APOEL Nicosia - An example for LOI teams to follow?

It's pretty quiet on here presently and after the success of APOEL, I was thinking can we learn much from their success in developing teams and players?
Shamrock Rovers did us proud this season (IMO), but can we take the next step and produce more competitive teams and actually have local players represent us at senior level for Ireland?

I don't know anything about this club, but the fact that they come from a league in a very small country would suggest it could act as a model for us. Any thoughts or comments?

If a multi millionaire comes into a local club, ploughs money into the facilities, team and personnel without immediate (5-10 year) hope of a return, we might have something. That Cyprus has a very, very lax banking and tax regime with some of the dodgiest characters knocking about, also helps. Wouldn't look to Cyprus to provide a model for LOI clubs. We're bad enough as it is.

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Originally Posted by Spudulika

That Cyprus has a very, very lax banking and tax regime with some of the dodgiest characters knocking about, also helps.

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I thought you were confusing the country with Ireland for a minute.

Is it a model? Yes it is. Despite the cash they have, none of their players are household names. They have what they have, because they have a good coach, and players that believe in themselves. We don't really have any of those in this country. And without ambition and belief, you can buy whatever you like, but you won't achieve anything. Lyon have poured millions and millions in for the past 15 years, and they still struggle in Europe.

We compare ourselves to what happens in England all the time. Nicosia don't compare themselves to what goes on in other leagues. They go out on the pitch and sweat blood for the cause, not give up before a ball is kicked.

In 06/07 Cork City beat Appollon Limassol 2-1 on aggregate in the Champions League. Two seasons later Anorthosis Famagusta were drawing with Inter Milan, Werder Breman and beating Panathinaikos in the group stages and now Apoel are in the quarters.

Of course they are a model and a great one at that, irrespective of any finance behind them, it doesn't compare one iota with the teams they have knocked out already.

But I still think a club like Rosenborg is the model that Irish teams should aspire to in the short term anyway.

The win being discussed in World Football: http://foot.ie/threads/163542-Hail-APOEL!!!

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Originally Posted by legendz

The facts (well some at least):
CL 06/07
Cork City beat Apollon Limassol 2-1 on aggregate in the first qualifying round. Murphy and Gamble were sent off after the final whistle and were a big loss for the next round when Cork bowed out against Red Star Belgrage. Now Red Star were always going to be tough but I've always believed had the two players not been sent off, Cork could've caused an upset. The reward would've been a tie against AC Milan, who eventually went on to win the competition. Would've been some story for Cork if AC Milan had come to the city on their way to a European Cup. Alas it was not meant to be.


CL 07/08
APOEL beaten 2-3 agg. against BATE in the first qualifying round. In the same round, Derry go down to Pyunik 0-2 agg.


CL 08/09
Anorthosis of Cyprus beat Pyunik Yerevan 3-0 agg. and Rapid Wien 4-3 agg in the second qualifying round. Drogheda meanwhile are desperately unlucky not to knockout Dynamo Kiev in the same round.
In the third qualifying round Anorthosis beat Olympiacos 3-1 agg.
They went on to finish last in Group B but pick up a win and three draws.


CL 09/10
APOEL make Group D, getting 3 draws but no wins, finishing 4th.
Bohs were knocked out in the second qualifying round.


CL 10/11
Omonia get to the third qualifying round, beaten 2-5 agg. by Red Bull Salzburg.
Boh out by TNS in the second qualifying round.


CL 11/12
APOEL start off in the same round as Rovers and have made it all the way to the quarter-finals.
In the Europa League AEK Larnaca finished 4th in Group J but at least won a game and drew two.

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Originally Posted by gastric

It's pretty quiet on here presently and after the success of APOEL, I was thinking can we learn much from their success in developing teams and players?
Shamrock Rovers did us proud this season (IMO), but can we take the next step and produce more competitive teams and actually have local players represent us at senior level for Ireland?

I don't know anything about this club, but the fact that they come from a league in a very small country would suggest it could act as a model for us. Any thoughts or comments?

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They don't compete with GAA, Rugby or the English Premier League. They get better crowds for most league game than LOI clubs despite being in a smaller populated country.

Could it be done, Possibly i think it would take a 12 team with a split All Ireland League which got bigger crowds than we presently do and maybe 10 years of good European results would help seeding, but a few millionaire investors would still be needed to help training facilities and youth academy's
But will it happen no cos a number of the above ideas will never happen.
Say what you want about a 12 team split but it would help the top few club (who take part in Europe) at the expense of the lower ranked clubs.

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Originally Posted by mypost

Lyon have poured millions and millions in for the past 15 years, and they still struggle in Europe

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Hardly fair. Lyon have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for nine consecutive seasons, losing in three quarter-finals and one semi-final. They may have spent millions but they've generally had to sell their stars to the bigger leagues.

Lyon had their own chances last night but APOEL were the better team. Sometimes it comes down to being a sporting game and APOEL were the winners on the night.

Yeah, I saw a fair bit of it and APOEL definitely looked the better side. That said, judging by the highlights of the first leg Lyon should have had more than a one goal lead going into it.

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Originally Posted by gastric

It's pretty quiet on here presently and after the success of APOEL, I was thinking can we learn much from their success in developing teams and players?
Shamrock Rovers did us proud this season (IMO), but can we take the next step and produce more competitive teams and actually have local players represent us at senior level for Ireland?

I don't know anything about this club, but the fact that they come from a league in a very small country would suggest it could act as a model for us. Any thoughts or comments?

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Looking at the Nicosia line-up last night, it looks like all but 2 of the starting 11 were actually Cypriots. Also, I would say that the Brazilian lads they had playing for them could be on as much as €10k a week. That's about 10 times what a leading LOI player would be on. More likely than not, there's a benefactor at the club with deep pockets.

Just read in an Australian newspaper that APOEL work with a budget of approximately 8 million. Don't know if this is completely true, but would be some success for this club if true.

Interesting stuff. It's curious to see countries with lower ranked coefficients than Ireland's getting club sides into the Champions League and beyond.

One of the characteristics seems to be a healthy contingent of foreign imports in any successful club side or national league. Much is made of the general improvement brought about in the EPL by the arrival of guys like Bergkamp, Vialli, Gullit, Zola, etc. The LOI has had outstanding performers like Livingstone, Ndo, etc. but I think that foreign quality will have to be bought to jumpstart a sea change in improvement. APOEL have done this. Whether we will see the knock-on effect on the Cypriot national side remains to be seen. They are probably the most feared minnow in any European qualification pot (though that may just be the terrorised Irish fan in me talking).

I touched on all this in an article I wrote after Bohemians v Red Bull Salzburg a couple of years ago - the direction of the League, the challenges being faced, the manner in which they are being addressed. Take a look and see what you think:
http://lysaghtb.wordpress.com/2009/0...men-yet-again/

Terry, What was interesting about your article was how much has changed since you wrote it. The extravagance that existed in sport has gone and the clubs are now struggling to survive, and that is in a 3 year period. Unbelievable! I do agree with you that a small league like ours needs to continue to look at other leagues for guidance and ideas even if presently clubs are feeling the pinch.
Shamrock Rovers this season showed the way and while they took a few hammerings I am sure they would have learned from the overall experience. Also, the number of players leaving the LOI and achieving quick success in England shows the big strides the league has made. McClean is the obvious example, but Cummins at Preston is also doing well. The lack of money is going to affect the clubs for the foreseeable future, but there is still room for optimism in the league's development.

Shams already have the fascist fans just like Apoel now all they need is a multi millionare backer.

I looked at Appoels gates when they qualified out of the group stages and I seem to remember they were pulling figures in the region of 20K, the difficulty with emulating that, in Ireland is the people or the vast majority don't have football in them, it is probably impossible to establish a football culture from scratch in this Riverdance era, where popular culture is commodified for the passive masses. I remember my first Sunday in the Showgrounds it is over forty years ago but the boredom of that day is with me yet, and so it followed, while we had good some good seasons, it was flash in the pan stuff, and we were back to mediocrity next year. Sligo Rovers and entertainment were never in the same division, you went because you knew no better we were born to it, for many Football took off in ireland with the 1966 world cup and match of the day, an Irish muddy field with 22 fat guys huffing and puffing within a geyhound track could not compete with that glamour.

The LOI is an embarrassment to established Irish sport journalism, I had a row with an IT Sports staffer about their disgraceful coverage of LOI and he told me 'listen, nobody gives a ****' and he was right, it is, a minority pursuit and that the way we like it, we like it.

Apoel are a great role model.
Personally, I HATE the fact that the LOI is a 'minority pursuit'. The problem is that the typical football 'fan' in this country is lazy, unimaginative and child-like.
Bring on the millionaire investors!

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Originally Posted by redarmyfaction

I looked at Appoels gates when they qualified out of the group stages and I seem to remember they were pulling figures in the region of 20K, the difficulty with emulating that, in Ireland is the people or the vast majority don't have football in them, it is probably impossible to establish a football culture from scratch in this Riverdance era, where popular culture is commodified for the passive masses.

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According to this, Apoel's average attendance at the end of last year was 7,500, making them one of just 4 domestic clubs with an average of 3,5k+.

In some ways the league has been unlucky, self-created in some cases, not to have made bigger breakthroughs. When Cork knocked out the Cypriot champions, it was a disaster having the two lads sent-off after the final whistle. had they been available, they could have given Red Star Belgrade a tougher game. When the Drogs went out to Kiev, we all know that was a terrible shocking miss at the end which should have seen the Drogs through. I believed when Bohs suffered that disaster away to TNS, had they instead of TNS been taking on CSKA Sofia in a EL play-off, they would have made more of a game of it. When Rovers went that path to the EL play-offs they got through. Our league champion should be capable more often than not, depending on a bit of luck, of making the EL group stages. If Rovers get to the EL play-offs again this year and face the likes of CSKA Sofia or Belgrade again, they'll definitely have a chance.

It's more like - An example for Irish football fans to follow.

It's nothing LOI teams couldn't do if we were getting 5 figure attendances every week.

Normal ill informed piece by Philip Reid in the back of the IT today under the banner "Apoel are inspirational" on the same topic. Peaches of quotes including "serious works still needs to be done to get bums on seats at Premier Division matches"

This from a paper that had zero previews of this weeks SSC games, instead giving us 100+ words and pictures of the new strips from Holland and France for the Euros. Even today's IT has the wrong crest for Derry and the wrong goal scorer for the report of the Bray match.....