QuoteCpnnah's Quay would be a handy trip. Is their stadium permissable for European fixtures? I know a few of the Welsh ones aren't.Originally Posted by brendy_éire
I'd agree with that, we're certainly hit and miss. Pick of the possibile opponents are Connah's Quay. Riga and Dudelange are there at the other end of the scale, who would beat us comfortably.
Have you ever won the treble?
Cpnnah's Quay would be a handy trip. Is their stadium permissable for European fixtures? I know a few of the Welsh ones aren't.
It doesn’t appear to be. According to wiki it’s only a 1,000 capacity ground. In 2021 they played their 2 European games at Aberystwyth's ground, while in 2020 they played one tie in Cardiff City's stadium and another in Wrexham's (both behind closed doors due to covid). And in 2019 they faced Kilmarnock in Rhyl's ground. So overall they don’t seem to have one set ‘home away from home’ for European fixtures
Paaatrick's Agletic
List of the 17 out of 54 League Champions that did not qualify for any of the 3 group stages last year:
- La Fiorita - San Marino
- The New Saints - Wales
- Sutjeska Nikši? - Montenegro
- FCI Levadia - Estonia
- Tirana - Albania
- Dinamo Batumi - Georgia
- Inter Club d'Escaldes - Andorra
- Lincoln Red Imps - Gibraltar
- Víkingur Reykjavík - Iceland
- KÍ Klaksvík - Faroe Islands
- Tobol - Kazakhstan
- Shakhtyor Soligorsk - Belarus
- Linfield - Northern Ireland
- F91 Dudelange - Luxembourg
- Shkupi - North Macedonia
- Zrinjski Mostar - Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Maribor - Slovenia
Our league Champions just have to be better than roughly this group of teams, and apart from Maribor, they should be favourites against each of them. Hardly the strongest of teams. Its really should be expectation that our Champions then qualify for a group stage - with years it doesnt happen being seen as a bad performance. Gone are the days you needed a miracle against Kyiv, Molde, or Legia Warsaw. The new rules benefit a country like Ireland nearly the most.
Obvisoulsy depends on seedings and draws, esp for the first round its important to be seeded. But remember Rovers were comfortably in Pot 3 last year too - there are three bits of the cherry to get it right, only needing to win a second tie if you win the first.
Last edited by Kiki Balboa; 24/05/2023 at 9:01 PM.
I would hazard an educated guess that Rovers priorities for this year would go in the following descending order:
-4 in a row ( silverware & history)
-win 1st tie in Europe (finances)
-win the FAI cup (silverware)
-qualify for group stages of Europe ( finances, prestige, co-efficient)
as for other teams i think dundalk should take advantage of seeding and get through 1 round.
derry were poor in Europe last year and the pitch remains a leveller , especially against euro teams
pats are such a dark horse in Europe its hard to know what to expect from them- for me the were the most impressive LOI team in Europe last year, based on their opposition
Shamrock Rovers- Where trophies are won and envy is scarce
Didn’t qualify for a group stage ever??
I think Maribor and Soligorsk have both been in group stages…
It's not about beating those teams it's about beating the teams that beat them to make group stages
Didnt qualify last year.
Thought same myself and not forgetting a much stronger Derry City lost home and away (0-4 agg) and exited in the first round last year.
For this year considering when mini groups of 5 are made it should be 'fairly' regionalised and good chance getting Welsh or NI, also seeded in 2nd round providing of course we make it. On the negative side though is current form, but you would hope likes of Boyle / Sloggett / Annesely and maybe Benson will all be back then, and if we can retain the two loans who expire mid-season (Williams and Tulloch), that will add to depth which is running on fumes at the min.
As ever it all depends on the draw, seeding usually helps esp in earlier rounds, but it didn't in R3 in 2021 when we drew unseeded Vitesse Arnhem, prob should have beaten them away (2-2) but as said many times before, we had Abibi in nets then.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
Didn’t you also have a calamity at CB that game. Zahibo was it? Think that was the game he gifted a goal.
Whatever about the away leg, you battered them in the home tie.
How is it a bit weird that the side in iffy form hit by injuries, with a squad running on fumes and players maybe leaving in the next month would be the obvious weak link?
That spreadsheet has Derry City in the 2nd round. Not sure what's that's based on. Bert Kassies is showing 1st round. Would be happy enough to get straight into the 2nd round, but the chances of getting beyond that would be slim.
Have you ever won the treble?
Ireland ranked 40th and up to 39th get Cup Winners into second round. Might be an error.
Maybe. Last year, 41st and above got into the 2nd round. Could have something to do with who wins the competitors this year, and whether they need the tournament holder spots.
Russia and Liechtenstein could skew things too? Wiki is saying Cup winners from 20-39 and up start in the second round too though.
Didn’t Pats start in Round 2 last year?
They did, yeah. Wiki says the Cup winners from 42 down started in the first round last year. But this year it's 40 down.
We lost once in the last 8 games (which was away to Derry), dispite missing 4 or 5 starters.
Fair point, but in that run ye needed injury time winners against Drogheda and Cork and couldn't beat a Shels side down to 10 men for 80 minutes. It's not great form.
Reckon the LOI will be scoring in the 2.5-3.5 co-efficient range for the medium term, meaning our ceiling will be about 30 in the table. I don't think it's possible to make the step up until we see the stadia improve. If we see Bohs, Derry, Sligo, etc filling bigger stadiums I think we're well placed to move up into the mid rankings.
For a long time it was just hope that a few scalps in europe will bring in money and interest into our league but now the league has become relatively mainstream and I don't really think the euro success has much to do with it. The base support is now there that if we can get the infrastructure in place I think we're well placed to solidify ourselves as a top 20-30 league in the next decade or two.
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