League of Ireland in Europe 2016

I remember the Shamrock Rovers team of the mid 80s. Drogheda had just won the League Cup and paraded the trophy before the home game against Rovers at United Park. Rovers then proceeded to beat us 6-0. (Or possibly even 7-0? - it's a distant memory). However, that Rovers team never really did the business in Europe.
Shelbourne in 2004 were a decent side, no doubt about it. However, having been at the game in Tallaght on Thursday, I think this Dundalk team is the best of the lot. They also seem to be getting better and better in Europe. Having watched them quite a bit, I felt they took an awful battering in Belarus and were lucky to get away with a 1-0 defeat. Also, they had some dodgy moments in the earlier qualifying round in Iceland. (I didn't see the home game against Bate). I was at the match against Legia in Dublin, and thought they played well, and were a bit unlucky to lose. But they were just phenomenal against Macabbi. To play a possession-based passing game as well as they do, and to carry it with it with such skill and consistency on the European stage is unprecedented for an Irish team. Stephen Kenny deserves a vast amount of credit.

Interesting match report in The Times.

And therein lies the secret to Dundalk’s success. That ability to be tactically flexible – to make the pitch big when they have possession and small when they don’t – is a hallmark to Kenny’s tactical intelligence.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ki...dd5335938d851f

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Originally Posted by oriel

Hold on a minute. If I'm reading correctly. Ger got married yesterday and no one picked up on it.

Congratulations sir.

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Cheers Man! One of my mates at the Wedding said it to me in passing around 11pm. Course I then said it to the lovely bride later, who gave me a look, like she was starting to regret saying 'I do'. I've already complained several times that I'll be missing the Derby due to the Honeymoon. I'm on thin ice...

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Originally Posted by Acornvilla

Honeymoon is going well I reckon.

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Off to the Seychelles in the morning!

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Originally Posted by ger121

Off to the Seychelles in the morning!

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She sells?

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Originally Posted by Straightstory

Shelbourne in 2004 were a decent side, no doubt about it. However, having been at the game in Tallaght on Thursday, I think this Dundalk team is the best of the lot. They also seem to be getting better and better in Europe.

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How do we make a fair comparison between the First Round of the old UEFA Cup and the current Europa League group stage?

Bohemians '00, Shelbourne '04 and Derry City '06 were drawn against seeded clubs in the First Round of the UEFA Cup.

The group stage affords 2 unseeded teams from the old system the opportunity to play each other. Dundalk beat a team on Thursday who would have been unseeded in the old format. They have done better than Shamrock Rovers '11 in that regard.

Dundalk have moved up to 227th in the latest uefa rankings

Interesting interview with Ronan Finn on Dundalk FM. Each Dundalk player gets an individualised DVD and dossier of the opposition and of the tactical approach they and the team will employ. Finn said it's like being back in university. I wasn't aware of the extent of the preparation that goes into these games.

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Originally Posted by White Horse

Interesting interview with Ronan Finn on Dundalk FM. Each Dundalk player gets an individualised DVD and dossier of the opposition and of the tactical approach they and the team will employ. Finn said it's like being back in university. I wasn't aware of the extent of the preparation that goes into these games.

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The preparation that Pat Dolan used to put into European games is legendary. It's the way it should be done though. Actually, during the interview by Stephen Bermingham after our U19 game away to HJK this week, it sounded like we had all the info on their players too. It's brilliant really.

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

The preparation that Pat Dolan used to put into European games is legendary. It's the way it should be done though. Actually, during the interview by Stephen Bermingham after our U19 game away to HJK this week, it sounded like we had all the info on their players too. It's brilliant really.

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Even more so to do it U19 level. The level of professionalism been shown by players and coaches is very impressive.

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Originally Posted by ger121

Off to the Seychelles in the morning!

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Would be much more impressive if you said you'd were off to "see shels" instead!!

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Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

The preparation that Pat Dolan used to put into European games is legendary. It's the way it should be done though. Actually, during the interview by Stephen Bermingham after our U19 game away to HJK this week, it sounded like we had all the info on their players too. It's brilliant really.

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And yet Brian Kerr got slaughtered as Ireland manager for trying to do similar things, including by some who should have known better (stand up Richard Dunne- have never had much time for him since that.) if Stephen Kenny ever does become Ireland manager let's hope he never tries any of that oul preparation nonsense on our mega star internationals, eh ?

the question then is are Dundalk rooting for Alkmaar to destroy Maccabi, leaving them out for the count with no motivation for the final game or for Maccabi to nick some points off Alkmaar making the group more even...

adding to your analysis is Bert's seeding for this year where Dundalk's current seeding would have seen them seeded just below dinamo tblisi... obviously things are different evey year and Bert's site doesnt show seedings for previous years to get an average...interestingly theres a jump from the 5.8 to 7 and then to 10...

http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/...eedcl2016.html

im really curious how Kosovo changes things. Does it drag NIRL down with them or give someone a bye into the QR2....?

are Dundalk really aiming for the Treble or would they not just give themselves a break with the FAI cup... focus on the league and being seeded next year and continuing their run. (one good year in Europe doesnt do much overall as seen by Rovers and Pats)

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Originally Posted by White Horse

Interesting interview with Ronan Finn on Dundalk FM. Each Dundalk player gets an individualised DVD and dossier of the opposition and of the tactical approach they and the team will employ. Finn said it's like being back in university. I wasn't aware of the extent of the preparation that goes into these games.

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I read an article on preparation similar to that by Shamrock Rovers under O'Neill in '11.

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Originally Posted by sparky12345678

the question then is are Dundalk rooting for Alkmaar to destroy Maccabi, leaving them out for the count with no motivation for the final game or for Maccabi to nick some points off Alkmaar making the group more even...

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Dundalk don't care how Alkmaar or Maccabi do against each other. That is out of our control

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Originally Posted by sparky12345678

the question then is are Dundalk rooting for Alkmaar to destroy Maccabi, leaving them out for the count with no motivation for the final game or for Maccabi to nick some points off Alkmaar making the group more even...

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Surely the ideal result there is a draw? Would leave Dundalk in second place still regardless of their result against Zenit. Likewise, a draw in that return game too, that even with another two losses to Zenit, Dundalk would still be in second place going into their final two games.

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Originally Posted by sparky12345678

are Dundalk really aiming for the Treble or would they not just give themselves a break with the FAI cup... focus on the league and being seeded next year and continuing their run. (one good year in Europe doesnt do much overall as seen by Rovers and Pats)

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what treble?

I don't think we count the Jim Malone cup as a proper trophy.

Going out in the FAI cup at this stage doesn't really add or subtract to our fixture congestion. The FAI final will be the Sunday after our away trip to St. Petersburg. A day trip to the Aviva is very special and last year was our first final in 13 years and trip to Lansdowne road since 93. So a day trip to a final is a very special occasion.