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Vllnazia pulled one back with 5 minutes to go to make the final score 3-1.Quote:
Originally Posted by ger121
I suppose I should want all IL teams to go through, but I hope that they at least get to sh1t themselves heavily during the return.
Hell scrap that, I hope they soil themselves AND go out.
And yes, I'm a bad man. A very bad man.
Well at least dundalk made us look a bit better......in all seriousness can the mods close this thread and we just start again next year like this didn't happen......like Bobby Eweing waking up in the shower
If Bradley is still in charge it could be more like Groundhog Day :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
Ummm . The water is lovely and warm.Quote:
Originally Posted by ger121
I get this completely as it was the same or Dundalk and the champions always have a target on their back - champions rather than Rovers. I probaly rolled out similar comments to wind up rivals but t is a legitimate issue for ant current top side in any league across the contenent. Burke and take your pick of the Brennans were reQuote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
None of our sides are out of the competitions, all within a goal of either being on terms or to go in front. The games the 1st legs will focus the efforts and all sides can raise their game especially in the home fixtures. Next week we could have completely forgotten about the concerns in the 1st legs.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
Rovers going away from home now is a bit tough needing to level te tie but they cant be as poor as Tuesday again. Byrne with a full start under his belt and Burke probably starting. Crowds in Iceland are relatively small and quiet so a decent travelling Rovers support will be more than heard.
Pats are still favourites at home - it is one ground that being compact, partizan sell out crowd with a red hot atmosphere, it wont be comfortable for Dudelange.
Dundalk likewise will be more comfortable at home even if its just the cooler weather. Both sides had chances but there was enough on show to be optomistic, good chances ceated so being a bit more clinical and now that we know more about them and less need to conserve energy due to heat, well again we have enough to get the win.
Didnt see the Derry game but Faroe sides are not that great at carrying results through away from home. so in the Brandywll Derry should seize the initiative.
If all sides struggle and go out I think it will confirm that this seasons league is the worst standard ever, any has been in decline for last 3 or 4 seasons. I dont think im being too optomistic and letting hope rule the head - well all acknowledged that performances were poor rather than just being inferior, and half decent performance and i'll be fine. I really do believe that clubs have to play their way in to European level form and early on if clubs hang in in ties there are incremental improvements, with momentum and confidence building. We will see!
If Rovers progress and Derry and Pats, in particular, dont, it could be a key influence on the league title race.
We all hoped, given the record from the last few years, we’d get some brilliant results in the first round but statistically, it’s impossible to do well year after year.
Another factor everybody seem to forget is that clubs in Ireland don’t prepare the season focusing on reaching peak form when playing the early European rounds, a thing clubs from other countries do, Icelandic and Faroes certainly do. Perhaps a Rovers team, in September and being in full flow, would run away easy winners against any Icelandic team.
Maybe if you put the Galway United or the Watetford sides from two months ago to play HB from the Faroes, they’d give a good account of themselves. Maybe…
thought derry did a bit better than expected, did well 2nd half imo. will win at home without much fuss. not losing in faroe is a decent outcome.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jd2793
I have to disagree with that. We changed our season specifically so we could be in full flow when the European games came around, and our clubs will now have league games off (which most leagues don't offer) to let them focus on the next game and the round after, for those who get there.Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelCherrito
The Faroese and Icelandic leagues are 15/16 games in. We're 25 games in. Why do you think the former are better set up now, having played fewer games, but Rovers would be better later in the season when they've played more games? That doesn't make any sense.
The truth is that any physio can agree with his manager to prepare the team to be physically at peak at any particular time of the season. I’m not sure that clubs from the League of Ireland have done that this season.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
But two of the teams have played their games at terribly hot conditions. Let’s wait until next Thursday evening to make a completely real assesment of the clubs’ position.
I don't think you've any real basis for that though? LoI clubs have always had a big focus on Europe.
I think there's lots of excuses going around from all corners - the league's not competitive enough, it's too competitive, we need to have played more games, we've played too many games. I don't think there's any merit in them to be honest. It's as poor a week's work as I can recall in Europe in many years, and yet you'd still expect Dundalk and Derry to progress at the very least, and Rovers of course will have another tie regardless of what happens next week.
I still think Philosphiser's earlier post, maybe with general coaching weaknesses added in, is far closer to the truth this week.
General coaching weakness and poor individual decision-making. It’s awful to see Kavanagh receiving the ball on the left, then cutting inside and shooting ten yards off target. You need to make the most of that sort of chances.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
The four LOI clubs had (generally) poor results, while the four IL clubs had (generally) good ones.
What can you tell from that? Well imo nothing much actually. We might know a bit more after the return legs, when who knows, the LOI teams could turn things round and/or the IL teams could stumble. But even then you might just be misled by a couple of teams which "deserved" to go through but somehow didn't, or teams which didn't deserve it who sneaked it.
For football is the most random of games, meaning four matches is far too small a sample size to reach any firm conclusions, one way or another.
I'd take much more notice of, say, a review of 10 or 15 seasons' European results, both in absolute terms and also relative to other comparable countries, before tending towards firm conclusions.
Anyone?
The Welsh name for Bridgend in south Wales (translates literally as 'head of the bridge').Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Though they had to come from behind to draw at home against an Andorran team, which is no great shakes.
Looking at the overall results this week, there do seem to be far fewer ass-whippings handed out than there used to be. Club football seems to have improved in a lot of what would previously have been considered very weak places.
If only the legendary Sligo team from the 28th April 2023 could have represented us all
Or Drogheda.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
Just back from Gilbratar this evening. Great trip, terrible game. Should have scored in 1st half and should have conceded in 2nd half. The heat was ridiculous and our players really struggled with it. Id fancy us knocking a few past them next week in Oriel then a trip to Iceland it looks
Thought the Icelandic team first half were even better then us that night. High praise I knowQuote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
My prediction for this week would be Dundalk and Derry to go through with home wins. St. Pat's to maybe go to extra time but scrape through. Rovers to draw away but drop down to the Conference League.
Only got home at midnight last night, we had a long trip Gib - Gat then 3.5 hours there, and then delayed by 1.30 or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Great trip and such an interesting place to see, tour of the Rock was amazing, mostly based in La Linea Spain, but Gib was better than expected to be fair. As for the match, thought we edged it, and prob should have won but they had a great to score too, look it wasn't easy it was 33c at kick off, had to be a massive factor.
Be amazed if we dont win by 2 goals or so on Thurs, big wide spaces at oriel park, should be able to open them up, but need to get the job done first and foremost, they were well organised.
I notice BT Sports 1 on Tuesday are showing Struga v Zalgiris at 4pm and Maccabi Haifa v Hamrun at 6pm
On Weds they are showing Valmiera v Olimpija at 4pm and Swift Hesper v Slovan Bratislava at 7pm with Dinamo Tbilisi v Astana at 5pm (on BT3)
I find it strange they would show all these games and not one from any of the Welsh, N Irish or Irish champions games.