is a Latvian football club located in Rēzekne. The club is a continuation of the city's main football club, Dižvanagi. The club competed in Virslīga in the 2008 season following promotion from the 1. Liga in 2007.- History :...
, Virslīga
Virsliga
-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
newcomers.
On July 2009 he moved to FK Tauras Tauragė
FK Tauras Tauragė
FK Tauras is a Lithuanian football team from the city of Tauragė. The team plays in the A Lyga, Lithuania's highest football division.- Name :During its history the club has changed its name several times:*1922 – Tauragės Sporto Sąjunga*19?? – Šauliai...
in neighbouring Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
mid-way through A lyga
A Lyga
The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. It is organized by LFF . League size has varied between 8 and 12 teams over the past few years; for its 2011 season, the league features 12 teams...
season, but left the team just after a season.
Popkovs has also worked with Latvia U-21 national football team.