SHAMROCK ROVERS TODAY learned their opponents in the Europa Conference League group phase, so let’s learn a little more about them.
Rovers avoided the biggest names, including Villarreal, Fiorentina, and West Ham, the latter fact sadly depriving Declan Rice a trip home and back to Tallaght Stadium, the scene of his most aggravating badge-kissing.
Instead Rovers, as third seeds, were drawn into Group F alongside Gent (Belgium), Molde (Norway), and Djurgardens (Sweden.)
Given the venues involved, this group may set a new Uefa record for the cost of Pints per Game. But let’s first take a closer look at the money that really matters in all of this.
How much money do Rovers stand to make from the Conference League?
Relative to the sums on offer domestically, Rovers are going to earn a lot.
Through qualification for the group phase alone, Rovers have secured a down payment of €2.9 million from Uefa that will be sent to them next Friday, 2 September.
But that’s not all coming their way next week. They will also receive a co-efficient ranking fee, which is a trickle down of a money-grab by the biggest clubs a few years ago, who cut a deal to award the historically successful Champions League sides more money. It’s based on a rolling, ten-year co-efficient ranking (unlike the seeding for the draw, which is based on results in the last five years.) Rovers’ ranking thus entitles them to another €267,000, meaning there’s a fee of just over €3.1 million being sent to Rovers from Uefa (via the FAI) next Friday.
Wins in the group are worth €500,000, with draws worth €166,000 to each team. Rovers will receive any of this prize money from the first three matchdays on 21 October, along with their share of broadcast revenue, which is yet to be disclosed though will be relatively small given the size of the broadcast market in Ireland.
Rovers will receive their prize money for any wins or draws across the final three games on 18 November, and there are further bonus payments on offer if they qualify. In the admittedly unlikely event they top the group, they’ll earn an extra €625,000 and if they finish second, they’ll earn another €325,000.
There’s another little bonus payable at this point too. Given the reward for a win is €500,000 and it’s €166,000 for a draw,Uefa fork out €166,000 less for every game that’s not won. Uefa don’t keep that surplus, though. It’s pooled across the group and then distributed to the four teams, proportional to the number of wins on the board.
Top Seeds: Gent
Didn’t they play Liverpool in the Champions League a couple of years ago?
Nope, that’s Genk. Don’t feel too bad about mixing them up. A couple of Liverpool fans bought tickets to the game in Genk and then missed the game by turning up in Gent by mistake. Gent offered them free tickets to their Europa League game the following night.
Where are they based?
They play out of the 20,000-capacity Ghelamco Arena in the city of Ghent. It doesn’t have an airport, but it’s just a 40-minute train ride from Brussels. The city’s main contribution to world history and culture is to have been the birthplace of Kevin de Bruyne.
Who is in charge?
Gent’s manager, Hein Vanhaezebrouck, is a former Genk manager, but was fired just three months into his first season. He returned to K.V. Kortrijk, the club whom he left for Genk, and was then hired by Gent. He led them to the league title in 2014/15, and then through the Champions League group phase the following season. Having finished second behind Zenit St Petersburg but ahead of Valencia and Lyon, they were knocked out of the last-16 by Wolfsburg.
Vanhaezebrouck moved to Anderlecht after that, but was sacked after a poor first season season, and returned for a second spell at Gent in 2020, whom he led to the Belgian Cup last season. After a 0-0 draw, they beat Anderlecht on penalties. Josh Cullen missed in the shootout.
How did they qualify for the Conference League?
Like Rovers, they dropped down having lost their Europa League play-off, beaten by Omonia of Cyprus, who are coached by Neil Lennon. They were easily beaten, losing 2-0 home and away. HLN wrote last night that Gent dropped into the Conference League in “shame”, and wing-back Alessio Castro-Montes admitted it’s a “major disappointment” they are back in the Conference League. They went to the last-16 of the competition last year before being knocked out by PAOK, who had beaten Bohemians in the qualifying rounds.
How have they started this season?
Decidedly mixed. Gent lost the Belgian Super Cup final to Club Brugge and then drew their first two league games, the first 2-2 against Standard Liege in spite of playing against 10 men for 75 minutes. They have since picked up back-to-back league wins.
Any player we should we look out for?
Twenty-two-year old attacker Jens Petter Hauge was scoring goals for AC Milan in the Europa League as recently as 2020, before making a loan and then permanent move to Eintracht Frankfurt, for whom he made an appearance off the bench in last season’s Europa League final win over Rangers. He has been loaned to Gent for the season, and made his debut in the defeat to Omonia.
How do they play?
They play a similar system to Rovers, a 3-4-1-2. They started with a back four in the second leg against Omonia – presumably to chase the tie – but abandoned it at half-time.
Second Seeds: Molde
Ah, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team?
Yep. Solskjaer played for Molde before signing for United, and then returned to manage them between 2011 and 2014 – before joining Cardiff – and then again between 2015 and 2018, whereupon he was plucked and sat at the wheel at Old Trafford.
Where are they based?
Their home venue is the 11,000-seat Aker Stadion, which has artificial turf but is perched right by the water. The town of Molde does have an airport, though the best option from Ireland is to fly there via Oslo.
Who is in charge?
Erling Moe was a coach when Solskjaer returned for his second spell, and he stepped up to replace him in 2018. He has remained in charge, leading them to a record-breaking title win in 2019, for which he didn’t even have Erling Haaland, who left for Salzburg before the season started. Moe then led Molde on their best-ever European run, reaching the last-16 of the 2020/21 Europa League. Among the sides they beat in that run were Napoli (in the last-32) and Dundalk, whom they beat home and away in the group stage. Daniel Cleary along with Seans Gannon and Hoare – who are all now at Rovers – were involved in those games.
How did they qualify for the Conference League?
They hammered Wolfsberger of Austria 4-0 in the second leg of the play-off round, having lost the first leg 1-0 at home.
How have they started this season?
Much like the League of Ireland, the Norwegian league runs during the summer. Molde are on course for the title, five points clear at the top after 19 games, will 11 to go. They finished second last year, three points behind a Bodo/Glimt side that reached the semi-finals of the Conference League and famously beat Roma 7-1.
Which player we should look out for?
Attacking midfielder Magnus Wolff Eikrem was once in the youth ranks at Manchester United, and then made little impact for Solskjaer at Cardiff City. He wound up back at Molde in 2018, and, now 32, is their captain and remains one of their key creators.
How do they play?
Again, they play a system not unlike Rovers: a 5-3-2, with Eikrem dropping slightly deeper than a striker, who is usually the teenager Datro Fofana, who has already been capped by Ivory Coast. Right wing-back Martin Linnes is also an important creative force for Molde, with five goals and five assists across games in the league and in Europe this season.
Fourth seeds: Djurgardens
Where are they based?
They play in the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, which has a capacity of 28,000 for Uefa matches. You can fly direct from Dublin to Stockholm, happily.
Who is in charge?
Djurgardens have joint coaches: Kim Bergstrand and Thomas Lagerlöf. Bergstrand caused a mighty stir in Sweden last year when he gave an interview about leadership, in which he suggested there are some lessons we can all learn from Nazi Germany. He subsequently apologised. The duo have been in charge at Djurgardens since 2018, and they led them to the league title in 2019.
How did they qualify for the Conference League?
They are here courtesy of an emphatic and impressive 5-3 aggregate win over Jack Byrne’s old team, Apoel Nicosia. Their European record in recent years hasn’t been overly impressive, hence their lower seeding than Rovers. Cork City knocked them out in the early qualifying rounds of the old Uefa Cup in 2005, and this is their first group stage appearance since the 1996 Intertoto Cup.
How have they started this season?
Like Rovers and Molde, Djurgardens are well past the start of their season and are in the thick of a title race, trailing the league leaders Hacken by three points in third place after 19 games.
Which player should we look out for?
Let’s pick another attacking player: striker Victor Edvardsen has never been capped for Sweden at any level, but scored three and created another of his side’s 15 goals across three rounds of qualifying for the group stage.
How do they play?
Djurgardens are the only side in the group playing with a back four regularly. It’s generally a 4-3-3 that can become a 4-5-1 when they have something to defend, the 3-0 lead they took into the second leg against Apoel being a prime example.
So, have Rovers got A Good Draw?
It’s so difficult to tell from this remove. Yes, they have dodged some of the biggest guns, and Gent are not quite as daunting as Villarreal or West Ham. Molde and Djurgardens, look to be some of the tricker opponents from pots two and four, though, which should be balanced against the fact that the travel arrangements should be relatively straightforward.
One interesting dynamic is the fact Gent are the only side not playing summer football, and the fact Rovers should have no issue in tying up their league titles means they will have fewer distractions than either Molde or Djurgardens as the campaign progresses.
Rovers are also experienced. They have played in plenty of qualifiers at this point, while Gannon, Hoare, Cleary, Ronan Finn, and Chris McCann (Wigan) have played group stage football already.
Interestingly, even though they have blooded teenagers Justin Ferizaj, Aidomo Emakhu, and Gideon Tetteh in Europe, Rovers have an older squad than any of their opponents. Their average age – based on league games this year – is 29, compared to Djurgardens (26.7), Molde (25.4), and Gent (26.5). This isn’t a bad thing: Alan Mannus is 40 and in the form of his life.
Their injuries are also clearing up at a good time, and if Jack Byrne can stay fit, Rovers can score goals against all three opponents.
Stephen Bradley said prior to the draw that their ambition is to get out of the group, which will be a challenge but also a fantastic opportunity to prove just how good they are. The fixtures are due to be announced tomorrow: an intense but fascinating campaign awaits.
