Can someone please explain how the Northern Ireland European qualification works??

[\'Appy \'Ammer]

I can't get my head around this. I've recently holidayed my first season before starting to play with a team. After viewing the Danske Bank Premiership final league table, I was interested as to which team got into Europe.

The league rules state that the league splits in 2 after 33 matches, and the last 5 games are played out between those in the top 6 and those in the bottom 6.

The winners of the league enter the Champions League qualifiers. The runners up go into the Europa league qualifiers. Then there is a European place play off between the teams that finished 3rd to 7th. 

The 7th placed team (that's the team that finished top of the bottom half group!), plays a quarter final with the team that finished 6th. Then there's two semi finals played involving the teams that finished 3rd, 4th, 5th and the winner of the quarter final match. The winner of the final i assume gets into Europe...thus the name "European Place Playoffs". 

However, having looked at the league table for 2015/16 it hasn't worked out this way. Portadown finished 7th in the league, but managed to get through and win the playoff final against 3rd placed Glenavon. So surely Portadown would have qualified for Europe? No, they didn't. And I can't get my head around why not?  Any ideas?

[Dagenham_Dave]

Sometimes it doesn't update the final European places until the season 'officially' ends, ie when you get the news item about it. Other than that, no idea, unless Portadown are banned from Europe or something

[Spurs08]

48 minutes ago, Dagenham_Dave said:

Sometimes it doesn't update the final European places until the season 'officially' ends, ie when you get the news item about it. Other than that, no idea, unless Portadown are banned from Europe or something

Possible I guess that they failed the FFP rules? 

[Cougar2010]

A few questions:

A) Who were the Cup winners?

B) How many European places do Northern Ireland get? Would guess four maybe (League winner, League runner up, Cup winner & Playoff winner?)

C) Are you playing FM16 as looking at Northern Ireland on my save there has never been a European playoff, places have always gone to Cup winner + League places.

D) You can check if Portadown failed FFP by looking at their landmarks under history.

E) As Dave suggested above what date are you at in game? Have the qualifiers been announced? You can check on the previous season summary (From the N.Ireland page Overview > Season Summary).

[\'Appy \'Ammer]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am playing FM16.

N.Ireland gets 1 Champions League place and 3 Europa League places. The rules state that 3 teams qualify for the Europa League depending on who wins the Irish Cup. Qualification for Europe is allocated by: League positions, Irish Cup winners, and then the winner of the European playoff gets the last European spot. Maybe my confusion is happening with the winner of the Irish Cup rule. Cliftonville won the league and cup double. So Cliftonville are already in the Champions League, the runners up of the cup do not get in, so it goes to the teams in league positions?

Here are the league positions:

1st Cliftonville    Champions League
2nd Crusaders        Europa League
3rd Glenavon        Europa League
4th Glentoran        Europa League
5th Linfield
6th Coleraine
7th Portadown

Irish Cup winners were Cliftonville.

I am currently in December 2016, so am looking back at last season. There is nothing in the Landmarks history of Portadown to say they have failed any FFP.

I still don't understand why Portadown didn't get the Europa League having defeated Glenavon in the European Place playoff, yet Glenavon qualified.

[Cougar2010]

I've had a look at my save again and I'm a little confused as to why there are no European playoffs in my save whilst you have them.

They were introduced in the 15/16 season IRL and looking at the data issues forum it seems like the playoffs were perhaps added in a later patch which might explain why I don't have them.

I suspect you might find its a bug given the playoffs were added afterwards although there are still other possibilities such as Portadown failing FFP.  You would have thought though if it was a bug someone else would have reported it by now as well.

You could post it in the bugs forum and upload a save to SIs FTP server and they might give you a definite answer although with them busy on FM17 it might be asking a bit too much.

[Spurs08]

8 hours ago, \'Appy \'Ammer said:

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am playing FM16.

N.Ireland gets 1 Champions League place and 3 Europa League places. The rules state that 3 teams qualify for the Europa League depending on who wins the Irish Cup. Qualification for Europe is allocated by: League positions, Irish Cup winners, and then the winner of the European playoff gets the last European spot. Maybe my confusion is happening with the winner of the Irish Cup rule. Cliftonville won the league and cup double. So Cliftonville are already in the Champions League, the runners up of the cup do not get in, so it goes to the teams in league positions?

Here are the league positions:

1st Cliftonville    Champions League
2nd Crusaders        Europa League
3rd Glenavon        Europa League
4th Glentoran        Europa League
5th Linfield
6th Coleraine
7th Portadown

Irish Cup winners were Cliftonville.

I am currently in December 2016, so am looking back at last season. There is nothing in the Landmarks history of Portadown to say they have failed any FFP.

I still don't understand why Portadown didn't get the Europa League having defeated Glenavon in the European Place playoff, yet Glenavon qualified.

What should happen is that 3rd place Glenavon go into the Europa League automatically since Cliftonville won the double, and then a playoff between the sides finishing 4th to 7th for the final spot. If it's instead continuing with the normal playoff and then ignoring the result, I'd say that's almost certainly a bug you should try and report ASAP so they can look at amending it for FM17.

 

EDIT: Note just in case SI view this post too. Even if a side is double-qualified, either for the playoffs or for European competition teams below 7th should NOT enter the Playoff. For instance in real-life in 15-16, Glenavon finished 3rd but had already won the Irish Cup and Dungannon Swifts finished 7th but failed to obtain a UEFA license, so the playoffs shrank to only include 3 teams.

[Jogo Bonito]

Forgive me for asking a question here rather than offering a solution, but isn't the issue why did Glentoran qualify here for the Europa League? The comment above says 'yet Glenavon qualified' but they surely should have done so by league position. 

If the game set four teams for the European play-off, Portadown should take the last Europa League spot instead of Glentoran by virtue of winning it.

Perhaps due to FFP or some other issue, Portadown were not eligible?

[johnhughthom]

Over the summer Portadown had trouble with the IFA over illegal player payments, from what I remember they were given a points deduction, and there was some doubt they would be allowed to play their opening games of the season. It happened too late for it to be part of FM 16 on release, but if changes to the league system were added in a patch, perhaps Portadown's troubles were also?

[\'Appy \'Ammer]

Yes, Portadown did get a ten point penalty, I think, at the start of this season for breaching financial rules. However in the game there is nothing in the history for failing FFP, therefore I don't think any punishments are reflected in the FM world on this instance. 

And Jogo Bonito, you make a good point. But if Glenavon have qualified for the Europa already then why do they need to bother with the playoffs? I live here, and I can't get my head around it!!!

[Cougar2010]

Are you using a default database or a downloaded one?

[\'Appy \'Ammer]

The default one. Winter update and the last patch.