LOI In Europe 2020

[Asterix]

Shamrock Rovers: Mannus; O'Brien, Lopes, Grace; Finn, McEneff, O'Neill, Byrne, Farrugia; Burke, Greene
Milan: Donnarumma; Calabria, Kjaer, Gabbia, Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Castillejo, Calhanoglu, Saelemaekers; Ibrahimovich


Sean Kavangh is on the becnh, he has been injured since the cup final so good to see him back.

[pineapple stu]

So PP on the front of Rovers' jersey next season?
Would doubt it. Jersey sponsorship isn't really a PP thing. Unless it's top bants (TM), like that Huddersfield thing. And they knew in advance that would be a one-off.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

PP marketing department seems to be made up of a group of teenagers

[paul_oshea]

Feck i missed the goal watching the interview with bradley :rolleyes:

[passinginterest]

I missed it looking at the phone! No replays either. Thought the Rovers game was 6.45 rather than 7. So get to see another bit of this. Dundalk should push on here and make it comfortable.

[paul_oshea]

Dundalk should have put this to bed a long time ago. Missed a couple of sitters. Could come back to haunt them yet. Sure ive seen some fellas auld lad playing there for these Andorrans.

[passinginterest]

Impressive from Rovers for the most part. Grown into the game possession wise. Not giving up many clear chances and creating three of their own. Disappointing goal to concede, O’Brien completely switched off and you don’t get away with that against word class players. Jack Byrne still might be the best passer on the pitch, the ball for Greene’s first chance was superb.

[DCWA]

Rovers excellent on the ball. There looks to be a couple of goals in it for Milan as well of course if they can step it up a bit second half but full credit to Rovers m. So far this is no mismatch.

[DCWA]

....andddd to counter balance that I’ve just checked and seen Dundalk down to 10 men surely, surely, surely they are not going to throw this away against an Andorran side that would be the lowest of lows.

[ger121]

Haven’t been following either game. Is the red card the main reason Dundalk are only 1 up. Look no easy games in Europe looking at results and scores tonight

[Yossarian]

The ref was shocking in our game. Fell for all the play acting by the Andorrans which resulted in Boyle’s second yellow. They were cynical and fairly dirty. We should’ve been two or three up at half time but saw the game out in the end without Rogers being seriously threatened.
Main thing is we’re in to the next round next week in Moldova.

[CorribsideSteve]

That was a very decent display by Rovers. Thought they would lose 5 nil. Dundalk still in Europe though which is something.

[osarusan]

Decent performance from Rovers. Milan played in spurts, and when they stepped it up, especially when pressing, Rovers could do nothing. But that's to be expected against a team of their quality.

When they slowed down Rovers were able to play, and created a few decent chances. Greene's shot from Byrne's lovely pass probably the best of them. Byrne looked excellent as usual. Hard to criticise any Rovers player when up against that level of opposition, but Burke was one you might have expected to show a bit of quality, but he was very very quiet.

[D24Saint]

That was a very decent display by Rovers. Thought they would lose 5 nil. Dundalk still in Europe though which is something.

They should be pleased with that. It’s a relatively good result considering Zlatan alone earns six million quid a year.

[Longfordian]

Yes they did as well as could reasonably be expected overall.

[paul_oshea]

Great performance from rovers. As good as you could hope for really. No silly goals. And no thrashing either.

Lopes has had a great game

That's what you'd hope for from all LOI sides sadly it's a rarity rather than a normality.

Dundalk could be in for a big beating next week.

[Scrufil]

Missed the 2nd goal scored against Rovers, was in Zoom meeting. Has Byrne done enough to earn an international recall? He was excellent first half. Well done Dundalk!

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Thought Byrne was great tonight. Not been great since the break I thought it but excellent tonight.

[Asterix]

Thought Byrne was great tonight. Not been great since the break I thought it but excellent tonight.

Had a good game against Cork on Saturday too, in fairness to him, he missed all of the 'restart pre season' so it was always going to take a few games to get up to speed.

[joey B]

Good to see Dundalk through,the last representative left on the Island of Ireland and fingers crossed they pull out a performance next week.
Rovers game went as expected,Milan are different level but Rovers had a few chances which they had to take to have a chance,you always felt Milan could move up a gear if needed but no shame for Rovers,Byrne,Lopes and Farrugia impressed me.

[placid casual]

The game panned out as expected. It was a major step up in quality to what Rovers are used to and the result was never really in doubt.
It should be good experience for the Rovers players for when they're playing in the champions league next season.

[The Lilywhites]

Two great results.

Dundalk were very comfortable throughout, even with 10 men. Need to be more clinical next week though - should have been at least 3-0 tonight. But it's a long time since we had actually scored away in Europe (didn't do it at all under Perth) and confidence levels are still evidently a bit low.

That's 3 wins from 3 games under Filippo, can't ask for much more than that. Duffy looks back on his game since Perth left.

Playoff round draw tomorrow and we could get a very favourable draw (or the opposite!) so it will be interesting to see what awaits if we get past Sheriff.

The Andorrans were really poor though, to be fair. Rogers had nothing to do. The only things they were good at were conning the ref and kicking.

Wouldn't fancy Cleary at centre back in Moldova next week so hopefully it's Gannon RB and Hoare beside Gartland. We got some silly yellows, not sure if they affect availability for next week.

As for Milan, they were out for a kick about in what was a pre season game for them. In first gear throughout. Very comfortable and it didn't really make for great viewing as a match. The whole occasion really missed a packed house.

But a poor Rovers team didn't disgrace themselves so a positive night all round for the LOI.

[ontheotherhand]

Two great results.

Dundalk were very comfortable throughout, even with 10 men. Need to be more clinical next week though - should have been at least 3-0 tonight. But it's a long time since we had actually scored away in Europe (didn't do it at all under Perth) and confidence levels are still evidently a bit low.

That's 3 wins from 3 games under Filippo, can't ask for much more than that. Duffy looks back on his game since Perth left.

Playoff round draw tomorrow and we could get a very favourable draw (or the opposite!) so it will be interesting to see what awaits if we get past Sheriff.

The Andorrans were really poor though, to be fair. Rogers had nothing to do. The only things they were good at were conning the ref and kicking.

Wouldn't fancy Cleary at centre back in Moldova next week so hopefully it's Gannon RB and Hoare beside Gartland. We got some silly yellows, not sure if they affect availability for next week.

As for Milan, they were out for a kick about in what was a pre season game for them. In first gear throughout. Very comfortable and it didn't really make for great viewing as a match. The whole occasion really missed a packed house.

But a poor Rovers team didn't disgrace themselves so a positive night all round for the LOI.

Can you even see the chip on your shoulder or do the blinkers get in the way?

[Charlie Darwin]

Thought Byrne was great tonight. Not been great since the break I thought it but excellent tonight.
He's had a back injury since the return, only really shaken it in the last couple of weeks and looks better for it.

I'm not to sit here and celebrate a defeat but that was a really impressive performance from us against a much better side. Players gave their all and created a good few chances, and with a bit of luck might have made a closer game of it or even got something. Scoring might have just made Milan angry, mind you.

[Ezeikial]

He's had a back injury since the return, only really shaken it in the last couple of weeks and looks better for it.

I'm not to sit here and celebrate a defeat but that was a really impressive performance from us against a much better side. Players gave their all and created a good few chances, and with a bit of luck might have made a closer game of it or even got something. Scoring might have just made Milan angry, mind you.

I agree that there is something counter-intuitive about celebrating a clear and compressive defeat, but Rovers did well in parts.

[ontheotherhand]

We needed to be at our best with Milan having an off night to have a chance....neither of those things happened. We were nervy in patches and good in patches. Milan came to play though and had clearly done their homework. Jack got plenty of attention and the entire Milan team worked and pressed all night. A mark of respect I suppose. Its some run of form they are on since Pioli got them to click and they had another gear or 2 to go to if needed though. That said, Im proud of the team. Creating clear cut chances and forcing cynical fouls against a team of that calibre isnt easy. Lots of what ifs but realistically Milan were going to get through that somehow. Ibrahimovic really is a special player. Fair play to Pico for keeping him honest but he was streets ahead of everyone including his teammates. Exciting times for Milan with him orchestrating a young group of talented players.

Fair play to Dundalk for regrouping and getting back to some form. I lived in Andorra for a while and ive never heard of the team they played but any win in europe should be celebrated and hopefully it keeps them nice and focused on europe while we take another trophy from them.

[Charlie Darwin]

I agree that there is something counter-intuitive about celebrating a clear and compressive defeat, but Rovers did well in parts.
They're a much better team than us, we knew that. But sometimes you can play above yourself and get something. We played above ourselves but it wasn't enough. I'm happy with how they did and I think they'll get better as a result so it's good. Dundalk improved from games like Legia and Zenit and I think an experience like this will help our team too. Thought Finner rolled back the years with a great game and his Dundalk experience must have fed into that.

[Ezeikial]

Random stat for goalkeeping fans from James Rogers as Gary Rogers seeks his 15th Euro clean sheet next week
against Sheriff

23 - Shay Given
14 - Gary Rogers
10 - Packie Bonner
7 - Michael Devine
6 - Barry Ryan

[Yossarian]

Playoff draw is today and Dundalk’s options are below.

Seeded
Qarabağ (AZE)*

Unseeded
Sheriff (MDA) / Dundalk (IRL)
KÍ (FRO) / Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)
Legia (POL) / Drita (KOS)

You’d be looking to draw the winner of KI v Dinamo Tbilisi.

[redobit]

A good win for Dundalk. Didn't see the game but by all accounts they made hard work of it. Expected them to win easier but I suppose in Europe a win is a win, especially away from home. Extra cash always welcome too.

Only seen the second half of the Shamrock game. And they had some nice passages of play at times. The history books will show a 2 nil against a giant of the game. Taking of the LOI glasses though, Milan looked like they had 2 or 3 gears left in them. Just shows the gulf.

[placid casual]

Apologies folks, I haven't a breeze on how to upload videos, but take a look at this from Sean Gannon last night.
Scarleh for the boy.

https://twitter.com/seidodge/status/1306727763668336643?s=09

[Yossarian]

Apologies folks, I haven't a breeze on how to upload videos, but take a look at this from Sean Gannon last night.
Scarleh for the boy.

https://twitter.com/seidodge/status/1306727763668336643?s=09

In fairness if you had seen the whole game you’d understand why he did that. The Andorrans were at that the whole game and the ref kept falling for it and that was why Boyle ended up with two yellows. Sometimes you have to play the ref and I only wish we’d been doing it from earlier in the game.

[pineapple stu]

Ah, you can go down injured for a little bit to time waste, but the fake hit on the head is actively looking to get the guy sent off. No excuse for that. Doesn't matter if the Andorrans were at it.

[John83]

The ten second delay before he tries it on is what makes it really funny.
https://whativelearnedthisweek.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/homerslow.jpg

[Nesta99]

That is funny! but not for the seeming impetulance or trying to get a player booked; It was exaggerated as a point to ref that he was awarding frees for amatuer dramatics, and not for a foul unless the player yelped or rolled around. Tbh I have never seen such a performance by a ref which says plenty as a LoI fan. It wasnt just poor reffing, it was just bizzare.

Ok maybe it was an after thought by Gannon, but that clip is going to haunt him irrespective of context!

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Not sure why anyone would be surprised at Gannon reacting like that. He’s been at that sort of stuff for years.

[Yossarian]

Another good draw for Dundalk. If we manage to get past Sheriff we’ll be home to either KI or Dinamo Tbilisi for a place in the groups.

[nigel-harps1954]

Dundalk will probably never get a better chance again to qualify for the Europa League group stage. It'll take a huge effort to get past Sheriff, but they've a very winnable game after that if they can manage it.

[D24Saint]

Dundalk will probably never get a better chance again to qualify for the Europa League group stage. It'll take a huge effort to get past Sheriff, but they've a very winnable game after that if they can manage it.

Id agree with their team of the last few season but not their current one. The game against Sheriff will be a tough task.

[pineapple stu]

Worth noting that KI are still in there by beating Slovan Bratislava on default after Slovan had two full teams come down with covid.

Not Dundalk's fault of course - but does show how there's some nice draws to be had this time around (for unfortunate reasons)

[Ezeikial]

Dundalk will probably never get a better chance again to qualify for the Europa League group stage. It'll take a huge effort to get past Sheriff, but they've a very winnable game after that if they can manage it.

Never get a better chance again? Do you know something the rest of us don't about the future of this competition?

It's the best draw available and gives a glint of hope of making the group stages if Sheriff can be sorted. The odds will be stacked against us - but thats just one of the exciting parts of European football

[pineapple stu]

Never get a better chance again? Do you know something the rest of us don't about the future of this competition?
Maybe the fact that from next year, the three non-champion Irish teams won't be in the Europa League at all?

It would be no harm if your posts didn't ooze noxious attitude at every possibility to be honest.

[John83]

Maybe the fact that from next year, the three non-champion Irish teams won't be in the Europa League at all?
I haven't stayed abreast of this. Are they making another tier of European football?

[D24Saint]

I haven't stayed abreast of this. Are they making another tier of European football?

They are , im not sure if they have finalised a name last I saw it was still europa league 2.

[D24Saint]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Europa_Conference_League

Reckon they could have come up with something better.

[CorribsideSteve]

Dinamo Tblisi needed a last minute (deep into injury time) winner to get past Connah's Quay last night. Considering where Dundalk were the week of losing to Celje and Perth leaving, avoiding both Legia and Qarabag and ending up ending up with two tricky but very winnable one-off ties to get to the group stages is the best thing that could have happened them. I still have fears that defensive howlers will thwart their progress however, especially against Sheriff, but I live in hope.

[pineapple stu]

I haven't stayed abreast of this. Are they making another tier of European football?
Yep. The LoI champions will still start in the CL, and will drop down to the EL when they lose, and then drop down to the Conference League if they lose again - so three bites at the cherry.

The other three qualifiers will all start in the Conference League. Next year's Europa League (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%9322_UEFA_Europa_League) will be a much smaller affair, with only clubs from the top 15 countries getting a place in it by right (as opposed to dropping down from the CL). Group stage is going from 48 teams down to 32.

It's probably fair to note that the pandemic has everything up in the air, but at the moment it certainly seems reasonable to suggest that this is going to be Dundalk's best chance at an EL group spot for a long time.

Edit - actually, if the LoI champions are knocked out in the first round of the CL (as happened Dundalk this year), then they would bypass the EL and drop straight to the Conference League.

[Yossarian]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Europa_Conference_League

Reckon they could have come up with something better.

I wonder will this actually go ahead next year with all the Covid uncertainty.

On the draw, it’s obviously very favourable to us and it would be nice to have a home game to get to the group stage. I think the next game against Sheriff is the harder game than the potential playoff. They are like a Qarabag lite, with being bankrolled and dominant in their domestic league and the squad is filled with non Moldovan players.

[pineapple stu]

I wonder will this actually go ahead next year with all the Covid uncertainty.
I suppose in theory there's no particular reason not to go ahead with it (provided football goes ahead of course). You'd be talking about changing what this year's domestic leagues qualify you for, for a start, and I don't think UEFA like doing that.

But yeah, everything has to have a question mark over it at the moment.

I don't know if there's a specific TV deal for the Conference League and if that's still going to hold up; that could impact things?

[Ezeikial]

Maybe the fact that from next year, the three non-champion Irish teams won't be in the Europa League at all?

It would be no harm if your posts didn't ooze noxious attitude at every possibility to be honest.

Thanks for the "honesty" and charm in your post - although I'm not sure it's in keeping with guidelines to avoid personalising posts

Shamrock Rovers are likely to be in contention next season via the Champions League - as previously the Europa League is the step down competition.

Europa League including the group stages will continue to exist.

I fully expect Dundalk to be in contention for group stages in the future - hopefully from 2022