Darius Novikovas

Centre Forward - Stumbras
8 Dec 2026
Tuesday
Process

Marked for Darius Novikovas

19 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Darius Novikovas puts it in writing

“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 The request is on a desk at Stumbras, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Deividas Barauskas in a row with a teammate

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.

Squad

Darius Slavickas 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.

In brief

Back issues
18 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Vikintas Eliosius puts it in writing

“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 The request is on a desk at Stumbras, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at Stumbras

Deividas Barauskas 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.

Squad

Darius Novikovas 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.

In brief

15 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Saulius Dapkus asks to leave Stumbras

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Stumbras

Darius Vaitkunas 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.

Squad

Words at Stumbras training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Darius Novikovas 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.

In brief

14 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Vikintas Eliosius asks to leave Stumbras

“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.

Squad

Darius Novikovas 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.

Squad

Tadas Satkus in a row with a teammate

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.

In brief

13 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Darius Novikovas 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.

Squad

Arnas Valskis signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Arnas Valskis and Stumbras agree another 3 years.

Loan watch

Arvydas Girdvainis counts the days

“I watch every Stumbras game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Zalgiris runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

12 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Stumbras

Deividas Barauskas 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.

Squad

Darius Novikovas 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.

Loan watch

Modestas Simkus counts the days

“I watch every Stumbras game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Kauno Zalgiris runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

11 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Saulius Dapkus puts it in writing

“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.

Squad

Deividas Barauskas in a row with a teammate

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.

Squad

No hiding place for Darius Novikovas

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Darius Novikovas, and the manager let it.

In brief

9 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Darius Novikovas puts it in writing

“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.

Squad

Stumbras lose Darius Novikovas

16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Deividas Barauskas in a row with a teammate

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.

In brief

7 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Saulius Dapkus asks to leave Stumbras

“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.

Squad

No hiding place for Tadas Satkus

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tadas Satkus, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Saulius Lasickas wants to come home

“I did not go to Kauno Zalgiris to sit and watch. I want to come back to Stumbras and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

In brief

5 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Arnas Valskis damages knee ligaments — 17 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 17 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Market

Darius Novikovas puts it in writing

“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.

Squad

Stumbras lose Darius Novikovas

44 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

4 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Arnas Valskis damages knee ligaments — 24 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 24 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Market

Metta/LU 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.

Market

Justas Girdvainis asks to leave Stumbras

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Stumbras

Deividas Barauskas 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.

Market

Deividas Klimavicius moves on

Zalgiris pay $340.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

Arvydas Kuklys signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Arvydas Kuklys commits to Stumbras for another 3 years.

In brief

1 Edition

The Stumbras Herald

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Stumbras count the cost of losing Darius Novikovas

72 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Darius Vaitkunas in a row with a teammate

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.

Squad

Alexey Sorokin signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Alexey Sorokin and Stumbras agree another 2 years.

In brief