I think that's too simplistic. From a football point of view, you're right of course. From a business point of view, the question is where are the clubs going. Cork's performances are worse in that regard because while Rovers and Derry were one goal away from decent wins with part-time (I think?) squads, Cork can't even get a goal, let alone a draw, with a full-time team.
I saw Valur in Andorra two weeks ago and they were appalling. Now, it could have been a one-off, but they were really, really abject, and Santa Coloma, who had only two wins in 31 European matches prior to that, fully deserved to beat them. That says a lot.
Trnava are decent, but hardly great. They're Slovakian champions (a good achievement), but they've never made a group stage before, so the comparison with Cork should hardly be that distinct as to write off their result.
Would Dudelange have won against 11 men? Probably not, but a Legia fan I know was watching the game and said that Legia were a shambles of a club at present who'd wasted their CL money on stupid transfers, and that this was showing on the pitch. So they might well have held on for a draw.
I just think there's a lot of chances there for Cork to nab a goal, a draw, a decent performance - and they've not done it. Being happy winning the league over making progress in Europe is the same mentality holding the NI clubs back.
I'm not saying Caulfield should be sacked on the spot here - but I do think the money in Europe is too serious to ignore now, and I do think Cork should be on a general lookout for someone better suited for European progress.
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