Richardson on the attack

**thejollyrodger** · 11/08/2005, 8:25 AM

Richardson on the attack
Emmet Malone in Stockholm

Uefa Cup qualifying round, first leg/Djurgardens v Cork City, Rasunda Stadium, Kick-off: 6.0: As his players passed the afternoon touring the archipelago on which Stockholm is located by boat, Damien Richardson launched a somewhat unexpected broadside on the FAI and its technical department in the Swedish capital yesterday with the Cork City manager criticising the lack of support his and other Eircom League sides have received in their attempts to make progress on the European front.

At this final press conference before this evening's Uefa Cup second qualifying round game against Djurgardens, Richardson bemoaned the absence of significant support from the association for clubs competing in Europe and said he had been disappointed that the situation hadn't changed to any great extent as a result of Brian Kerr's growing influence in Merrion Square.

"I was one of those who fully backed Brian coming in," said Richardson. "Under Brian I thought there would have been a far greater coming together (between the association and the clubs) but there's really been no assistance whatsoever for clubs preparing for European competition. I'm sure it happens here in Sweden but it doesn't happen at all in Ireland."

Clubs like Cork City, he suggested, could do with all the help they can get as they prepare to take on better funded and more advanced outfits like this evening's opponents who have made staggering progress since being promoted to the Swedish top flight just five years ago.

"When the draw was made I wanted to get Dundee United and after that maybe one of the Norwegian teams," he said. "I honestly believe Djurgardens are the best team we could have come up against at this stage of the competition. They're a fine side who have become used to winning over the past few years and it will be extremely difficult.

"The fact is that the league here and in Norway is years ahead of where we are in Ireland but I like to think that Cork City are moving in the right direction and, win, lose or draw, this game will provide us with a measure of how far we have come."

The City manager, who insists his side will attempt to take the game to their hosts, has everyone bar the suspended George O'Callaghan to choose from and his only selection dilemma appears to be in midfield where he must choose two from Joe Gamble, Greg O'Halloran and Colin O'Brien for the central positions. The conditions, he said, will be a factor in his deliberations but O'Brien looks to be the most likely to lose out.

Richardson declined to be drawn on what scoreline he would consider settling for this evening and said that his priority is that City produce a strong performance which, he said, would give them a chance of progressing after the second leg.

Djurgardens's manager Kjell Jonevret, meanwhile, said that a goalless draw would do the Swedes well enough despite the fact that the local supporters are clearly expecting a little more than that.

"Obviously I'd prefer 6-0," joked Jonevret after his side's training session yesterday morning, "but nil-all wouldn't be a bad result for us at all because then all the pressure will be on Cork in the second game."

The match, though, is expected to attract well under 10,000 to the 30,000 capacity Rasunda Stadium this evening precisely because the club's fans believe victory can be more or less taken for granted.

The confidence is based in part on the fact that when the Swedes met Shamrock Rovers in this competition three years ago they won both legs for a 5-1 aggregate victory while the club's progress in domestic competition over the last few years has been phenomenal with two league titles as well as second and fourth place finishes in the last four years.

"Two years ago maybe 15 players left the club after the second title win for one reason or another so fourth place was a disappointment," said Jonevret, "but we are starting again with a new team and we hope first to get back to where we were and then to go further."

The team is made up almost exclusively of full internationals although one or two have only played at under-21 level. A run of just two points from their last four league games allowed IFK Gothenburg to overtake them by a point at the top of the table earlier this week.

PROBABLE TEAMS

CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Murphy; O'Donovan, Gamble, O'Halloran, Kearney; Fenn, O'Flynn.

DJUGARDENS: Tourray; Concha, Kuivasto, Johannesson, Stenman; Arneng, Hysen, Barsom; Jonson, Kusi-Asare, Sjolund.

© The Irish Times

I hope cork win over the two legs and it takes their mind off the league

**pete** · 11/08/2005, 9:52 AM

Good coverage in the IT & Indo today. More than normal even if almost identical articles.

**thejollyrodger** · 11/08/2005, 11:06 AM

Confident Cork ready to meet Euro challenge
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WHILE Damien Richardson was holding his pre-match press conference yesterday afternoon his players were on a boat doing some sight-seeing of Stockholm.

But the two-hour trip around the archipelago that makes up this charming Scandanavian capital was sandwiched in between two training sessions leaving Richardson stressing that his side are on a mission in tonight's UEFA Cup second round first leg tie against Djurgardens.

"I think the days of us coming away with inferiority complexes are gone," said Richardson. "I think the days of us treating European games as an adventure and a reward for the previous season's successes are gone. Now people travel with expectations as opposed to hope."

Cork beat Lithuanian side FK Ekranas 2-1 on aggregate to set up this tie in the Rasunda Stadium this evening (6pm). An anticipated crowd of 5,000 should make the atmosphere less intimidating for Cork and Richardson reckons they could have more problems with the weather than the home fans. Indeed, so concerned is he about the possibility of heavy rain during the game that he won't decide his line-up until the last possible moment.

His quandary surrounds midfield where Roy O'Donovan, who celebrated his 20th birthday yesterday, and Liam Kearney are set to play on the flanks. Richardson must select two from the central midfield triumvirate of Greg O'Halloran, Colin O'Brien and Joe Gamble.

Unbeaten in their last 14 league games and holding a four-point lead over Derry City and a 14 point advantage on defending champions Shelbourne means that Cork have come to Sweden full of confidence and Djurgardens head coach Kjell Jonevret admitted they surprised him when he watched them recently.

"I knew they would be a team with a lot of heart and hard workers but after seeing them I also know that they are a really good football team and they play football. A lot of their players are really good on the ball," he said. Among those who have impressed him are striker John O'Flynn and left back Danny Murphy.

One point from their last three league games means that Djurgardens are no longer leading the Swedish League. They trail Gothenberg by one point after 17 games but their manager insists he won't be pressing panic buttons. He is expected to name a side that will show just one change from the team which drew 2-2 with Hammarby last week as centre back and skipper Markus Johanneson missed that game through suspension. The Hammarby game marked the debut of their recent €1m signing from Norwich City, Mattias Jonson.

Over the space of seven years the Swedish club have turned themselves into one of the country's top sides as they were languishing in the Second Division when present chairman Bo Lundquist took over in 1998.

In 2000 they wrote the Djurgardens Football Manual which all its teams from the U6s upwards now follow diligently. Experts were also brought in to revamp the training and coaching and players were signed specifically to suit the new system. The results have been phenomenal. Since 2001 they have won two league titles and two Swedish Cups and tonight will see them play in Europe for a fourth consecutive year.

Over that period they have beaten the likes of Shamrock Rovers and FC Copenhagen and drawn 2-2 with Juventus in Turin before losing 4-1 at home in the second leg. It all points to a difficult task for Cork but they have good memories of playing against Swedish clubs having beaten Malmo home and away last season.

However, Richardson says a good result doesn't necessarily mean a win or a draw. "A good result means my players playing to their potential. We have prepared well but it is a huge test for us. I need to see my players, to a man and as a team, play to their very best. If we play to our very best we might do something this evening."

DJURGARDENS (Probable 4-3-3): Tournay; Concha, Kuivasto, Johannesson, Stenman; Arneng, Hysen, Bansom; Jonson, Asare, Sjolund.

CORK CITY (Probable 4-4-1-1): Devine; Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Murphy; O'Donovan, Gamble, O'Halloran, Kearney; Fenn; O'Flynn.

a bit more postive in the indo but Malone does call it like it is IMHO