[Albion] Green energy: Brighton put Ireland back on Premier League map

[Jolly Red Giant]

Do we make the top 5 though?

Top 5 Cheesey - I would say definitely - although there is a lot of competition at the moment. Ireland's underage players are showing more potential this season than any underage group since Ireland won the U18 and U16 Euros in 1998 with the likes of Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, John O'Shea, Richard Dunne etc.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Wilson is 19 and Bazunu is 17 - and they are both at Man City where it is a little more difficult to make the break-though into the first team than it is at Brighton.

Under Hughton it was impossible......

 

[LlcoolJ]

Wilson is 19 and Bazunu is 17 - and they are both at Man City where it is a little more difficult to make the break-though into the first team than it is at Brighton.

You seem to painting yourself into a corner with this argument.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Nice story - but there are other clubs that have more Irish players - and where the Irish players are making more of an impact - Man City for example - where 17 year-old Gavin Bazunu and 19 Year-old Tyreke Wilson

Wilson and Bazunu are prospects that have not graduated beyond a few training sessions with the City first team. Neither have had a senior loan spell, and neither have made a senior appearance.

Wilson is 19 and Bazunu is 17 - and they are both at Man City where it is a little more difficult to make the break-though into the first team than it is at Brighton.

 

[AZ Gull]

There's a video interview on the other thread with Aaron Connolly where he mentions Evan Ferguson, sounded to me as though he is already there. Maybe just outside schoolterm? As he is only 15, or would the club have moved him over and re-schooled him or paying for private tuition?

While I am certainly not an expert on these things, I think it is against FIFA rules for a lad under 16 to move to England to join an academy - A guide to the FIFA rules on the international transfer of minors

And he would certainly appear to still be playing for Bohs/St Kevin's Boys at the moment:-

[TWEET]1181244807081013248[/TWEET]

I'm sure he has visited the club (this article suggests he was due to visit in July) but I suspect that IF he has indeed committed himself to Albion, he wouldn't come over until his U-16 schoolboy season at the earliest.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

You seem to painting yourself into a corner with this argument.

I don't look at the Irish player through Brighton tinted glasses. The Irish lads at Man City are showing a lot of potential and, while it will be very difficult for them to break through there I think a couple could (especially Bazunu).

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Under Hughton it was impossible......

Evidence?

Do you think that last season Connolly was good enough to start in the PL?

 

[Ecosse Exile]

While I am certainly not an expert on these things, I think it is against FIFA rules for a lad under 16 to move to England to join an academy - A guide to the FIFA rules on the international transfer of minors

And he would certainly appear to still be playing for Bohs/St Kevin's Boys at the moment:-

[TWEET]1181244807081013248[/TWEET]

I'm sure he has visited the club (this article suggests he was due to visit in July) but I suspect that IF he has indeed committed himself to Albion, he wouldn't come over until his U-16 schoolboy season at the earliest.

I'm sure you're right, just sounded that way on the interview, perhaps he comes over in half term etc, which i'd imagine is great for the lad to feel part of things.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I am LOVING the fact that the brother of Paddy McCourt is our Irish scout!

Top article, thanks for sharing [emoji106]

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/leroy-mc...issionId=34c7b0cb-bba6-cc15-79c4-2ff92716bf00

 

[Nottseagull]

Evidence?

Do you think that last season Connolly was good enough to start in the PL?

He was probably good enough for the team at home to Bournemouth....

 

[Ecosse Exile]

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/leroy-mc...issionId=34c7b0cb-bba6-cc15-79c4-2ff92716bf00

Wow! That really sounded good, i would expect any employee to be pro the club tbh but Leroy McCourt was really singing their praises.

 

[GT49er]

Evidence?

Do you think that last season Connolly was good enough to start in the PL?

Evidence? Evidence of what? Evidence that Hughton was reluctant to blood youngsters in the Brighton 1st. team. Yes, plenty - he didn't do it.

Evidence that Connolly was good enough towards the end of last season? Silly question - there is none, because he wasn't tried. Many people think it would have been worth a shot, though.

 

[GT49er]

Wow! That really sounded good, i would expect any employee to be pro the club tbh but Leroy McCourt was really singing their praises.

I was expecting, 'Although we all said please, nicely, they wouldn't f***in' play my brother, would they!' to crop up at any time!

 

[Guinness Boy]

Evidence?

Do you think that last season Connolly was good enough to start in the PL?

Based on the fact he battered Alderweireld and Vertonghen single handed last week I'd say he'd have been a better bet than a Dutch DJ and an Iranian international with the pace of a slug on mogadon and the strength of Sister Wendy.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Evidence?

Do you think that last season Connolly was good enough to start in the PL?

To give you a serious answer (that you don't really deserve) I regularly contribute to a radio show / podcast that has interviewed people throughout our club. One of the conversations on said show was around how Hughton had to have youngsters train with the first team for a number of times that was in the high tens before they could be trusted to "play in the system".

Jayson Molumby was in the first team squad twice but did not get on the pitch. Connelly was loaned out to Luton. You can combine that with my previous answer to understand my original reply. We played shit players in a system that was also shit. A shame because I was Hughton's biggest advocate in the Championship. There we used players who could create things from anywhere at that level to win promotion. But he went safety first in the EPL. I think under the mistaken idea that just surviving was enough.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

To give you a serious answer (that you don't really deserve) I regularly contribute to a radio show / podcast that has interviewed people throughout our club. One of the conversations on said show was around how Hughton had to have youngsters train with the first team for a number of times that was in the high tens before they could be trusted to "play in the system".

Connolly trained numerous times with the first team under Hughton.

Also - Potter intended to send Connolly out on loan this season, but was persuaded to keep him by Weir when Weir saw him playing for Ireland.

Jayson Molumby was in the first team squad twice but did not get on the pitch. Connelly was loaned out to Luton. You can combine that with my previous answer to understand my original reply. We played shit players in a system that was also shit. A shame because I was Hughton's biggest advocate in the Championship. There we used players who could create things from anywhere at that level to win promotion. But he went safety first in the EPL. I think under the mistaken idea that just surviving was enough.

Do you think Connolly was ready to play in the PL last season?

If Connolly was good enough to play for Brighton last season - then how do you explain the fact that he managed 2 appearances - both as sub - during his loan spell with a League One team (albeit one that was top of the division).

Hughton had a job to do - keep Brighton in the PL with a squad that was probably not capable of doing that. It would not have been the best idea to throw an 18 year old kid into that situation and hope that he could have changed anything. Go back and look at the record of promoted teams and how many get relegated in the first two seasons (I have posted this before).

This season Connolly is showing up to the races - and, as I have demonstrated, when Hughton has a young player that is good enough he will play them. This is a new season and there is no evidence that Hughton would not have Connolly in the first team squad and on the pitch.

All of this is driven by the fact that Connolly scored two goals last week - he has only started on PL game for Brighton - we have no idea if he will keep the momentum going. I am very optimistic about Connolly - he seems mature and determined to make it work (to go along with his talent) - but the PL is littered with players that have done just what Connolly did over the last 3-4 weeks and then crashed and burned.

 

[GT49er]

If Connolly was good enough to play for Brighton last season - then how do you explain the fact that he managed 2 appearances - both as sub - during his loan spell with a League One team (albeit one that was top of the division).

Injured.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Injured.

Went to Luton on 3 April after he had recovered from his injury - they played six games while he was there - he made two sub appearances.

The player that started for Ireland today - James Collins - played six games and scored four times in the same two months.

 

[GT49er]

Went to Luton on 3 April after he had recovered from his injury - they played six games while he was there - he made two sub appearances..

They were hardly going to start messing about with the team set-up by terowing in a player who for obvious reasons wouldn't have been match-sharp when going into the final games of a run to the league title, were they!

The player that started for Ireland today - James Collins - played six games and scored four times in the same two months.

Neither were they likely to drop a player who had played nearly every game in that successful team for the last two years! You just don't do that sort of thing if you're within a hair's breadth of winning the league and promotion.
Anyway, I've never commented about Collins' place in the Ireland team, for or against. Just rubbishing your suggestion that Connolly was a bit of a flop at Luton and therefore a worse player than Collins.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

They were hardly going to start messing about with the team set-up by terowing in a player who for obvious reasons wouldn't have been match-sharp when going into the final games of a run to the league title, were they!

When Connolly arrived at Luton they were 12 points ahead of 3rd place with 6 games to go - and 7 points ahead of Barnsley for top of L1. Their last 6 games were 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats. Connolly came on as a sub against Charlton when they were 1-1 and they lost 1-3. He wasn't in the squad for Accorington (3-0) and was a sub against Wimbledon - came on 63rd minute when they were winning 2-1 (it ended 2-2). He was an unused sub against Burton (lost 1-2) and didn't even make the bench against Bristol R. Jason Cummings of Nottm Forest - also on loan at Luton - was used 3 times as sub in the same stretch of games. Connolly had little impact in the games he played.

Anyway, I've never commented about Collins' place in the Ireland team, for or against. Just rubbishing your suggestion that Connolly was a bit of a flop at Luton and therefore a worse player than Collins.

Connolly was a bit of a flop at Luton - he didn't have any impact when he played - and I never claimed that Connolly was a 'worse player than Collins'. What I suggested is that Connolly probably was not ready for PL football last season - and the argument that Hughton didn't play him because he doesn't play young players is a bogus argument. There were no underage Brighton players ready for the PL last season and so far only one has shown he might be able to make an impact this season. The criticism of Hughton about young players is a false argument.

Collins is a 28 year-old journeyman professional who has fought his way up the divisions over 10 years. While he may not have the talent or flair of Connolly - he has managed to survive for 10 years as a professional footballer and has become a full international - in the same time period there are probably thousands of players who have bombed out of the league. We have no idea what Connolly will achieve and even if he will still be playing the game in 10 years. Connolly has talent and a lot of potential but Collins deserves a little respect for what he has managed to achieve as a pro.