LOI in Europe 2011

[sligoman]

I like the look of the ground with the seating behind the goal, showgrounds def improving into a nice stadium.

Seats are gone already, only hired out for the game.

[HulaHoop]

That looked to be one impressive team Sligo were up against, looked well beaten all over the park even from that short clip, makes their 0-0 result in the first leg look even better now. I like the look of the ground with the seating behind the goal, showgrounds def improving into a nice stadium. No disagrace losing to that lot.

Can't help but feel Cook got it tactically wrong in the home leg. Had he been a bit more Michael O'Neillish and kept it defensive they might not have found themselves 2 down after 17 minutes. First goal came because their midfield was too far up the pitch ahead of their defence and weren't that quick to track back, second came when the keeper punted it long down the pitch, the ball actually bounces in the centre circle with no one jumping for it, as it bounces there a 4 Sligo players ahead of the ball up front. It breaks and the Ukrainians pass the ball to the right flank. Sligo left back is exposed as the player supposed to be protecting him is too far ahead of the play to defend so he gets sucked out and a simple one two down the flank leads to Sligo conceding again. Sligo were set up way way way too open and it cost them dearly. In europe you have to get players behind the ball otherwise these teams will pick you apart with ease. I thought Cook would have learnt from two years ago but obviously not.

[poster]

. Had he been a bit more Michael O'Neillish and kept it defensive they might not have found themselves 2 down after 17 minutes.

That was our problem at times, we were too defensive. Kirby was our main link between midfield and Blinkhorn and he couldn't get into the game at all so Blinks had to come back to get the ball alot. Joey and Richie played way too deep until the second half, but it was too late at that stage. Cook needs to start using 2 up front when this 4-5-1 he's so fond of doesn't work out.

[Dodge]

Seats are gone already, only hired out for the game.

Thanks for this. Was wondering about it.

[HulaHoop]

That was our problem at times, we were too defensive. Kirby was our main link between midfield and Blinkhorn and he couldn't get into the game at all so Blinks had to come back to get the ball alot. Joey and Richie played way too deep until the second half, but it was too late at that stage. Cook needs to start using 2 up front when this 4-5-1 he's so fond of doesn't work out.

But both goals came from having too many men ahead of the ball meaning when the Ukrainians got posession your defence was exposed. Look at the build up to the goals again, having more players behind the ball could have prevented both of them particularly the second.

[Charlie Darwin]

I thought Ndo was really shown up. Some lovely moments in possession but when he loses the ball it's not like the LOI where he can just amble back and expect the younger players to clean up for him. It seemed Cook realised that and ordered him to screen the defence at the beginning, but after 15 minutes or so he lost his discipline and the Ukrainians took full advantage of the space.

[dong]

In my opinion Ndo was the only player to emerge out of that game who didn't look out of place against them.

[Charlie Darwin]

Well I don't think he'd get anywhere near their team. European football is a step up in class and I think he needed to be more of a guiding influence than trying to force the game himself. I thought Kirby and Ryan played well but Blinkhorn was by far Sligo's best player.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Well I don't think he'd get anywhere near their team. European football is a step up in class and I think he needed to be more of a guiding influence than trying to force the game himself. I thought Kirby and Ryan played well but Blinkhorn was by far Sligo's best player.

I thought Blinkhorn was useless. To me Ndo was our best player by a wide margin. Richie Ryan did well in the second half.

[poster]

Well I don't think he'd get anywhere near their team.

I don't think any LOI player would get anywhere near their bench. Or that of Lyviv or Copenhagen by the looks.

[Charlie Darwin]

Ndo does things other players can't, so he always stands out for that, but I thought he gave the ball away more in the first ten minutes than he does in 90 in the LOI, and in dangerous positions too, putting his team under all sorts of pressure. He did some good stuff defensively when he stuck to his task of screening the defence but then he'd go wandering again and leave you vulnerable to counter attacks. Blinkhorn did the unfashionable stuff very well - more of than not when yous chipped a ball up to him, it'd stick.

[poster]

But both goals came from having too many men ahead of the ball meaning when the Ukrainians got posession your defence was exposed. Look at the build up to the goals again, having more players behind the ball could have prevented both of them particularly the second.

Both their goals came from Vorskla being able to move the ball from their corner flag to our penalty area in seven passes. Having Danny Ventre out of position at right full didn't help either. When we looked to get back into the game we were far too deep, even when we moved Raf up front for a brief period. When Russell and Dillon came on, we went back to 5 in midfield and pretty much gave up at that stage.

[HulaHoop]

Both their goals came from Vorskla being able to move the ball from their corner flag to our penalty area in seven passes.

Second goal was nothing like that. Clarke kicked it out, it bounced in centre circle with 4 Sligo players ahead of it up front (foolish). Vorskla gained posession and passed it to the right wing. Your left winger should have been there to cover but he was too far up the pitch, so Powell was sucked out of left back. Vorskla then exploited the space behind him. A goal that was easily avoided had your left winger (Greene?) protected his full back better.

[born2bwild]

Just watching the footage of the Karpaty v Pat's match on MNS...the voice over said "when the replay made its way to Oshipko he made no mistake". Hardly a pun?

[born2bwild]

For Pats fans heading to Kazakhstan, may I recommend reading this rather excellent and very, very readable book about on of the world's least understood countries? It's only £1.59 second-hand.

Apples Are From Kazakhstan

Hey I bought this on your recommendation. Good read, thanks.

[thischarmingman]

Hey I bought this on your recommendation. Good read, thanks.

Glad to be of help, and pleased you enjoyed it.

[shellyriver]

Well I don't think he'd get anywhere near their team. European football is a step up in class and I think he needed to be more of a guiding influence than trying to force the game himself. I thought Kirby and Ryan played well but Blinkhorn was by far Sligo's best player.

Seriously? You must have been looking at the highlights! If this is your assessment of the game having viewed the full 90 minutes, I am afraid your assessment of the team, in my opinion, is very flawed. Re Blinkhorn, every time he got the ball, which was lobbed to him as a 'target man' it simply bobbled aimless of his ceann and/or he collapsed looking for frees which were never given as they were so obviously not fouls.

Therefore, as he does always, he held up play, the ball is always behind him and he doesn't realise as a relatively tall player if he can't turn on the ball, he should then FLICK the ball over to create a one-two etc. In short, Blinkhorn is abject.

N'Do didn't get started in the first half -- but was much more in the game during the second.

The biggest problem was the team's general equilibrium was skewed with Keaneo out at right back and 'crazy horse' Danny Ventre in -- he being largely responsible for Rovers conceding twice.

On the left we had an unfit Powell in inside of Davoren - utterly crazy.

Ryan was lethargic generally throughout and having to engage in defensive duties throughout which he hates.

Bottom line was Cook played a four-five-one formation which simply invited trouble. Poltava started like a steam train, but when Rovers soaked up first 15 minutes and attempted counter-attacks the creaking weaknesses were exposed. He probably thought we would hold out til half time and see if pressure could be applied to Poltava. It back-fired horribly because play couldn't get started from the back, Kirby is getting on and was expected to back-track all the time and Ryan, N'Do, were off the pace in the first half and Ventre and Powell were off the pace all through the game.

Therefore, we were over-ran in midfield, outpace down the flanks and when the ball got foward, it was to an impotent striker. Similarly, clearing balls were aimless and Poltava marked up with precision and rapidity.

With Blinkhorn on instead of Doyle there was no cutting edge, energy or pace.

We needed to have our most potent best starting 11 there - they weren't. As a result the team was set up to fail. We needed Poltava to faff about for the first half -- they didn't.

Anyways, its water under the bridge. In hindsight we would have have only got to the next round, got defeated and derailed League campaign -- that's glass half full, approach.

[placid casual]

Anyways, its water under the bridge. In hindsight we would have have only got to the next round, got defeated and derailed League campaign -- that's glass half full, approach.[/QUOTE]

Fook me,its mystic meg!
And the lotto numbers for friday are........

Perhaps,perhaps if sligo had of got through they would get a decent draw thus giving them a better chance of the EL group stages pot of silver,thus negating the need to ask the sligo fans to stump up the cash needed for the ground improvements(or whatever the €25 fee was for)
Think big my friend.

[shellyriver]

Anyways, its water under the bridge. In hindsight we would have have only got to the next round, got defeated and derailed League campaign -- that's glass half full, approach.

Fook me,its mystic meg!
And the lotto numbers for friday are........

Perhaps,perhaps if sligo had of got through they would get a decent draw thus giving them a better chance of the EL group stages pot of silver,thus negating the need to ask the sligo fans to stump up the cash needed for the ground improvements(or whatever the €25 fee was for)
Think big my friend.[/QUOTE]

Lots of 'ifs' and 'buts' there. Point is the team didn't get through because of the game played on pitch.

'Perhaps, perhaps'... is Cystic Peg territory. Chicken, egg: egg, chicken? If the money wasn't raised the game wouldn't take place at home. I like to think big, laterally, creatively and with insight, but in the real world it also has to be supported with a plan and reality, otherwise its Tilting at Windmills, pancho san.

Ps why you holding out on the Lotto results?

[Cuyahoga]

Its been confirmed that RTE 2 will show the Shamrock Rovers v Partizan Belgrade game next Thursday.