Europa League Thread

Sugarlumps

Defoe is on a hot streak, he’s flourished under AVB. One chance bang! Back of the net, he seems more willing to look for a pass instead of going for glory. Dempsey is slowly turning it around, Naughton looks to have been hit with the shít stick.

Hatch99

Great to see us still in Europe for next year.
Depending on the draw, and a bit of luck, and getting a few injuries back fit, we could go a long way

SuprSi

Another thing which struck me as very weird last night was Walker's corners and free kicks - they were class! He can really strike a dead ball, I just wish he could do the same while running.

Hatch99

SuprSi wrote: »

Another thing which struck me as very weird last night was Walker's corners and free kicks - they were class! He can really strike a dead ball, I just wish he could do the same while running.

Hopefully he's coming back in to a little bit of form, young player of the year not long ago, good players don't become bad players overnight.

DubPerryman

Hatch99 wrote: »

Hopefully he's coming back in to a little bit of form, young player of the year not long ago, good players don't become bad players overnight.

I agree. As the commentator mentioned last night, he's only 22. He's still got a lot to learn. Whether that's basic defending or dealing with stick from the crowd.

mickman

DubPerryman wrote: »

I agree. As the commentator mentioned last night, he's only 22. He's still got a lot to learn. Whether that's basic defending or dealing with stick from the crowd.

yeah i think his low point was against chelsea when he was totally shocking. He can do much much better and we need to stick with him

Didnt see the game but all the stories i read this morning said we were second best and very nervy ?

oppiuy

Carroll looks a decent player and seems to be coming along nicely. However i would like to see him be a bit more positive when he picks up the ball and drive forward with it, as at the moment it picks it up and pops it off. Maybe he should team up with Dembele in training and not Tommy Huddlestone . Hopefully this will come with experience and confidence. He has the makings of a really good player

Hatch99

mickman wrote: »

yeah i think his low point was against chelsea when he was totally shocking. He can do much much better and we need to stick with him

Didnt see the game but all the stories i read this morning said we were second best and very nervy ?

Must have been a gooner wrote that report:D they scored and had some possesion but we were always in control.

Hatch99

The draw for the Europa League's Round of 32 and Round of 16 will take place at UEFA HQ in Nyon, Switzerland on Thursday, December 20.
We will be unseeded after finishing runners-up in Group J.

It's quite a line-up with the likes of Fenerbache, Rubin Kazan, Lyon, Lazio, Stuttgart, Napoli, Inter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen all progressing from the group stages of the competition. Holders Athletico Madrid are also through.

Teams finishing third in the Champions League also enter the Europa League at this stage - including Chelsea, Benfica, Dynamo Kiev and Ajax.

In terms of Premier League teams still involved, ourselves and Chelsea are joined by Liverpool and Newcastle in the Round of 32. We cannot face a team from the Premier League in the Round of 32.

Here are the teams involved and the draw procedure, from UEFA.com:

Group winners (seeded)
Liverpool FC, FC Viktoria Plzen, Fenerbahce SK, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Steaua Bucuresti, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, KRC Genk, FC Rubin Kazan, Olympique Lyonnais, S.S. Lazio, FC Metalist Kharkiv, Hannover 96.

Runners-up (unseeded)
FC Anji Makhachkala, Club Atletico de Madrid, VfL Borussia Monchengladbach, Newcastle United FC, VfB Stuttgart, SSC Napoli, FC Basel 1893, FC Internazionale Milano, AC Sparta Praha, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Levante UD.

Transferred from the UEFA Champions League
Chelsea FC, CFR 1907 Cluj, Olympiacos FC, SL Benfica, FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Zenit St Petersburg, AFC Ajax, FC BATE Borisov.
(seedings to be confirmed in due course)

Draw procedure
There will be two pots for the round of 32 draw: the 12 group winners and the four best third-ranked teams in the UEFA Champions League group stage will be drawn against the 12 group runners-up and the remaining third-placed UEFA Champions League sides. In the games on 14 and 21 February, no team can play a club from their group or a side from the same association.

The draw for the round of 16, which will be played on 7 and 14 March, follows and there are no seeded teams. The 16 balls containing slips of paper for 'Winners of match 1' to 'Winners of match 16' are placed in one bowl and shuffled. The first team drawn are to play their first match at home against the second team drawn and the same procedure is then repeated for the other matches. There are no restrictions on the round of 16 draw

2nd Row Donkey

Hatch99 wrote: »

Hopefully he's coming back in to a little bit of form, young player of the year not long ago, good players don't become bad players overnight.

Except Ian Rush.

DubPerryman

mickman wrote: »

Didnt see the game but all the stories i read this morning said we were second best and very nervy ?

I agree with Hatch, it must have been written by a Gooner.

In the first half we dominated. It was almost like a friendly. There was little or no threat from Panathanikos except for one offside decision from a free-kick which wasn't given.

In the second half we started in the same comfortable manner, but our comfort was turned to nerves for five minutes after they shocked us with a goal. When the players got over that five-ten minute spell we pushed on an closed out the game.

mickman

DubPerryman wrote: »

I agree with Hatch, it must have been written by a Gooner.

In the first half we dominated. It was almost like a friendly. There was little or no threat from Panathanikos except for one offside decision from a free-kick which wasn't given.

In the second half we started in the same comfortable manner, but our comfort was turned to nerves for five minutes after they shocked us with a goal. When the players got over that five-ten minute spell we pushed on an closed out the game.

glad to hear it

Leinstersqspur

Got to see the game on DVR late last night.

We dominated the whole of the first half but I think Carroll started to tire (retreat) a little in the second and they targeted Naughton as a weakness which paid off for them, even if it was still against the run of play. You could sense the anxiety in the stadium when they levelled but I don't think it was ever in doubt.

Naughton had a nightmare but I'm willing to forgive him as he is playing out of position, he should be judged as a right back.

Carroll (as much as I admire his ability to pass and recycle the ball) could do with a run of twenty games in the EPL like Caulkern at Swansea to help build his confidence and stamina.

The two centre halves looked very comfortable, love seeing Sandro drop back to let Vertz or Caulker go on a run.

Commentator kept crticising Adebyor's touch but I think his movement was pretty good for a guy who's just sat out three games.

Positive stuff. Keep it up Andre!

Mullo76

Hatch99 wrote: »

Must have been a gooner wrote that report:D they scored and had some possesion but we were always in control.

I am not doubting that we were always in control but I thought it was a poor display. Dominated first half but bar goal didnt create a lot. Second half we got very sloppy I thought, we should be nailing teams like that really. anyway happy we won. good to have Ade back. I buy his touch was off as he was only back, Naughton poor. Sandro is imense, Dempsey done well but his final ball/shot/bit of quality around box was lacking.

Whats the odds on getting Chelski in next round...

Hatch99

Mullo76 wrote: »

I am not doubting that we were always in control but I thought it was a poor display. Dominated first half but bar goal didnt create a lot. Second half we got very sloppy I thought, we should be nailing teams like that really. anyway happy we won. good to have Ade back. I buy his touch was off as he was only back, Naughton poor. Sandro is imense, Dempsey done well but his final ball/shot/bit of quality around box was lacking.

Whats the odds on getting Chelski in next round...

Grumpy fcuker

Mullo76

Hatch99 wrote: »

Grumpy fcuker

Eamo71

Mullo76 wrote: »

I am not doubting that we were always in control but I thought it was a poor display. Dominated first half but bar goal didnt create a lot. Second half we got very sloppy I thought, we should be nailing teams like that really. anyway happy we won. good to have Ade back. I buy his touch was off as he was only back, Naughton poor. Sandro is imense, Dempsey done well but his final ball/shot/bit of quality around box was lacking.

Whats the odds on getting Chelski in next round...

We can't meet them till the round of 16.

Mullo76

Eamo71 wrote: »

We can't meet them till the round of 16.

I really should read things properly..

Eamo71

Mullo76 wrote: »

I really should read things properly..

Don't worry I do it all the time... :-)

Hatch99

Not tempting faith or anything like it, but just wondering if anyone has applied for Europa Cup Final tickets on the Uefa website ? I didn't bother to be honest.

Mullo76

Hatch99 wrote: »

Not tempting faith or anything like it, but just wondering if anyone has applied for Europa Cup Final tickets on the Uefa website ? I didn't bother to be honest.

calculated gamble. Way we have been playing in the comp with almost a full team cant see us making final. If an English team make final you would have no bother selling it on.

Antisocialiser

Europa League draw on today at 1pm!

Europa League pots

Seeded teams: Liverpool, Viktoria Plzen, Fenerbahce, Bordeaux, Steaua Bucharest, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Genk, Rubin Kazan, Olympique Lyonnais, Lazio, Metalist Kharkiv, Hannover 96, Chelsea, CFR Cluj, Olympiacos, Benfica.

Unseeded teams: Anzhi Makhachkala, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Monchengladbach, Newcastle United, VfB Stuttgart, Napoli, FC Basel, Inter Milan, Sparta Prague, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkusen, Levante, Dynamo Kyiv, Zenit St Petersburg, Ajax, BATE Borisov.

We cannot be paired with either the winners from our group or premier league clubs.

Devo from Dublin

the unseeded teams are better than the seeded team imo.

Mullo76

Devo from Dublin wrote: »

the unseeded teams are better than the seeded team imo.

Live on http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2013/draws/index.html

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Zenit vs Liverpool, tough tie for LFC.

Mullo76

THFC wrote: »

Zenit vs Liverpool, tough tie for LFC.

Newcastle v Methalist kharkiv

Mullo76

still some not nice draws there for us.

Mullo76

lyon it is. not the worst I suppose. Lloris will be happy

irishmover

Spurs v lyon

Knew it...

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Lyon!! Lloris is going home..