League of Ireland in Europe 2016

What a a brilliant night, still hard to take it really just what we have achieved, and not long home from the match. It was a superb second half performance and we really battered them, possibly the best 45 mins I've ever seen in McEleney, Horgan was a class act, Gannon came alive in the second half and O'Donnell just breezed through the game as if it was a standard loi match. Loads of other hard workers all over the team, then McMillan with his 4th and 5th CL goals of the season! We were worried for 20 mins about the away goal being scored, then step forward Robbie Benson.

Thanks for all the good wishes, it was a truely memorable night, definitely up there with any recent league title win, haven't even considered the financial impact yet, need to get my head around the result first.

Ps still no idea (much that it looked well) why we wore our away strip for a 'home' game, final word of thanks not just to our own supporters but to all neutrals who made the effort in attending, it was very much appreciated and added to a magnificent atmosphere.

In all the excitement, I didn't see anyone mention the attendance. Looked to be over 5k?

Great result, fair play to the club and the supporters. When will an announcement be made regarding the venue for the play-off round?

First up massive congratulations to Dundalk, when you see the calibre of teams Bate have beaten or drawn with then you get a sense of the achievement.
How long now before several of Dundalk's team or City for that matter get a senior international call up. After all how many of our National team will be playing (at worst) in the group stages of the Europa league?

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

What a joyous night to be a League of Ireland fan.

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It's a great night for dundalk.

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone thinks its a great night for the league. Well, I understand it's enamel peeling minnowism. But the why I don't understand.

Surely this result has to be the best ever result in Irish football, I include International matches too because when do we ever see any Irish team win with such conviction against a team that has better quality. The great results we look back on tend to be teams that nick a goal and hold out but this Dundalk victory was so much more than that, its that their quality won them the game along with their hunger to succeed.

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

It's a great night for dundalk.

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone thinks its a great night for the league. Well, I understand it's enamel peeling minnowism. But the why I don't understand.

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Why not as o'donnell said all the players in dundalk and the league as a whole want is respect for their trade. They earned that tonight.

Our result shows we are nationally improving. I think also our league games are improving in that our opposition are equipped to deal with us.

Cork on Thursday and fingers crossed theyll go through will be immense.
For loi clubs now to be involved in Europe in august is fantastic

Words just can't describe this team. In our 3 year (only 3 years) journey under Stephen Kenny (let's just call him the king) we have 2 leagues, an fai cup and a league cup but above all those this performance tonight ranks as the club's best ever, actually go so far to say an Irish teams result in Europe.

We destroyed a team ranked 64th in UEFA club coefficients. We are 360 odd. It's an amazing achievement.

180 minutes away from the champions league proper minimum is Europa league group stages. 8 more European matches guaranteed with a minimum of 7.2m. The club's turnover is little over 1m, winning the league of Ireland is only €100k ffs.

I don't really want to give out about the league and lack of attendances finances or lack of guidance and support from the fai to clubs because it's been done to death but we have a special special team here and it would be a shame for some to miss the opportunity to see them play.

**** sky sports and go your local games and you maybe quietly suprised with the entertainment on offer

It's a great night for Dundalk.

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone thinks it isn't a great night for the league. Well, I understand it's enamel peeling minnowism. But the why I don't understand.

Any fan of any other club who thinks dundalk getting 7 or 8 million quid is a good thing are out of their minds.

No good can come of it for any other club in the league.

Best case scenario dundalk **** it up against the wall and are back to square one in a few years.

Worst case scenario we are all playing Kilmarnock to their Celtic for the next ten years.

Either way there's no benefit for anyone else. First Division Champions League Cup Finalists 2016 Limerick FC will not make a euro out of dundalk doing well in europe.

And if anybody thinks Joe public gives a ****e that dundalk beat a team of Soviet tractor manufacturers (remember I'm talking Joe public here) then they are sitting in their LoI bubble with their head up their arse.

Remember the boost the league got from shels adventures? And shamrocks? Me neither.

I might start a thread on it tomorrow if I'm bored as I really don't want to come across as poo pooing on what is a great achievement for dundalk.

As a First Division Champions League Cup Finalists 2016 Limerick FC fan I wanted Bate to win though. :ball:

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

It's a great night for dundalk.

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone thinks its a great night for the league. Well, I understand it's enamel peeling minnowism. But the why I don't understand.

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Ah g'way and sh!te in a bucket.

I'll throw a celebration party for Limerick winning the First Division to make you feel better.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Ah g'way and sh!te in a bucket.

I'll throw a celebration party for First Division Champions 2016 League Cup Finalists Limerick FC winning the First Division to make you feel better.

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A cogent argument there from young Nigel. :good:

There was all the same talk when Rovers got there I said at the time it would do nothing for the league and was attacked for it,can anyone show me the benefits to it from then honestly now one single benefit to anyone other than Rovers from it will do.
I've asked loads of people why its great for the league the answer I am getting is more people might go now that they see an Irish team in Europe but does anyone truly believe someone from Limerick or Donegal or wherever will see that Dundalk have qualified for Europa at least and then jump to thinking best head down see the lads play Waterford/Wexford or anyone like that? Get real. The only people who are truly happy about this from other clubs are those that have such a small time mentality that they have no ambitions whatsoever to win the league in the next 5-10 years so are more than happy to see Dundalk walk away with is so they can have some kind of justification for supporting the league or some other nonsense.

I'm not for a second trying to underplay Dundalks achievement they are an amazing team and it was an amazing result for them but it is just for them and I am sure they couldn't care less if people are happy for them or not they are about to go on a wonderful adventure.

There's going to be over 15 Irish players getting exposure in the group stages of a European competition as opposed to 2 or 3. The exposure could get two or three of them a high profile move to a Championship, Premier League or continental team. Who knows a domestic player may finally get a call up to the Ireland team and see some action in a friendly game, or even a competitive game.

It's crazy when you think about it. Olympiakos are the only team they could face in the next round that you wouldn't give them a chance against and they have to go to Israel and score.

Thing is. They could get tanked in the Champions League or they could actually compete and pick up a few points if they go in to the Europa League.

Well done Dundalk - terrific performance and result and a wholly deserved night to remember.

It's obviously terrible for any of the clubs who would normally have expected to be able to compete at the top end of the table (I know, Rovers are crap, but theoretically we could) but it validates those of us who've always believed there's quality in this league. Plus the raising of the bar is something for other clubs to strive to match.

And if Dundalk do the sensible thing and pump the money into creating a proper stadium and underage structure, then that's a bonus for the league as a whole.

Jealous as ****.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Pleb is on again, lets hope CD is right for once.

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Sorry Paul, I couldn't reply to this sooner. I was actually in the stadium you see.

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

A cogent argument there from young Nigel. :good:

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I fail to see the need in going in-depth into why I think it's a great night for the League of Ireland. It's self explanatory.

For you though, I'll make an exception.

It's sh!te that Dundalk now have the financial clout to go on and dominate the league. If they spend wisely, they will be untouchable for years. That's where Shamrock Rovers screwed up their operation, and I'd expect Dundalk to be a little smarter about how they spend their money.

But:

- An improved Oriel Park is good for the league. €7 million would do a lot for Oriel Park. Anything that helps improve facilities for fans is good for the league.
- The media attention tonight alone will be good for the league. You can be damn sure there'll be a couple hundred extra on the gate in Galway on Friday night for the visit of Dundalk after that result. People are talking about the league of Ireland. That is a good thing.
- For years and years, we've had to listen to rubbish, constant tripe from people who call the league a 'pub league'. Maybe, just maybe, there's some vindication, some justification for supporting League of Ireland teams tonight. Hopefully Cork do the business tomorrow night too and provide a little bit more justification. Our teams can compete at the highest level. It's not as bad as people make out. Potentially a team in the Champions League and Europa League at the same time might just make a few people sit up and take note.
- The League of Ireland is a close-knit community. These gestures of support provide a sense of pride in each other. In no other league do you see anything like this. In turn, it relaxes tensions between fans. Not all the time, but most of the time. I can see nothing but benefit from simply showing a bit of support. Coming across like a jealous auld fart does nothing to help anyone.

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Originally Posted by Nesta99

That was Sligo, They were in front and did a rain dance to kill the game and were very effective! I have never seen anything like the torrents of water coming in through what I presume were drains from the road through the perimeter wall and then visibly see the water rising on the pitch!

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I asked you to do me one thing. ONE.

LTID has a point in fairness; this won't really impact UCD.

But the hope would be that such a big result would finally make the FAI get off their holes, see the potential in the league and start to actually properly manage and market it. In that case - a long shot, I'll admit - Dundalk's win would benefit everyone.

I'd particularly like to see FAI Cup Winners 2016 Limerick FC going on a scorching run in Europe next season, qualifying for the groups in part due to massively increased prize money, and then having John Delaney throw his tie into the home end in Thomond Park in celebration as the success only his glorious presence and being could have wrought.

But football isn't about logic. I know last year, it was great to have so many fans nervously watching live updates as we clung on in Luxembourg. That kind of cameraderie is what makes the league great, I think. That's not worth giving up just because Dundalk might win the league ten times in a row now. If anything, given the prize money in Europe these days, it was inevitable that someone would win big - and the only alternative was that we'd continue going to games in crap stadia getting knocked out by teams from Gibraltar and Luxembourg while wondering who the next league winner to go pop was going to be.

Obviously there needs to be a plan to develop all clubs in the league, not just Dundalk, but **** it, for now, well done Dundalk. Must be particularly amazing for the 300/400 who were traipsing out in the First Division only a few years back watching their side lose to Cobh or Kilkenny.

Also, I find it even more hilarious that in just ten years ago, the FAI's IAG ranked Dundalk below Sligo, Derry, Pat's, Bohs, UCD, Bray and, of course, Galway in terms of off-field criteria.

I don't think we can begrudge aul Maxi a hearty laugh today.

Edit - also, wiki has updated the top scorers