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[Albion] The careers of Solly March and Anthony Knockaert



Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patreon
Oct 8, 2003
49,331
Faversham


keaton

Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
Nov 18, 2004
9,630
Not ‘spin’. Knockaert has done it multiple times….at West Ham last season he made a point of going to the edge of the home end in the disabled area to wave (and got moved on by stewards). At Chelsea he was right on the home/away segregation line.
Sorry what has he done? Gone to our away games and waved at fans?
 




nicko31

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2010
17,522
Gods country fortnightly
The When we were promoted, would you have taken three seasons in the Premier League? thread and the Solly March thread got me thinking...

When we were promoted, Solly March and Anthony Knockaert were two of our most well-used wide players. Since then...

One has been a consistent performer in Albion's Premier League side with nearly 160 top flight appearances, is still playing most games in our sixth Premier League season and at the peak of his powers.

One didn't make the Premier League grade, got loaned out to the Championship, sold on, drifted around a bit and is now playing for a small Greek club.

How many of us would have guessed which career trajectory belonged to which player?
He was one of those luxury players that every now and then would produce a worldie. Like CMS wasn't good enough for the Championship, Knocky wasn't good enough for the PL
 


JBizzle

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2010
5,797
Seaford
An added quirk to this is that when we were promoted Knockaert was coming into his prime at 25/26 years old, whereas Solly was only 22/23. Knockaert had to immediately up himself to Premier League level because that was expected of him. He was our best player. March was much more of a development opportunity.

March has also benefitted hugely from his versatility. All three of our PL managers have found a place for him, and that place has often been different. Those 160 apps have come about because he's always been willing to adapt and it's actually really paid dividends in the last 18 months when he turned 26ish. Neither player is that same player that were back then, but for very different reasons

In answer to the OP though, no I wouldn't and didn't see it working out this way although there are several people out there (and on here) who've been trying to oust March from the first team since that season.
 




el punal

Well-known member
Knocky lacked the emotional/mental resilience to be a success at the very top. Very needy, ‘all about him’ type of character. Gave us some amazing moments in the championship but too fragile to reach the pinnacle.
Knocky was an absolute revelation when he joined us. The Championship promotion season showed why he was voted the League Player of the Year - and we all loved him. In the Premier League though, for whatever reason, he couldn’t ‘do it’. His constant showing of petulance, culminating in his sending off at Everton for a two footed tackle, proved too much. He had become liability. I really thought that he’d set the Premier League alight, but sadly, he never did and that’s such a shame.
 


Couldn't Be Hyypia

We've come a long long way together
NSC Patreon
Nov 12, 2006
15,898
Near Dorchester, Dorset
Knocky was an absolute revelation when he joined us. The Championship promotion season showed why he was voted the League Player of the Year - and we all loved him. In the Premier League though, for whatever reason, he couldn’t ‘do it’. His constant showing of petulance, culminating in his sending off at Everton for a two footed tackle, proved too much. He had become liability. I really thought that he’d set the Premier League alight, but sadly, he never did and that’s such a shame.
So much of football is played in the head. Plenty of less able players have gone way further than more able ones because they had a better attitude or temperament. We loved Knocky for his flair, but in his case that came with some Gallic volatility. Almost univerally loved by us - and disliked I suspect by the oppo fans.
 


Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo

Waxing chumps like candles since ‘75
Oct 4, 2003
10,893
Knocky seemingly heading on loan to Huddersfield. Good luck to him
He seemed to have found his love of football playing in Greece, said it’s the happiest he’s been since playing for us. Not sure swapping that for a relegation battle in the Championship will be good for him.
 












Wozza

Shite Supporter
Jul 6, 2003
23,584
Online
Knockaert just signed for Huddersfield.
March got in FIFA’s team of the week…

69DDCEE6-9823-45E5-A93F-2F8BEAF6F06E.jpeg


An 80+ homegrown player! 👍
 


EliasTaproot

Member
Oct 31, 2022
52
This is all speculation, obviously, but I've seen it elsewhere in here and I tend to agree that his incredibly tough life experiences at the crucial time of promotion essentially broke him. Losing such close loved ones, his marriage, adapting to a brutal Premier League, the whole thing was just too much, and would be too much for many, many people. I wish him all the best wherever he goes, still an Albion legend in my eyes, I'd love him to go the MLS or somewhere like that because I think he'd absolutely destroy at that level still.
 








Kalimantan Gull

Well-known member
Aug 13, 2003
12,898
Central Borneo / the Lizard
An added quirk to this is that when we were promoted Knockaert was coming into his prime at 25/26 years old, whereas Solly was only 22/23. Knockaert had to immediately up himself to Premier League level because that was expected of him. He was our best player. March was much more of a development opportunity.

March has also benefitted hugely from his versatility. All three of our PL managers have found a place for him, and that place has often been different. Those 160 apps have come about because he's always been willing to adapt and it's actually really paid dividends in the last 18 months when he turned 26ish. Neither player is that same player that were back then, but for very different reasons

In answer to the OP though, no I wouldn't and didn't see it working out this way although there are several people out there (and on here) who've been trying to oust March from the first team since that season.
Yeah, agreed, he had to immediately up himself to Premier league level not only because that was expected of him but because of what he expected of himself. Knocky had to be the star, he just had to take players on and beat them, and when he found he couldn't do it as easily he got frustrated. But he kept trying because he had to be 'that' player. And of course on occasion it did work, but in the end he probably put too much pressure on himself, and Potter I guess thought he would be too difficult to manage.

Solly, on they other hand, was a raw and exciting talent in the championship, but worked his way into the PL in a more measured fashion, gave it a lot of respect and worked hard. Indeed he's probably taken too much time to become established, he's needed managers to convince him he is good enough to star at this level.
 




Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Yeah, agreed, he had to immediately up himself to Premier league level not only because that was expected of him but because of what he expected of himself. Knocky had to be the star, he just had to take players on and beat them, and when he found he couldn't do it as easily he got frustrated. But he kept trying because he had to be 'that' player. And of course on occasion it did work, but in the end he probably put too much pressure on himself, and Potter I guess thought he would be too difficult to manage.

Solly, on they other hand, was a raw and exciting talent in the championship, but worked his way into the PL in a more measured fashion, gave it a lot of respect and worked hard. Indeed he's probably taken too much time to become established, he's needed managers to convince him he is good enough to star at this level.
Yet now, for a few dollars more, he is trying to manage of team of difficult players :smile:

I wish AK a mojo revival at Huddersfield, never forget he is a big part of getting us to the PL in the first place.
 




Justice

Dangerous Idiot
Jun 21, 2012
18,242
Born In Shoreham
AK says his off pitch trauma took three seasons from his career. In another post I said Mitoma is the closest player we have to AK in terms of I wonder what he’s going to do today whilst waiting for KO.
Unfair to compare outrageous flair to a frustrating player who occasionally pulls something out the hat.
 


Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
49,985
Goldstone
Sadly couldn’t shake his tag of to good for the championship, not quite good enough for the Premier League
That's something I've always disagreed with. Many on NSC have said Solly wasn't good enough, and had he been sold it may well have not worked out for him and they'd be looking back showing how right they were. When Knocky was at Fulham he wasn't even good enough for the Championship most of the time because he just wasn't the same player after his father died. I imagine if Knocky's father had survived and his Knocky's head been in the right place he'd have succeeded in the PL.
 



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