Well Rovers do have a reputation :( If the referee puts that in his report you could be in for a fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
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Well Rovers do have a reputation :( If the referee puts that in his report you could be in for a fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
They werent long forgetting a bcd (suspended)threat
Brave effort. The third goal in the first leg gave too much of a mountain to climb.
Very impressive standalone performance and result from Rovers last night - unlucky.
I said this about Tallinn last year and seemed to be in the minority opinion although their subsequent performances seemed to back it up and I hold the same opinion about Shkupi this year - they are a better team than will generally be recognised and I still think it is a tough ask for Rovers.
Disagree totoh, ludogris lads showed they were bad tempered, Ill disciplined and both niggly and late challenges. Sure they looked good 1v1 or in the case last night 3 v 3 but the blind man and his dog on the street know LOI sides can't defend 1v1 and they aren't good enough to sit back and soak up pressure so you counter than by pressing high in your own half closing off the space and limiting the slide balls in behind your full/wing backs. And that's exactly what rovers did last night bar when they had to go gung ho and play with 3 or 4 strikers on. If towell had scored instead of falling over and been caught for pace im sure last night would have been a different result. Don't get me wrong ludogorets are a good side but like slovam they were more than beatable over the two legs. It's another case of slovan - and yes pretty much everything has to go right on the night and over two legs.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
Very good performance in general. As said already lack of pace killing then in Europe I think. Shocking dive from Towell. Was clean through and all. Bradley then comes out complaining it’s a red card.
One thing I noticed in the crowd last night which was great was there were some rovers fans( I assume as in beside other rovers fans) wearing headscarves and appeared to be enjoying themselves. Great to see that sort of inclusivity and young fans from diverse backgrounds latching onto a loi side
yeah noticed that too. Was great to see with the camera panning about before the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
Blatant dive by Towell and outside the box too but did play well overall. Bradley should have more sense.
Really like Graham Gartland as a pundit, more of that please.
Burke was immense
Were Pats able to get a chartered plane to Slovenia? Just seemed to be trouble for others to get one…
Linfield's first leg lead wiped out in 20 minutes in Bodø - 2-0 and a man down
Ildefons Lima sent off for Inter Escaldes against Cluj - he's 43 in December and scored Andorra's goal in Lansdowne in 2001
Linfield 4-0 down now; half an hour gone
Long afternoon ahead possibly...
They would have beaten our press over there though Paul. I think they would have beaten it last night too if they weren't sitting on a cushion. That cushion gave us an opportunity to play the way we did but ultimately they knew they could hit us when we were chasing and so it came to be. We also didn't really sit back and soak up pressure by choice over there. Not sure if you saw the full game but we played basically the same formation. The two major differences were that they wanted goals so they pressed us high up in our half and didn't allow us any time on the ball and we didn't have Graham Burke to give it to in their half so we were turned easily when moves broke down. Second half they had their cushion and we had Burke. Different game. Easy to say now what we could or should have done but they had counters for what we put out either way. Second half over there we played more like you want to see and they still scored.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
I do agree with you on Towell (two chances missed badly) and Slovan though. We should probably have beaten Slovan or gotten to extra time. Ludogorets are a different animal. Not trying to belittle our performance and we did have them rattled but I don't think we missed an opportunity based on tactics. We were beaten over two legs by a better team.
I'm a little conflicted on where I stand on supporting the northern teams in Europe. I feel like I want them to do well as some form of increased cross border competition seems like it's inevitable and stronger clubs on both sides is obviously a good thing.
But since the north had briefly over taken us in the co-efficient table and Linfield looked to have a decent chance of going further in the UCL than Rovers it made me realise that I want them to do well but definitely don't want them to do better than the LOI teams.
Also I'd like to think I can separate politics from football but with the scenes from the 12th still fairly fresh in the mind I'm not too upset at all seeing Linfield get stuffed. (tbf Linfield deserve credit for taking a stance on this)
Would be happy enough to see both sides make it to the UCL.
Linfield 6 nil down with a half hour left!!
7-0 now. Ouch!
8-0 now.
Lithuania 45 minutes away from having a team in the groups stages for the 1st time. Malmo not the team they were last season.
We found some common ground!Quote:
Originally Posted by DCWA
8-0 is quite a battering!
No character too lose 8 nil.Quote:
Originally Posted by Philosophizer
Indeed the local champions here in Lithuania have pulled off a shock result against Malmö, and none of the natives appear to have any idea.
Not bad for a club that averages roughly 400 through the gate.
Looking at the results in the first leg Rovers were the only team have lost by more than the odd goal. This was one of the sorer points that it was the only tie that was over and the narrative was that we're hopeless at this level.
Now after the second leg and seeing clubs like Linfield, HJK, Dudelange, Bratislava and Olympiacos all take thumping's it's changed the complexion completely.
Huge day tomorrow as both games tomorrow could go any which way. To have any chance of seeded for ECLQ1 next year both teams would need to qualify for at least the next round.
I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again, there is a lot of investment going into the 3 Baltic countries and you can see the improvements in their European results. Mind you in some of those countries, they have a club boom bust cycle that would put the LOI to shame. Latvia is an absolute basket case League. I suppose the Russians have to put their money somewhere.Quote:
Originally Posted by SPXcyan
Yes, the team got a private charter and it seems the trip went very smoothly. They were looking to charter one including fans but that didn’t work out. Interviews with Jamie Lennon and Tim Clancy online and they seem happy with the preparation. Were going to train on the pitch this evening at the same time as KO tomorrow. I think it’s a big ask for us to get through tomorrow, but we live in hope. (It’s the hope that kills you, not the despair - to quote John Cleese.)Quote:
Originally Posted by joey B
Which version of sligo will turn up tonight? The determined, professional looking performances that saw them beat Bala and Motherwell away, or the weak, unconvincing stuff that was their last few home European games - they have a great chance tonight to shut up the comically over rated scots league.
If Pat's have ambition they can do similar tonight - Baz Cotter to have a stormer, score at both ends of the pitch!
Would love to see Pats and Sligo do the business tonight. If I had to bet I'd go with pats as sligo have been so bad at times recently
Big ask to turn up in these places and knock them out. I reckon we will be up for the game but wouldn’t go as far as being confident. Hopefully the weather is like last night the temperature was mild around kick off time. Very quiet town, lucky to get one boozer to open past nine bells. Looking forward to the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
I have full faith in the home Bala performance levels turning upQuote:
Originally Posted by placid casual
Reading the previews in both the times and the indo and disappointed that both papers don’t mention that the 2 games are on LOITV tonight. They say our game is on Premier Sports but that’s only available in the UK (unless you’ve a dodgy box of course)
Best of luck Pat and Sligo tonight. Have a bad feeling neither will make it through. If one does then it's a decent showing
Premier Sports showing it in Ireland as well nowQuote:
Originally Posted by Nah Nah Nah Nah
happy days - much handier to double-screen now
We should do a Euro predictions comp one of the years. It'd be carnage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nah Nah Nah Nah
And now they’re saying it won’t be
https://twitter.com/premiersportstv/...Qz-PjBXkHGi2bg
Im not exactly a well wisher today but I don't wish pats and sligo any specific harm.....would be nice to see some SPL heads rethinking their world view and pats deserve to go through after last week's performance.
To be fair I don't really see any Scots adjusting their opinion of the LOI based on the game today. Similar to how most of us would have only looked at Bala's win through the prism of Sligo being a disgrace instead of giving any credit to the league in Wales.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
If Sligo can get to half time with a clean sheet I can see Motherwell cracking under the pressure.
Really hard to know how the Pat's game will go, Mura were very average in Dublin last week but you'd have to expect they'll be a different animal at home.
Sligo straight out of the traps - 1-0 up already
Ridiculous strike that from Blaney!
Always a dangerous score 2 nil on agg. Would remind you of Rosenberg
What a hit from Blaney. Great scenes of the Showgrounds going crazy. Hopefully they can see it through.
Sligo lucky to avoid red there. They'll need to keep their heads and avoid dumb mistakes if they're to get through.