[Albion] Aaron Connolly (previous thread condensed.)

[Eric the meek]

Oh really

Were fees agreed and the transfers finally gone through?

It's not always about money you know. He's dumped us. Cast us aside like a pair of old slippers. He's got bigger fish to fry these days.

 

[GT49er]

The party boy image is a red herring. The bigger problem is that Aaron lacks the talent and ruthlessness to ever be a top striker.
The hype boils down to one game years ago and a good youth record. Big deal.
He will find his level. It was never going to be in the premier league though, more likely League One. He doesn’t deserve hate for this. Also, it’s certainly not his fault that the club was stupid enough to offer him such a generous contract.

The party boy inage is not a red herring, it is part of the problem - it's a symptom of the lack of ruthlessness that you cite. The talent is there - not just on the evidence of that Tottenham match; much more evidence from being PL2 player of the season.

 

[Springal]

The party boy inage is not a red herring, it is part of the problem - it's a symptom of the lack of ruthlessness that you cite. The talent is there - not just on the evidence of that Tottenham match; much more evidence from being PL2 player of the season.


Lewis Dunk was as bad, if not worse from what I saw & heard. But it probably helped he was developing at a lower level and had more ability. And was more committed around training / pre seasons etc

 

[nwgull]

‘Adaption issues’. Seems surprising, Aaron Connolly and Venice seemed like the perfect match. I really thought he’d knuckle down and do well there.

Couldn’t cut it Boro, couldn’t cut it at Venezia, how many stops are there left before Crawley Town?

I don’t think the club managed him very well after those goals against Spurs, he should have gone on loan somewhere. Being a striker went against him, as we were desperate for goals and hoped he was the answer. But he’s had two more chances now and hasn’t taken either of them. What level club would now actually buy him? Can’t see higher than League One.

Was it not the case that the club wanted to loan him at the beginning of the 19/20 season, as per our usual MO with talented young players, but Connolly himself wanted to stay and try to get in the first team?

 

[GT49er]

‘Adaption issues’. Seems surprising, Aaron Connolly and Venice seemed like the perfect match. I really thought he’d knuckle down and do well there.

Couldn’t cut it Boro, couldn’t cut it at Venezia, how many stops are there left before Crawley Town?

I don’t think the club managed him very well after those goals against Spurs, he should have gone on loan somewhere.

Abso-bloody-lutely! Was there not a suggestion at the time that he wouldn't agree to go out on loan?

 

[Commander]

Does GP have to hold his hands up to that to a degree?

Yes, I think so. Him and others at the club. You can't get every decision right though.

 

[wigman]

Some people just need to have a player to hate.

And when you've been through Mickey Thomas, Alan Biley, Mark Farrington, Dickie Tiltman, Michael Mahoney-Johnson, Glen Thomas, Jamie Moralee, Graeme Smith, Kemi Agustien, Danny Holla, Leon Best and DJ Locadia it's no surprise.

We had every reason to hate Mickey Thomas.

 

[amexer]

Trouble with him is he has never proved himself at any level above under 21s. When he struggled after his wonder debut needed to go to a div 2 club on loan. By that time thought he was better then he was and would not consider anything below championship where he was not good enough. In the meantime on a good long term contract and walking round Brighton nightlife as a big I am. Those people who saw and knew of this behaviour will not forget. Who knows if he can come good but certainly now needs to start at bottom. He is still young and wish him the best.

 

[Horses Arse]

It’s not that…it’s the nature of the comments, in amongst some reasoned discussion, the level of vitriol is . I just don’t get mentality of some of our own fans being so eager to destroy someone who is still ‘one of our own’. It’s not just Connolly, there are always one or two targets. Just me I guess

I'm not seeing anyone eager to see him fail. It's frustration that someone that got through the huge challenges in getting beyond the academy stage and actually breaking into the 1st team is thrown away. Such a waste. All those kids passed over, for that.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

It's not always about money you know. He's dumped us. Cast us aside like a pair of old slippers. He's got bigger fish to fry these days.

Maybe he will return if Graham finds himself out of work, not sure the DWP have an appropriate forum

 

[Lenny Rider]

We had every reason to hate Mickey Thomas.

I dont hate Richard Tiltman, and no Brighton fan has any reason to do so.

Mickey Thomas is difficult one, I've made no secret of my own battles with mental health and in Thomas's case I've no doubt that for whatever reason he wasn't 'wired right' at that time. The speed at which both Manchester United and Everton got shot of him is testament to this.

Driving from Hove to North Wales to have a cup of tea with your Mother for around 30 mins and then coming straight back is not level headed behaviour, he was clearly troubled, his later acts of self sabotage are also clear pointers to his alleged disorder.

There's too much hate in the world, we shoudn't hate anyone, if I was to meet Ashley Neal in the future and was near a licensed premisis, I would insist on buying him a drink and stating "Ashley you won. there will never anyone worse than you in an Albion shirt", but I certainly wouldn't hate him or any of our other crap players.

 

[SAC]

Was it not the case that the club wanted to loan him at the beginning of the 19/20 season, as per our usual MO with talented young players, but Connolly himself wanted to stay and try to get in the first team?

I think it was mentioned on here but I don't think that the club or the press ever mentioned it so it could well be a presumption on NSC that has now become a fact. Perhaps the club wanted to loan him but no one wanted him or the club were asking too much of his wages to be paid? Don't suppose we will ever know.

 

[DJ NOBO]

Abso-bloody-lutely! Was there not a suggestion at the time that he wouldn't agree to go out on loan?

The story goes that Connolly told Potter he didn’t want to on loan because he wanted to play in the first team at Brighton.
Potter was impressed, and basically said ‘ok then’.
The club didn’t let Aaron down at this point, nor he let himself down.
it just didn’t work out.

 

[rippleman]

The story goes that Connolly told Potter he didn’t want to on loan because he wanted to play in the first team at Brighton.
Potter was impressed, and basically said ‘ok then’.
The club didn’t let Aaron down at this point, nor he let himself down.
it just didn’t work out.

An admirable attitude. Except that Connolly, for whatever reason, decided that a life on the raz was more important than applying himself, to training hard and getting his nut down so he could realise his ambition. I agree that the club didn't let Connolly down. 100%.

I can't agree though that Connolly hasn't let himself down and maybe one day he will realise what he has lost. He has nobody to blame but himself.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

An admirable attitude. Except that Connolly, for whatever reason, decided that a life on the raz was more important than applying himself, to training hard and getting his nut down so he could realise his ambition. I agree that the club didn't let Connolly down. 100%.

I can't agree though that Connolly hasn't let himself down and maybe one day he will realise what he has lost. He has nobody to blame but himself.

Totally irrespective of whose fault it may have been, Aaron Connolly simply isn't good enough for whatever reason to make it as a Premier League player.

Regrettable as he showed a lot of promise, biut it happens all the time in football and it's far from a unique situation.

 

[GT49er]

The story goes that Connolly told Potter he didn’t want to on loan because he wanted to play in the first team at Brighton.
Potter was impressed, and basically said ‘ok then’.
The club didn’t let Aaron down at this point, nor he let himself down.
it just didn’t work out.

Quite right - all was fine at that point. The mistake started in January 2020 when we didn't send him on loan until two years later. Two years too late

 

[Pavilionaire]

Driving from Hove to North Wales to have a cup of tea with your Mother for around 30 mins and then coming straight back is not level headed behaviour, he was clearly troubled, his later acts of self sabotage are also clear pointers to his alleged disorder.

What, driving to Dundee in his bare feet and an clinical addiction to Toblerone?

 

[jcdenton08]

What, driving to Dundee in his bare feet and a clinical addiction to Toblerone?

Don’t forget to buy shoes, can’t see Shrek in your bare feet

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Can’t be many 22 year olds that have a queue of (relatively) old men on their keyboards who were 20% of the player he still is poised waiting to pounce to signal the end of their careers for them.……probably many of the same ones hailing his arrival after the Spurs game. Some make it, some don’t, and some that don’t will probably look back in a few years and realise they wasted an opportunity perhaps Personally take no pleasure at all in seeing him struggle, hope he ends up happy and fulfilled wherever he goes.

20%?

Rubbish - I was much worse than that.

 

[JBizzle]

Ah another 8 pages on this thread with people extrapolating scenarios and judgement based on one very short comment in the Italian media.