LOI in Europe 2011

[TiocfaidhArmani]

born2bwild, Celtic never get swept aside in the CL, never. And the team top of Serie A didn't beat us home or away. We can raise our game for Europe and always have.

Back on topic, people can see hope, but I would rather be realistic. It winds people up and I get warned for trolling, but it's an honest assessment. There needs to be outside investment or we're going nowhere and may get the odd breakthrough with a bit of luck but that's as good as it will get. I admire the people who hope against all odds, but the people who laud that idiot Delaney do my head in who takes a kings ransom out of the game while teams around Ireland get changed in rusty steel huts.

[born2bwild]

Yeah, without realism clubs will end up like Bohs are now, Shels back in 2007 - no-one wants that. But at the same time gloating over Shamrock Rovers' defeats is not helping.

Without opening up the SPL v LoI can of worms again, sure Celtic can raise their game - they have financial backing that LoI clubs can only dream of - but in the context of European competition, Celtic are a relatively much poorer football team than they used to be. A repeat of 1967 is just about as impossible as a LoI team getting into the knockout stages of the Champions League. A club like Celtic has to measured against the achievements of Billy MacNeill and Jimmy Johnstone - does it help the club if I gloat about how, relatively speaking, crap the current team is in comparison?

TV money, UEFA prize money, sponsorship money and ''outside investment" have fenced off the elite in European football - and both Celtic and Shamrock Rovers are on the wrong side of that wall.

It's not a chicken and egg situation, though. You can't get outside investment unless there is the likelihood of a return. That will only happen if there are sound business practices and a professional organisation in place. At this point, Shamrock Rovers seem to be doing things the right way, as do Shels.

Maybe I'm delusional. I hope not.

As for John Delaney. I can't solve that. 400k a year for the man who appointed Stan to manage the international team.

[TiocfaidhArmani]

In terms of Celtic we've a very young team. The average age is 25. Take away Majstorovic who is 34 and God knows what the average age is. It wasn't that long ago we made a European final and in the current squad we have a lot of players who are going to go for big money. I don't think we're that bad and think our Euro results reflected that.

I'm bias when it comes to Rovers, I can't stand them but their supporters were totally delusional. I was only pointing out the facts. I think a deal with SKY like the Norn Iron teams would be a starter and for me MNS is a waste. I read they deferred €4 million from the international TV money so they show it. I'd rather that went to the clubs by way of the prize money fund. If you have to pay RTE to show a highlights programme then you're wasting your time.

I would just like to see a few individuals invest €1/2 million a year into a club and think we'd have half a chance with maybe a SKY deal. You have Irish people investing in Peterbrough ffs!

[born2bwild]

In terms of Celtic we've a very young team. The average age is 25. Take away Majstorovic who is 34 and God knows what the average age is. It wasn't that long ago we made a European final and in the current squad we have a lot of players who are going to go for big money. I don't think we're that bad and think our Euro results reflected that.

I'm bias when it comes to Rovers, I can't stand them but their supporters were totally delusional. I was only pointing out the facts. I think a deal with SKY like the Norn Iron teams would be a starter and for me MNS is a waste. I read they deferred €4 million from the international TV money so they show it. I'd rather that went to the clubs by way of the prize money fund. If you have to pay RTE to show a highlights programme then you're wasting your time.

I would just like to see a few individuals invest €1/2 million a year into a club and think we'd have half a chance with maybe a SKY deal. You have Irish people investing in Peterbrough ffs!

Their average crowd is 3-4k. They can't all be totally delusional, can they?

[Charlie Darwin]

In terms of Celtic we've a very young team. The average age is 25. Take away Majstorovic who is 34 and God knows what the average age is.
24.


I'm bias when it comes to Rovers, I can't stand them but their supporters were totally delusional. I was only pointing out the facts.
You realise people were taking the **** out of you back then, right? Nobody seriously thought Rovers were better than Celtic. Sure, some people got carried away but most of us thought 3 points over the 6 games would have been a good return. As it turned out, PAOK were even stronger than anybody anticipated.

[A N Mouse]

In terms of Celtic we've a very young team. The average age is 25. Take away Majstorovic who is 34 and God knows what the average age is. It wasn't that long ago we made a European final and in the current squad we have a lot of players who are going to go for big money. I don't think we're that bad and think our Euro results reflected that.

I'm bias when it comes to Rovers, I can't stand them but their supporters were totally delusional. I was only pointing out the facts. I think a deal with SKY like the Norn Iron teams would be a starter and for me MNS is a waste. I read they deferred €4 million from the international TV money so they show it. I'd rather that went to the clubs by way of the prize money fund. If you have to pay RTE to show a highlights programme then you're wasting your time.

I would just like to see a few individuals invest €1/2 million a year into a club and think we'd have half a chance with maybe a SKY deal. You have Irish people investing in Peterbrough ffs!

Please find a short pier and take a long walk.

Calling yourself a 'realist' and coming out with that tripe.

Anything that makes it a little easier to convince a mate to come along to a game, from time to time, can only be good. And one of the things that makes it more difficult is people like yourself.

[born2bwild]

Please find a short pier and take a long walk.

Calling yourself a 'realist' and coming out with that tripe.

Anything that makes it a little easier to convince a mate to come along to a game, from time to time, can only be good. And one of the things that makes it more difficult is people like yourself.
In fairness, his comments in that post are reasonable enough. I'm not including the point about Celtic's strength, which is irrelevant in the context of how far they've slipped relative to other great European clubs and relative to their own great achievements in the past.

Although individual investments of €1/2 m into LoI clubs, while desirable if sustainable, reminds me of the fact that I used to have a ten minute drive to home matches where now it's twenty.

[TiocfaidhArmani]

Please find a short pier and take a long walk.

Calling yourself a 'realist' and coming out with that tripe.

Anything that makes it a little easier to convince a mate to come along to a game, from time to time, can only be good. And one of the things that makes it more difficult is people like yourself.

My money is as good as the next persons and I try and bring folk where I can. People are entitled to their opinion. The league is poor and needs outside investment to subsidise the bar stool Irish soccer 'fan'. I don't see what's so outlandish(sp?) about that.


You realise people were taking the **** out of you back then, right? Nobody seriously thought Rovers were better than Celtic.

No duh. That's not what I'm talking about.

[bennocelt]

Spurs were top seeds in the draw, Rovers bottom seeds, Rubin Kaz a handy Russian team, and as mentioned Paok did better than expected. Rovers played well in the games, but its a different level altogether and for the first LOI team to get to this level is a commendable achievement. Why the sour grapes, this isnt fifa on the computer face reality, they did as well as can be expected. And i fully expect a LOI team to get as far next season, no problems.

[A N Mouse]

My money is as good as the next persons and I try and bring folk where I can. People are entitled to their opinion. The league is poor and needs outside investment to subsidise the bar stool Irish soccer 'fan'. I don't see what's so outlandish(sp?) about that..

Generally speaking I have no problem with people holding opinions contrary to mine.

But given your history on here I have to question the sincerity with which you hold any opinion. And going from the fai are a a bunch of muppets to mns is crap the fai need to do a deal with sky (in two posts?) - while not earth-shattering, or controversial - does nothing to change my opinion of your opinions.

And then claiming to be a realist and defending the second best team in the country ranked midway between us and 1st while running down the league - speaks volumes as to your agenda. We're all well aware of the problems affecting the league. But you can't sit there and deny that rovers in the europa league helped raise the profile of the loi. Certainly done more than wishful thinking over the last decade has.

And just out of interest where or how often do you attempt to bring folk? Only given previous ramblings I thought you were based in the east end of glasgow.

[TiocfaidhArmani]

I go to Shelbourne games all the time. I'm in Dublin nearly every weekend, my da's paralysed from a stroke so I come home a lot to help out with him but even before that I would plan my trips home around Shels games.

You might call it running down the league but it's the reality. The facilities are poor, the players are second rate who run off to a League Two club the first chance they got. The fault lies with the Irish soccer 'fan' and that's the be-end and end-all, but we all share those frustrations. Don't get me wrong Tolka is a dump but I love the place and it holds great memories but I'm not blind to the major failings of the league and the people who run it and just say what I think about it.

[mypost]

If you want to run down the LOI, you're preaching to the converted on here.

If you want to run down what we've done in Europe this year, you're on your own.

[passerrby]

I use to have a car it was a Fiat it was in bits and the missus was always on about me to get rid of it but every day i took it to work and every day a bit more fell off or something else went until it was a death trap.but i refused to listen until it was two late and i had a smash on the way home one day, now i could blame the manufactuor or the guy who services my car but there is only one person to blame , the missus and maybe the fai.

[A N Mouse]

I go to Shelbourne games all the time. I'm in Dublin nearly every weekend, my da's paralysed from a stroke so I come home a lot to help out with him but even before that I would plan my trips home around Shels games.

You might call it running down the league but it's the reality. The facilities are poor, the players are second rate who run off to a League Two club the first chance they got. The fault lies with the Irish soccer 'fan' and that's the be-end and end-all, but we all share those frustrations. Don't get me wrong Tolka is a dump but I love the place and it holds great memories but I'm not blind to the major failings of the league and the people who run it and just say what I think about it.

Look say what you want about the loi - this is the right place and most of us recognise it's failings. If you're nice about it you might even get a reasoned debate. Speaking of which; are you still denying rover's el campaign has raised the league's profile?

But what's frustrating is saying that, then without hint of irony defending celtic. Conveniently ignoring failings of theirs and the scottish league in general.

And we all know the irish soccer 'fan' is fickle as feck, that's why they're so susceptible to foreign plc's. :D




Alas, it seems it's ads like the one for mufc membership, currently on the right of my screen, that keep this place running.

[A N Mouse]

I use to have a car it was a Fiat it was in bits and the missus was always on about me to get rid of it but every day i took it to work and every day a bit more fell off or something else went until it was a death trap.but i refused to listen until it was two late and i had a smash on the way home one day, now i could blame the manufactuor or the guy who services my car but there is only one person to blame , the fai and maybe the missus.

fixed

[passerrby]

Much appreciated