LOI in Europe 2011

[DannyInvincible]

This must be one of those rare times the British press is all over the league. Jesus, it must be one of those rare times the Irish press is all over the league!

[bennocelt]

Might as well get the ball rolling
Nice travel group
Paris Saint-Germain
Fulham FC
Austria Wien
Rovers

Outside chance?
AZ Alkmaar
Fulham FC
PAOK Thessaloniki
Rovers

[DannyInvincible]

Haha, Pat O'Sullivan got the first Rovers goal, apparently. SSN; as bad as Errortel...

[bullit]

3e isn't just on satellite, it's on terrestrial TV on Saorview.
Right.
Didnt know that,i'm just on the 8 normal terresrial stations anyway but it would be good if they showed the Shams matches on the higher viewed TV3.

[SwanVsDalton]

Bit of Twitter watch:

seamiecoleman23 Seamus Coleman
Well done shamrock rovers.. Qualified for the europe league group stages! Great night for league of ireland football!

daraobriain Dara O Briain
Well done Shamrock Rovers! Into Proper Europe!

DavidMeyler David John Meyler
What about Shamrock Rovers??? An absolute credit to League of Ireland football!!!

Munchious Arthur Mathews
Fantastic night for Irish football! (I'd say the best ever). CONGRATS TO ALL MY SHAMROCK ROVERS FRIENDS!!

georgegalloway George Galloway
Hail Hail Shamrock Rovers! #fb

And yes, that last one is THAT George Galloway...:bulgy:

[Daragh]

Wow. Just wow.

[born2bwild]

Will anyone spare a thought for Alan Mannus?
Yeah, Rovers would have won 2-0 tonight with him.

Eejit. St Johnstone have padded seats for their subs so I suppose there are pluses.

[dancinpants]

daraobriain Dara O Briain
Well done Shamrock Rovers! Into Proper Europe!

I might be reading that wrong...but f*ck you Dara, condescending pr*ck.

[Dunny]

Eh George Galloway....?:sarcastic:

[SPXcyan]

Shamrock Rovers website seems to be down now! :L

[DannyInvincible]

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc12/poguemahone85/rovers.png

Some mischievous bugger at RTÉ there juxtaposing the photo of celebrating Rovers players with an image of a Libyan rebel in Bohs colours.

[ger121]

Bit of Twitter watch:

seamiecoleman23 Seamus Coleman
Well done shamrock rovers.. Qualified for the europe league group stages! Great night for league of ireland football!

daraobriain Dara O Briain
Well done Shamrock Rovers! Into Proper Europe!

DavidMeyler David John Meyler
What about Shamrock Rovers??? An absolute credit to League of Ireland football!!!

Munchious Arthur Mathews
Fantastic night for Irish football! (I'd say the best ever). CONGRATS TO ALL MY SHAMROCK ROVERS FRIENDS!!

georgegalloway George Galloway
Hail Hail Shamrock Rovers! #fb

And yes, that last one is THAT George Galloway...:bulgy:

7th in the top 10 tweets today. Unreal

[thischarmingman]

I might be reading that wrong...but f*ck you Dara, condescending pr*ck.

I like Dara, but he's forever spouting on about his Arsenal.

[hoopy]

When I think back(not that long ago) going to meetings to keep the club alive, then looking at where we are now. Don't really know what to say to be honest. A tinge of sadness thinking of those fans who have passed on this year and last who didn't get the opportunity to witness this. The one certainty is that no matter how people try to spin it regarding finances, the club won't be held to ransom by managers or players regarding wages. That will always stand, just like the budget.

[harpstilidie]

Unbelievable!! Well done Rovers! History has been made!

Really hope Sullivan's goal can get onto SSN, class :)

Let's hope this is the first of many times our clubs qualify for group stages in Europe.

[colonelwest]

Karl Shepard: Amazing won't sink in unreal for Irish footie

Shane McFaul: Absolutely delighted for Shamrock Rovers ! They were quality and did the country and our league proud !! Well deserved !!!

Paul McGrath: Well done to @ShamrockRovers (http://twitter.com/ShamrockRovers) on there victory tonight credit to league of Ireland football :)

Matt Holland: Congratulations to Shamrock Rovers. Great result. Pleased for my mate Jim Magilton as well.

Sky Sports News: Shamrock Rovers into group stage of Europa League after 3-2 aggregate win over Partizan Belgrade.

Oliver Kay (Chief football writer for The Times): Shamrock Rovers progress further than the Scottish teams in the Europa League. Incredible result, winning 2-1 at Partizan Belgrade

[Trainee]

highlights here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpoGE9TNwNQ&feature=player_embedded#!

[born2bwild]

Shane McFaul: Absolutely delighted for Shamrock Rovers ! They were quality and did the country and our league proud !! Well deserved !!!

Paul McGrath: Well done to @ShamrockRovers (http://twitter.com/ShamrockRovers) on there victory tonight credit to league of Ireland football :)

The best current and best ever St Pat's players - more wins like tonight and we can keep quality like that in the league longer.

[BonnieShels]

Goal shown on RTE2 there now.

Nothing like posting in a Drog accent.

[boovidge]

They had a chance going there but I didn't for one minute think that they would do it. Well done Rovers and I hope their fans enjoy every last minute of European Football. Hopefully this is the first of many.

[Dodge]

if anyone wants to e mail sky sports with the rovers goal their e mail is u2us@skysports.com. The link for the goal is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOfNq6JY_BE&sns=fb

It would be great for the league if they showed this on skysports news.

There's probably rights issues there in fairness...

[shellyriver]

Well done Shamrock Rovers -- couldn't believe O'Sullivan would smack that ball the way he did. Fair f**ks. You did yourselves proud. Best of luck (in Europa:))

[brendy_éire]

Just having a look at the match dates for Europa League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_UEFA_Europa_League#Round_and_draw_ dates), it's going to be a real push to get all their fixtures in before the end of the season.
They've already one League match to re-arrange, then there'll be ours too. Assuming all their Friday league matches get moved to Sunday, the only days I can see space are 19th/20th September, 3rd/4th October, 10th October, 17th October and 25th October. Most of those dates mean two matches in three days.
And I'm not taking account of Rovers getting through the in FAI Cup or taking account of the other teams in the cup possibly having matches on those dates.
Nightmare.

I don't think the Europa League will affect Rovers too much though. They're not expected to do much in it, and their main focus will still be on the League.

[Torn-Ado]

Well done Rovers. What a result for the league. After years of horrible results against some of the most unglamourous footballing teams in Europe the league and Rovers rise up and finally take what is theirs. Brilliant stuff. This can only be good for the LOI and start getting people through those turnstiles.

[Acornvilla]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_UEFA_Europa_League_group_stage
the teams they can draw ^^

Would love

Copenhagen (i know they lost to them already but no reason why they cant get a draw, or are they not allowed meet now for some reason?)
Hapoel Tel Aviv (pot 2 is pretty tough allround)
Red Bull salzberg (Bohs nearly took them, why can't shams)

something like that would be great i think

[BonnieShels]

Right now the logistics can go f**k off. Absolute irrelevance.

Rovers will and should be accommodated.

Greatest night in my sports supporting history.

[legendz]

I'm away from Ireland for a few days and have only heard the result. Absolutely fantastic result for Irish football. Congratulations to Shamrock Rovers. They have done themselves, the LoI and Ireland very proud.

[BonnieShels]

I'm away from Ireland for a few days and have only heard the result. Absolutely fantastic result for Irish football. Congratulations to Shamrock Rovers. They have done themselves, the LoI and Ireland very proud.

You checking out Denmark?

[colonelwest]

According to The Star on twitter, Johnathan Roche has hinted that the home games will be at Landsdowne!

[Mr A]

Feeling slightly silly that I stopped watching this game at half time.

Oh well, well done Rovers!

[sheao]

Fairplay to Rovers , they put in a very disciplined and good working performance . Partizan looked dangerous going forward but their defence looked fairly dodgey all night long .
Pat Sullivan take a bow, that strike was top quality .

I hope Rovers being the first side to get to the group stage of a european competition will have a positive effect on the league in general and how it is viewed by many here. Sure Rovers managed to do something tonight that neither Celtic nor Rangers could do.

Hats off to them and hopefully they will be good representitives for our league over the next few months .

One thing I would like to see come from this is that more people will get behind the league and start supporting their local team.
The league will only see more club's doing what Rovers are doing at the moment in Europe by getting behind their own .
I for one hope for the sake of the league and that this is'nt a once off.

[bennocelt]

according to the beeb online tracker -1955 the last time there were no scots teams in europe comps by September, and 1964 the last time a LOI team played in europe in december (shels!)

[colonelwest]

From Wikipedia:

Pot 1: Spurs, PSV, Atletico Madrid, Sporting, Braga, Schalke, Kiev, PSG, Copenhagen, AZ, Anderlecht, Twente.

Pot 2: Fulham, Besiktas, Hapoel, Metalist, Standard Liege, Rubin Kazan, Brugges, AEK, Steau, Udinese, Bilbao, Lazio

Pot 3: Salzburg, Maccabi Haifa, Zurich, Odense, Lokomtiv Moscow, PAOK, Brirmingham, Stoke, Rennes, Austria Vienna, Rapid Bucharest, Hannover

Pot 4: Vorskla Poltava, Wisla, Vaslui, Sion, Sturm Graz, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Slovan Bratislava, Legia Warsaw, Maribor, AEK Larnica, Malmo, Shamrock Rovers :cool:


Atletico Madrid, Udinese/ Lazio and one of the two English teams from pot 3 would be a great group for getting people through the gates and for media coverage.

[Kingdom]

Words can't express how happy I am for Rovers, the League, and most of all, you lot on here.
They went to a cauldron of a stadium, against a team of pedigree in Europe, in a country we always fail in, and won. That's incredible.

Best footballing night ever. This beats an Irish result. This is the group stages.

There's no doubt this will have a positive effect on the league, but it must, absolutely has to, do something for the hundreds of kids that fade out of football after leaving the country in their teens to go across the pond. F*ck the academy farms. Hopefully the LOI clubs schoolboys sections start going mental.
This has to be a turning point for football in Ireland. It has to be.

Congrats to you all.

[Trainee]

Tallaght is only a cat 3 stadium. you need a cat 4 stadium. So only AVIVA , CROKER or RDS

http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/...0_DOWNLOAD.pdf

[placid casual]

I'll reserve my boasting for the ultras forum,but wanted to say how it gladdens my heart to see such an overwhelmingly (sic) positive response to our great result tonight.
That victory is for all who went to the home game in turners cross.

[sparky12345678]

its been a crazy year...
Sporting fingal folded :(
Bohs (my second teamish lol) are falling by the wayside and did **** in europe...

The luck pats and sligo had was terrible and even copenhagen was the toughest seed for shams to get and likewise for this round there were easier draws to get...

Like everyone on here i felt going to belgrade and looking for a win was a step too far and that theyd regret those chances at the end of the home match

I was annoyed that i couldnt watch/follow the match as i was out but i couldnt wait so i texted a friend who told me the result...i didnt believe him thought he was winding me up had to get it confirmed several times over....I caused a bit of a scene in the restaurant...
Amazing result all the more so to see celtic and rangers humiliated....

I just hope the league gets itss act together and people sit up and take notice...

now im off to rub it on peoples faces on facebook lol

[DannyInvincible]

I remember someone saying there were crazy odds for this outcome plus no Scottish teams going through a few pages back. Don't have it in me to trawl back through. I wonder did they ever put the bet on?

[bullit]

I remember someone saying there were crazy odds for this outcome plus no Scottish teams going through a few pages back. Don't have it in me to trawl back through. I wonder did they ever put the bet on?
Think it was B2bW ?? @ Odds off 325/1 or sumfink like it.

[cornflakes]

Think it was B2bW ?? @ Odds off 325/1 or sumfink like it.

think it was Legendz in the Scotland v Ireland thread

[Acornvilla]

was 312/1 i think, hearts loss,celtic loss, rangers draw and rovers 2-2 draw

i think!

[MeathDrog]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_UEFA_Europa_League_group_stage
the teams they can draw ^^

Would love

Copenhagen (i know they lost to them already but no reason why they cant get a draw, or are they not allowed meet now for some reason?)
Hapoel Tel Aviv (pot 2 is pretty tough allround)
Red Bull salzberg (Bohs nearly took them, why can't shams)

something like that would be great i think
You'd almost feel proud seeing an Irish flag amongst all the different nations of countries in that list. Great stuff.

[WeAreRovers]

Thanks for all the good wishes. Words can't describe how I feel tonight. From near death to this is unbelievable. And we did it without spending stupid money, that's the real story on a great, great night for Irish football.

KOH

PS Tiocfaidh Armani I await your abject apology for the total bullsh*t you've spouted on here this week. You can shove your Scottish football up your arse.

[gufc2000]

Fair play to Rovers, great night for the league and Irish football. To think this club was on its knees a few years ago to this. Just shows what can be done.

For all those saying Rovers will dominate the league for years to come, grow up. Lets meet the standards they have set.

P.S. On sky sports news there but no highlights

Well done to Karl and Stevie for playing their parts!

[Acornvilla]

In fairness I can see this seriously hampering their League run this season, so they wont be dominating for a while yet

[Buller]

In fairness I can see this seriously hampering their League run this season, so they wont be dominating for a while yet

Let it be!!
Thanks for all the well wishes lads, really appreciate it. I'm still in complete and utter shock.
Been supporting irish teams in europe for 10 years now and never thought for a second that we'd be the team to make the breakthrough.
I'm in bits.... in a good way though!!!!

[TheBoss]

Fantastic result for Rovers, really delighted for them. They really fought in that match, I thought Rovers players had gone during the 1st half of Extra Time, but they somehow managed to regain energy and showed that unity, hunger and desire can be successful if applied in right manner.

I see on Boards, some bitter fans are not exactly thrilled to say the least with the result.

[BonnieShels]

I see on Boards, some bitter fans are not exactly thrilled to say the least with the result.

Well, those Go Ahead Eagle fans can be cutting!

[dfx-]

Who needs Twigg to score in Europe...

Two stunning goals, one penalty (which is even more miraculous knowing Rovers' record.....), I am pleased to win.

From Roderick, Longford away, 1-4 Finn Harps (+ Harps fans donation, still not forgotten) in 2005, examinership, CHF, relegation, hastily arranged pre-season games in front of 10 people in Portlaoise and St James Gate and Crumlin, soul destroyingly dull games after hundreds of km, FD at first attempt. Tolka in 2008. Tallaght, Madrid and Ronaldo, Juventus and Del Piero, league champions, Kobenhavn and now a win from behind away to Partizan Belgrade. In six short years.

It's almost incredible. But it is possible...

[bullit]

I see on Boards, some bitter fans are not exactly thrilled to say the least with the result.
Some duckheads on that boards site,great website overall but the football forums suck big bear balls !!