League of Ireland in Europe 2017

[seand]

Tactical fouling is a big challenge in Europe, we're just not that used to it in Ireland.... AND it gets punished in Ireland. Rosenborg must have committed 30 fouls without a booking, likewise Legia fouled away at the Aviva last year. Deliberate fouls to break up play, the type of thing that would have a LOI ref reaching for a card straight away. I think there's a reluctance to throw around cards in big Euro matches.

[patrickccfc]

Last night we got a throw in, and like dunleavy did against dundalk recently, it was thrown off one our guys back, not sure who it was. Play carried on against dundalk, but last night a throw was given the other way. Is it frowned upon by foreign refs?

[paul_oshea]

Bitterly disappointing night. Absolutely gutted. They were a willy outfit and we gifted them the goal. I expect us to do better next week but we have too much to do I think.

Ya they were going around with their willys out all evening, if the cork lads had only got a hold of them it would have been sound.

If Derry's results passed you by, maybe it's best to leave it that way...

Derry were still going from reports right to the end, I'd put it down to naivety and inexperience in Europe, not setting up correctly and not being tight enough rather than a lack of what I mentioned in the earlier post.

Going down easy and conning the referee is something I thought we had gotten to grips with, with all our experience against Dundalk. But they played that side of it very well. The sneaky nudges and pulls were all well timed too

I wasn't just talking about this, but I've always maintained that the referees generally give to the supposedly stronger teams(seeded/whatever), and its true but its usually down to being duped and I think the ref was in this, there was niggles on both sides but he always fell for the Larnaca ones. It was definitely frustrating and you could see it was frustrating Caufield and the players. But that's another thing Caufield is too animated and hyper on the sidelines which probably emanates to the players so when they get into positions - like the cross in the box at the end bumbling around - to shoot, there is a little bit of panic/hurried/rushed/call it whatever, that Dundalk look far more re-assured. And Kenny looks and sounds more confident all the time. I think this comes across to the players, and I think if caufield did similar in Europe then Cork would be more clinical.

It was a galliant effort in fairness, but resembled a lot of matches between LOI clubs against technically superior outfits. We tried our hardest, played to our strengths with excellent balls up to Shaw but in the end the LOI team succumbed to their greater technical quality.

I didn't see that game so I can't comment. IF you were to mention this in Corks game against Genk last year then I'd wholly agree with you. BUt caufield drew on this before the game last night and said when you are playing at a higher level or against a higher level team you have to have 100% intensity and concentration and you can perform to a higher level yourself. And I think that's generally true until you meet exceptional teams. If you up your game and work as a unit, keep the intensity levels up and concentration you can match the more technically gifted team. I don't see a LOI team scoring 2 goals and only losing by 1 as not matching them perhaps they were too loose and not experienced enough to deal with their play having not come up against it - again I didn't see the game but the number of goals scored is what i'm basing this on. Loi teams when technically outplayed and not at the level get very few chances to score, perhaps 1 or 2 a game and neither are clear cut chances. By the sounds of reports here they could have had more than 2.

Maguire should have gone down that time, but perhaps again that's being a nice guy and not have the professional cynicism running through or perhaps he wouldn't have taken the penalty and wanted one last goal into the shed end. Either way he should have gone down and it was more than likely a 1-1. I have only seen Maguire in Europe( bar a couple of LOI highlights) and that's the standard to base him on, isolated and all as he was he only had 2 or 3 good plays all game. I'm not wholly convinced by him but perhaps with more intelligent players around him he will make better runs and get picked. Yesterday he made some runs but it was too late, needed cleverer runs.

Larnaca harassed cork all night, but they wouldn't have done the same to Dundalk cos Dundalk are more comfortable on the ball and can play the tight spaces and triangular balls better. Is this purely down to coaching(given cork/Dundalk standard and league position)?

[paul_oshea]

Tactical fouling is a big challenge in Europe, we're just not that used to it in Ireland.... AND it gets punished in Ireland. Rosenborg must have committed 30 fouls without a booking, likewise Legia fouled away at the Aviva last year. Deliberate fouls to break up play, the type of thing that would have a LOI ref reaching for a card straight away. I think there's a reluctance to throw around cards in big Euro matches.

And that's the way refereeing should be.

[BonnieShels]

Referees should not punish fouls?

[pineapple stu]

We did beat Levadia 6-2 on aggregate, it's hardly that worrying. Larnaca are streets ahead of anyone we've played this year, I've a nagging feeling that even if we did take the lead next week that they've the quality in midfield to really put us to the sword.

Would have been a completely different game without the red card though. Now I know there was a red card of course, but would it have been 2-0 out there against ten? Did Levadia give up at 2-2 in the home leg and lead to the two late goals? What if ye hadn't scored so shortly after the break?

Again, I know all this did happen and ye won 6-2. But I know from our own experience that a 6-1 result can be misleading. And I know the Cypriot league is quite decent. I just think that, so far, this campaign is more 2016 than 2017 for Cork, despite the domestic strides ye've taken

[Real ale Madrid]

Would have been a completely different game without the red card though. Now I know there was a red card of course, but would it have been 2-0 out there against ten? Did Levadia give up at 2-2 in the home leg and lead to the two late goals? What if ye hadn't scored so shortly after the break?

Again, I know all this did happen and ye won 6-2. But I know from our own experience that a 6-1 result can be misleading. And I know the Cypriot league is quite decent. I just think that, so far, this campaign is more 2016 than 2017 for Cork, despite the domestic strides ye've taken

Thought we played much better v Levadia when they had 11 - we were completely dominant in the first half. 6-2 was harsh on them but we were comprehensively the better team - Levadia's second goal was a complete joke anyway so there is give and take for that argument.

We were poor last night, but a narrow exit to a Cypriot team hardly paints the league in a poor light anyway - its what would be expected. I reckon we will give them a fright next week - weather we will be good enough to go through is doubtful though.

[Real ale Madrid]

Celtic for Dundalk if they get past Rosenborg

[Philosophizer]

I've a nagging feeling that even if we did take the lead next week that they've the quality in midfield to really put us to the sword.

I get that nagging feeling when a lot of our LOI teams play against more technically accomplished opponents over 2 legs. Even if the LOI team goes ahead you know that the other team will probably have the technical and tactical nouse to overcome it. I felt it last night in Tallaght and have felt it in recent years watching Pats against Legia and Dinamo Minsk.

Dundalk's run last year was en exception though, along with Shels in '04. Dundalk and Shels managed to consistently match (and often surpass) the foreign outfit tactically and technically.

I'd love to see Cork do it next week but the signs are looking ominous. The players won't have much rest and the heat over there will be stifling. Those Spanish lads might just pass Cork to death in the heat. But we live in hope.

[seand]

Celtic / Linfield v RBK / Dundalk

[Yossarian]

Come on the Blues!!!

[bennocelt]

Isn't Corks match next week on at 9, so I wonder will the heat be that much of a factor?

[Real ale Madrid]

Dundalk if they get though are scheduled to play the home leg on 1st or 2nd of August.
Guess who is playing in the Aviva on the 2nd of August!

[seand]

If, big IF, Dundalk get past Rosenborg and play Celtic we're due to be at home on August 2nd. Oriel Park won't be allowed in the third qualifying round, so it's off to Tallaght or ask if we can move from August 2nd cos the FAI are giving the great Irish sporting public Man Fukkin United in a friendly at the Aviva on August 2nd!

Personally I'd got for Tallaght anyway, make it a home match. 90% Celtic support in the Aviva would be grim.

[ArFella]

Dundalk if they get though are scheduled to play the home leg on 1st or 2nd of August.
Guess who is playing in the Aviva on the 2nd of August!

Glory, Glory, Man United

[El-Pietro]

Isn't Corks match next week on at 9, so I wonder will the heat be that much of a factor?

8 local time - will still probably be over 30.

[oriel]

That’s some incentive now for Dundalk (Celtic are 1/300 to qualify for the next round !!) what a draw to look forward to if we can get past Rosenborg next week. Its obviously a massive ask, but I wouldn’t entirely rule it out, Dundalk scored in 5 out of the 6 away games last year in Europe.

For Cork, the heat will definitely be a huge factor, even a later ko will mean muggy conditions and trying to stay cool during the day will also be a challenge. I was in Luxembourg in 2011, Grevenmacher match, Dlk were 3-1 up and cruising and the temp rose to 30c, all of sudden the fatigue set in and it ended 3-3.

[Yossarian]

Personally I'd got for Tallaght anyway, make it a home match. 90% Celtic support in the Aviva would be grim.

I agree 100%. If we do manage to get through then playing that game in the Aviva would be a disaster. There would already be a circus surrounding it anyway. This is about progressing as far as we can in the competition, not a "glamour" tie.

[sbgawa]

Yes playing in the Aviva with 90% support for Celtic would be a sickener, Dundalk supporters would be completely passionately cheering for Dundalk and listening to Irish people cheer for a foreign team is sickening.

[Real ale Madrid]

10 Cork City (IRL) or AEK Larnaca (CYP) 6.210 v 6 Rabotnicki (MKD) or Dinamo Minsk (BLR) 10.975

1 Shamrock Rovers (IRL) or Mladá Boleslav (CZE) coefficient 10.135 v 9 Kairat Almaty (KAZ) or Skënderbeu (ALB) 6.825