MOSCOW, August 10 (RIA Novosti) - Zenit...

The Dutchman"s time as trainer - which was due to end in November when he goes to coach the Belgian national side - was the most successful in Zenit"s history, with the club"s first Russian Premier League title followed in 2008 by the UEFA Cup.

Since that victory, however, the team has struggled, squeaking into this season"s Europa League with a victory on the final weekend of last season and facing a similar battle again this season.

Advocaat had been under increasing pressure in recent weeks as the gap to defending champions Rubin at the top of the table grew, and he recently expressed dissatisfaction with the sporting director"s transfer dealings.

Since the start of the year, the coach has seen three of his best players leave - Russia"s star forward and captain Andrei Arshavin, Zenit"s Ukrainian former captain Anatoly Tymoshchuk, and Russia striker Pavel Pogrebnyak - and he criticized Igor Korneyev"s subsequent signings of Belarusian striker Sergei Kornilenko

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