Apart from the international team, tracking the LOI teams in Europe is far and away me favourite part of the season. Barely watch any other football, so the season really starts tonight.
Pats (best one-off performances) and Rovers did well last year, though Rovers understandably faded a bit.. Watched the bohs rovers game a few weeks ago and while it was an exciting match and scoreline, there was a lot of sloppiness, so not too many experienced European sides would be scared at the prospect of playing against the current Rovers team. I hope I'm wrong and the Icelanders get lashed out of it, but even if Jack is back, tonight is shaping up to be a proper test.
Pat's tickets sold out I believe; club saying to buy at the gate but don't wear colours if you haven't got a ticket yet.
Which seems a bit daft cos I know when we played there, there was a bigger crowd in the Bowl than in Dudelange. I'm sure it's far from a sell-out overall.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
May as well introduce the aul coefficient into things!
We ended last season in 36th, but with 2018/19 now dropping off, we're up to 32nd before a ball is kicked.
It's probably going to be hard to rise further than that this year though. Liechtenstein are 0.125 above us - if Vaduz, who made the group stages last year, have another good year, then they'll fly up the rankings as there's only one Liechtenstein club. They play Neman Grodno of Belarus - they've never won a match in Europe (or even scored an away goal), and lost to an Icelandic side on their last appearance 8 years ago.
Then Moldova are 1.75 points ahead; they've outscored us the last two years so are in good form. Sheriff have a tough tie in the Champions League though, against the Romanian champions Farul Constanta. In the Conference League first round they have sides from San Marino, Lithuania - and a bye into the second round, which will help us of course.
Then Azerbaijan are next, 4.875 ahead of us. Not a chance of catching up there.
Looking behind us, Finland and Slovenia are on the exact same score as us, Latvia are 0.375 behind, Kosovo - who are improving - are 0.834 behind, and then we've a full point over Armenia and Kazakhstan.
So probably looking at ending the year in the 30-34 rank? But next season (when our 36th rank kicks in) our Cup winners will be getting a bye in the first round and that'll allow other countries catch up. We're ranked 40th for this season, which is the highest point at which all three Conference League teams start in the first round.
It was insanely high back then when our club had a reputation for gross misjudgements on all things supporter related (this is a reputation they have not shaken but that’s a different matter) however they weathered the storm on the £25 Euro tickets so would be little logic in reducing it now when it’s up to £17 per league match ticket anyway. £25 to watch Derry v a team from the the Faroes is of course still expensive in the grand scheme of things.
Lincoln of Gibraltar 1-0 up on Qarabag at halftime
Dundalk can't take the pub team too lightly on Thursday I think
Pats have secured streaming rights to the game tomorrow, it'll be on LOI TV. Seems like that's an impressive feat to manage with these lot.
https://twitter.com/stpatsfc/status/...Zrr-HcNZQ&s=19
€10 on Loi TV but free on St Pats app? That's a typo surely
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