European Qualifying 2013.

[DannyInvincible]

I see there's an American called Sean Cunningham (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Cunningham_(soccer)) in the Molde squad. Wonder has he Irish roots...

[nigel-harps1954]

Molde are doing awful this season. If there was ever a chance for a big scalp from Sligo, this is surely it.

[NeverFeltBetter]

What is the story with Molde? Didn't they win two straight titles under Solskjaer? Relegation form this year.

[nigel-harps1954]

11 points from 13 games and yet to win an away game. 2 wins all season, 5 draws. But they've only lost 1 in their last 5 games.

I think they're there for the taking.

[DannyInvincible]

The Europa League first qualifying round draw will be live here in a few minutes: http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2014/draws/index.html

[JayC90]

Pat's can get any one of the following in the EL 1st Qualifying Round:

Glentoran FC (NIR)
Víkingur (FRO)
VMFD Žalgiris (LTU)
AUK Broughton FC (WAL)
JK Trans Narva (EST)

Zalgiris, currently atop the Lithuanian A Lyga, look like the ones to avoid there. Pat's would stand a great chance of progressing from all the other ties though, with Glentoran and Airbus UK obviously the easiest clubs to travel to.

For Drogheda, it's one of:

Breidablik (ISL)
Tromsø IL (NOR)
Malmö FF (SWE)
SK Liepājas Metalurgs (LVA)
Linfield FC (NIR)
FC İnter Bakı (AZE)

Pretty tough group and not sure they'd have much luck outside of Linfield and Liepajas. Drawing Inter Baku would be a bit of a nightmare.

[DannyInvincible]

Pat's are numbered 1 and Drogs are numbered 12 in their respective groups. Assigned numbers rather than individual team names will be drawn from the bowl.

[DannyInvincible]

Pat's get Žalgiris. Toughest of the available draws.

[razor]

Drogs play Malmo

[Cuyahoga]

Pat's get Žalgiris. Toughest of the available draws.
Good fot the St. Pats fans though. Ryan air travel to Vilnius from Dublin and is a nice place to go to.

[nigel-harps1954]

Tough draws all round for League of Ireland clubs. Derry to come after a while.

Wouldn't hold a huge amount of hope. Sligo and Pat's might take big scalps, but Drogs against Malmo looks one sided enough.

[MariborKev]

With all the sides so far getting logistically "okay" ties, I think we are now certs to be shafted location wise.

[White Horse]

Drogs play Malmo

Tough one. Molde are a good side, and in the middle of their season.

Travel wise it is pretty good for the fans.

[ger121]

Looking at Pat's possible opponents, they'll feel a little unlucky not to get a better draw. Mind you they never seem to get a handy one in previous years and have done ok.

[oriel]

Cliftonville get Celtic. Should be tasty.



Cliftonville would be mad not to swtich that to Windsor Park. Would fill the place.

[Charlie Darwin]

Cliftonville would be mad not to swtich that to Windsor Park. Would fill the place.
I'd say that would go down an absolute treat with the locals.

[Quayman]

Tough enough draws so far for the Irish sides. There will be WW3 in Belfast when Celtic arrive in the middle of marching season.

[Charlie Darwin]

Hopefully they'll see sense and move it to the Aviva so all the diehard Celtic fans will get a chance to see their side in action.

[nigel-harps1954]

It doesn't get any easier. Trabzonspor for Derry.

[Quayman]

If the Drogs win they play Hibs

[DannyInvincible]

Really tough draw for Derry. Trabzonspor are Drogheda's official sister club, of course.

[Spudulika]

Pats seem to have the best of a tough lot. Saw Zalgiris play twice this year, pretty average side, some good players but they can do them. Pyunik are a club in extreme crisis, they're owned by the President of the Armenian FA and he's in dispute with players over payments. Plus Armenian football is pretty weak at league level, and they've just played a season and a half, so it's the best time to get them.

Tough on Sligo, but this is the time to win one. Drogheda, wouldn't it be nice to get Hibs in the next round.

[DannyInvincible]

Pats seem to have the best of a tough lot. Saw Zalgiris play twice this year, pretty average side, some good players but they can do them. Pyunik are a club in extreme crisis, they're owned by the President of the Armenian FA and he's in dispute with players over payments. Plus Armenian football is pretty weak at league level, and they've just played a season and a half, so it's the best time to get them.

Tough on Sligo, but this is the time to win one. Drogheda, wouldn't it be nice to get Hibs in the next round.

Pyunik knocked Derry out a few seasons ago: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/6916047.stm

They weren't a bad side. Derry were in a bit of a mess at the time, mind.

[outspoken]

Pats could easily get through those games but the travel and the fact they are concentrating on the league may play against them. No hope for the rest in my opinion.

[luiz]

Hopefully they'll see sense and move it to the Aviva so all the diehard Celtic fans will get a chance to see their side in action.

I thought of that possibility as well. Would make more sense financially speaking and probably safer than playing in Windsor Park, but I question if is that possible. I would definitely go for it if I were from the Cliftonville board.

[Charlie Darwin]

I thought of that possibility as well. Would make more sense financially speaking and probably safer than playing in Windsor Park, but I question if is that possible. I would definitely go for it if I were from the Cliftonville board.
Surrender home advantage and vastly reduce your chances of getting a result in order to make a few bob? Sounds sensible.

Actually, knowing how the NI teams operate, they'll probably already be on the phone to John Delaney.

[ger121]

Their chairman on SSN says they'll play at Solitude

[dundalkfc10]

Tough enough draws so far for the Irish sides. There will be WW3 in Belfast when Celtic arrive in the middle of marching season.

With less than 500 Tickets, I doubt it

[Dodge]

With less than 500 Tickets, I doubt it

Ah yeah, tickets stop people from travelling to games. That's been proved...

****e draws for all the Irish teams. Sligo have a small chance against Molde but it'd be a huge shock. Derry got the hardest opponent of all. Drogheda are struggling in our league so you'd expect malmo to beat them (even with recent (ish) irish success v Sweden)

Pats got a tough enough game v Lithuania and then 1 of 2 horrible trips (logistically speaking) to Armenia or Macedonia.

[Dillonman]

Crusaders played Fulham in their own ground 2 or 3 years ago. So Cliftonville will probably play in Solitude this time round. Don't think its feasible on security ground to play in at Windsor and with the disputes ongoign between the FAI and IFA I highly doubt the IFA would allow it to take place outside NI.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Could Cliftonville play in, er, N-W England?
Similar to when Bohs had to play outside Ireland v.some now defunct club...

Oops.
It was Shels.
Apologies...

[Charlie Darwin]

Why would they do that?

And it was Shels, not Bohs.

[legendz]

It was Shels in Tranmere's ground. I think the final result was 5-3 to the other crowd after Shels had taken a 3-0 lead?

[ArdeeBhoy]

Ok, Shels then. More £ from playing in a bigger stadium, in a tie they're going to lose anyway...

[dundalkfc10]

Malmo are playing now at 6 at home to Effsbourg if anyone wants watch it, its on firstrow

[luiz]

Surrender home advantage and vastly reduce your chances of getting a result in order to make a few bob? Sounds sensible.

Actually, knowing how the NI teams operate, they'll probably already be on the phone to John Delaney.

Well, does a team who lost 6-2 in aggregate to the worst Cork City side of the last years has any chance of beating Celtic? Aviva would feel more like home than Windsor Park in my opinion.

As someone relatively recently arrived to Ireland, I ask, when and against who did Shels play their European Tie in England? And why? (cannot see any financial advantages for it)

[pineapple stu]

They played Rangers in Tranmere Rovers' ground in 1998 for security reasons.

And then played GAA in Ibrox with no security concerns.

vIvxXd1o_uY

[geysir]

Sligo have a tough draw, even if Molde have had a slow start in their league campaign, but there's some hope.
Couldn't be better for Iceland's 3 teams in the 1st round Europa league draw. Glentoran should be easy pickings for KR, probably looking at a 6 nil agg scoreline, it would be nice to put 5 goals past an Irish team in the home leg again, but unfortunately Bohs can't be with us this year.

[horton]

The Southend Park wall of the Brandywell is unsafe and access to the stand is limited, could be a big issue over us playing at home.

[Spudulika]

Pyunik knocked Derry out a few seasons ago: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/6916047.stm

They weren't a bad side. Derry were in a bit of a mess at the time, mind.

True, though times have changed in Armenia. Pyunik had a very good side rhen and money, now they've been overtaken and the best youngsters flee the country before they fall apart with local clubs. Travel aside, I'd hope they face Pats as it'd be easier than Macedonia. Nothing worse that that hole mid summer.

[bullit]

The Southend Park wall of the Brandywell is unsafe and access to the stand is limited, could be a big issue over us playing at home.

Finn Park ;)

Sligo Showgrounds ?

[legendz]

Some tough draws today. Hopefully as the LoI European campaigns go on, we'll see a memorable win or two.

[sparky12345678]

True, though times have changed in Armenia. Pyunik had a very good side rhen and money, now they've been overtaken and the best youngsters flee the country before they fall apart with local clubs. Travel aside, I'd hope they face Pats as it'd be easier than Macedonia. Nothing worse that that hole mid summer.

it can get hot alright, but cant imagine its worse than Armenia? getting there might be complicated but id still imagine its cheaper (Ryanair plus wizzair or buses from a few places) and as for the football; they were just relegated
Im based in Belgrade atm so was hoping for some action anywhere in this fecking region... atm Tetovo is my only hope :p

[Nesta99]

They played Rangers in Tranmere Rovers' ground in 1998 for security reasons.

And then played GAA in Ibrox with no security concerns

What was McCarthy doing? Remember watching this in the pub, was no big fan of $hels at the time, but was livid at those two ridiculous handballs. Didnt Pats draw 0-0 with Celtic in Glasgow same day? Second leg the goals went in late iirc so 7-3 was very flattering and against with a team with a couple of world cup winners in it. Advocats first game in charge.

Very tough draws but the ever reliable St Pats european run could happen, Sligo a maybe too. Derry cant see going through so from a domestic point of view an eye off the league could benefit Dundalk and Derry (if Dundalk are still in the hunt after the next 3 games away in Thomand, Brandywell and Turners Cross). Dont see why Drogs wouldnt have taken the cheaper, more convenient option of playing Malmo in Oriel Park? We played them in United park '96 as a new pitch was layed in Oriel.

[sparky12345678]

Very tough draws but the ever reliable St Pats european run could happen, Sligo a maybe too. Derry cant see going through. Dont see why Drogs wouldnt have taken the cheaper, more convenient option of playing Malmo in Oriel Park?

lets not forget that wining 1 tie for sligo means 4 more games, wining 2 ties and losing the third is group stages of Europa League. but otherwise yea its asking for an upset...
pity about Derry but i wont forget Drogs against Dynamo Kiev and how close they came... its a massive ask... but theres always hope :p
and yea pity Drogs wont play in Louth, tallaght will seem empty i imagine...

[White Horse]

Dont see why Drogs wouldnt have taken the cheaper, more convenient option of playing Malmo in Oriel Park? We played them in United park '96 as a new pitch was layed in Oriel.

Only because they have a complex about Dundalk.

That is more important than making it easy for the people of Louth to support the Louth team in Europe.

[bullit]

Return the favour Drogs

1915

[pineapple stu]

What was McCarthy doing? Remember watching this in the pub, was no big fan of $hels at the time, but was livid at those two ridiculous handballs. Didnt Pats draw 0-0 with Celtic in Glasgow same day? Second leg the goals went in late iirc so 7-3 was very flattering
Yeah, mind-boggling stuff from McCarthy. Pat's were playing Celtic at the same time alright; I remember flicking over between RTE and Eurosport. Was a mad night!

Second leg goals were right at the start and right at the end. Don't think you can say 7-3 was very flattering; Rangers did tear Shels apart for 15 minutes in the "away" game and deserved what they got in the end.

[BonnieShels]

Crusaders played Fulham in their own ground 2 or 3 years ago. So Cliftonville will probably play in Solitude this time round. Don't think its feasible on security ground to play in at Windsor and with the disputes ongoign between the FAI and IFA I highly doubt the IFA would allow it to take place outside NI.

Was that not last season?

EDIT: It was 2011. Madness. I could have sworn it wasn't that long ago.

[BonnieShels]

Yeah, mind-boggling stuff from McCarthy. Pat's were playing Celtic at the same time alright; I remember flicking over between RTE and Eurosport. Was a mad night!

Second leg goals were right at the start and right at the end. Don't think you can say 7-3 was very flattering; Rangers did tear Shels apart for 15 minutes in the "away" game and deserved what they got in the end.

I watched them in a mobile home in Arklow, I think it was Arklow anyway. Definitely in a mobile home.