LoI in Europe 2024

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Originally Posted by Calcio Jack

Not pretty but a fantastic result for us and that’s all that counts

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Rovers came out of the traps in the 2nd half like a paralyzed snail handing the initiative back to Vikinguer. Bradleys subs has us getting our momentum back and then Jack Byrne sees the red mist. He really has to look at himself as that handed it straight back to them. That ref was so poor not giving Rovers several obvious frees to us in the 2nd half. Jack Kenney now starting to shut the doubters up, he was class. no idea what the penno was about but talk about finally getting a break. Some crowd and the support from the team got while under the cosh as the end was incredible. Now time to pay back the credit union. WAR.

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Originally Posted by Kingswood Rover

Rovers came out of the traps in the 2nd half like a paralyzed snail handing the initiative back to Vikinguer. Bradleys subs has us getting our momentum back and then Jack Byrne sees the red mist. He really has to look at himself as that handed it straight back to them. That ref was so poor not giving Rovers several obvious frees to us in the 2nd half. Jack Kenney now starting to shut the doubters up, he was class. no idea what the penno was about but talk about finally getting a break. Some crowd and the support from the team got while under the cosh as the end was incredible. Now time to pay back the credit union. WAR.

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If you haven't seen a replay Pico killed a man in the box. I think overall he's a very good player at this level, but can be a bit clumsy, seen by his yellow as well.

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Originally Posted by Acornvilla

If you haven't seen a replay Pico killed a man in the box. I think overall he's a very good player at this level, but can be a bit clumsy, seen by his yellow as well.

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In the south stand so hard to see. :hypnotized::hypnotized: down tudder end. Should get 10 k at the Sparta Prague game so 100 k off the gi normous debts people keep telling me about.

How Pico wasn’t shown a yellow for the pen?? An awful challenge…

tho not giving the foul throw seconds before that was also a bottle job by the ref.

2nd half far from pretty but this leg was all about getting through. Pressure off next round before pressure comes back on after that.

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Originally Posted by Knocklyonhoop

How Pico wasn’t shown a yellow for the pen?? An awful challenge…

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I thought that too, then just wasn't sure if the ref giving the penalty was enough punishment. I fully expected et v 9 men and an absolute disaster. Bullet dodged.

First evening in a long while I've enjoyed browsing through Bert's website.

What a monumental let of for Rovers and the co-efficient that they got the win. Had the pen gone in they would have surely lost that game in ET.

Coupling the rovers victory with the Kosovan's losing to the Andorrans it's been a fantastic evening for the LOI (completely ignoring that second half performance obviously). Balkani going straight into the conference league means they've a lot to do to get back into the group stages this season. Kosovo's total now likely to be pretty low. If we can overtake them into 32nd I'm pretty sure that puts our cup winners into the EL next season.

Both Rovers and Andorrans will almost certainly both be going into the opposite pots of the EL 3rd round champions path. Meaning Rovers have a 1/6 chance of playing them for group stage football this year. Compare that to where they would have been if that pen went in.

The knock on impact could be (already are) huge.

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Originally Posted by yurt

First evening in a long while I've enjoyed browsing through Bert's website.

What a monumental let of for Rovers and the co-efficient that they got the win. Had the pen gone in they would have surely lost that game in ET.

Coupling the rovers victory with the Kosovan's losing to the Andorrans it's been a fantastic evening for the LOI (completely ignoring that second half performance obviously). Balkani going straight into the conference league means they've a lot to do to get back into the group stages this season. Kosovo's total now likely to be pretty low. If we can overtake them into 32nd I'm pretty sure that puts our cup winners into the EL next season.

Both Rovers and Andorrans will almost certainly both be going into the opposite pots of the EL 3rd round champions path. Meaning Rovers have a 1/6 chance of playing them for group stage football this year. Compare that to where they would have been if that pen went in.

The knock on impact could be (already are) huge.

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33rd is enough for the cup winners into the EL, which is where we are as it stands. The champions of at least a couple of Latvia, Bosnia and Faroes are all likely to go through today though, so we still need to be looking over our shoulders.

And just to clarify, it wouldn't be next season's EL (25/26) but the one after (26/27).

Is there a parachute from EL to ECL for the cup winners in that scenario or is it just lose and u are out?

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Originally Posted by sbgawa

Is there a parachute from EL to ECL for the cup winners in that scenario or is it just lose and u are out?

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Yes there's a parachute into the Conference league for them.

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Originally Posted by yurt

Kosovo's total now likely to be pretty low. If we can overtake them into 32nd I'm pretty sure that puts our cup winners into the EL next season.

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I think it's very early to be looking up the rankings yet (though I know you're pointing out a change point as much as anything else)

Lot of games to be played today/tomorrow - you wouldn't be confident of two wins against the Gibraltar sides after last week. A win and a draw leaves us on 1.000, and then a fairly severe second round set of games against Sparta Prague, Copenhagen, Zurich and Vaduz is next. The first three of those are surely wipe-outs, so we're hoping Pat's can get something against Vaduz. Let's say Pat's go out with a win and a loss, that has us on 1.250 with only Rovers left. That'd be lower than our score last year (1.500) which had us ranked 43rd for the season - so still a bit of work to do to even tread water.

Monday is the next draw date - if Rovers lose to Sparta, they drop to the third qualifying round of the Europa League. The teams aren't fully known of course, and so nor are the seedings. If we assume the seeds in the CL will all win, then we have -

FCSB
Shamrock Rovers
Lincoln Red Imps
KÍ Klaksvík/Differdange (KÍ currently 2-0 up)
The New Saints
RFS/Larne (RFS currently 3-0 up)
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Ordabasy/Petrocub (currently 0-0)
Celje
Borac Banja Luka/Egnetia (Borac currently 1-0 up)
Dinamo Minsk
Panev?žys
UE Santa Coloma


Even though Rovers are almost certain to be seeded, strangely the unseeded pot looks stronger, though there's still manageable ties in there. But champions of Romania or champions of Andorra is a huge difference of course. Any upsets in CL round 2 would obviously change the pots a bit - though maybe only to make RFS/Larne an option instead of, say, Ordabasy/Petrocub (who play APOEL Nicosia next and who would be seeded here if they lost)

Over 7,000 at Tallaght last night, great support, well done to all! :)

I actaully thought the atmosphere was very flat until the drama of the last few minutes.. In previous European matches there the South Stand would be singing non-stop and generally causing a racket (with plenty of pyro as well but sin scéal eile).. Nothing like that last night Very stark contrast to , say, Brann in 2019 when the whole place was manic

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I think it's very early to be looking up the rankings yet (though I know you're pointing out a change point as much as anything else)

Lot of games to be played today/tomorrow - you wouldn't be confident of two wins against the Gibraltar sides after last week. A win and a draw leaves us on 1.000, and then a fairly severe second round set of games against Sparta Prague, Copenhagen, Zurich and Vaduz is next. The first three of those are surely wipe-outs, so we're hoping Pat's can get something against Vaduz. Let's say Pat's go out with a win and a loss, that has us on 1.250 with only Rovers left. That'd be lower than our score last year (1.500) which had us ranked 43rd for the season - so still a bit of work to do to even tread water.

Monday is the next draw date - if Rovers lose to Sparta, they drop to the third qualifying round of the Europa League. The teams aren't fully known of course, and so nor are the seedings. If we assume the seeds in the CL will all lose, then we have -

FCSB
Shamrock Rovers
Lincoln Red Imps
KÍ Klaksvík/Differdange (KÍ currently 2-0 up)
The New Saints
RFS/Larne (RFS currently 3-0 up)
----------------
Ordabasy/Petrocub (currently 0-0)
Celje
Borac Banja Luka/Egnetia (Borac currently 1-0 up)
Dinamo Minsk
Panev?žys
UE Santa Coloma


Even though Rovers are almost certain to be seeded, strangely the unseeded pot looks stronger, though there's still manageable ties in there. But champions of Romania or champions of Andorra is a huge difference of course. Any upsets in CL round 2 would obviously change the pots a bit - though maybe only to make RFS/Larne an option instead of, say, Ordabasy/Petrocub (who play APOEL Nicosia next and who would be seeded here if they lost)

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Thanks for this. I'm so out of the loop with coefficients these days, that it's nice to see some of you loons keep up with it.

I think 30th is just about the ceiling for the league in its current form over the next few years. It would take a major increase in investment and improvement in infrastructure to go much further, but hanging between 30-33 and having that EL spot every season would be massive for whoever got it.

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Originally Posted by Acornvilla

If you haven't seen a replay Pico killed a man in the box. I think overall he's a very good player at this level, but can be a bit clumsy, seen by his yellow as well.

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Blatant penalty, almost as stupid as the one he conceded against Shels. In mitigation I thought it was a clear foul on Dan Cleary just a second earlier. A push in the back caused him to misdirect his header.

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Originally Posted by Acornvilla

Rovers might want to stop collecting stupid pointless yellow cards as well, a flurry of them for very little, although Lopes falling in to a man was pretty funny :D

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Prescient!

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Originally Posted by Burnsie

I actaully thought the atmosphere was very flat until the drama of the last few minutes.. In previous European matches there the South Stand would be singing non-stop and generally causing a racket (with plenty of pyro as well but sin scéal eile).. Nothing like that last night Very stark contrast to , say, Brann in 2019 when the whole place was manic

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I always find the atmosphere in Tallaght awful. The best atmospheres it's had were when Dundalk played their European games there in 2016.

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Originally Posted by nr637

Over 7,000 at Tallaght last night, great support, well done to all! :)

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My first time in the North Stand - a very enjoyable experience. It's such an impressive ground now - puts every other club in the league to shame. Rovers are streets ahead pf everybody else regarding infrastructure and professionalism.
Very odd to see a few hundred (if even that) Icelandic fans given the East Stand entirely to themselves. It looked very weird. What was the point of that? Some nonsensical, over-zealous 'safety concern' no doubt.
On the game itself, Kenny's well-taken goals were the difference. Otherwise Rovers looked very shaky indeed. Extremely lucky to get through. (Surprised to see that VAR was present on the night).

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Originally Posted by Calcio Jack

We won and now pocket a minimum of €1.7m; so job done successfully.

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€700k likely sell-on fee for Sinclair Armstrong too, I hear.

Vaduz lost their final pre-season game 1-0 to Swiss top division side St Gallen - who will also be starting their European campaign in the conference league second round next week. Vaduz start their league campaign on Sunday before playing in Inchicore on Thursday next week