logo
#

Latest news with #Shels

Shelbourne learn possible third round Champions Lge tie
Shelbourne learn possible third round Champions Lge tie

RTÉ News​

time6 hours ago

  • Sport
  • RTÉ News​

Shelbourne learn possible third round Champions Lge tie

The winner of the second round Champions League qualifying tie between Shelbourne and Qarabag will take face Romanian side FCSB or Macedonian outfit KF Shkendija in the next round. The draw was made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon this morning, ahead of Joey O'Brien's side hoping to cause a big upset to overcome the Azerbaijani side. The Reds begin their second round tie at Tolka Park on Wednesday before travelling to Baku next week. FCSB are the modern equivalent of Steaua Bucuresti, having changed name due to ownership issues, and would be favourites to progress to round three. They reached the last 16 of last year's Europa League before losing to Lyon. Ironically Shels came close to drawing FCSB in the first round, but were instead paired with Linfield. Shels will also have a keen eye on the Europa League draw at 12pm which will inform them of a possible opponent should they lose to Qarabag. Elsewhere Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic will be in the third round draw of the Conference League at 1pm . The Hoops are in Gibraltar this week to take on St Joseph's in the second round, while Pat's are at home to Estonian outfit Nomme JK Kalju.

Stuart Byrne: Shelbourne can cause Champions Cup upset if they truly believe
Stuart Byrne: Shelbourne can cause Champions Cup upset if they truly believe

Irish Daily Mirror

time3 days ago

  • Sport
  • Irish Daily Mirror

Stuart Byrne: Shelbourne can cause Champions Cup upset if they truly believe

Never underestimate what coming through a round in Europe can do for a team - it's why I believe Shelbourne can overturn the odds and produce a shock against Qarabag. Many will predict that Shels' Champions League journey will end at the second qualifying stage over the next fortnight. But having had the experience of beating Hajduk Split with Shels in 2004, I'd always give them a chance. We were huge underdogs, and rightly so. But you should never underestimate what winning in Europe can do in terms of your confidence as a player, a team and a football club. It empowers you; you say to yourself that if we can get through one round, we can do it again. When it comes down to playing against higher quality opposition, firstly you'll be a better player for the experience. But secondly, if you can look in the mirror and not see yourself but go beyond that and see your team-mates and team there, then you have a chance. It's not about you playing a blinder. It's never a personal thing, it's about what you can do for your team to beat Qarabag. There has to be an acceptance in the group - just do your job. And if you can do that with a bit of quality, with a bit of luck, that's the key to success. The game plan will be everything at Tolka Park on Tuesday. You do what you have to do to make your team better to beat your opponents. The Linfield tie had the potential to be a banana skin for Joey O'Brien and his team and, had Shels lost, it would have been damaging. There's no doubt that it was a difficult tie for the Reds. Don't be fooled by the fact that they were the fitter team and the side that was in season, that was a tricky assignment given the derby-like nature of it. Shel's Stuart Byrne with Nenad Pralija of Hadjuk in the UEFA Champions League qualifier second round second leg in 2004 (Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy) I felt it was a tie that really required a lot of extra concentration because a lot of emotion could come in to it but Shels handled themselves very well, especially in Tolka. They did everything they had to do to win both games. That early blitz at home in the first leg by Shels was really important because if they hadn't been on the front foot we would have seen a different approach from Linfield over the course of the tie. A more cautious approach by Linfield suited Shels and it meant that they weren't put under too much pressure in Windsor Park in the second leg. Shels utilised everything they should have in terms of their fitness levels and played at a tempo that confirmed they were the superior side. Crucially, that bit of hunger seems to be back in them, too. Even the fact that there's €950k banked by the club for getting to this stage, plus an extra €750,000 now plus a guarantee of at least six more games to come, it really is such a different world that we live in. It has been a long time coming and it's great to see LOI c;ubs start to get some real financial rewards. ********** It was hugely disappointing not to see the Linfield v Shels second leg on TV. Stuff like that does my head in. I was part of the RTE team that broadcast the first leg live from Tolka Park and those working on the game put a huge amount of work into it, there was a lot of preparation in it and a desire to do something different and I hope that showed. It felt like the Tolka game was a good show and a good game to watch, especially with the atmosphere on the night. Obviously that produces an expectation and many people did expect that the second leg would be shown and not just streamed. It frustrates people, it frustrates me and those who work across it. I'll be certainly pushing all the time to change that because, believe me, it frustrates me more than anyone. ********** People are surprised when they hear that the LOI used to draw crowds of 50-60,000 fans to games. They don't believe you or they'll say the League will never return to that sort of heyday. It probably won't but as I keep saying the potential for the game here is huge. The success of Shels and Pat's in Europe this week again underlines the point. St. Patrick's Kian Leavy with Lazar Kojić of Hegelmann during the UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round second leg victory for the Saints (Image: ©INPHO/Aleksandar Djorovic) To prospective investors wondering if the LOI is something that can generate a return on that backing, I'd stress that there are real gains to be had because football here is still so under-developed in terms of potential. We see the GAA changing rules to make Gaelic Football a different sport and, to me, it signals that sport hitting the wall. Similarly, Rugby can't get any bigger - to my mind, it's over-valued. But Irish football is ripe for development, there are no limits to the success that can follow if it is given the proper resources that it deserves. The feeling is that we're heading into a prosperous, positive era for the LOI and our game is only going to get better and better. ************************ All of a sudden it's game on again in the Premier Division. Only a couple of weeks ago I was pessimistic about the chances of a title race re-igniting as Shamrock Rovers were stealing a march on their rivals. If they had beaten Bohs on June 27, they would have been practically out of sight but the Hoops' draw with Sligo coupled with the improving form of Bohs and Derry has made it interesting again. Derry's Michael Duffy and Bohemians' Dawson Devoy (Image: ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty) Bohs are eight points behind now, Derry are nine behind and both have a game in hand but they do play each other in a week's time. They have been clawing the deficit back and this can happen in the summer months, when the European calendar can present gaps in the schedule and the opportunity for some clubs to build momentum and others to lose it. There has been some turnaround in the fortunes of Bohs and Derry after they were in the dustbin after the first few weeks of the season. Both sides are playing with confidence and now it's all to play for again - if they can keep it up. **************** This column's timing usually prevents me from commenting on LOI teams in Europe on a Thursday night and that was tough given Shamrock Rovers' progress during the winter. But St Pat's certainly got the job done in Lithuania in their Conference clash against Hegelmann Litauen and they will easily progress to the next round. Congrats to them and it all adds to the feelgood factor around the League when our teams do well. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.

Sean Boyd discusses ‘mental breakdown' after Damien Duff departed and how he will spend European bonuses
Sean Boyd discusses ‘mental breakdown' after Damien Duff departed and how he will spend European bonuses

The Irish Sun

time3 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Irish Sun

Sean Boyd discusses ‘mental breakdown' after Damien Duff departed and how he will spend European bonuses

SEÁN Boyd is hoping to get a house out of Europe after Shelbourne laid the foundations for a successful campaign. Shels 2 The 27-year-old enjoyed Shelbourne's 2-1 aggregate win over Linfield 2 Boyd was just as shocked as the rest of us with Damien Duff's departure Overcoming that first hurdle makes group-stage football a more realistic target, even if Joey O'Brien's Reds are dumped out of the premier competition by Qarabag who are up next. And Boyd admitted that it is the fortune as well as the fame which can help drive performance as The striker said: 'It's great for the players, great for the club, great for everyone involved, really. 'The lads are probably coming out with a decent bonus at the end of it so for players you're probably looking at a deposit for your gaff or whatever.' Read more on League of Ireland That advice came from old hand Seán Gannon who — having made his 58th European appearance on Wednesday — is closing in on Ronan Finn's League of Ireland record of 63. And it was particularly timely for Boyd who got engaged to Aimee — the couple have a small son, Jack, together — just two days after manager He joked: 'We stayed in the K Club, it was always a plan to do it. And when he left, I was like, 'That f***er, like, what am I supposed to do?' 'It was a mad time. So, I was all over the place myself. It kind of probably distracted me a little bit. It's been all go. Most read in Football 'It was probably an emotional Britney Spears moment, a mental breakdown. But my partner is brilliant, I love her to bits. It was just the next step. I was always planning to do it. 'She's already spent everything. I said, 'Potentially, if we get through, we get this'. And she's like, 'Oh, lovely, that will pay for the wedding'. We've to buy a house as well, so it's all coming at once.' Celtic star Daizen Maeda spotted doing press-ups in technical area after being subbed-off against Sporting Lisbon How to make best use of the financial rewards that come with European success is not the only advice that Gannon can hand out. He is the only member of the Shels squad to have come up against Qarabag before, Boyd said: 'Ganno adds tax now to every single story. It was a news story at the time. He must have said it. He talks and he repeats the same stuff over again.' On the pitch, the opposition is a force to be reckoned with, winning their domestic league in all but one of the last 16 seasons. They have played in the group stage of one of the three European competitions for 11 years in a row. But, while Shels' chances of toppling them may be remote, they will have further opportunities in the Europa League and Conference League, with Boyd determined to ensure they have more victories to celebrate. He said: 'The gaffer in there, the lads, the players, you won't be happy with just going through one round. 'You've seen Rovers in the last few years, you want to progress and you want the group-stage football. 'And it's going to be very difficult, but we've given ourselves a chance, so I won't be like, 'Oh, happy days, we won a round', but now we have something to look forward to. 'That's what we wanted, to give ourselves a chance. Now we've got the play-off, at least. If we win one more round, it's the group stages. Hopefully we can go again and see where we go.'

Figures that show new generation of LOI stars could earn millions
Figures that show new generation of LOI stars could earn millions

The 42

time3 days ago

  • Sport
  • The 42

Figures that show new generation of LOI stars could earn millions

MAYBE WINDSOR PARK is a lucky omen for League of Ireland teams, the kind of venue that is a catalyst for hope and greater possibilities. The parallels between the post-match scenes on Wednesday night after Shelbourne edged clear of Linfield in Champions League qualifying and when Shamrock Rovers blitzed Larne 4-1 in the league phase of last season's Uefa Conference League did not stop with the jubilant celebrations in front of delirious travelling supporters. Comparisons could be drawn, too, in the sense of confidence and opportunity that the respective triumphs inspired. Last October, Rovers' head coach Stephen Bradley was enthused during post-match duties in Belfast after guiding his side to the club's first win in a group/league phase of European competition – worth an additional €400,000 to the club coffers on top of €3 million for qualifying. The new 36-team format sees the top eight qualify for the last 16 automatically with those ranked ninth to 24th battling it out in the play-offs. 'We want to qualify out of the first phase, that's been one of our aims,' Bradley said. 'Why not? Why can't it be our aim? Let's go and try and do it, yeah. I don't see why we should put a limit on what we can do here.' Rovers backed up Bradley's words and became the first Irish club to reach the knockout stages of European competition, earning over €6m in the process. Close to 20% of that pot would be divvied up in prize money in the players' pool, with a certain portion guaranteed and the rest related to appearances and performances. Fast forward to this week and Shels boss Joey O'Brien was just as pleased after progress to the second qualifying round of the Champions League guaranteed at least a place in the play-offs of the Conference League, due to the safety nets of the champions' path, and €1.7m in prize money for the club. 'Ultimately, to get the real money, you must make group stages. I told the lads in there that's the aim. We don't want this to be our [only] European memory. We want to go and create more history by qualifying for the groups,' he said. Shels will earn a minimum of €3.17m should they replicate Rovers' qualification, and then the money will really hit for players. Advertisement Sean Boyd was up front in the aftermath of Wednesday's win that talk of bonuses was a topic of discussion, which is hardly surprising given they have the kind of impact of players' lives that so many of us can relate to – paying off bills, saving for a house, getting a mortgage, or in the recently-engaged Boyd's case possibly paying for a wedding. 'She's already spent everything,' Boyd joked. 'I said [to her], potentially, if we get through, we get this [amount]. And she's like, 'oh, lovely, that will pay for the wedding'. We've to buy a house as well, so it's all coming at once. 'Ganno had mentioned during the week, it's like you get a deposit for your house obviously if you go through a few rounds so that's kind of where the players in the league probably make some decent money. So, yeah, another incentive probably.' The 'Ganno' that Boyd referenced is Sean Gannon and he is a fascinating test case for what the future might hold for those top-tier League of Ireland players who spend their careers in this country. He only turned 34 last week but has won 11 Premier Division titles between 2011 and 2024 with Rovers (two spells), St Patrick's Athletic, Dundalk, and Shels. As the Reds are also guaranteed six more games this season the defender is set to overtake Ronan Finn's record of 63 appearances in Europe for a League of Ireland player if he features in each of the fixtures. With that in mind, and given the current European formats as well as growth of basic earnings and bonuses at top clubs, it's safe to estimate that the next Sean Gannon will comfortably become a millionaire in the League of Ireland. And there may well become more like him at the top table. The Beat sources have laid out what we understand to be an accurate pay scale for those current established professionals at the top clubs in the country; starting at €50,000 per year for Category 3, €100,000 for Category 2, and a small, elite group touching €150,000 in Category 1. As players can also expect to share 20% of European prize money between them (ranging from €30,000-50,000), it is now feasible to consider that those from all three categories who spend at least 10 years at the top and qualify for European league phase football in half of those campaigns could earn the following; Category 3 – €750,000 Category 2 – €1,250,000 Category 3 – €1,750,00 A tall order, for sure, but with such financial and professional rewards now on the line it is definitely enough to maintain motivation levels and help retain the calibre of talent capable of achieving such targets. And that's before you consider the added security that comes with Sportsperson's tax relief, which explains that players 'may claim a deduction of 40% of certain income arising in any 10 of the following years: your year of retirement or the preceding 14 years of assessment.' It's understood that there are already players who will have the comfort of considerable six-figure sums once they hang up their boots. In a week when the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland (PFA Ireland) secured an increase in the minimum wage starting next season from €430 per week to €450, and their research detailed that the average weekly wage in a full-time Premier Division now stands at €890 per week (it was around €700 last year), it's clear that strides continue to be made across the board. But for those among the elite, challenging for titles and battling for league phase football in Europe, there will be millions to be made from staying in the League of Ireland. Of course, the above detail is based on figures standing still in terms of European prize money and the domestic growth continuing at a conservative pace. Who knows what might happen when the Virgin TV deal is to be renewed before 2029 and we could also have Bohemians and Sligo Rovers in new, modern stadiums? Not to mention Finn Harps or Wexford, with St Patrick's Athletic possibly even advancing their own case for redevelopment of Richmond Park. Even the value of winning the FAI Cup has soared, so how apt that the second round starts this weekend and Shels travel to Limerick on Saturday to face non-league side Fairview Rangers before welcoming Qarabag to Tolka Park in the Champions League on Wednesday. Whoever lifts the FAI Cup in Aviva Stadium this November will be guaranteed €700,000 in prize money from European qualification as they will go into the Europa League and have the safety net of a second tie in the Conference League should it be required. That is because success of clubs – specifically Rovers – has improved the overall Uefa coefficient to a point where should the Hoops win the Premier Division this season they will be seeded for two rounds of Europe next season. That is the kind of bonus territory we are looking at.

Duff Shels exit almost derailed Boyd's wedding plans
Duff Shels exit almost derailed Boyd's wedding plans

Irish Examiner

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Irish Examiner

Duff Shels exit almost derailed Boyd's wedding plans

Damien Duff's abrupt departure from Shelbourne almost scuppered Seán Boyd's engagement plans but he's thankful to the legend for guiding him towards funding the wedding. Boyd hit double-figures as Shels won the league for the first time in 18 years last season but his mentor Duff sensationally quit last month just a fortnight before their Champions League campaign was to kick-off. Duff's assistant Joey O'Brien stepped up to steer the Reds through the first round against Linfield, completing a 2-1 aggregate victory over Linfield on Wednesday in Belfast. That swelled their prize-money from Uefa to €1.71m. Double that is on offer if they win one of the three ties they've secured by navigating the first hurdle of the champions path. Players and staff will receive a slice of that windfall in bonuses – typically 25% shared equally – and Boyd has joked that his new fiancé Kristin has earmarked it for their nuptials. His proposal plans were almost derailed when Duff quit on Sunday, June 22, three days before he'd booked a stayover at the plush K-Club to pop the question. 'When he left, I was like, 'That fucker, what am I supposed to do here?',' he said jokingly after the Duffer departure. 'It was a mad time so I was all over the place and it kind of distracted me a little bit. I love my partner to bits so it was the next step.' Wage levels in LOI have risen in tandem with the popularity growth but are still modest by comparison with other similar sized countries. Where players can scoop windfalls is through the bonuses accrued from progression in Europe. That seemed an avenue for Boyd when he was emerging as a teen star at Shamrock Rovers but injuries punctuated his career while many of his friends enjoyed the fruits of advancing through European competition. One of those is his teammate since last year, Seán Gannon. His substitute appearance at Windsor Park was his 58th in Europe, taking him to within five of Ronan Finn's all-time record for a League of Ireland player. He could surpass that in the six upcoming games, starting with next week's second round first leg against Qarabag at Tolka Park. Gannon was part of the Dundalk squad which qualified for the 2016 Europa League group stages as well as the Conference with Rovers two years ago. 'Ganno had been saying all week that there'll be a decent bonus from getting through a couple of European rounds,' explained Boyd. 'Some lads were able to use it as a house deposit. 'It's another incentive. I had said to her (Kristin) that potentially, if we get through rounds, we get this. And she's like, 'oh, lovely, that will pay for the wedding'. 'She's already spent everything but we've to buy a house as well. It is mad talking about those things but there's only one way in this league to maybe do that. 'Not many players get to do that, so we're delighted to win the first round.' Before their European adventure resumes, there's an occasion of a different sporting code dominating the family discussion. Boyd was at Tipperary's semi-final win over Kilkenny but snaffling tickets for this Sunday's All-Ireland decider at Croke Park is a whole other ball game. 'She's from Tipp and brought me to my first hurling match at Croke Park,' said the Dub. 'I felt like a blow-in, you know but it was brilliant. 'I don't know if I'll be able to get tickets for Sunday. I'd feel too bad. Her uncles and everything would be like mad for it, and if I was to get tickets off someone I'd know now or something, I'd have to get them away. We'll see.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store