LOI in Europe 2011

Right, going on the groups for last year that Dundalk had...

I think that if we're in the same seeded group as TNS, we won't be able to get Neath. Likewise Iceland has a seeded and unseeded team. They won't be in the same group. Hopefully we're in the same pot as KR Reykjavik and not TNS

I think the 2 Northern groups will be made up of the following seeds;
Fulham/Blackpool Eng
IF Elfsborg Swe
Tromsø IL Nor
St. Patrick's Athletic Irl
Aalesunds FK Nor
Honka Espoo Fin
BK Häcken Swe
KR Reykjavik Isl
The New Saints Wal
FK Minsk Bls

and the following unseeded teams;
Glentoran Nir 1.699
Banga Gargzdai Lit 1.541
Daugava Daugavpils Lat 1.483
Cliftonville Nir 1.449
Trans Narva Est 1.258
Kalju Nomme Est 1.008
IBV Vestmannaeyjar Isl 0.991
NSI Runavik Far 0.783
Neath FC Wal 0.558
UN Käerjeng Lux 0.524
EL2-3 Lux 0.274 - 1.274

Now that's 11 unseeded, sp one of them will slide over to the Central/eastern European group. My bet is Lithuania like previous years. COuld be luxembourg too

So that'd mean that the 10 unseeded would include 2 Nordies, 2 estonians, 2 luxemburgers, and one each of latvia, wales, iceland and faroes

SO... by my reckoning we'll go into a group with
1 Northern ireland
1 estonian
1 Luxembourger
1 Latvia/Faroes
1 Iceland/Wales (as these have to be seperate)

The only real complication I see is that the like spreading the top seeds out a bit, and Pats are the 4th highest seed in the 1st round. The problem is that the top 3 are also Northern teams

On Bert kas' site he mentions that "in the Europa League qualifying rounds the teams will be no longer be divided into regional groups (as used previously in the UEFA Cup)"
Is that a definite then?

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Originally Posted by bennocelt

On Bert kas' site he mentions that "in the Europa League qualifying rounds the teams will be no longer be divided into regional groups (as used previously in the UEFA Cup)"
Is that a definite then?

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It wasn't regionalised officially last year either, but they were still put in the groups that were practically regionalised. I've linked it above.

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Originally Posted by HulaHoop

That was said about Bohs V TNS last year. If theres one thing we should all know as LOI fans it is that there are no easy games in europe.

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Agreed with that. There aren't any easy games. Just like champion after champion seem to fall to a casino type finance system, club's seem to fall to I would say easy but winnable games in Europe. Shamrock say they won't fall into the financial melt-down of previous champions. I hope they don't screw up what could be winnable games. If they win their first round game, they are guaranteed at least 4 more games. We need our champions doing that at least every other season.

As an aside, the Drog's late miss from about 6 yards against Kiev away a few years ago, would that be rated as the worst miss of all time by an LoI club and player in Europe. They really were desperately unlucky not to get through that evening. Kiev went on to beat Spartak Moscow 8-1 on aggregate, finished 3rd in group G and got to the semi-finals of the then UEFA Cup losing to the eventual champions Shakhtar Donetsk. Talk about making the near most out of their good fortune from a terrible miss by the Drog's in early August. Spartak Moscow, defeated by Dynamo, went onto join a group of Udinese, Spurs, NEC and Dinamo Zagreb, while seedings would've been different for the Drog's having different opposition, it would've been some run have games to have gotten.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

It wasn't regionalised officially last year either, but they were still put in the groups that were practically regionalised. I've linked it above.

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Dodge as you say they're not officially regionalised. I'd worry that, seeing as how they seem to make this up as they go along, grouping would be based off the top seeds. Which worked out last year into seemingly nice regions, but this year with 4 northern teams (Pat's among them) in top five would be a bit less clear cut.

But unless anyone can confirm otherwise it's all speculation at this stage.

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Originally Posted by placid casual

Your really not the biggest fan of the boez are you PS...
I mean , as a lifelong Rovers fan I'm contractually obliged to dislike them and all, but whats your excuse if you dont mind me askin ?:dunno:

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Ah, I just enjoy a bit of a laugh every now and again.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2011/...bohemians.html

Reading these sentences gave me that lurch of excitment that European football gives you. Roll on the games.

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The Hoops, along with Sligo Rovers, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians will enter the UEFA Champions League and Europa League draws in June with the most favourable odds in the history of Irish participation on the European stage.

By virtue of FC Porto winning the Europa League Cup rather than Sporting Braga, Sligo Rovers - as FAI Ford Cup winners - will be forwarded to the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa League.

This is because FC Porto do not require the title holder's place in the Europa League as they have qualified for the Champions League next season.

Ireland is placed 29th on the access/ranking list. This would be the first time ever that an Irish club was exempted from two rounds of a European club competition.

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When are the draws?

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Originally Posted by thischarmingman

Reading these sentences gave me that lurch of excitment that European football gives you. Roll on the games.

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funny that... after last year it gives me a lurch of nausea in the pit of my stomach.

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Originally Posted by MeathDrog

When are the draws?

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20th June for Europa 1st and 2nd rounds

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Originally Posted by SkStu

funny that... after last year it gives me a lurch of nausea in the pit of my stomach.

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Ich bin ein Hoop!

Du bist ein schwein!

Dank.

This will be the year. You watch.

from the RTE article

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Being seeded will give the Hoops an opportunity to make significant progress in Europe this summer. Victory in the Second Round would guarantee Shamrock Rovers a minimum of four extra European matches including a play-off for a place in the group stages of the Europa League, if required.

Financially, it would also mean a minimum payment of €550,000 from UEFA - €330,000 of which is already guaranteed - and the club would also garner €130,000 should the Hoops qualify for the next round.
Rovers would also benefit to the tune of a further €90,000 should they fail to qualify for the Champions League group stages and move into the Europa League.

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figures seem a bit big to me

do the LOI champions get a guaranteed 330k from UEFA ?

and Rovers would get another 220k if they win their second round tie ?

anyone here with a knowledge of how these things work able to confirm these figures are correct ?

RTE: "The Hoops, along with Sligo Rovers, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians will enter the UEFA Champions League and Europa League draws in June with the most favourable odds in the history of Irish participation on the European stage."

I hope RTE are right but usually when things like this is being said about LoI clubs, things go pear shaped. Hopefully the teams representing themselves and the league will do well.

I'd say RTE published the FAI press release word for word

Looking at Shamrock Rovers' draw , you would have to think that they have a fighting chance of making the group stages of the Europa league, considering they beat Isreali opposition last season.

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Originally Posted by MeathDrog

When are the draws?

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Originally Posted by Dodge

20th June for Europa 1st and 2nd rounds

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More importantly...15th July is the 3rd round draw