Greatest League in the World 2024 [new thread available]

Would Icelandic league football be much stronger than LOI?

Icelandic teams have won 3-1 in last 4 ties in past 5 seasons so they appear to be currently stronger than LOI. From those 8 games only 1 win by LOI teams courtesy of Bohs, 2 draws and 5 losses

In 2021 Bohs beat Stjarnan 4-1 on aggregate while Sligo lost to FH Hafnarfjarðar 1-3 on aggregate

In 2023 Dundalk lost to KA 3-5 on aggregate and Rovers lost to Breiðablik 1-3 on aggregate

Happy with that Shels draw, avoided the two most difficult opponents while getting a proper European away trip with good opportunity of going through but I still don't expect St. Joseph's to be any mugs so nothing guaranteed

ffs it’s not like we’re playing Barca, last year we had loads of injuries, no Farugia or Clarke. Keep it tight in the away leg, no stupid give away goals. We’ve had plenty of good European results in recent years, got to group stages as well as beating teams with much bigger budgets like Brann.

After signing Coote I'm struggling to see how we would be able to fit in Wood unless some from the likes of Farrell, Ward or Hakiki were being let go which could well happen. I would rather we sign a defensive midfielder, if Coyle got a prolonged injury we would be toast there

Hakiki hasn't had much playing time this season, a few sub appearances, but he's a decent talent and I think Duff is managing him well enough. No point throwing a yunfleh to the wolves when there are capable older players about the place.

He played more in the first season up and in the early part of last season before Jarvis came in.

Coote is obviously a different profile of player to the ones I mentioned, but so is Wood. So while I’m led to believe Wood is very much still a proper possibility, it didn’t really seem like we’ve needed both (unless Duff is planning to go back to the system he played last season with Moylan where Moylan wasn’t really a proper number 9, but played somewhat centrally).

I guess we will find out the plan fairly shortly.

Of course we have a chance but we need to sort out how we're playing ASAP. Breidablik were miles better than us last year and we've gone downhill since then. A point Dan McDonnell has made in the past is he feels LOI sides who do well in Europe usually have a few players who are angling for a move abroad and on an upwards trajectory such as Mandriou, Scales, Lyons, Byrne, Burke, McEneff in the past. Currently the only ones you'd say really fit that bracket are possibly Farrugia and Burns.

We've had an amazing few years and I won't knock the players or staff, it has to come to an end eventually, but I'm definitely not the only one feeling pessimistic about Europe this year. Hopefully I'm wrong and a win in Iceland could give us a much needed jolt.

Josephs knocked Larne out last year and they have plenty of European experience. There's a chance 3 go through. But I wouldn't be surprised if 2 fell either. Shams getting knocked out seems the most likely.

Shams announced accumulated losses of €2.5million recently so it'll be interesting to see what another early exit from Europe and no Champions League next year does to their books.

The Irish league is muck so I don't put much stock in Larne getting turned over by them. St Joseph's Euro record isn't great overall and that Larne win is one of only 2 they've managed in 15 games. Shels should be comfortably winning a game like that.

I agree about Shams though. I think some LOI fans are treating the Icelandic league with the same low level of respect we've criticised SPL fans for showing to ourselves in previous years. They've proven over the past 5 years they have a strong league as the record vs the LOI Omeha posted above shows. We don't have any right to be saying stuff like "we should be beating these" or calling losses to Icelandic sides "embarrassing" these days. The league could use a big win against them.

IF we win, Copenhagen will hammer us.

I mean, we're in the same boat - Zurich will hammer us if we somehow manage to get past Joey's

Duff has signed an extension at Shels.

What brilliant news for the club.

not my point, and you know that.

To spell it out, it probably doesn't matter much to him what any LOI club could pay him, he's a rich person and doesn't need to be earning, he especially doesn't need to be earning what a LOI club pays.

Duff does say some weird stuff at times. Clearly the money is pennies compared to what he has earned in his career but not buying for a second he doesn't know what his salary is.

I would have thought 70k-ish. I'd doubt Shels are paying him 6 figures. I know Pats broke the bank for Kenny but that was an outlier and complete desperation from Kelleher. Bradley and Higgins wouldn't be on 6 figures but maybe Duffs new contract puts him around their kind of pay bracket.

Joey Anang has signed for us. If he's in the same form as he was when he was on loan in 2022 he'll be a serious signing.

Davenport was excellent at youth level when I watched him. Not sure what happened him but theres a player in there…somewhere.

Think he had a lot of injury problems.

Think the problem is the 3-5-2 leaves us too open in away games. Don't know if we have the players to play it but a 4-4-2 and just hit on the break might be a more pragmatic option. Main worry though is in goal, if Mannus was still there we'd be a good few points better off.

Mannus was in goal for two of those good away performances and Bazunu in goal for one, another rock. I just don't think Pohls has the same presence as those two and it affects the defence in front of him

would have that with a two week gap Rovers would have been able to get players fit for Sligo but no Farugia despite he played the last game as well as no Gaffney . Interesting that Bradley never even mentioned Jack Byrne, what’s happening there?