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[Albion] Aaron Connolly - joining Hull permanently



Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
24,132
GOSBTS
Brewster scored 1 goal in every 2 games for Swansea in the Championship and both he + Solanke were prolific at youth level for England prior to those moves.

You can see how clubs could get lured into paying big money for those two.

Who would pay £5M+ for Connoly at the moment?

Fair point - but Brewster only scored 3 this season for Sheff Utd so just shows how unpredictable it is for all young strikers in the EFL / PL
 




Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
24,132
GOSBTS
Really?

Blackburn delighted with Van Hecke and Khadra and would like to keep them. West Brom. very happy with Clarke, a bit iffy about Molumby, but not shit.?

I didn’t say that, but I said look at opposing fans views on those players and Van Hecke is the only one excelling with a chance of making our first team I’d say
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,861
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Plus Brewster and Solanke didn't leave their home club with derisive fans proclaiming how crap they were all over t'internet...........................

They were also not lumbered with the pressure of being one of the few main striker options at their club, as Connolly was here. He was thrown in at the deep end, which was not his fault.

Thats entirely on BHA and the long-lamented inadequacy in recruiting a decent striker. Connolly has always been on a hiding to nothing in that respect, as he's patently not up to it at this level, so expecting him to come up with a productive goal return from the get-go was never going to pan out.
 


GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
47,109
Gloucester
They were also not lumbered with the pressure of being one of the few main striker options at their club, as Connolly was here. He was thrown in at the deep end, which was not his fault.

Thats entirely on BHA and the long-lamented inadequacy in recruiting a decent striker. Connolly has always been on a hiding to nothing in that respect, as he's patently not up to it at this level, so expecting him to come up with a productive goal return from the get-go was never going to pan out.

It's not the recruiting that's been at fault for the Connolly situation (though yes, there have been faults with our striker recruitment) but more the mismanagement of Connolly's development. He should have been out out loan eighteen months/two years ago, not suddenly just now.
 
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Weststander

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Aug 25, 2011
64,991
Withdean area
I am sorry if you include me in that number. As I told Swanny, I could not give a toss whether he is in the papers or not. Is he ever going to be a PL player? On the evidence I have seen no. The worst thing that happened to him was that Spurs game. It went to his head.

He may have a future in the game. But not with us. Not on the evidence I have seen. I wish he was knocking in the goals for Boro.

I would love to be proved wrong

I genuinely didn’t notice you or any other nsc’ers.

Just going by the undercurrent of anti AC vitriol in the past, a herd mentality giving him a sustained shoeing about his football and life outside of football.

The odds are stacked against him being a successful EPL striker, how many make it from these isles against the best defenders in this world? I won’t hold that against him, but I do have concerns about the mental health of a young man in an age of internet haters …. his cohort can’t help but dip in to read it.
 




GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
47,109
Gloucester
I didn’t say that, but I said look at opposing fans views on those players and Van Hecke is the only one excelling with a chance of making our first team I’d say
You didn't say what? You said there must be a lot of shit Brighton loanees out there according to the fans - I pointed out that in many cases that wasn't the case at all. I've been regularly following all the English and Scottish fans' websites where our loanees are based all season to get a feel of how they are doing. Obviously there is criticism as well as praise, but the only ones that have incurred vituperative 'he's shit' comments have been Jenks, Sima (through never being available) and ....... err ..... sadly, Connolly.
 


Wardy's twin

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2014
8,522
In terms of strikers, players coming through the Liverpool / Arsenal academy, and coming through the Brighton academy are entirely different things in terms of setting a fee. Brewster and Solanke have proved to be truly SHOCKING bits of business for the buying clubs - but they came at a premium because of who they'd played for. The same does not apply to BHA.

If anyone offered £5m for Connolly then Bloom will have truly won the lottery. Like you though, I think another loan is on the cards. BHA have never produced a striker of any note in our history, and Connolly is not going to the one to buck that trend, sadly,

Not sure we 'produced' him but Gyokeres is decent enough still young so still learning. Maybe we let the wrong one go....
 


Springal

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Feb 12, 2005
24,132
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You didn't say what? You said there must be a lot of shit Brighton loanees out there according to the fans - I pointed out that in many cases that wasn't the case at all. I've been regularly following all the English and Scottish fans' websites where our loanees are based all season to get a feel of how they are doing. Obviously there is criticism as well as praise, but the only ones that have incurred vituperative 'he's shit' comments have been Jenks, Sima (through never being available) and ....... err ..... sadly, Connolly.

And Taylor Richards based on his only 65mins …

Point still stands, only Van Hecke is getting out and out praise , even despite a few errors in last few weeks
 




Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,861
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It's not the recruiting that's been at fault for the Connolly situation (though yes, there have been faults with our striker recruitment) but more the mismanagement of Connolly's development. He should have been out out loan eighteen months/two years ago, not suddenly just now.

The mismanagement of his development is directly linked with the poor recruitment which led to a paucity of viable striker options up front. We were forced to lean more heavily on him than we should have, being as all we basically had was a 48 year old Murray, and a new striker fresh from the Champsionship in Maupay. Yes, he most certainly should have been out on loan in season 2019/20, rather than regularly leading the line for us in the PL.

Lest we forget, after that 2 goal salvo v Spurs on October 5th, he didn't score again till the final game of the season, a dead rubber at Burnley. And in that time, he provided a grand total of 2 assists. He wasn't ready, nowhere near. We threw him in, it was sink or swim.

He sank, and has never resurfaced.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,861
Location Location
Not sure we 'produced' him but Gyokeres is decent enough still young so still learning. Maybe we let the wrong one go....

I'm not sure we 'produced' him either - he joined us when he was nearly 20, and has spent most of his time out on loan at St Pauli, Swansea and now Cov. He's doing well for himself there, but its a bit of a stretch to call him a product of BHA.

My point stands - we have never, in our history, produced a decent striker who could cut it at 2nd division level, let alone in the Prem. Thats pretty dismal when you look at the likes of Bristol Rovers, who have produced several. One in particular who we might well remember.
 


GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
47,109
Gloucester
The mismanagement of his development is directly linked with the poor recruitment which led to a paucity of viable striker options up front. We were forced to lean more heavily on him than we should have, being as all we basically had was a 48 year old Murray, and a new striker fresh from the Champsionship in Maupay. Yes, he most certainly should have been out on loan in season 2019/20, rather than regularly leading the line for us in the PL.

Lest we forget, after that 2 goal salvo v Spurs on October 5th, he didn't score again till the final game of the season, a dead rubber at Burnley. And in that time, he provided a grand total of 2 assists. He wasn't ready, nowhere near. We threw him in, it was sink or swim.

He sank, and has never resurfaced.

Murray and Maupay and we only ever played one up front, so we had two for that place; not ideal, but........... Not so much a recruitment problem at that time as the problem of why were we so quick to ship out our other striker option. Demented psychopath (or not) he may have been! Could have recalled him in January (probably) and sent Connolly out on loan then.

Yes, we did throw him in - and got it wrong. Lower league loan next season, make or break, I reckon. I'm starting to fear that it might be two years too late though.
 




Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,738
I'm not sure we 'produced' him either - he joined us when he was nearly 20, and has spent most of his time out on loan at St Pauli, Swansea and now Cov. He's doing well for himself there, but its a bit of a stretch to call him a product of BHA.

My point stands - we have never, in our history, produced a decent striker who could cut it at 2nd division level, let alone in the Prem. Thats pretty dismal when you look at the likes of Bristol Rovers, who have produced several. One in particular who we might well remember.

Zamora wasn't produced by Bristol Rovers. He joined them after West Ham released him as a eighteen year old. Minus his loans he was there for less than six months
 


GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
47,109
Gloucester
I'm not sure we 'produced' him either - he joined us when he was nearly 20, and has spent most of his time out on loan at St Pauli, Swansea and now Cov. He's doing well for himself there, but its a bit of a stretch to call him a product of BHA.

My point stands - we have never, in our history, produced a decent striker who could cut it at 2nd division level, let alone in the Prem. Thats pretty dismal when you look at the likes of Bristol Rovers, who have produced several. One in particular who we might well remember.

...........so where lies the problem? Is it that we've never recruited a striker (failure by the recruitment team) or never developed our own striker (not a failure by the recruitment team, blame firmly lies at the door of the development team)?
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
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...........so where lies the problem? Is it that we've never recruited a striker (failure by the recruitment team) or never developed our own striker (not a failure by the recruitment team, blame firmly lies at the door of the development team)?

Mmm...can I say both ?

I wouldn't say we've never recruited a striker. Just that we haven't really managed to recently.
 




Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,773
The mismanagement of his development is directly linked with the poor recruitment which led to a paucity of viable striker options up front. We were forced to lean more heavily on him than we should have, being as all we basically had was a 48 year old Murray, and a new striker fresh from the Champsionship in Maupay. Yes, he most certainly should have been out on loan in season 2019/20, rather than regularly leading the line for us in the PL.

Lest we forget, after that 2 goal salvo v Spurs on October 5th, he didn't score again till the final game of the season, a dead rubber at Burnley. And in that time, he provided a grand total of 2 assists. He wasn't ready, nowhere near. We threw him in, it was sink or swim.

He sank, and has never resurfaced.

Aaron has to take some responsibility re his application, his professionalism. I also think the Ireland thing is a factor, where - like the Albion - they had a lack of decent strikers too. He was the great Irish hope and his international caps maybe contributed to him remaining at the Albion.

He should have gone out on loan and played under someone like Mick MCarthy at Cardiff or Hughton at Forest. I genuinely hope he gets a move to a club with a manager who will back him, however I don't believe he has a future with the Albion especially now Potter has gone with no strikers.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,861
Location Location
Aaron has to take some responsibility re his application, his professionalism. I also think the Ireland thing is a factor, where - like the Albion - they had a lack of decent strikers too. He was the great Irish hope and his international caps maybe contributed to him remaining at the Albion.

He should have gone out on loan and played under someone like Mick MCarthy at Cardiff or Hughton at Forest. I genuinely hope he gets a move to a club with a manager who will back him, however I don't believe he has a future with the Albion especially now Potter has gone with no strikers.

I agree, he's not done himself any favours in how he has generally conducted himself as a professional. There's some fault on both sides in how his career has panned out.
 










Stat Brother

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NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Question - what would Connolly have to do in the 4 games left for his loan spell to be considered a reasonable success?

Sent from my SM-G998B using Tapatalk

Have the Boro manager say words to the effect of:-

'It would be nice to have AC here next season, he's really trained hard and has impressed me.
He could be massive for us with a season long commitment'.


It's too late for anything on the pitch.
 


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