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Not a great night for Bohs. 0-0 in Belgrade; Salzburg probably favourites to progress. 3-2 win for PSV in Borisov is a good result, though far from over. And Benfica 1-1 PAOK is disappointing given how much on top Benfica were in the first half.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Other two games on Wednesday.
Stephen Kenny declaring his ambition to make group stages next year, if Dundalk are Champions League qualified
Quote:
At Dundalk we are not at the level that we were at in 2016, but I think next year - if we continue to improve - we will be at better than that level. We would feel that next year we have a chance of getting to the group stages
https://twitter.com/RTEsoccer/status...74611758370816
You can admire his ambition, but that's just not feasible really. With the new format, it's desperately difficult for someone from a country like ours to qualify.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ezeikial
I like positive talk from managers, but a bit of realism wouldn't go amiss. The EL group stages are entirely within Dundalk's reach.
Did you listen to the full video? He was talking about the EL group stages.Quote:
Originally Posted by brendy_éire
Quote:
Originally Posted by brendy_éire
While he has a burning ambition to make Champions League group stages, I suspect that it is probably EL group stages that he sees as a realistic target if Dundalk qualify as Champions this season.
Kyiv lost 3-1 away to Ajax, and Zagreb drew 1-1 away to Young Boys.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
So neither a great result, though neither over as yet either
Heading to see Basel V Limassol tonight. Bit of a tour de force, St Jakob 4 times (3 euros, one cup game) in about two weeks or so, and that is not including league games that others have done!! Plus away games for some fans, I do wonder if these extra Euro games are overkill. Last game had an attendance of about 12,000, in a stadium of 40,000, and tonight there are so many complementary tickets floating about.........I do wonder how much some clubs are really making on these Euro games.
And its not if the games are even entertaining............
Also will head to the league game this weekend....in St Jakob again.:)
I yearn for the day a LOI gets to play in Basel. But before you scoff, Switzerland are tumbling down the co efficient table, 16 at the moment..............so it might be sooner than we think
Suduva hold Celtic to a 1-1 at home. Very impressive, even if Celtic will win 6 nil in Parkhead
Dudelange 1-0 Cluj! 25 to go; Turpel with the goal.
Long way to go yet, but a first Luxembourg side in the group stages would be remarkable. I think it's just caused the live stream to crash in fact.
Rosenborg 2-0 up inside 15 minutes against Shkendija
2-0 Dudelange! Turpel with his second - which is two more than he managed against UCD :)
Rosenborg 3-0 up now.
What could have been for Cork...
Shamrock Rovers became the first Irish side to qualify for the Europa League on this day in 2011. That goal Gary McCabe scored in the 1-1 home draw with Belgrade turned out to be crucial, they went out there with half a chance and the rest was history.
I see that NI have dropped into the bottom 4 which will mean preliminary round for their Champions next year with the Champions of Kosovo, Andorra and San Marino.
Also, it's only a matter of time until Kosovo pass them.
And, as I think El Pietro pointed out earlier in the thread, they lose a Europa League spot too
"And yee shall reap what yee sow", as their kinsfolk are want of saying.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
And we all know how much Irish League players love to take their holidays. Very real danger of whoever the champs are struggling to get beyond the preliminary tournament.Quote:
Originally Posted by holidaysong
I watch a bit of the Irish League through highlights on bbc but beyond that I wouldn’t know a lot about the financial aspect of the League or other off field activities. Is it going backwards in terms of quality and people through through the turnstiles. I was always a support of an AIL but now I’d think that bar the odd year, none of them would make the top 4.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
Attendances are rising slowly but steadily apparently - www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm
It's got decent attendances - away support in particular - for a small league.
In terms of player technique, I think it's miles behind the LoI. An awful lot of one-touch hoofball and an overemphasis on the physical side.
It's hard to know if the physical part would compromise for the lack of technique if the leagues were to merge or play more often
I think it'll take another year for that to happen- the number of clubs qualifying per country (and therefore the starting round for each representative) has to be known before the domestic season in question, so the drop in status is a year behindQuote:
Originally Posted by holidaysong
So the two Dinamos are out. Bohs need three from three tomorrow to reach the Youth League.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Bohs through??
I think so. They'll have to thank Salzburg for throwing away a 2-goal lead.Quote:
Originally Posted by shep
Oh yeah!
And they do...Quote:
Originally Posted by sidewayspasser
https://twitter.com/bfcdublin/status...06660400234499
Great news for Bohs.
Dudelange now 2-0 in Cluj; 4-0 up on aggregate. There'll be a Luxembourg side in the group stages of Europe for the first time ever. Just shows what a mix of ability and luck can mean for the lower champions now
Spare a thought for their goalkeeper since 2004 though; broke his leg in the home game last week and may miss the groups entirely...
AEK Larnaca qualified handily enough this afternoon, beating AS Trencin 3-0 and 4-1 on aggregate. Trencin handed out a 4 nil thrashing to Feyenoord in the previous round. Wonder how they feel; one week you emphatically dump out a team with a far higher reputation, a club that have Van Persie on its books, then a fortnight later Larnaca take you apart. It shows just how good AEK are but also what a brutally tough arena it is at times trying to qualify. Having said that Dudelange look to be qualifying as the first Luxembourg team to make the grade. Would be hilarious if Suduva replicated that feat for Lithuania later on by knocking out Celtic, although that seems fairly unlikely.
I see Rangers made the group stages. When was the last time a team bar Celtic made a European Group Stage. Probably Rangers? I can remember Hearts getting to EL in 2008.
Larnaca a very good side it seems. Maybe makes Dundalk’s away hammering look at little less awful when you look what they did to Sturm and Trencin at home in the subsequent rounds.
5-0 Dudelange on aggregate now.
Molde, who lost to Coleraine, are beating Zenit, who hammered Minsk who lost to Derry. I...don't know what to make of that one. Sometimes football is just football
Glenavon.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Fooking hell, Dudelange. Cruising into the groups three years after being beaten by a mediocre League of Ireland First Division side. And you look at the ****e Caulfield comes out with about not being able to compete.
Maybe a little, but in truth it is of little comfort.Quote:
Originally Posted by ger121
That result and the away performance is a wake-up call for the club about the gap that needs to be bridged to reach the group stages again
Slight objection - we were a very good LoI First Division side and would probably have won the title had we not been in Europe (curiously enough)Quote:
Originally Posted by seand
No arguments if you had said a mediocre LoI side though. :)
UCD won 13 out of 28 league games in 2015. Logic suggests that's quality enough to make the Europa League groups but is the definition of a mediocre First Division team ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
14.
But the reality of it is that a brand new team had a slow start (1 win in the first 5), but quickly gelled and went on a 17-match unbeaten run in the league before a late run of one point in five games - and injuries and fatigue after Europe had a big part to play - ended our title run. Had we not been in Europe, we'd quite possibly have gone unbeaten until the end of the season.
The presence of Robbie Benson alone means it was hardly a mediocre First Division team!
Dudelange get AC Milan, Real Betis and Olympiakos.
Hell of an incentive for Irish clubs. Though you would imagine the worst group performance record is under threat
The two Red Bulls will meet too.
Bohs' draw is Tuesday I think
That was a very talented UCD side when you look at who was in it. Very unlucky in the away leg in the 2nd round.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Tough group for Celtic. The two RBs are decent enough. Rosenborg will be looking for revenge. Speaking of which. Two teams who put out LOI sides made the groups. Be very hard for Dudelange to pick up a point. Couple of clubs have gotten no points since Rovers in 2011. Gabala and Slovan Bratislava, the latter hold the worst record in the Europa League Group stages.
The last three teams to knock Cork City out of Europe (Legia technically just knocked us into the EL) all made the group stages. Rosenborg, Larnaca and Genk. two of those of course are also the last two teams to knock Dundalk out. It will be interesting to see how these teams fare in the groups. Genk made the Quarter Finals in 2016.
Actually a lot of teams we have played in Europe since 2004 are in there. I see Malmo, Appollon Limasol and Slavia Prague as well. Plus Red Star in the Champions League groups.
Don’t forget Dundalk. You’ve played them too in a European League:pQuote:
Originally Posted by El-Pietro
We have but its been a long time since they knocked us out of a tournament!Quote:
Originally Posted by ger121