Oleh Protasov

Oleg Protasov as coach of FK Rostov (2010)

Oleg Protasov (Ukrainian Олег Валерійович Протасов / Oleh Walerijowytsch Protasov; Russian Олег Валерьевич Протасов, Oleg Valeryevich Protasov; born February 4, 1964 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a former Soviet, now Ukrainian football player and current football coach.

2.1 Junior World Championships in 1983 and Mexico in 1986
2.2 EM- finalist in 1988 and FIFA World Cup 1990
2.3 Successful EM- Quali in 1992 and spurned star striker

3.1 As a coach at Olympiakos and Aris Limassol
3.2 A flying visit to Steaua Bucharest and dedication in Dnipro
3.3 Short visit to Kuban Krasnodar
3.4 Time for Iraklis Thessaloniki
3.5 Challenge: FK Rostov

4.1 Honours as player and coach
4.2 Other individual successes next scorer
4.3 National team success

Club career

Most games in Dnepropetrovsk Dnieper

His active career as a football player began Protasov in the 1970s as a young player of the Dnieper Dnepropetrovsk. In the local junior he was henceforth designed as a striker and was first used in the 1982 game in the professional sector. In his first season in the first team of the club he came into four championship games for use and had already been successful as a scorer. Nevertheless, he spent the remainder of the season mainly at youth level from Dnepropetrovsk Dnieper, where his offensive talent was quickly recognized and encouraged. In the following season, the trained striker was already increased in the first team to use, where he came to scoring seven times in a total of 21 league operations. With the inclusion of young offensive talent also followed the success of the Dnieper Dnepropetrovsk. Previously, people were working only middle class company, and this was apparent that the club in the years was even in the former Soviet second division before addition to places in the middle of the league briefly active. DC in Protassows second professional season, he reached the team with four points ahead of Spartak Moscow first place in the final standings and could thus be called masters of Wysschaja League 1983.

Already at that time, the up to Protassows disposal made at the end of the season 1987 existing storm Trio " Taran - Ljutyj - Protasov ," which was responsible for the most goals in that time, in addition to some other players. With each game time, increased the scoring prowess of the young Soviet striker, who was appointed in 1984 due to his outstanding performance for the first time in the national team of the USSR. In the league, he brought it in the game in 1984 to a total of 17 goals in 34 stakes and ranked in order with two other players on the third place in the league -wide scoring charts. To the end of the championship team, however, could just not prevail against the surprise club Zenit Leningrad and has always been strong club Spartak Moscow and landed at No. 3

After he was back in 1984 used in all league games, he came in the game in 1985 to an encounter in all championship matches are used. He acted offensively very strong and brought it up to the end of the season even on 35 goals in the league. This was also the highest number of league goals that had made since the founding of the League in 1936 per a player in a single season (only Nikita Simonyan achieved in 1950 with 34 goals like so many hits). Even after that no player surpassed these goals is more in a single season; With 35 goals scored Protasov almost exactly half of the gates, which contributed the entire team this season. After the success in 1985, in which he once again was ranked with the team on the third place in the final table, followed in 1986 by a depth of the entire team. But even in this low, in which it only managed the team to eleventh place in the table and was only five points clear of the relegation zone, the scoring prowess of this time well offensively strongest Ukrainian striker was noticeable. In 23 events, the rest of the season he was sidelined due to injury or was active in the national team, he brought it to a score of 17 goals and ranked so that together with Sergei Rodionov Spartak Moscow on the second place in the league -wide scoring charts.

Choice for Player of the Year

Having already celebrated some successes under Volodymyr Jemez, he succeeded also in new coach Yevhen Kutscherewskyj, who took the reins in 1987 in Dnepropetrovsk Dnieper in the hand. After reduction of the league from 18 to 16 team before the start of the season 1986, the league was until its dissolution ( with the exception of the season 1990) in this system was continued and Protasov made it so for the umpteenth time in all league games a season used to be. In 30 league games he scored 18 goals, which for already the second time in his career meant the scoring crown for him. In addition, he managed the team back into the fight for the championship, which the team just before the season ends but lost to Spartak Moscow and had to settle for the runner-up title. For Protasov personally ran it this year but even better since he was awarded for his services rendered so far end of the season with the trophy for player of the year in the USSR. After 145 league games and 95 goals ended with this game year also Protassows time at the Dnieper, where he thus made his top scorer in the club's history. After a successful time at his hometown club, with which he made it, among other things for the season 1984/85 in the European Champions Cup and there was eliminated in the quarter -final against Girondins Bordeaux on penalties Protasov decided that it was time for the club to. switch So he moved to Wysschaja League 1988 Dynamo Kiev, in his opinion the most successful Soviet football club.

More success with Dynamo Kiev

After the changes made to Kiev also Protassows goalscoring took off. Nevertheless, he brought it in 29 league games completed on a balance of eleven goals and had a large share for the second place, the team reached the end of the season just behind Protassows former club Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk. The team was also automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1989/90 and came across this until the third round, where it however the eventual finalists Fiorentina defeated 0:1. Meanwhile, managed the once strong offensive forwards in the league not to connect to the successes of recent years. He scored in the season 1989 with 26 games played only seven goals, but was still together with the midfielder Hennadij Lytowtschenko, with whom he previously played in Dnepropetrovsk Dnieper and will also be active at Olympiakos later, the top scorer of his team.

Since Protasov with the team in the season 1989/90 won the FA Cup the Soviet Union, the team qualified for the Europa thus automatically Cup Winners' Cup the season 1990/91. Protasov, who came in third place in the final table with the team in 1989, was no longer part of the team at that time already, as if this made it to the quarter-finals of this petition and against only there in March 1991 with a total score of 3:4 eventual finalists FC Barcelona eliminated. Within the league, it went much better than described in the previous seasons for Dynamo Kiev in 1990. Although Protasov was used in only 16 championship matches, his scoring prowess was clearly noticeable again. His twelve hits made him not only to the internal team scorer, but to the whole of the Soviet league. He shared this success, however, with which a year older than Valeri Valentinovich Schmarow, in his striker at Spartak Moscow, but the was used in 23 of the 24 possible gewesenen League bets.

After he previously gave at Dynamo Kiev in particular with the former football of the year in Europe Igor Ivanovich Belanow a strong strike partnership came from the game in 1989 and 1990 with Oleg Anatoljevich Salenko and Sergei Nikolayevich Juran two other experienced striker added. The latter was. Carried his scoring prowess with one of the main people responsible for the championship, the team secured at the end of the game in 1990 and thus also against Spartak Moscow made it the most successful club in the history of the highest Soviet football league After the success with Dynamo Kiev and pinned by the champion's participation in the European Cup of Champions 1991/92 decided to leave the club in the direction of Greece Protasov. Him where the reigning Cup champion Olympiakos Piraeus took along with his teammates on Lytowtschenko as new offensive power in the squad.

Achievers at Olympiakos Piraeus

Besides Yuri Nikolayevich Sawitschew (10 goals), Panagiotis " Yiotis " Tsalouchidis (8 goals) and Panagiotis Sofianopoulos (7 goals) he was with his total of 13 hits one of the performers, but could not against the aging but in the final still efficient Nikos Anastopoulos, which was 17 points top scorer of the team prevail. At 30 inserts in the total of 34 championship matches he managed with the team behind Panathinaikos Athens on the second place in the final standings of the Alpha Ethniki 1990/91. Similar, if not slightly better, was the following season 1991/92, in which he described the current season, although again only finished as runner-up with the team, but was able to score in the Greek Cup in the same season and in the subsequent Super Cup. After only defeated in the Cup Final PAOK Thessaloniki in the replay, Protasov won with the team and the subsequent Super Cup, where they defeated AEK Athens 3-1.

It was born in what is now Ukraine Oleg Protasov acted offensively strong and posted his 22 league inserts 14 goals. Because of the Pokal success of skilled striker with Olympiakos Piraeus 1992/93 took part in the European Cup Winners' Cup where the team managed to reach the quarter -finals and there against the Spanish side Atlético Madrid with a total score of 2:4 in return game from the competition eliminated. As in previous seasons remained Protassows performance even in 1992/93 at a similar level, which was also reflected in its balance sheet at the end of the season. 13 times for scoring he came here with his total of 24 missions in the former Alpha Ethniki. After a rather trivial third place in the league, the team with Protassows help make the finals of the Greek Football Cup 1992/93, where the team they lost to Panathinaikos Athens by hitting the scorer Krzysztof Warzycha 0:1.

The 1993/94 season went very quickly for Protasov, where it was used in only nine league games in which he came to scoring eight times and then the club to Asia left. After him his longtime companion Lytówtschenko had already left at the end of last season, he did the same and left after 85 championship stakes, in which he scored 48 goals, the Greek club and moved it to Japan Gamba Osaka. With Bent Christensen Arensøe However, the Greeks quickly found a suitable replacement for the Ukrainian team player.

Titellos in Japan

When Japanese club managed Protasov that has already been courted his time in the Soviet Union by various international clubs, with its eleven goals in 27 matches played alongside Toshihiro Yamaguchi with 16 and 17 goals for zweittorgefährlichsten players of the team. In addition, he met with the team, the season on already at this time in the J. League, the top division in Japanese football, had, with Sergei Aleinikow and Achrik Sokratowitsch Zweiba old friends from Soviet times. In the league managed to Gamba Osaka in the game in 1994 only to tenth place in the table. This trend did not change in the game in 1995. This season Protasov was again internal Vice scorer and only the experienced newcomer Hans Gillhaus has to admit defeat, which accounted for 20 hits. After a repeated bad table position after completion of the season, the club decided Protasov again to change and so came back to Greece.

The time when Veria FC

After the unsuccessful time in Japan's excellence, the then Greek first division side Veria FC took him into his senior squad. There, however, he could no longer connect to his past performance, which is why his goalscoring steadily decreased, which is due in part to the fact that he was often used as an attacking midfielder and thus not as often found its way towards the goal, as he it has been done before as a center forward, but established itself more and more as a classic ball distributors. With the team he came to the end of the season a place in mid-table and came himself to a record of four goals in 30 went championship matches. In the team, he was alongside players like Tasos Mitropoulos or Panagiotis " Yiotis " Tsalouchidis, with whom he has already played Olympiakos Piraeus, as one of the veterans, and was with his then 32 or 33 years, the third-oldest player in the squad.

This did not change in 1997/ 98, was in the Protasov the second oldest player in 32 missions and seven times came to scoring. After once again mediocre Saisonendplatzierung the native Ukrainians decided once again to change the club and wanted his active career as a football player, therefore, the Ascended only been one season in the Alpha Ethniki AO Proodeftiki, who first had his game operation again since the 1970s in the highest Greek league, finish off.

Career finale at Proodeftiki and Panelefsiniakos

At the Club from Korydallos he was mostly used in the 1998/99 season as a regular player and brought it here on 28 league games in which he scored five goals. As the oldest player in the squad met the experienced offensive player in this season already for the umpteenth time on the scorer of the Soviet League and the Soviet national football team, Oleg Blokhin who, since the end of his career in the early 1990s, especially in the Greek as manager a name has made, and was engaged at this time especially with opposing clubs in the league. Protasov trained in the early 1990s, when he worked for Olympiacos. Among the experienced Blokhin, who also then took him in his debut as coach in the team According to a twelfth place in the final standings with Proodeftiki the now 35 -year-old decided one last time to change the Club and thereafter to end his career as a player in professional football.

So it was that Protasov changed to AO Panelefsiniakos, who had just ascended in the preseason only to the excellence, but after only one season to the end of the season 1998/99 already again had to play their way into the Beta Ethniki. In the second-highest league in Greek football, it brought the trained striker on a balance of two championship games in which he scored one goal. After the team in the previous season, not only just managed to avoid relegation due to the weaker goal difference, the team also came in the Beta Ethniki briefly in the renewed fight against relegation, but could in the end prevail and secure the whereabouts in Greece's second division. Even in this season ended Protasov after more than 448 professional league inserts and 214 professional league outside his active career as a professional football player.

National team career

Junior World Championships in 1983 and Mexico in 1986

Already in young age was Protasov active in various youth teams and came last in the Soviet U-20 National Team for use with which he participated in the 1983 Junior World Championships, among others. At the tournament, which was held in Mexico, the trained striker came in all three internationals employed and retired with the team already in the group stage as the last of the group D from the current competition. Furthermore him present at the 2:3 defeat to the age colleague from the Netherlands scored a hit. His international debut for the Soviet national football team gave Protasov on 28 March 1984 a 1-2 defeat against West Germany in Hannover. The offensive player, the 20-year and 52 days old on his debut, scored on his second international match, a 3-1 win over Finland on 15 May 1984 his first goal for his country and was then in another two friendly matches to use before he completed his first game in a World Cup qualifier on 10 October 1984.

In 1985, then followed a total of three international appearances in the Nehru Cup, Yugoslavia, the team won by a 2-1 final win also. In the following three years, the Soviet Union won this competition, but always took part in only a Soviet selection in the tournament and not the official national team; Protasov for the tournament victory in 1985 was also the only one in this competition. After Protasov had completed seven of the eight qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup, he managed his team as a group second in Group 6 behind Denmark successful participation in the World Cup finals in Mexico. In this Protasov was then also used and graduated from doing a group game against Canada, where he was employed from the start and after 57 minutes, one minute before the opening goal of his team, by attacking mid-fielder Igor Ivanovich Belanow, with whom he years later was should also play Dynamo Kiev, replaced.

EM- finalist in 1988 and FIFA World Cup 1990

1987 followed for Protasov including five appearances for qualifying matches for Euro 1988 on which he qualified with the Soviet national team for the European Championship finals in Germany. There he was employed in all five games of his team and was with his two hits not only the top scorer of his team, but together with the German Rudi Völler also second top scorer behind Marco van Basten. With the team he left only in the final match against the Netherlands after a 0-2 defeat there. Previously in 1988 he succeeded his only hat-trick in the national team, he will spend a large part of his career, is in a match against Greece, the country where Protasov on 23 March 1988, which the Soviet Union 4-0 for itself could decide.

He then completed in the years 1988 and 1989, all eight qualifiers for the 1990 World Cup, reached it with the Soviet Union, the first group place in Group 3 and managed so along with the runners- Austria before the persecutors Turkey, East Germany and Iceland successful participation in the World Cup finals in 1990. prior to the World Cup start in the summer of 1990, Protasov with the national team at the Marlboro Cup 1990 in Los Angeles, where he managed the team to third place. He was employed in two internationals. At the World Cup finals in Italy, the care of the legendary Soviet coach Valery Lobanovsky team but could not prevail and already retired in Group B than Group Last by ongoing competition, although it was initially traded alongside Argentina as favorites and great opportunities for a had stuck, because the first three teams moved into the group last sixteen.

Successful EM- Quali in 1992 and spurned star striker

In the years 1990 and 1991 Protasov graduated four qualifiers for the European Championships in 1992 and managed it with the team as group winners once again to qualify for a European Championship finals. At the European Championship finals in Sweden, the trained striker, however, no longer participated. With the last qualifying match, a 3-0 win over Cyprus in which he succeeded his last international goal, he finished his career in the Soviet national football team at the age of 27 years. Until that time, it was used 68 international matches in his home country, scoring a total of 29 goals, making him turn behind Oleg Blokhin made the second best scorer in the history of the Soviet national team. The game against Cyprus was also the last of the Soviet Union, which was finally dissolved on 21 December 1991.

Already on April 29 of the following year the first official international match of Ukraine was held, would have been eligible to play for the Protasov because of his birthplace. For the game, which was played against Hungary, also players like Protasov or Oleh Wolodymyrowitsch Kusnjezow who had participated among others in the European Championship Qualifiers, would have been eligible to play. Due to the lack of funding of Federazija Futbolu Ukrajiny by Moscow one was forced exclusively to let players be used that were active at the present time in Ukraine and could not therefore access legionnaires. Since Protasov was by this time in Greece active in Olyimpiakos Piraeus, he thus had no chance for a convening of the new CIS team.

At the age of 30 years, the offensive player nor did come to an international match. This he completed on 7 September 1994 in a qualifying match for Euro 1996 when he was in the 0-2 defeat against Lithuania over the full duration of the Ukraine in action. This should also be the only use to stay in the Ukrainian national football team.

Coaching career

As a coach at Olympiakos and Aris Limassol

After the end of his active football career for the 1999/2000 season followed Protasov for about two years, where he paused and made his coaching license. In 2002, he then returned back to professional football and took over in February as coach of Olympiakos Piraeus, where he replaced the former professional football player and current coach Takis Lemonis. He then led the team to the championship in 2002/ 03 and qualified as with the team for the subsequent Champions League 2003/04. How Protasov said before the competition that one is with opponents like Juventus, Real Sociedad and Galatasaray in a very difficult group. The outsider image you finally meet in the current contest, where you can still retired as a group Last with a goal difference of 6:13 and only four points scored in the group stage. In the last game you cashed it in the away match against Juventus, a clear 0:7 defeat.

Within the Alpha Ethniki he lost his team, among others, during the 2003/ 04 season, a home game against PAOK Thessaloniki, which meant their first home defeat against PAOK for over 15 years. Although good performance in the league and also in the Cup left Protasov even during the current season, the Greek club, which then Siniša Gogić appointed as interim coach. He was previously the Ukrainians, the team still in the semifinals of the Greek Football Cup, the Protassows real successor Nikos Alefantos, which however only three months remained at the club, won with the team at the end of the competition. Bitter aftertaste was that Protasov left the club just in a difficult phase in which the team would still opt Much can. At the end of season one was still only runner-up behind Panathinaikos Athens, but still had the trophy in the bag.

Within just 24 hours after the dismissal of the Belgian Henk Houwaart the Cypriot club AEL Limassol in December 2004 brought the Soviet Ex - International as the successor of the Belgian team, where he signed a two-year contract. When he came with the team until the season end in the relegation battle, be dated to two -year contract was terminated by mutual agreement and he left after only a short period the Cypriot club. Already in June 2005 came Protasov to its next station, which resulted in Romania to Steaua.

A flying visit to Steaua Bucharest and dedication in Dnipro

He replaced after the departure of former Italian team goalkeeper and current coach Walter Zenga the short time the contracted for him interim coach Dumitru Dumitriu and also signed as in his previous station an ongoing two-year contract. With the team, he failed in the course of 2005, just short of qualifying for the Champions League 2005/ 06, where you can almost with a total score of 3:4 was eliminated in the third qualifying round tie against Rosenborg Trondheim. Much better it was for the team but in the Romanian championship, in Protasov large share of the league title at the end of the 2005 /06 had. Until November / December 2005, he supervised the team in 15 Championship games and a few other competitive games and was subsequently replaced by Cosmin Olăroiu, who led the team to the final title. Nevertheless Protasov was chosen end of the season coach of the year in Romania.

After his again only a short engagement at Steaua Bucharest him an offer was from his former club, which is now known under the name of Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, still in December 2005 submitted. Soon after the change took shape already, with Protasov mid-December had his last competitive game with the Romanians and then left the club towards home. Was announced on 19 December 2005 that the returnees, a contract signed with his former training club where he also became the leading scorer with a term of three and a half years. Immediately after the winter break, he was early March 2006 his competitive debut as coach and reached with the team until the end of the season 2005/ 06 a decent sixth place in the final standings dense design.

Even in the season of 2006 /07 led Protasov his team successfully and brought it up to the end of the season even on the fourth place, which meant a starting spot in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup in 2007 /08. There, the team was able to beat the Polish club GKS Belchatow with a total score of 5-3, but different in the subsequent first round in the main competition on the away goals rule, almost against FC Aberdeen on current competition are from. As in the previous season reached by longtime Soviet International coached team in the 2007/ 08 season in fourth place in the final table and was thus set for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup in 2008/ 09. There, the team resigned, however again narrowly on away goals against AC Bellinzona.

Although his contract with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk had a duration of three and a half years, Protasov end of August 2008 rose early out of his contract he dissolved by mutual agreement with the club in the season 2009 /09. Reason for the early elimination was mainly the disappointing result against AC Bellinzona in the UEFA Cup Qualifiers.

In short visit to Kuban Krasnodar

DC in early October 2008 came Protasov its next coach station, which led him to the Russian second division side FC Kuban Krasnodar. The club he supervised from the 37th round and won with the team six of seven at that time outstanding games and rose with the team at the end of the game in 2008 to the highest league in Russian football, which Premjer league on. However, he left the club already since November 2008 again and was thus not even engaged two months at the Russian Club. Reason for his departure was mainly since 2007 financial crisis, which at that time met the club particularly strong and shrank the budget of the club. He was succeeded in the game of 2009, multiple Russian International Sergei Ivanovich Ovchinnikov.

Time with Iraklis Thessaloniki

After a little more than four months of the end of March Vereinslosigkeit to Protasov joined the Greek club Iraklis Thessaloniki and entered thus take over from Makis Katsavakis to which managed the club from 2008 to 2009. With the team he reached the densely staggered rear part of the table with 33 points in tenth place in the Greek Super League 2008 /09. A similar placement reached the team in the following season 2009/10, the team assisted in the Protasov until his departure in October 2009. However, his dismissal at the club from Salonika was not surprising, since the performance of the team constantly pointed down and he stood with the team until his dismissal in late October just in 14th place ( out of 16) in the table. Still got around that the team in Greek football Cup in 2009/ 10 has already been eliminated in the fourth round against the then third division AO Trikala 0-1 from the current competition. He was succeeded by then the longtime Greek International Savvas Kofidis, who was also a long-term player in Thessaloniki, at.

New challenge: FK Rostov

On 19 December 2009, the Russian first division side FK Rostov published a press release in which he announced, but that Oleg Protasov will take over the post of head coach of the club from next season. Besides Protasov was his longtime companion Nikos Karidas, who already worked with him at Olympiakos Piraeus and Steaua Bucharest, brought to the coaching staff. In the game of 2010, he reached with the team in the sometimes quite close sliding scale with the ninth a place in mid-table.

Achievements

Honours as player and coach

2x Soviet scorer: 1985 (35 goals), 1987 ( 18 goals)
1x Soviet champion: 1983
1x Soviet runner-up: 1987
2x 3 Championship Place: 1984 and 1985

Other individual successes next scorer

Best scorer of Dnepropetrovsk Dnieper with 95 goals in 145 league games (∅ 0.66 goals / game )
Second best scorer of the USSR with 29 goals ( Oleg Blokhin behind with 35 goals )
Eight top scorer of the highest Soviet football league with 125 goals in 218 games ( ∅ 0.57 goals / game )
Player of the year in the USSR: 1987
Football Coach of the Year in Romania: 2005

National successes

2x participate in a FIFA World Cup: 1986 and 1990
1x participation in a European Football Championship: 1988 ( final against the Netherlands; 0:2 lost )
1x Winner of the Nehru Cup: 1987

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