LOI In Europe 2025

[Nesta99]

Never mind Europe, any club that finds or develops a consistant 20+ striker, keep them fit, hold on to them, with others chipping in now and again and not a basketcase in defence or in goal (even with Abibi and Nattestad levels) and European qualification is a pretty good bet. Its been an achiles heel for LoI for a long time where pure clinical goal scorer not padded by penos are like hens teeth. Hoban was as close as we were getting for a while. Fit and Firing Seanie is a no brainer to try and prise away from Cork, Maybe we need to change how we set up in general to generate ruthless attacking effort
Rovers with Burke especially score scorchers or they go through the motions. Its an old nugget but if Derry had been closer on GD going in to the last few games so Rovers just didnt need to be beaten by 13 or 13 agg, were properly under pressure at home, they'd have had a better European campaign even after the cup final. Its been a poor run end of league and in to Europe bar the solid draw in Athens for Rovers. Records wont talk qualty of opposition or tough draw, 2024 will show that good wins almost skipping a round are doable and after they went on a hot streak of league form. Opposite 2025 an its done with the Maltese just needing to be well beaten to retain some credit at that level.

A few of our clubs have the resources to scout exotic leagues and have the money to offer deals. Solid Spanish lads that go to Cyprus, maybe a few nordics ,2nd tier Balkans, takig punts on US or Canadian. Suss out Haitain players,

[ontheotherhand]

3-1. One (slightly lucky) point for Rovers in the groups this year. They'll be disappointed with that after last year's performance, even if it was a tougher set of fixtures this year

Not expecting anything from Shels this evening - could be the two LoI clubs 35tht and 36th by close of business tonight

Slightly unlucky not to get 3 points in that one stu. Most would say anyway.

Not too disappointed outside of the game last night where we were poor on balance. Really missed Josh and Mandriou. Great performance against Shakhtar despite the loss, great point in Athens that could have been more if not for a harsh peno. VAR (or it not even being used in the Shakhtar game for the more obvious peno) hurt us where it's been good to us previously. Finish it off with a win against Hamrun and it's an ok campaign. The real win was getting there at all while completing a double. And for the league the win was having two clubs there.

[Kiki Balboa]

For all of their achievements on paper in Europe under Bradley, Rovers have been fairly disappointing and limp in the majority of their European games.

You could make the argument that they are the biggest beneficiary of the UEFA competition changes (outside of the super clubs).

[pineapple stu]

Slightly unlucky not to get 3 points in that one stu. Most would say anyway.

In the game where it was 30-1 in terms of shots and 80-20 in terms of possession or something like that? I get that it was a harsh last-minute penalty, but overall I don't think ye can really feel too aggrieved there.

[ontheotherhand]

In the game where it was 30-1 in terms of shots and 80-20 in terms of possession or something like that? I get that it was a harsh last-minute penalty, but overall I don't think ye can really feel too aggrieved there.

30 shots mostly from distance. I wasn't too worried. We did our job. They weren't scoring without the peno.

When Rovers used to go out and play our normal game in Europe, people said, be pragmatic and defend. When we do that, against a big club, and get a result, people say it's lucky. It was a great result that was as likely to have been a win as a draw.

Hopefully finish on 4 points now, which, given the draw and schedule, wouldn't be too bad.

[Nesta99]

You are combining the observations oth. The comments were about Rovers being to cautious against in and around similar standard sides and even lower ranked saids and should show more self belief - a good few games and good scalps were left behind over the last number of years. Last year was damn close to finising in a qualifying round, ET ,missed peno stuff (?). I dont think anyone was saying go out against Barce and go toe to toe, have belief and take them on. This seasons draw was a back to the wall albeit calm defensive performance, pragmatic, got the goal and sat in facing wave afte wave attack with occasional and composed relief. When the penalty came it was one you could see coming, or just that one bit of quality that resulted in a goal. There was no criticism, I dont think Rover were lucky in that game to get a result but they werent unlucky not getting 3. They arguably deserved 3 for being so well organised and hard to break down and getting ahead with so little of the ball.

[ontheotherhand]

You are combining the observations oth. The comments were about Rovers being to cautious against in and around similar standard sides and even lower ranked saids and should show more self belief - a good few games and good scalps were left behind over the last number of years. Last year was damn close to finising in a qualifying round, ET ,missed peno stuff (?). I dont think anyone was saying go out against Barce and go toe to toe, have belief and take them on. This seasons draw was a back to the wall albeit calm defensive performance, pragmatic, got the goal and sat in facing wave afte wave attack with occasional and composed relief. When the penalty came it was one you could see coming, or just that one bit of quality that resulted in a goal. There was no criticism, I dont think Rover were lucky in that game to get a result but they werent unlucky not getting 3. They arguably deserved 3 for being so well organised and hard to break down and getting ahead with so little of the ball.

The point made by stu was that we were lucky to get a draw. I wasn't too aggrieved about the result. It was a great result. We weren't lucky tho. As you say, you could argue we deserved 3 points and imop on firmer footing than you could that we deserved to lose.

We've changed how we've played in Europe over the years. Which you'd expect from a manager in his first job. Even now we set up differently against different opposition depending on how Bradley sees the route to a win. Backs to the wall against Vikingur but toe to toe with Shakhtar would be an example. Shakhtar the better team of the two but the approach was to be more aggressive because that's how he felt we could get a result. We were damn close in that game too.

[2 Year Contract]

30 shots mostly from distance. I wasn't too worried. We did our job. They weren't scoring without the peno.

When Rovers used to go out and play our normal game in Europe, people said, be pragmatic and defend. When we do that, against a big club, and get a result, people say it's lucky. It was a great result that was as likely to have been a win as a draw.

Hopefully finish on 4 points now, which, given the draw and schedule, wouldn't be too bad.

Whereas rovers on the other hand…

[ontheotherhand]

Whereas rovers on the other hand…

Was waiting for that! We scored early away from home. Not crazy to expect us to sit back against a side like that. And it almost worked.

[sbgawa]

Dissapointing loss particularly as it means it will likely be a small crowd next week for the season ending match.
The club should get behind the match now with a "come and celebrate a double with the players message" " advertise a round the pitch parade post match with both cups etc etc
The players deserve a big crowd and a good finish plus as Dan McDonnell said there are 400,000+ reasons to still take this match seriously

[ger121]

Dissapointing loss particularly as it means it will likely be a small crowd next week for the season ending match.
The club should get behind the match now with a "come and celebrate a double with the players message" " advertise a round the pitch parade post match with both cups etc etc
The players deserve a big crowd and a good finish plus as Dan McDonnell said there are 400,000+ reasons to still take this match seriously

Plus money and points based on league ranking.

[ontheotherhand]

For all of their achievements on paper in Europe under Bradley, Rovers have been fairly disappointing and limp in the majority of their European games.

You could make the argument that they are the biggest beneficiary of the UEFA competition changes (outside of the super clubs).

Well.....we did plan for it as we knew it was coming. Dundalk took a different approach of course.

Haven't found anything too disappointing myself. Few sloppy performances were hard to watch, and a few where we sacrificed the result for the league. But that is as it should be when you know you can qualify for another group much easier by being the champions again. Plenty of results that are up there with the best ever by an Irish side too. It's been fantastic.

[EatYerGreens]

Never mind Europe, any club that finds or develops a consistant 20+ striker, keep them fit, hold on to them, with others chipping in now and again and not a basketcase in defence or in goal (even with Abibi and Nattestad levels) and European qualification is a pretty good bet. Its been an achiles heel for LoI for a long time where pure clinical goal scorer not padded by penos are like hens teeth. Hoban was as close as we were getting for a while. Fit and Firing Seanie is a no brainer to try and prise away from Cork, Maybe we need to change how we set up in general to generate ruthless attacking effort
Rovers with Burke especially score scorchers or they go through the motions. Its an old nugget but if Derry had been closer on GD going in to the last few games so Rovers just didnt need to be beaten by 13 or 13 agg, were properly under pressure at home, they'd have had a better European campaign even after the cup final. Its been a poor run end of league and in to Europe bar the solid draw in Athens for Rovers. Records wont talk qualty of opposition or tough draw, 2024 will show that good wins almost skipping a round are doable and after they went on a hot streak of league form. Opposite 2025 an its done with the Maltese just needing to be well beaten to retain some credit at that level.

A few of our clubs have the resources to scout exotic leagues and have the money to offer deals. Solid Spanish lads that go to Cyprus, maybe a few nordics ,2nd tier Balkans, takig punts on US or Canadian. Suss out Haitain players,

This honestly sounds like a fairly farcical approaxch to player recruiment for clubs the size of our's. It has real '"This guy in DurkahDurkastan looked great on his You Tube reel" relying on the word of grifting international agents' vibes to it.

Haiti in particular is just a hilarious suggestion to be honest. The place is an absolute basketcase. Do you think kids of promise there are getting anything resembling a decent grounding in football skills/education from a young age? Whilst their country is run by competing brutal gangs? It's the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and its facilities are probably somewhere between awful and completely absent as a result. If you sent a scout or cub official there there'd be a reasonable chance they'd wind up kidnapped or dead.

Can anyone name me a famous Haitain footballer ? With or without Googling it

[cláirseach]

Pascal Millien of course.

[culloty82]

This honestly sounds like a fairly farcical approaxch to player recruiment for clubs the size of our's. It has real '"This guy in DurkahDurkastan looked great on his You Tube reel" relying on the word of grifting international agents' vibes to it.

Haiti in particular is just a hilarious suggestion to be honest. The place is an absolute basketcase. Do you think kids of promise there are getting anything resembling a decent grounding in football skills/education from a young age? Whilst their country is run by competing brutal gangs? It's the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and its facilities are probably somewhere between awful and completely absent as a result. If you sent a scout or cub official there there'd be a reasonable chance they'd wind up kidnapped or dead.

Can anyone name me a famous Haitain footballer ? With or without Googling it

There was the guy who was at Athlone and Drogheda in recent years, Frantz Pierrot. More nerdily, Gaetjens who scored the winner for the USA against England in 1950 was born there.

[EatYerGreens]

There was the guy who was at Athlone and Drogheda in recent years, Frantz Pierrot. More nerdily, Gaetjens who scored the winner for the USA against England in 1950 was born there.

Famous, lads. *Famous*.

[pineapple stu]

Larry Gaetjens isn't famous?

Anyway, how many famous players have played LoI? Excluding washed-up retirees and young players looking to get out asap. Haiti are going to the World Cup so assuming none of their players are famous, that's a fairly high bar you're setting.

That said, the LoI would lose a lot of what makes it unique if it just became a breeding ground for random foreigners who get sold on or dumped each year, with clubs having a new squad each season

[CorribsideSteve]

To be fair to burke he doesnt start a lit of matches
Across 39 appearences he scored 15 goals rhis season which isnt bad tbf

Its okay at best. Less than 1 in 2 for a guy so talented (starter or not). Not picking in HIM really, but there's a real lack of out and out goalscorers coming from these shores and its been going on for decades with no end in sight. Euro teams see that theyre scheduled to play an LOI team, and one of their first thoughts is "well that should be an easy enough clean sheet, and if they DO score, it'l be from their one shot on target"