Stephen Bradley reacts to Shamrock Rovers Champions League defeat: ‘The better team won over both legs. We didn't do enough’

Macdara Ferris reports from Kopavogur in Iceland

Sitting in the dugout in the Kopavogsvollur Stadium after Shamrock Rovers’ Champions League elimination, it was clear when speaking about the match Stephen Bradley was bitterly disappointed with his team’s display.

Talking to this reporter, the Hoops boss didn’t shy away from criticising his side and the manner of the goals they conceded in their 2-1 loss to Breidbalik, with the 3-1 aggregate loss sending Rovers into the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

A shock defeat for Ferencvaros on Wednesday night means that the Hoops will play the Hungarian champions next week – Fradi beat Rovers 4-1 on aggregate in the Europa League play-off last

Bradley said: “We made some really poor decisions defensively and gave away two awful goals from our point of view. We gave up far too many chances. We made some really basic errors.

“If you give away goals like that, in any game, you don't deserve to win and we've given away really really poor goals against a decent side and they've punished us.”

The Icelandic champions came through the preliminary round of the Champions League. Ahead of the game Bradley likened Breidablik to Flora Tallinn who defeated Rovers in the Europa Conference League play-off in 2021.

Similarly to that tie, the Hoops underperformed against Bredablik with Bradley acknowledging that “the better team won over both legs. We didn't do enough.”

The Hoops must pick themselves quickly as they have an FAI Cup tie away to Dundalk this Sunday before playing away from home in Europe next week.

If they are to make the group stages of the Europa Conference League, they will have to win three consecutive ties over three consecutive fortnights.

“When you play at the level we play at, you are involved in big games every week now. You are going to lose some games and that is part of it. You have to move on quickly and you can't dwell on it. If you do, before you know it Sunday is upon us and you aren't ready or prepared.

“The (FAI Cup) competition is one that we know means a lot to the club and the fans. It is a competition we want to go far in.”

Rovers remain four points clear with only 11 games left in the league and so are in a good position to make it four titles in a row. Their recent form though will need to improve especially if a team can emerge from the pack behind them to apply pressure in the closing stages of the league campaign.

The Hoops have one win and a draw in their last six competitive games and their only goal in the last four matches came off a penalty won from a VAR handball review.

Rovers squad

It is clear that Rovers have an aging squad with the fear amongst Rovers supporters that this team has peaked and is on the way down. The average age of their team in the league this season is 28, three year higher than the next oldest Derry City with the league average 24.4.  

Their four signings in the close season haven’t stepped the squad on. Markus Poom has been their best addition while 19-year-old Johnny Kenny hasn’t shown the form he had in his breakthrough season at Sligo Rovers that earned him a move to Celtic.

Trevor Clarke was excellent but a recent operation means he is out till September while Liam Burt’s injury has meant he has yet to start a league game for the club.

Injuries to Neil Farrugia and Trevor Clarke were crucial to Rovers’ lack of attacking threat against Breidablik as they had no natural width to take on the Icelandic champions. Jack Byrne’s injury was also costly. Rovers turned down a sizeable transfer fee for him earlier this year and he is out of contract at the end of this season.

The hope is that the highly regarded crop of talent from the Rovers academy will begin to come through into the first team squad and Rovers now have to replace their academy director Shane Robinson who left for the FAI this week.

The Hoops had three players from their academy on the bench on Tuesday night – Conan Noonan (20), Kieran Cruise (19) and Naj Razi (16).

With under-19 keeper Tom Leitis having a knock, 15-year-old goalkeeper Todd Bazunu, brother of Gavin, travelled to Iceland and was warming up with Leon Pohls and Alan Mannus ahead of kick-off although he was not part of the match day squad.

Asked about possible replacements coming into the squad during the transfer window, Bradley gave the impression that none were immediately on their radar.

“We are always looking as a club if there is someone who can improve us and we'd bring to the board but that is not always the answer.

:We have a good squad, we are missing some key players which is part and parcel of football but we are hoping we get a few of them back soon. We won't bring in bodies just to bring in bodies. If we feel someone will improve us, we will bring that to the club.”

Hoops high expectations

Expectations built up around the club after winning three leagues in a row, the FAI Cup victory in 2019 and their lengthy 14 game run in Europe last year – which included two draws in the Europa Conference League group stages – and mean the Hoops are assessed against a high standard.

The Rovers four-in-a-row side from the 1980s failed in Europe –they lost in the first round on each occasion and they didn’t win a game in any European Cup tie.

This current Rovers three-in-a-row side has lost two of their three European Cup first round ties – as an unseeded team losing to Slovan Bratislava 3-2 on aggregate (winning 2-1 at home), defeating Hibernians of Malta 3-0 at home and 0-0 and the double leg defeat to Breidablik this season.

Rovers still remain in Europe but have a very difficult tie awaiting them over the next fortnight. They are still favourites to win the league but Bradley needs his team to get back to their best if this season is to be viewed as a success. The prize of a record equalling four-in-a-row is still very much in the hands of the Hoops.

Postcard from Iceland as Breidablik extinguish Hoops Champions League ambitions https://t.co/l5IUh3qeThpic.twitter.com/cn3OxMzJB9

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) July 19, 2023