League of Ireland in Europe 2014

[A N Mouse]

Well, let me put it more clearly, I don't think it represents any sort of halt to the slide we've witnessed over the past five or six years. Some lucky draws first time out don't change that. I don't know how old you are, but conceding sudden gluts of goals in threes, fours and fives used to be standard for LOI clubs in Europe. I thought we'd left those days behind.

Seriously what slide? Five years ago was our highest ranking ever, on the back of one or two teams doing well (overachieving) each year. At the time it was obvious we'd have to go backward to go forward.

Last year there were some horrendous draws, and it was one of the worst years in last decade. This year, for first time, we had four teams all contribute. It's arguably better than the two higher scoring seasons.

Were progressing. It's slow. But it's progress

[geysir]

As it stands two Icelandic teams into next round. No doubt Geysir will be on later to rub it in. (Presuming it stays like that)

Well I would be a bit shy to rub it in to an exposed wound but seeing as you invite me to it's hard to resist.
Champions KR would be my club in Reykjavik, are just not with it this season and went out tamely to Celtic, not disgraced but not making their mark either.
FH are the best team at present and emphatically knocked out a Belarusian team this evening. The game I went to was Stjarnan v Motherwell, having bumped into some 'Well fans earlier in the day (needed a guiding hand to get them to the off licence), they took me along. The Scots fans just made it a great atmosphere and got the more reserved locals into the swing of the evening. The natives were on their feet, ecstatic just to get the equalising goal to bring the game into ET, but the roof lifted when a cracking 25m volley was struck home late in ET to put Stjarnan ahead and win the tie.
https://vine.co/v/M0We2DjADuq
The result of the evening was not Dundalk's (despite their magnificent performance), that went to Faroe club Vikingur who went to Tromso and came from a goal behind to win 2-1. I had a look at another Faroe club HB against Partizan Belgrade yesterday and was impressed at how they were playing the game. These amateur clubs are not parking the bus and aiming to get lucky with a breakaway goal.

[Sheridan]

Ah, don't be like that.

You started it

[Gather round]

The result of the evening was not Dundalk's (despite their magnificent performance), that went to Faroe club Vikingur who went to Tromso and came from a goal behind to win 2-1. I had a look at another Faroe club HB against Partizan Belgrade yesterday and was impressed at how they were playing the game. These amateur clubs are not parking the bus and aiming to get lucky with a breakaway goal

Agreed, very impressive from the Faeroese boys and Stjarnan (waiting in the Sky)

[Mr A]

Now now boys and girls, play nice please.

[jinxy lilywhite]

I agree the dundalk victory doesn't really mean that much now because the morning after the night before we are out of Europe and it's split who progress.
What it does tell is the to the average football fan considering tipping down to OP and floating dfc fans in North Louth, South Monaghan, south Armagh, and south Down that there is a very special team on your doorstep and come and see us before the spine of the side gets broken up. Whether any leave in this window but come Xmas it will be a massive struggle to hold on to the majority of our first team

[DannyInvincible]

Another way of looking at it. L Warsaw played like a team needing a win. Pats couldn't handle them, got destroyed 5.0 on the night.
Sligo probably took their foot off the gas when 3.1 up on agg, Rosenburg punished them.
Derry got back to 1.1 agg so the belarussians destroyed them 6.1.
Split went 3.0 up on agg so took it handy and dundalk almost punished them.
LOI still nowhere near good enough over 2 legs unfortunately

Obviously, not quite good enough, but your cursory analysis is too simplistic. Did you watch the games? The heads went down completely with Derry and Pat's once the games looked beyond them. Both teams pretty much just lost the plot and gave up. Had they been mentally up to it, the second leg defeats wouldn't have been so comprehensive. Pat's showed how capable they were in the first leg. Shakhtar were a poor team - it was just Derry were bloody worse - and I don't think their goal glut was down to any concerted ruthless decision on their part to "let's now destroy them!" once Derry had gotten an early goal back. Derry simply capitulated against a team that other League of Ireland teams would have disposed of.

Sligo had their chances too; had North finished the one-on-one instead of putting it to the left of the goal last night, we might be celebrating a Sligo progression.

Dundalk did well last night and they should be commended for their away victory. Whether Hajduk took their foot off the gas or not, you have to take your opponents as they come. They were a professional outfit and Dundalk pushed them close to the wire over the two legs, coming within a goal of progression.

[RiffRaff]

The camparison in home and away performances is striking. 3 outstanding away results in these set of games and 4 loses out of 4 at home. Coincidence? Its been a similar theme in recent years - Rovers qualified for the group stages on the back of their away performance, Sligo in Ukraine and Drogheda v Kiev great away results but lost the ties in the home legs.

[DannyInvincible]

So, why can League of Ireland clubs push their weight around away (ignoring Derry's disaster) but collapse at home? Too nervous at home maybe, whereas the players just go for it away and approach the games with an attitude of having nothing to lose?

[PartySaint]

So, why can League of Ireland clubs push their weight around away (ignoring Derry's disaster) but collapse at home? Too nervous at home maybe, whereas the players just go for it away and see the games as having nothing to lose?

With Pats and Sligo our opposition might have just under rated us and we caught them off guard, once they knew more about both sides they then beat both of us and in Dundalks case Split might have just taken their foot off the gas at 1-0 up thinking the tie was over.

Not saying that's what happened but it might be a reason for it.

[Dodge]

Think Dundalk might have been the better team but Hoban missed a couple of sitters in Oriel.

All the others were beaten by superior teams

I don't really think you can analyse it too deeply

[Ezeikial]

I agree the dundalk victory doesn't really mean that much now because the morning after the night before we are out of Europe and it's split who progress.

That's really the bottom line - although it was an excellent performance and outstanding result in Split, Dundalk are not in the next round!

It was lost in the first leg in Oriel Park when the chances were created but not converted (Pat Hoban would score from that headed chance 9 times out of 10)

Apart from the financial benefits of the 2 rounds, I believe that this team will grow and learn from these experiences. I think the European involvement will actually strengthen rather then weaken the clubs title prospects.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Gutted. Still.

[DannyInvincible]

Highlights from Hajduk-Dundalk:

[DannyInvincible]

And the Legia goals, if anyone wants another look (the awful music does stop after about thirty seconds):

[paul_oshea]

The camparison in home and away performances is striking. 3 outstanding away results in these set of games and 4 loses out of 4 at home. Coincidence? Its been a similar theme in recent years - Rovers qualified for the group stages on the back of their away performance, Sligo in Ukraine and Drogheda v Kiev great away results but lost the ties in the home legs.

I think too much is being read into the away performances, and the fact that the teams and mentality of the opposition changes/changed based on the scenarios.

Its as simple as this, the away performances in the first leg took the european teams by surprise, but when it mattered they turned it on and won. Hadjuk did enough in the first leg and second by going ahead, took their foot off the gas and let them back in but that was it. Its as simple as that, dont really anything great into the away leg victories, read into the timing and the scenario.

[GCdfc]

I think too much is being read into the away performances, and the fact that the teams and mentality of the opposition changes/changed based on the scenarios.

Its as simple as this, the away performances in the first leg took the european teams by surprise, but when it mattered they turned it on and won. Hadjuk did enough in the first leg and second by going ahead, took their foot off the gas and let them back in but that was it. Its as simple as that, dont really anything great into the away leg victories, read into the timing and the scenario.

Were you at the match in Oriel? Dundalk were the generally the better team. The only difference was that the finishing was poorer.

[Yossarian]

Think Dundalk might have been the better team but Hoban missed a couple of sitters in Oriel.

I'm not sure we were the better team but there certainly wasn't a significant gulf in class. Your point about Hoban's missed chances in the first leg is spot on though. That really made it very difficult and it was the major difference, in that they took their chances in the first leg and we didn't.

[Dodge]

I'm not sure we were the better team but there certainly wasn't a significant gulf in class. Your point about Hoban's missed chances in the first leg is spot on though. That really made it very difficult and it was the major difference, in that they took their chances in the first leg and we didn't.

To be clear I wasn't trying to knock Dundalk but it's clear they were at least as good in open play as Hadjuk. 1 or 2 things go their way then they'd have gone through.

[Yossarian]

To be clear I wasn't trying to knock Dundalk but it's clear they were at least as good in open play as Hadjuk. 1 or 2 things go their way then they'd have gone through.

I agree with that. The main thing that let us down was the finishing in Oriel. Plenty of positives to take but it's hard to swallow when we know we could easily be looking forward to another two games at least.