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Pour encourager les autres... There's some Apprentice-level incompetence from Team Trivela that would turn Alan Sugar apoplectic.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Doesn't exonerate Trivela one jot. I bet they got the memo from the Danes. It's kind of a shorry Guard, I'm only driving becosh the barman didn't remind how mush I could zrink defence. But on a scale of 1 to WTF the FAI set new records on this.
Not a chance Shels beat Red Star Belgrade (six points in last year's Champions League group stage) or Slovan Bratislava (0 points in the Champions League, but the money they got from it will do for Shels)Quote:
Originally Posted by yurt
Ljubljana might be beatable, but to be honest if they beat Linfield, I think best way to look at it is three shots at getting into the Conference League groups.
That is a very good point! Im annoyed I didnt think of that while talking to a Drog today who was laying it all on the FAI.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eminence Grise
Pots for the second round draw in the conference league today are out
Pats potential opponents:
1 AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
2 R. Charleroi SC (BEL)
3 Riga FC (LVA)
4 Silkeborg IF (DEN)
5 Nõmme Kalju FC (EST) vs FK Partizani (ALB)
Rovers potential opponents:
6 La Fiorita 1967 (SMR) vs FC Vardar (MKD)
7 NK Varaždin (CRO)
8 Floriana FC (MLT) vs Haverfordwest County AFC (WAL)
9 St Joseph's FC (GIB) vs Cliftonville FC (NIR)
10 FC UNA Strassen (LUX)
Shels potential opponents if they lose to Linfield:
Pairing 1: The New Saints FC (WAL) vs KF Shkëndija (MKD)
Pairing 2: FCI Levadia Tallinn (EST) vs FC RFS (LVA)
Pairing 3: FK Žalgiris (LTU) vs Hamrun Spartans FC (MLT)
And in the champions league draw, Shels potential opponents if they beat Linfield:
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Qarabağ FK (AZE)
Winners of Pairing 9: Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) vs Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)
Winners of Pairing 10: NK Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
I'm not saying UEFA should rig the draw but it would be hilarious if Pats ended up playing and beating SilkeborgQuote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
Cliftonville the plum draw, keeps expenses down and should be beating them.
Could we be that lucky.....end up in round 3 through a bye and beating Cliftonville ??
In fairness, ye should have no problems against any of those except maybe Varazdin, and even then the non-top Croatian sides aren't great. It's Varazdin's first time in Europe since 2011, and they've gone bankrupt and reformed since then.
For a second round pot, you could barely hand-pick anything better.
They finished 4th in the league, 14 points behind 3rd. As you said, there is a big drop off once you go below the 3 main clubs in Croatia. They’d also be well out of season.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Vardar might be decent too. They have played in Europe a lot, though 1st time since 2018/19. Very hard to know with Macedonian football. It can be a bit of a basket case.
https://www.the42.ie/drogheda-united...35539-Jun2025/
This is absolutely a black and white one to me. An organisation owning multiple clubs has to be on top of those rules and any attempt to deflect blame elsewhere, including on the FAI, is absolute nonsense.
I feel very sorry for Drogheda fans, but zero sympathy for Trivela
The winner of Shels and Linfield will play Qarabag in the champions league. Tough one
Worst draw possible which i suppose is Gods way of balancing out getting the best draw possible in round 1
I wonder has any team in Europe had a greater disparity between travel to two rounds in Europe 166km to Belfast , 4382 to Baku
More basket case in this case I think. Vardar haven't been in Europe for a few years, and were even relegated in the meantime. They stayed up two years in a playoff and were mid-table last season but won the Cup. Be very disappointing if Rovers lost to them I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by ger121
Yeah really tough draw. Probably the equivalent of the BATE Borisov side that Dundalk beat years back, and with no disrespect to this Shelbourne side, they're a few levels below where Dundalk were back then.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
Qarabag might make the Champions League this year.
Best possible draw for Rovers. Assuming Cliftonville beat Joeys no travel costs and an out of season nifl team
Nonme Kalju of Estonia or Partizani of Albania for Pats. Definitely the best draw they could’ve got quality wise, albeit by far the worst travel wise
Yes Qarabag is brutal for Shels on the field and off the field for travel/expenses but realistically UCL Round 2 was most likely going to be our ceiling maybe main thing Round 1 against Linfield is winnable with in play a bonus month of European football throughout August/shot at Conference LeagueQuote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
If Shels do f-up against Linfield then it's the Conference League against Zalgiris (Lithuania) or Hamrun Spartans (Malta), former will be the most likely to get through at tie wouldn't be an easy opponent for Shels or Linfield
Good draw for Rovers and Pat’s if they progress. St Joseph’s have a chance against Cliftonville so would not rule them out at all.
Qarabag have been on the up the last few years, which is reflected in their co-efficient. Very long away trip but equally Shels can have a pop at home against an out of season side. Again, they have to get past Linfield first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by total hoofball
Totaly agree the first round draw is the important one, you almost are expected to lose in CL2 and then EL 3 and have a final pop at groups in CL4.
Rovers overachieved last year by beating Celje and making EL4 thus guaranteeing groups a round earlier.
On balance Shels have prpobably had a good first two rounds draw wise on average.
If we end up in CL3 by virtue of a bye and playing (hopefully) an out of season Cliftonville we have been blessed......makes up for some bad draws in previous years
Rovers
Ben Boycott (incredible name for an owner of a football club by the way!) of Trivela has released another statement on Drogs getting thrown out.
https://droghedaunited.ie/open-letter-ben-boycott/
The pauper narrative and the quote about Drogheda having limited resources is utterly hilarious considering that is literally Trivela’s fault if true seen as they just bought yet another club among the several they already own. Maybe if they didnt own multiple clubs Drogheda wouldn’t have such “limited resources” and they’d be able to throw another few hundred grand at lawyers fees :)
What is interesting - and what came out in the CAS summary too - is that the vote wasn't unanimous. It was 2-1.
Wonder why that was?