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Temur Ketsbaia

Temur Ketsbaia
Ketsbaia managing Anorthosis in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth (1968-03-18) 18 March 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth Gali, Georgian SSR
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, winger
Youth career
Pre-1980 Dinamo Sukhumi
1980–1985 Sportinternat Tbilisi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1987 Dinamo Sukhumi 22 (5)
1987–1992 Dinamo Tbilisi 104 (23)
1992–1994 Anorthosis 76 (36)
1994–1997 AEK Athens 84 (24)
1997–2000 Newcastle United 78 (8)
2000–2001 Wolverhampton Wanderers 24 (3)
2001–2002 Dundee 22 (6)
2002–2007 Anorthosis 100 (39)
Total 510 (144)
International career
1990–2003 Georgia 52 (17)
Managerial career
2004–2009 Anorthosis
2009 Olympiacos
2009–2014 Georgia
2015–2016 APOEL
2016 AEK Athens
2017 Orenburg
2019–2022 Anorthosis
2022–2024 Cyprus
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Temur Ketsbaia (Georgian: თემურ ქეცბაია; born 18 March 1968) is a Georgian professional football manager and former player. He most recently managed the Cyprus national team from June 2022 to September 2024.

Club career

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Ketsbaia began his professional career in 1986 with Georgian clubs Dinamo Sukhumi and Dinamo Tbilisi, then played for Cypriot side Anorthosis and Greek team AEK Athens. In in his first official AEK match against Rangers, for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, he seriously injured his hand.[1] He returned after a few months, but his performance in his first season was not as expected, affected by both the injury and his adaptation to a more demanding league. He was the only scorer in the league derby against Olympiacos in AEK's away victory on 19 November 1994.[2]

The following season, Ketsbaia won the cup with AEK and was named by his colleagues in the league as the best foreign footballer of the season. On 28 September 1995, he scored against Sion for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.[3] In the semi-finals, he scored in both legs against Panathinaikos. His next season, he helped AEK win the Greek Super Cup.[4] On 17 October 1996, he opened the score in AEK's 2–0 win against Olimpija Ljubljana for round 16 of the UEFA Winners' Cup.[5]

Ketsbaia moved to England to play for Newcastle United on a free transfer in 1997. Early in his Newcastle career, he scored a goal in extra time against Dinamo Zagreb, ensuring a place for Newcastle in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history.[6] However, his time in England is mostly remembered for his celebration after scoring a last-minute winner against Bolton Wanderers in 1998, in which he took off his shirt and kicked the advertising hoardings; he stated that this was to relieve his frustration at being kept out of Newcastle's starting line-up.[7][8] Although he was considered something of a cult hero by Newcastle fans, he was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2000. He played for Dundee from 2001 to 2002, then returned to Anorthosis until announcing his retirement on 30 June 2007. He played his final match on 14 July.[9]

In May 2015, Ketsbaia played for Dundee once more against Crystal Palace as part of Julián Speroni's testimonial match, joining former Dundee players Georgi Nemsadze, Juan Sara, Fabián Caballero, and Luis Alberto Carranza.[10]

International career

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He won the Malta International Football Tournament whilst on international duty with Georgia in 1998, the only International honour in his career.[11]

Managerial career

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In January 2004, while still a player for Anorthosis, Ketsbaia took his first managerial position in Anorthosis, winning two championships, in 2004–05 and in 2007–08, and one cup in 2006–07. In 2005 Anorthosis reached in the third-round of the Champions League, over running Trabzonspor in the second round, and in 2008–09 reached in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage, the first Cypriot team to do so.[12]

On 28 September 2008, he stated his interest for the vacant Newcastle manager position. In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, he said: "I had a great opportunity to play at Newcastle as a player, so why not as a manager?"[13]

In the week before the match club directors had gone to the police complaining of financial irregularities being carried out by the club President who was forced to resign, despite support from Ketsbaia and club supporters.[14]

In April 2009, Ketsbaia stood down as coach of Anorthosis.[15] On 25 May 2009, the chairman of Olympiacos announced that Ketsbaia had been appointed the club's manager on a three-year deal, replacing Ernesto Valverde;[16] however, on 15 September 2009, Ketsbaia and Olympiacos parted company following early criticism from the club's supporters, despite Olympiakos not conceding a goal during his tenure.[17]

In November 2009 he was announced as manager of the Georgian national side, which he represented 49 times as a player. He claimed that while he could not promise a major tournament in the near future, the team would fight to reach one.[18]

In January 2015, Ketsbaia once again declared his interest in taking over the vacant manager job at Newcastle United, after Alan Pardew moved on to Crystal Palace, however, John Carver was appointed in a temporary position instead.[19]

On 28 August 2015, Ketsbaia agreed terms with reigning Cypriot champions APOEL, signing a two-year contract with the club and replacing Domingos Paciência who was fired earlier at the same day.[20] On 21 April 2016, one day after APOEL's elimination in the Cypriot Cup semi-finals by Apollon Limassol, Ketsbaia's contract with APOEL was terminated,[21] although at that moment the team were four points clear at the top of the league with only four matches remaining.

On 6 June 2016, Ketsbaia took over the management at Greek powerhouse AEK Athens, a club he played for until 1996, on a two-year contract.[22] His overall defensive managing mentality prevented the club from playing exciting football. On 19 October 2016, two weeks after a heavy away 3-0 defeat to Olympiacos, the AEK board decided to terminate Ketsbaia's contract with immediate effect, something that Ketsbaia attributed to a premeditated sacking plan by the board, which amongst others involved slanderous press publications targeting Ketsbaia.[23] The Georgian manager, apparently disturbed by the 'unlawful behaviour' of the club's administration in the employment termination process, filed a lawsuit on 10 December 2016 demanding a sum of approximately £350k to be shared among him and his backroom staff;[24] Ketsbaia was eventually entitled to a sum of just under £100k plus legal taxes following the examination of the case.[25] In an interview for the Cypriot branch of Alpha TV, Ketsbaia accused the Greek sport journalism sector of deliberately misrepresenting true facts in favour of certain teams and board members, and AEK of underestimating his managerial abilities for no apparent reason; he even added that certain AEK board members were hoping for a loss against Larisa in order to justify his imminent sacking.[26]

On 1 June 2017, he was hired as the manager of the Russian club FC Orenburg.[27] On 17 August 2017,The president of FC Orenburg, Vasily Stolypin, said that Temuri Ketsbaia left the post of head coach not because of sports results. He left the mutual consent of the parties and personal affairs, the family.

On June 1, 2019, he returned to Anorthosis and "A. Papadopoulos". He was the coach of the Famagusta team for the second time, finishing in the 2nd place of the championship in the 2019-20 season, which was stopped prematurely due to the coronavirus, equaling with the 1st Omonia, which the team would have faced in the semifinals of the cup. In the 2020-21 season he finished in 4th place and won the cup. In the period 2021-22, Anorthosis finished in 5th place and was excluded from the institution of the cup in the semifinal phase by Omonia.

Participated in the Europa League qualifiers in 2020-21 and 2021-22. In 2021-22 he also qualified for the Europa Conference groups. He finished in 3rd place in the group behind Gent and Partizan and in front of Flora.

On June 6, 2022, he was announced by the management of Anorthosis that he is a past member of the team. The reason was his insistence on keeping his associates on the bench, disagreeing with the terms set by the Athletic Director and management.

On 29 June 2022, Ketsbaia took over the management of the Cyprus national team. After a promising 1-0 debut win against Greece in the group stages of the 22/23 Nations League, his management led Cyprus to a disappointing record of 4 wins, 13 losses, and 2 draws (with a 19-49 goal ratio) in both friendly and official games, with Cyprus coming last in their group in both the 22/23 Nations League and the 22/23 Euro Qualifiers. Following Cyprus' home defeat by Kosovo 4-0 in the UEFA Nations League, Ketsbaia was released by the team on 14 September 2024.[28]

Career statistics

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International goals

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Georgia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ketsbaia goal.[29]
International goals by date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 July 1991 Stadionul Republican, Chișinău, Moldova 2  Moldova 1–0 4–2 Friendly
2 10 February 1994 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta 5  Malta 1–0 1–0 1994 Rothmans International Tournament
3 16 November 1994 Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia 7  Wales 1–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
4 3–0
5 26 April 1995 9  Albania 2–0 2–0
6 6 September 1995 Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany 11  Germany 1–0 1–4
7 27 March 1996 Tsirion Athletic Centre, Limassol, Cyprus 13  Cyprus 1–0 2–0 Friendly
8 24 September 1997 Stadionul Republican, Chișinău, Moldova 24  Moldova 1–0 1–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 11 October 1997 Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia 25  Poland 3–0 3–0
10 8 February 1998 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta 27  Albania 1–0 3–0 1998 Rothmans International Tournament
11 5 June 1999 Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia 36  Greece 1–0 1–2 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
12 2 February 2000 Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus 37  Slovakia 1–0 2–0 2008 Cyprus Four Nations Football Tournament
13 4 February 2000 38  Romania 1–0 1–1
14 7 October 2000 Steponas Darius ir Stasys Girėnas Stadionas, Kaunas, Lithuania 43  Lithuania 1–0 4–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 2–0
16 24 April 2001 Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia 47  Israel 1–0 3–2 Friendly
17 2–1

Managerial statistics

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As of 9 September 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
P W D L GF GA GD Win %
Anorthosis July 2004 13 April 2009 203 119 55 29 241 127 +114 058.62 [30][31][32][33]
Olympiacos 25 May 2009 15 September 2009 6 5 1 0 9 0 +9 083.33 [34]
Georgia 6 November 2009 14 November 2014 40 13 9 18 32 43 −11 032.50 [35]
APOEL 30 August 2015 21 April 2016 43 27 7 9 93 40 +53 062.79 [36]
AEK Athens 6 June 2016 18 October 2016 7 3 2 2 8 6 +2 042.86 [35]
Orenburg 1 June 2017 15 August 2017 8 3 1 4 7 11 −4 037.50 [35]
Anorthosis 1 June 2019 15 June 2022 119 56 31 32 179 130 +49 047.06 [35]
Cyprus 29 June 2022 present 20 5 2 13 19 49 −30 025.00 [35]
Total 446 231 110 105 588 406 +182 051.79 —

Honours

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As a player

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Dinamo Tbilisi
AEK Athens
Anorthosis

As a manager

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Anorthosis

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ "ΑΕΚτζίδικη κακοτυχία: Ο τραυματισμός Ζουκλίνι και το σπασμένο χέρι του Κετσπάγια (videos)". 24 February 2016.
  2. ^ "1994-95 (9) ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΣ-ΑΕΚ" – via www.youtube.com.
  3. ^ "uefa.com - UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - All-Time Statistics - 1st". 19 June 2004. Archived from the original on 19 June 2004.
  4. ^ "Τιμούρ Κετσμπάγια". kitrinomavro.gr.
  5. ^ "uefa.com - UEFA Cup Winners' Cup - All-Time Statistics - 2nd". 30 April 2004. Archived from the original on 30 April 2004.
  6. ^ "Ketsbaia secures prize at the last". The Independent. 28 August 1997. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  7. ^ Walker, Michael (4 April 1998). "No talent for substitution". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. ^ Begley, Emlyn (21 April 2020). "The most iconic Premier League goal celebrations ever". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. ^ Ketsbaia announces retirement[usurped], Abkhazia Institute for Social and Economic Research. 30 June 2007.
  10. ^ [1], thecourier.co.uk. 26 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Georgia vs Latvia, 6 February 1998".
  12. ^ "ΑΦΙΕΡΩΜΑ στον Τιμούρ: Ένας "τρελός μοναχός"!/ Η ποδοσφαιρική και προπονητική καριέρα | Protathlima.com". Archived from the original on 1 November 2019.
  13. ^ Ketsbaia wants Newcastle job, Sunday Mirror 28 September 2008.
  14. ^ Embattled Anorthosis boss stands down Archived 18 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Cyprus Mail, 2 December 2008
  15. ^ "Ketsbaia calls it quits at Anorthosis". UEFA.com. 13 April 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  16. ^ "Ketsbaia übernimmt Olympiakos". kicker.
  17. ^ "Ketsbaia leaves Olympiakos". skysports.com. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  18. ^ "Temuri Ketsbaia appointed as new Georgia coach". goal.com. 6 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  19. ^ "Temuri Ketsbaia wants the Newcastle United job". chroniclelive.co.uk. 3 January 2012.
  20. ^ Σύναψη συμφωνίας με Temur Ketsbaia. APOEL FC. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  21. ^ Κοινή συναινέσει λύση συνεργασίας με Temur Ketsbaia (in Greek). APOEL FC. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  22. ^ "AEK Athens appoint former Newcastle midfielder Temuri Ketsbaia as manager". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  23. ^ "Ξεφτίλισε την ΑΕΚ και τον Μελισσανίδη ο Κετσπάγια". gavros.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Εξώδικο Κετσπάγια στην ΑΕΚ!". sport-fm.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  25. ^ "Κέρδισε την προσφυγή κατά της ΑΕΚ ο Κετσπάγια". Contra.gr. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  26. ^ "Κετσπάγια για Έλληνες δημοσιογράφους: Τους ταΐζουν ένα σουβλάκι και γράφουν ό,τι θέλουν". Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  27. ^ Собрание учредителей ФК «Оренбург» (in Russian). FC Orenburg. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  28. ^ "Cyprus national team parts ways with Georgian soccer coach Temur Ketsbaia | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  29. ^ "Temur Ketsbaia". European Football. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  30. ^ "Anorthosis 2005–06 season statistics". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  31. ^ "Anorthosis 2006–07 season statistics". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  32. ^ "Anorthosis 2007–08 season statistics". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  33. ^ "Anorthosis 2008–09 season statistics". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  34. ^ "Olympiacos 2009–10 season statistics". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  35. ^ a b c d e "Temuri Ketsbaia managerial statistics". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  36. ^ "APOEL 2015–16 season statistics". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  37. ^ "Kobiashvili became best Georgian player". www.sport-express.ru. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
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