EUROPA LEAGUE SHAMROCK ROVERS v RUBIN KAZAN, TOMORROW (6PM):THE SHAMROCK Rovers schedule over the last couple of weeks has been so hectic that, Ronan Finn insists, the players barely had a chance to think about tomorrow's opening Europa League group stage game in Tallaght prior to yesterday, when they all sat down to watch a recording of their opponents in action.
At that stage the reality began to sink in, as much because of the quality of the opposition, it seems, with French giants Lyon having it far from it all their own way in the first half of the Champions League play-off game with Rubin Kazan that Michael O’Neill chose to show the assembled squad.
“It was the first bit of our usual research with the manager trying to get a few ideas into our heads about what to expect,” says Finn, the former UCD midfielder who has made quite an impact at the club since signing in the wake of Sporting Fingal’s demise at the start of the season. “It was kind of hard to judge just how good they are, though. Rubin started well and were in front after three minutes but Lyon are good, I wouldn’t be surprised if they get to the last eight of the Champions League this year, and after that they dominated.
“Still, Rubin defended well and any time they broke forward they looked good. Obviously they’re on a different level to us financially; they’ve players worth millions so you’ve got to expect that they’re going to have lads of real quality.”
It wouldn’t be the first time, of course, that Rovers have encountered that in the course of this remarkable European campaign and the hope is, Finn says, if the Russians have been tempted to under-estimate their hosts this week then they will, like a couple of the Dubliners’ previous opponents, quickly come to appreciate the error of their ways.
“Yeah, obviously it’s all been a challenge,” he says, “but I think we’ve risen to it and done ourselves justice. The games against Copenhagen and Belgrade were hard, they were miles ahead of us in terms of their infrastructure and experience of playing in Europe and you could tell when we were over there that their fans were sort of asking: ‘Who are Shamrock Rovers to be causing us problems?’ But we did and by the end of the two games, they were treating us with a lot more respect.”
The very nature of the group stages means tomorrow’s game might be a little less fraught, he admits, but the challenge is effectively the same for the Irish champions with players having to rise, individually and collectively, to the occasion.
“These games will probably be a little different. It’s not just home and away so it’s not just about looking to get an away goal then shut up shop, but it’ll be a test all the same. We’ll have to play in the same way, not cautiously but tactically aware because once again we’ll be up against a team capable of tearing us open if we switch off.
“It’s difficult to do but we’re getting used to it and no matter how good the opposition you always go into the games feeling positive about what you can do.”
Quite what that is, he insists, has not been the subject of much discussion among the squad although there is a sense that for all the excitement that comes with playing at this level, the more important challenge remains the achievement of lasting success at home.
“The main thing is to be in a position to go for a place in the Champions League again next year and winning the league is the only way to do that.
“To win the league and then keep progressing is the aim really, to get to the stage in the end where the European football is just part of what we do as a club.”
