Marked for Alvis Rugins
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad8 Mar 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market8 Mar 2027
Alvis Rugins hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Stumbras can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Petar Bosančić commits to Stumbras for another 3 years.
Boardroom8 Mar 2027
4 academy graduates step up at Stumbras
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Stumbras
Mouhamed Souare and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Market8 Mar 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Karolis Vaitkunas has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market8 Mar 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Andrius Jankauskas has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market8 Mar 2027
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Tomas Jankauskas is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Match6 Mar 2027
0‑1 to Zalgiris, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Mar 2027
A falling-out at Stumbras
Mouhamed Souare and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mantas Dapkus, and the manager let it.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Sven van Doorm falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Looking ahead1 Mar 2027
Stumbras take on the side everybody is chasing
Zalgiris arrive as leaders. A side at the top is beaten roughly once a month, and the club that does it gets a week it remembers for a year.
Looking ahead1 Mar 2027
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Petar Bosančić’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Stumbras needing him to play as if none of it matters.
Squad1 Mar 2027
The shrug has gone, the language is coming, and he now argues in training like somebody who expects to be here next year. Half a signing's value is this and none of it appears on a fee.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Feb 2027
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Mantas Dapkus reports back to Stumbras with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Market8 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Stumbras, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets8 Feb 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. KAMAZ have kept their man, and Stumbras go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Raymond Thomas
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Sven van Doorm falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Stumbras
Justas Dapkus and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Stumbras would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Alvis Rugins is not saying it is over
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 34 with 0 appearances behind him, and Stumbras have to plan for both answers.
Market8 Feb 2027
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Stumbras could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jan 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market11 Jan 2027
The phone has started ringing about Andrius Slavickas again, and this time the name on the line is Utenis. Stumbras are listening politely and promising nothing.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Stumbras asked and Atlantas said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad11 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Stumbras this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Jan 2027
A row about effort at Stumbras
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Arvydas Slavickas was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Adrien Liprandi and Stumbras agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Jan 2027
Stumbras say no — this time
The offer from Trakai for Mantas Dapkus was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market4 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Stumbras, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sven van Doorm commits to Stumbras for another 2 years.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Atlantas have kept their man, and Stumbras go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Arvydas Kazlauskas was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mantas Dapkus, and the manager let it.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
A loan enquiry to Atlantas: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Squad4 Jan 2027
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Justas Eliosius is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Squad4 Jan 2027
This league is too small for Sven van Doorm
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Stumbras will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
In brief
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Market
Justas Dapkus told to find a new club
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Market
Experience through the door at Stumbras
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Boardroom
Open for business: Stumbras enter the window
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Arvydas Slavickas and Stumbras agree another 3 years.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Eduards Zjuzins was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Stumbras training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Arvydas Slavickas is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Stumbras can pretend not to have heard.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Simon Dia and Stumbras agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Stumbras
Arvydas Kazlauskas and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad23 Nov 2026
This league is too small for Simon Dia
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Stumbras will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Stumbras, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market23 Nov 2026
Stumbras bring in an old head
Simon Dia is 34 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Stumbras
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mantas Dapkus was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Arvydas Kazlauskas was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Moussa Sao
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Alvis Rugins knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Stumbras, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market9 Nov 2026
The clock does Arvydas Satkus’s negotiating for him
4 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Stumbras could ask drops and the wages Arvydas Satkus can ask rise.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Questions about Tomas Mikoliunas on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Oct 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Mantas Dapkus falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad26 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Stumbras this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Stumbras
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mantas Dapkus was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Stumbras
Arvydas Kazlauskas and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Arvydas Satkus, and the manager let it.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Stumbras, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market28 Sep 2026
Stumbras have made Andrius Satkus available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market28 Sep 2026
The clock does Alvis Rugins’s negotiating for him
6 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Stumbras could ask drops and the wages Alvis Rugins can ask rise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad31 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Stumbras
Arvydas Kazlauskas and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market24 Aug 2026
Atlantas come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Stumbras did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad24 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Stumbras this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Mantas Dapkus falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
A loan enquiry to Atlantas: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Stumbras would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Stumbras
Arvydas Kazlauskas and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Zalgiris have kept their man, and Stumbras go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words at Stumbras training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mantas Dapkus is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market3 Aug 2026
Add another name to the list: Siauliai have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Arnas Cernych. The answer from Stumbras has not changed — yet.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Kauno Zalgiris have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Market3 Aug 2026
Alvis Rugins is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Stumbras has been clear about where Alvis Rugins stands, which is more than many ever get.