WE CAME, WE saw, we floundered. We’re wealthier though, which helps.
It was a rough year for Irish teams in Europe. Our representatives – Cork City, Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and Derry City – were given some tough draws and collectively managed just four wins from 12 games. Only Dundalk managed to progress through a round.
Cork City lost to Legia Warsaw in the Champions League. The Polish Champions subsequently floundered themselves, knocked out of the Champions League by Trnava and last night left the Europa League, losing to Luxembourg’s Dudelange. It raises the question whether or not they were any good in the first place.
Irish clubs gave a few disappointing performances and suffered some heavy losses. Cork City’s defeats away to both Legia and Rosenberg, and Dundalk’s away to Larnaca were all tough viewing as were Rovers’ and Derry’s home legs.
Last night on RTE’s live coverage of the Rosenberg v Cork City match, there was a lively debate with Brian Kerr and Kevin Doyle, with Kerr arguing his case that the league’s clubs aren’t progressing quickly enough. He demanded that the FAI do more, repeatedly pointing to marketing. Doyle spoke about facilities and structures that might keep the best players here for that additional year.
They both made valid points, but ones that need to be looked at in the context of the league, not the teams in Europe. Believe me, the teams in Europe are grand.
Cork City will take home €800,000 for losing four games in a row without scoring. Dundalk were rewarded with €500,000 following their 4-0 loss in Cyprus and Rovers and Derry pick up €240,000 for playing a round in Europe. Factor in the high attendances for the home games and it’s not a stretch to suggest that the four teams in Europe grossed about €2.3 million in this summer’s European adventures, all while the league bends over backwards to accommodate them in terms of fixtures.
While we all want to show our league and clubs in the best light, in the end Europe is about cash.
Sure, if a club does particularly well it can raise the spirits and the mood around a club. The media coverage and awareness increases. Occasionally, as with Shamrock Rovers in 2010 and Dundalk in 2015, a club surpasses all expectations and captures the imagination of the wider footballing public, who see an Irish club in the group stages of a European competition. That adds to talk about the progression of the league and “creating environments” but ultimately, it’s just talk and it fades.
There’s no lasting success. The 2010 crowds don’t reappear in Tallaght until the next big friendly or European game, Dundalk’s fans drifted away for much of last season when they were a distant second to Cork City, despite the quality of football on show. The attendance at Cork City’s home game against St Pat’s this weekend could be half that of the sold-out Legia Warsaw game.
Meanwhile, the 16 clubs who don’t qualify for Europe see absolutely no upsurge or benefit from the European exploits of the four. In fact, it can hurt other clubs. Sligo had a home match against Dundalk postponed in the middle of a period when they were already low on home games. All of this was despite Dundalk being at home in consecutive weeks in Europe, and well capable of travelling. During the coverage of Dundalk’s home game, the pundits spoke of the need to prepare for Europe and the importance of preparing for the European opposition. Well, that’s not Sligo’s problem and in the end, the additional preparation didn’t help Dundalk.
The problem that the FAI and clubs need to watch is the growing gulf. For the fifth year in a row, Dundalk and Cork City will be the top two teams in Ireland. A significant part of that is because of the money that flows into the club due to European adventures, regardless of the level of success. Shamrock Rovers and Derry have qualified regularly over recent years with only Waterford likely to upset that run this season. The money from Europe is creating ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ at an alarming rate, and it’s a self-perpetuating thing in that European qualification one year increases your chances of a subsequent return.
While Dundalk and Cork City occasionally stumble in the league, the gap from second to third is currently 20 points. In 2017 that gap finished at 15 points, in 2016 it was 12, in 2015 it was two. The gap has grown in each of the last four years.
The stranglehold of the top two is only increasing and the ease at which they’re opening up gaps isn’t actually doing them any favours. While they stumble occasionally – and Waterford deserve credit for putting it up to both sides this season – the toughest games Dundalk and Cork City face each year is against each other. No games give them a challenge of the type they’ll face in Europe. When Cork City and Dundalk’s dominance finally ends – and it will – it won’t help the next dominant team either.
It’s bad news for the league as you have a serious two-tier system developing between the clubs that qualify for Europe and the rest, and all the odds are stacked in the former’s favour. It will encourage clubs who dream of the upper tier to push budgets and spending to chase European riches. It’s one of the biggest issues facing the league right now.
But if you’re a Cork City fan recovering from last night’s loss, you can relax. In the end, Europe is lovely but it doesn’t really impact on the day to day. The game against St Pat’s this Sunday is far more important than any European game because for the club to stay successful, getting back into Europe is far more important than what we do when we’re there, whatever rewards that do come are small and short lived. Even when we’re in Europe, luck is a massive part of success. The bye this year possibly cost Cork City a winnable second round tie which might have boosted confidence post-Legia and pre-Rosenberg, as well as scoring them an additional €220,000.
The luck of the draw is just that. Next year’s might be kinder and with the way the odds are stacked in our favour, Cork City will definitely be back in the pot.
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