Standard of Opposition ?

[Key West]

Bora Rangers wouldn’t have looked out of place at this stage of the tournament, how have Scottish teams sank this low?

[Mr. Wonderful]

Bora Rangers wouldn’t have looked out of place at this stage of the tournament, how have Scottish teams sank this low?

No different to the same stage in the europa league

[Big_Franck]

They were pathetic, especially their defence and their keeper. I think they'd be battling relegation in our League 2.

I think we'll score 4 or 5 next week, even if we rotate the squad.

[MWHIBBIES]

Eh, there is fodder like this in the champions league too.

[Smartie]

They were abysmal, but in very challenging circumstances we found a way to get a reasonably convincing win.

Hibs can't really win in a situation like tonight, other than to, er, win.

The challenge properly comes in the next round and beyond. If Hibs start picking up results in those games then we'll have reason to rejoice about Scottish clubs starting to get themselves back up to a better level rather than having sunk to this one.

[Key West]

They were pathetic, especially their defence and their keeper. I think they'd be battling relegation in our League 2.

I think we'll score 4 or 5 next week, even if we rotate the squad.

Been watching Hibs in Europe for half a century, off and on, mostly the former and come to the conclusion that this lot would struggle to beat Cowdenbeath. No thanks to the referee we struggled to avoid serious injuries.

[Key West]

Eh, there is fodder like this in the champions league too.

I’m struggling to imagine a worse team.

[wallpaperman]

Been watching Hibs in Europe for half a century, off and on, mostly the former and come to the conclusion that this lot would struggle to beat Cowdenbeath. No thanks to the referee we struggled to avoid serious injuries.

I didn’t see tonight, but were they worse than the team from the Faroes we hammered a few years ago?

I seem to remember their keeper at Easter Road had a good few saves and it should easily have been double figures that night.

[CMurdoch]

Bora Rangers wouldn’t have looked out of place at this stage of the tournament, how have Scottish teams sank this low?

?
Scotland are a lofty 9th in the UEFA coefficient league and will be 8th when next season starts with only England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Portugal and Hollands top leagues ahead of Scotland's Premiership.

Only clubs from the 6 top countries didn't play in this round of the Conference.

[Stuart93]

I actually thought that team moved the ball about quite well at times especially in the middle of the park

Haha when did Scottish teams sink this low? This is actually our prize for being better in Europe for the past few years

[Key West]

I didn’t see tonight, but were they worse than the team from the Faroes we hammered a few years ago?

I seem to remember their keeper at Easter Road had a good few saves and it should easily have been double figures that night.

Wouldnt get into a heated debate about who was better or worse!:greengrin

[green day]

Bora Rangers wouldn’t have looked out of place at this stage of the tournament, how have Scottish teams sank this low?

What's the quality of the opposition got to do with Scottish teams?

If you look at the teams competing in this round, there are plenty of "big names" - Astana, Molde, Maribor, Copenhagen, Austria Vienna, Feynoord, Rosenberg......need I go on?

[chrisski33]

Lets hope we get a good run in Europe before slagging off european opposition

[Key West]

What's the quality of the opposition got to do with Scottish teams?

If you look at the teams competing in this round, there are plenty of "big names" - Astana, Molde, Maribor, Copenhagen, Austria Vienna, Feynoord, Rosenberg......need I go on?

Fair point, I’m feeling much better now.

[jgl07]

Bora Rangers wouldn’t have looked out of place at this stage of the tournament, how have Scottish teams sank this low?
They looked technically rather better than the Faroese side that Hibs played a couple of years back although rather brutal.

[Nakedmanoncrack]

They were certainly 'entertaining' aside from the blatant cheating, there was some bizarre tactics, e.g. goalkeeper needing 2 of his team mates next to him in the box to be able to take goal kicks, come to think of it the keeper provided quite a lot of merriment.

[MyJo]

They looked like they had ordered Lorenzo Insigne and Arturo Vidal from Wish with their striker and captain

[Sir David Gray]

They were Highland League standard.

[worcesterhibby]

They were Highland League standard.

better than Hearts then.

[SChibs]

Bora Rangers wouldn’t have looked out of place at this stage of the tournament, how have Scottish teams sank this low?

What do you mean by 'sank so low'. I'm sure we are around 11th on the standings for our league, going by the population of our country that's a good position to be in. Do you suggest we just ban teams from Andorra, Kosovan, Gibraltar etc? They entered the competition on merit because they had a good season last year, as did we.

[hibbysam]

They looked technically rather better than the Faroese side that Hibs played a couple of years back although rather brutal.

Yeah they were far better than the Faroes side, but that’s not saying much. They were comfortable on the ball but absolutely brutal when they crossed halfway. And they are probably the dirtiest side I’ve ever seen. Tackle on Boyle on the left touch line is as bad as you’ll see.

[EI255]

Their number 10 looked like a darts player. Chubby dude with a (flat) mochican. Don't even recall him touching the ball [emoji849]

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[Since452]

I’m struggling to imagine a worse team.

Mons Calpe

[Since452]

I thought they knocked the ball around well. Top end championship team I'd say.

[Hibernian Verse]

I thought they knocked the ball around well. Top end championship team I'd say.

Nowhere near. They knocked the ball about well under no pressure, more often than not to their own goalie.

[Sir David Gray]

I thought they knocked the ball around well. Top end championship team I'd say.

Not a chance they're a top end Championship club based on last night's performance, in my opinion.

They might do ok in the Highland League.

[Key West]

What do you mean by 'sank so low'. I'm sure we are around 11th on the standings for our league, going by the population of our country that's a good position to be in. Do you suggest we just ban teams from Andorra, Kosovan, Gibraltar etc? They entered the competition on merit because they had a good season last year, as did we.

Seen Hibs beat Rosenborg 9-1 and Malmo 6-0 that's what I mean!

[SChibs]

Their number 10 looked like a darts player. Chubby dude with a (flat) mochican. Don't even recall him touching the ball [emoji849]

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He was their best player, everything they did went through him. He actually played quite well.

[Glory Lurker]

What was the story with their weird goal kick set up?

[H18 SFR]

For a team of part timers that most think would play Lowland or Highland league, i thought they were technically ok individually and all wanted on the ball, even in tight areas of the park.

Of course they were no where near the standard of us but I thought they gave us a really good game.

[hibee316]

What was the story with their weird goal kick set up?

Fairly standard thing for teams to do if they want to play out from the back.

[Jones28]

Bora Rangers wouldn’t have looked out of place at this stage of the tournament, how have Scottish teams sank this low?

Money, simple as that.

[Forza Fred]

For a team of part timers that most think would play Lowland or Highland league, i thought they were technically ok individually and all wanted on the ball, even in tight areas of the park.

Of course they were no where near the standard of us but I thought they gave us a really good game.

Are they part timers though?

I can’t find anything that confirms this….very possible I admit that I am looking in the wrong places…

[H18 SFR]

Are they part timers though?

I can’t find anything that confirms this….very possible I admit that I am looking in the wrong places…

According to Wiki:

With the fourth smallest population of any UEFA country,[24] until the admission of Gibraltar, the talent pool is small. Players are predominantly amateurs because the Andorra domestic league is only part-time. Since Andorra began playing in 1996, their average FIFA ranking is 163.[25]

‘Predominantly amateurs’

Given that they are a small village team according to what I’ve read, I recon they won’t be fully time across the full team.

[H18 SFR]

Definitely part time:

This close-quartered nature of Andorran football is reflected in the nation’s civic life, with many Primera Divisió players maintaining their passion with additional professions. “We have a policeman, a bank director, another one is a mechanic; he has his own car shop; one is an English teacher,” Llevot adds.

[ian cruise]

They benefitted from being drawn against the team from Gibraltar in the last round, if the draw had pulled them out against anyone else neither team would be in this round.

There's probably a couple of teams who went out last round looking at Santa Coloma and wishing the draw had been more favourable.

[JXM73]

There's a reason pish teams enter at this round, expect to get through one round, maybe, before meeting tougher pish in next round... unfortunately until we consistently beat this pish and that of the next round it's our level..