LOI in Europe 2022

[Kiki Balboa]

Only one other team suffered a defeat as heavy as Rovers this week in Europe, with Rovers suffering the heaviest defeat of the 'Champions' route. As far as I can tell, Only Vilinus and Pyunik are 'champion' teams to have suffered heavier defeats in the first leg this year. Second time this year they are out after the first game. You think they would have learnt from Ludograts.

I don't blame the players at all, but for me its clear they were set up naively again. Like it felt just lazy that they didnt try to change their tactics. It should be the standard for an Irish Champions to be able to keep the tie alive for the second game. Whatever about collapsing in the second leg when you are chasing the game, to not be able to see out the first half of the first game for the second time this year is beyond disappointing.

This is presumably near the top of the upswing for this Rovers team that has dominated Irish football for the last 3 years. Expecting them to be hard to beat in Europe should not be too high of a standard. I think that is why I am annoyed most at this result- just so easy to beat.

[sbgawa]

Some of the reaction on here is hilarious.
Rovers started last nights match without
Byrne, Burke, Pico, Finn and Mandroiu (gone for good obviously).
If someone had said at the beginning of the European campaign that we would play without all those players against a serious team like last night i dont think anyone would have given us a prayer.
Hard to see how the reaction is anything other than that of people that were waiting for an opportunity to pile on.
Criticising an Irish team for losing badly in 36 degree heat without the 5 of their 6 best players (Gaffney would be up there) starting says more about the posters than it does about the team.
Rovers had a shortened 8 man bench with only 3 senior pros on it.
Hopefully the team recovers and does the business against Dundalk on Sunday.
Either way im looking forward to the group stage draw on the 26th and some great nights ahead.

Id acknowledge that the patched up team didnt perform as well as they should but really i dont think that would have made much of a difference anyway, the team we put out were never going to be good enough at this level

[Jd2793]

rovers missing some of their best players made a difference but im not sure how much it changes the scoreline tbh. the gulf is quality was massive IMO. fans of other clubs can point and laugh and call them an embarrassment but at the end of the day rovers are still comfortably the best side in ireland yet they couldnt lay a glove on feren. this league is MILES off competing with these kind of clubs. unless irish clubs get very kind draws at this stage of the competition they havent a hope in hell. the foreign lads for feren were quality, when irish clubs are mainly dealing in irish players and some foreign cast offs from similarly poor leagues we are well up against it.

[Jd2793]

A bit of a reality check is in order here. Not every team in the EL group stages is as good as Ferencvaros. They're CL regulars. And Rovers were missing more than half their team.
Dundalk got into the group's in 2016 and 2020 and didn't suffer any drubbings that bad. They actually got a few points. Even the matches they lost in 2016 group stages there was never more than 1 goal in it.
And in 2020 they scored plenty of goals in the group too and came very close to getting results. The 3-4 away match against Rapid Wien especially could have gone either way.
If Rovers had a fully fit team tonight they probably would have still lost but it wouldn't have been anywhere near so one sided.

dundalk got the rub of the green with their draw in 2020, those are the breaks you need to go in your favour once you get to these stages.

[CSAD]

Some of the reaction on here is hilarious.
Rovers started last nights match without
Byrne, Burke, Pico, Finn and Mandroiu (gone for good obviously).
If someone had said at the beginning of the European campaign that we would play without all those players against a serious team like last night i dont think anyone would have given us a prayer.
Hard to see how the reaction is anything other than that of people that were waiting for an opportunity to pile on.
Criticising an Irish team for losing badly in 36 degree heat without the 5 of their 6 best players (Gaffney would be up there) starting says more about the posters than it does about the team.
Rovers had a shortened 8 man bench with only 3 senior pros on it.
Hopefully the team recovers and does the business against Dundalk on Sunday.
Either way im looking forward to the group stage draw on the 26th and some great nights ahead.

Id acknowledge that the patched up team didnt perform as well as they should but really i dont think that would have made much of a difference anyway, the team we put out were never going to be good enough at this level

True but it further show exposes how poorly coached a team Rovers of they are that reliant on certain players to be fit to function. A well coached/ set up side should be able to cope without key players at least, it shouldn’t be like pulling the plug from the bath tub. Also with half those players available Rovers lost in a similarly naive fashion only a few weeks ago, how that is still being glossed over by some I find astonishing.

The exact same complaints being made by me and other fans after last years Flora Tallinn loss are being made now and the same lazy defense is being made, it shows that there is a real lacking in strength in character in this squad.

It further proves the point that this Rovers team simply can’t perform against adversity, they need everything to be going their away otherwise they’ll crack, it’s proven time and time again in Europe and still no one says anything…

Also maybe if they actually tried blooding more Young players like Ferizaj or Tetteh (as examples) for instance maybe they wouldn’t be so reliant on certain players being fit.

Some great batterings you mean, this Rovers team even in the conference league will get exposed. It’s easier at this stage in Europe to look good as some of the teams aren’t very good but in Europe Rovers will have to perform against similar or better teams which they’ve proven they are incapable of doing.

[CSAD]

dundalk got the rub of the green with their draw in 2020, those are the breaks you need to go in your favour once you get to these stages.

Except in 2020 Dundalk beat Sheriff, this Rovers team would have gotten battered by Sheriff and the fans on here would still defend the coaches at all costs.

[Jd2793]

Except in 2020 Dundalk beat Sheriff, this Rovers team would have gotten battered by Sheriff and the fans on here would still defend the coaches at all costs.

sheriff were nobodies in 2020, all the money came the following year. id absolute fancy this rovers side to get a result v them. dundalk were in poor shape that year anyway which says a lot about sheriff

[Philosophizer]

dundalk got the rub of the green with their draw in 2020, those are the breaks you need to go in your favour once you get to these stages.

For a LOI team to make the groups in Europe we always need a bit of luck.
That's why I think it's unfair to stick the boot into Rovers too much for last night.
I think some on here had some v unrealistic expectations judging by their reactions.
Ferencvaros have a squad valued at 40 million! They've reached groups of the CL or EL in each of the last 3 years They beat Leverkusen in the group last year. That's the kind of level we're talking about here. They're absolutely miles ahead of Rovers by every metric. And when you consider that Rovers were missing 5/6 of their best players, they really hadn't much hope.
That said, I do think the tactics were quite naieve and the players played well below their par on the night too. A perfect storm really - missing 5 starters, below par performances from many, high quality opposition, heat.
But it happens other teams too. I was keeping an eye on Dundee United last week to see how McGrath got on and they got beat 8-0 by Alkmaar.

[lofty9]

That RFS team they’re beating finished last season 16 points ahead of Riga FC who Derry didn’t lay a glove on

Impressive from Linfield. However, that 16 point gap is 1 point in favour of Riga FC this year. Although, there is still a team well ahead of both in their league. Derry wouldn't beat the Riga team if they played them another 10 times this season. The physical advantage is huge when compared to the wee guys in the LOI, last night exposed it as well.

[kksaints]

Slightly surprised at the amount of criticism Rovers are getting. Missing some key players against a very good side is going to be very tough. However I would agree somewhat with the questions over Bradley and in particular his tactical inflexibility. It's always 3-5-2 regardless of whether he has the players for it or not.

[Philosophizer]

I think the main issue here is expectation. I sat down to watch Rovers last night hoping they'd do well, but not expecting it. I knew there was about a 90% chance they'd be beat, all things considered, and probably a 50% chance it would be a hammering. And that's how it turned out.
I had a similar issue last week when I brought a mate to watch Pats Vs CSKA. He's usually only watches top EPL and CL matches so his expectation was based on that. After a few minutes he was losing the rag at both sets of players for poor decisions and poor execution of things he thought they should be able to do easily.
I had to just have a chat with him and explain that LOI level is not the EPL or anything close to it, or even the Championship for that matter, and it never will be. Once I explained that Pats are about League 2 level, and CSKA are about Championship level, and Pats have a budget of about 1M and CSKA are many many multiples of that, he was able to see the game in a different light and enjoy it for what it was.

[Nesta99]

Ferencvaros will do quite well in the Europa League by the looks of it. You have to take in to account all the injury issues that Rovers had to contend with, but even still, the gulf in class was very evident. Reminded me of the Qarabag-Dundalk game a few years back, where Dundalk were sliced open with frightening repetition, and a hapless defensive error gifted an easy goal to the opposition, and it happened again tonight for Gannon. They were always up against it 2-0 down, but he performed the archetypal LOI in Europe defensive howler that consistently seems to be in our sides. The 4th goal is cruel in a way, as Rovers had been playing much better with the introduction of Byrne at 3-0, and for the way it bounced its way despairingly away from Mannus. Truth be told though, if they were even more clinical than they showed at times, Ferencvaros could have won 6-0 with hitting the post twice and multiple fine saves from Mannus. Rovers were unfortunately outclassed everywhere. A brutal lesson in quickness of movement, technique, pace, passing and finishing, and an eye opener ahead of the Conference League. You'd just hope that they could win on the night in Tallaght or at least not lose with Byrne playing 90 minutes to lift the morale again ahead of the Conference group stages. Rovers immediately looked better with his introduction.

Ive seen Qarabag and Larnaca mentioned a few places as a comparison to last night, and they are valid observations in the most part. Buuuttt both those chastening games came in the 2nd leg after a o-o at home to Larnaca and 1-1 v Qarabag - whether they did fooball equivalent of rope-a-dope, showed us too much respect initially, or were tactically lulling us in to a false sense of security and then struck hard, who knows and the ultimate outcome was/will be losing the tie so while its a moot point I dont think they're fully like for like examples, especially Qarabag where the 2nd and 3rd goals were in the last 15 mins and we were pushing to cancel the away goal. Larnaca was a wtf is happening being 3-0 in 30 minutes after being competative in the 1st leg - heat getting the blame but really we were set up far too high energy attack minded and slow out of the blocks also.

I think where the comparisons to last night being remotely relevant is being stubborn in how the respective sides were set up - v Larnaca Kenny was stuck on attack in energy sapping heat and Bradley stuck with his 3 at the back with wing backs that have struggled in that role. Going with a flat back 4 maybe would have made damn all difference but I dont think the 3rd, maybe the 1st would have been such calamities. Ive been critical of Bradley being too negative before so a bit damned if he does damned if he doesent, but last night was about trying to keep the tie alive and some variation of 4-5-1 would have been the more pragmatic set-up imo, with centre mid banked in front of the back line, gamble late with Byrne etc if things were going to plan and if not wrap up players for Sunday. Unless it was a case of go for it, Sunday in mind, do ok and work from there but if the tie is done there are games to come that could be less of a step up. I wanted a close game forcing an eye to be kept on next Thursday, now a dead rubber so all focus turns to Sunday rather than having to manage players' game time.

[sbgawa]

True but it further show exposes how poorly coached a team Rovers of they are that reliant on certain players to be fit to function. A well coached/ set up side should be able to cope without key players at least, it shouldn’t be like pulling the plug from the bath tub. Also with half those players available Rovers lost in a similarly naive fashion only a few weeks ago, how that is still being glossed over by some I find astonishing.

The exact same complaints being made by me and other fans after last years Flora Tallinn loss are being made now and the same lazy defense is being made, it shows that there is a real lacking in strength in character in this squad.

It further proves the point that this Rovers team simply can’t perform against adversity, they need everything to be going their away otherwise they’ll crack, it’s proven time and time again in Europe and still no one says anything…

Also maybe if they actually tried blooding more Young players like Ferizaj or Tetteh (as examples) for instance maybe they wouldn’t be so reliant on certain players being fit.

Some great batterings you mean, this Rovers team even in the conference league will get exposed. It’s easier at this stage in Europe to look good as some of the teams aren’t very good but in Europe Rovers will have to perform against similar or better teams which they’ve proven they are incapable of doing.

LOL not worth engaging with nonsense from you.
Cant perform against adversity , poorly coached , prone to crack, going to get battered in Conference league, will be exposed....
Enjoy your day troll

[Jd2793]

qarabag were very good in oriel though and should have won that game. draw was a good result on the surface but underneath that you could still see a huge gulf in class even with qarabag playing away from home. ultimately this league is so far off these teams and the quality of players they have. i can never see irish sides bridging the gap tbh. some of the players qarabag had v dundalk were unreal , similar level to that guy who was uptop for feren last night.

[Philosophizer]

You're right about the Qarabag game but the Larnaca 4-0 game was the 1st leg. I remember it well. They were 3-0 down after 40 mins. Poor Sean Hoare was roasted that day too.