[Albion] Aaron Connolly - Premier League 2 Player of the Season

[BadFish]

Probably not time to write him off, just yet.

It is a shame how we turn on our players so quickly.

 

[BadFish]

Double post

 

[Guinness Boy]

Probably not time to write him off, just yet.

It is a shame how we turn on our players so quickly.

I wouldn't write him off by any means but there are issues there. He's got the raw talent, this was clear in his games against Spurs and Everton in his first season and the lovely goal he scored against Burnley in the last game that season, as well as becoming a full international. He's clearly talented. Unfortunately, at the moment he's lacking in confidence in front of goal but not, it would seem, with young ladies and barmen, is fairly easy to read and dives too often.

A loan should sort all of that out because he really needs game time and to get away from the limelight and we really need a better striker in the group. If we sign one and Andone stays on then he's probably down to fifth choice, sixth if Swiss Andy also stays and kicks on.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Probably not time to write him off, just yet.

It is a shame how we turn on our players so quickly.

and the fans who defend them

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

You've really shown your true colours now. Firstly he hasn't even played numerous games, let alone been an outstanding poor performer.Players don't rightly deserve criticism just because in your opinion they aren't good enough. Other points of view are also available.

Why do you think people say he's only 21? It's because he's only 21 - not even full grown yet! It's the toughest League in the world and scoring goals is the toughest job in football. Mac Allister has far more top level experience than Connolly but has been no better or consistent. Alzate even less so. Moder has done better so far in a handful of games, but when you aren't being expected to take every goal opportunity, the job is a damn sight easier.

Poor for his international team? Like Albion, he's only just started playing for them and only made his full Irish debut this season. How the hell do you form a judgement after a few games for Ireland and a few games in the Premier League.

Why do you think conducting a critical witch hunt on NSC against one of our promising youngsters is wanting only the best for Albion? It certainly doesn't look like it.

I strongly disagree with the bit in bold.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Probably not time to write him off, just yet.

It is a shame how we turn on our players so quickly.

I'll "turn on" any player that gets featured in the non-sports pages ( unless it's a Tudor Băluţa type story, obviously ).

He's not beyond redemption but needs to stay out of the tabloids and put in the hard graft now before it's too late.

 

[Taybha]

Reading this thread back is uncomfortable reading for me so God knows what Connolly would make of it .

Quite a few people slagging him off can't even be bothered to spell his name correctly ffs .

You do not get to play in the EPL make players like Aldervieweld a Belgium International look daft without having talent .

Connolly has talent , sending him out on loan does nothing at all for his confidence if that's what's lacking in the first place .

I would like to think Potter sticks with him for next season and hopefully Connolly will sort out whatever demons he has and turn his form around , the goal never moves so that's not the problem because he certainly knows where the goal is and he will know more than all of us that he has missed some sitters .

I can't abide seeing our supposed own fans kicking players whilst they're obviously going through a bad patch but I guess it's easy to criticise from afar without knowing what's going on with a person they don't remotely know anything about .

I'm backing Connolly to turn it around , there's just something about him that I really like and would be gutted if we cut loose or even loaned .

I could be wrong of course but I'm not of the mind this kid is a no hoper, yes he needs a new hairdresser that's obvious , but when has having a goid haircut made you a good footballer , oh apart from Propper obviously .

The thought of him being sold for peanuts which is a possibility I suppose leaves me with a sense of impending doom that he would come back to haunt us in a crucial game , so please Mr Potter give the lad a chance , he will turn it around .

Thank you , Mr Connolly snr

 

[B-right-on]

I don't know what the tabloids are like in Sweden but here they are about the closest thing you will get to an all-knowing entity when it comes to "famous" and there are no shortage of jilted girlfriends, kiss and tell one night stands, smart phone grasses and paparazzi all out to make a name for themselves and sell a story for just a few quid. Tag the prefix "Premier League footballer" on to the name and you can print it on the front page and go back for round two next week.

We live in a country (well, I do, you don't) where editors can be involved in hacking the phones of child murder victims and their families and get a prime time job on national TV.

And, guess what, in the Premier League era our only two transgressors have been Duffy and Connolly.

Him getting that job only a few years after that whole Govt enquiry and his blatant refusal to answer any questions with any kind of remorse or sense of wrong on his actions, shows to me all that is wrong with the British media.

 

[GT49er]

I strongly disagree with the bit in bold.

Seconded.

 

[GT49er]

Reading this thread back is uncomfortable reading for me so God knows what Connolly would make of it .

Quite a few people slagging him off can't even be bothered to spell his name correctly ffs .

You do not get to play in the EPL make players like Aldervieweld a Belgium International look daft without having talent .

Connolly has talent , sending him out on loan does nothing at all for his confidence if that's what's lacking in the first place...........

Quite agree with your comments about people slagging Connelly[sic] off.

However, most of us wanting Connolly to go out on loan are very much in favour of him, and we want the loan for his benefit, as well as the Albion's. Clearly, his progress has stalled this season, and another season warming the bench here and getting the occasional cameo isn't going to help. He needs game time; he needs to score goals again; he needs both those things to get back to being the top striker he was in PL2.
In retrospect, he should probably have gone out on loan a couple of years ago, but we can't change that - but we can get him the game time he needs. After all, apart from the limited number of games he's played for us over the last two seasons, he's never played more than a handful of league matches at senior level. So - yes, yes, yes to a loan - but not as a first step to getting rid, but as a chance of us getting the player he could be.

 

[giveusfalmerplease]

Let him go to Forest on a year long loan-. Houghton will look after the boy

 

[Danny Wilson Said]

When Potter took over from Hughton he had planned sending Connolly out on loan - Connolly went to Potter and said he wanted to stay and after David Weir saw Connolly playing for the Irish U21s at a tournament in France he persuaded Potter to drop the loan plan. The reality is that it probably would have been a good idea for him to go to the Championship two years ago - Hughton had sent him to Luton in L1 after he recovered from injury and he couldn't get into the Luton team.

I think Connolly would resist going on loan at this stage given that he has played in the PL for two seasons - but it is clear, he still has some maturing to do (it must be remembered that he is still only 21). The guy has a lot of potential and if the club adopt the right approach to dealing with him (and I don't know what that is) he has every chance of being a really good PL player.

As an aside - I still giggle when I remember that howling on here that Hughton should have played Connolly two years ago instead of sending him out to Luton.

I agree with this and don't think that it has been mentioned enough. But I did see a suggestion that he could go on loan to Germany or Holland, which wouldn't be seen as a demotion in the same way as going to the Championship. Or maybe our new Scottish partners Hibs or uncle Tony's Belgian club?

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I agree with this and don't think that it has been mentioned enough. But I did see a suggestion that he could go on loan to Germany or Holland, which wouldn't be seen as a demotion in the same way as going to the Championship. Or maybe our new Scottish partners Hibs or uncle Tony's Belgian club?

Hibs is a good shout. Irish heritage and all that ...

 

[GT49er]

Let him go to Forest on a year long loan-. Houghton will look after the boy

Hughton wouldn't play him until he was sure he was ready ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, about the end of March, if we're lucky!

 

[vagabond]

Reading this thread back is uncomfortable reading for me so God knows what Connolly would make of it .

Quite a few people slagging him off can't even be bothered to spell his name correctly ffs .

You do not get to play in the EPL make players like Aldervieweld a Belgium International look daft without having talent .

Connolly has talent , sending him out on loan does nothing at all for his confidence if that's what's lacking in the first place .

I would like to think Potter sticks with him for next season and hopefully Connolly will sort out whatever demons he has and turn his form around , the goal never moves so that's not the problem because he certainly knows where the goal is and he will know more than all of us that he has missed some sitters .

I can't abide seeing our supposed own fans kicking players whilst they're obviously going through a bad patch but I guess it's easy to criticise from afar without knowing what's going on with a person they don't remotely know anything about .

I'm backing Connolly to turn it around , there's just something about him that I really like and would be gutted if we cut loose or even loaned .

I could be wrong of course but I'm not of the mind this kid is a no hoper, yes he needs a new hairdresser that's obvious , but when has having a goid haircut made you a good footballer , oh apart from Propper obviously .

The thought of him being sold for peanuts which is a possibility I suppose leaves me with a sense of impending doom that he would come back to haunt us in a crucial game , so please Mr Potter give the lad a chance , he will turn it around .

Thank you , Mr Connolly snr

Feel free to point me to a comment I’ve missed, but I don’t see anybody here being unreasonable, hateful or personal about AC?

My humble opinion is he’s been found wanting on the pitch. He’s also had game time limited due to off field issues. This is fair to raise as is relevant to the overall picture.

I don’t want to kill the guy. I want the best for the Albion. I think a loan may do him a lot of good. Certainly better than making 10 or so appearances next season and scoring a couple of goals. I’d love him to be another success from our academy.

 

[vagabond]

Probably not time to write him off, just yet.

It is a shame how we turn on our players so quickly.

I don’t think anyone here is writing him off?

I see a lot of comments suggesting a loan would be a good move for him and better for his development with more game time.

 

[Machiavelli]

I'm speaking from experience of watching him for the last couple of years, and I've seen precious little progress. I'm sure there'll be someone along in a minute to tell me he's only a baby, and he'll be Harry Kane in 2-3 years time, but so far - I ain't seeing it.

Would be absolutely thrilled to be proved wrong. But BHA have never, in their history, produced a decent striker. Connolly looks like another Jake Robinson to me, just with highlights.

I do think the lack of progress is a decent point. And I'm sure GP and the coaching team have told him to stop falling over.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I do think the lack of progress is a decent point. And I'm sure GP and the coaching team have told him to stop falling over.

This last point is intensely frustrating. He falls over at the merest hint of a gust of wind and he isn’t very good at it. I would like to see him stay on his feet and show us the reason the club believe in him. Perhaps this is where the negativity comes from. We just don’t see enough possession from him and he looks rather lightweight when in scoring positions. If GP has told him to stay on his feet then he needs to start listening.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Hibs is a good shout. Irish heritage and all that ...

Hibs would be a club at lower than Championship level - not happening (and that is not taking disaster that was the Duffy loan into account)

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Reading this thread back is uncomfortable reading for me so God knows what Connolly would make of it .

Quite a few people slagging him off can't even be bothered to spell his name correctly ffs .

You do not get to play in the EPL make players like Aldervieweld a Belgium International look daft without having talent .

Connolly has talent , sending him out on loan does nothing at all for his confidence if that's what's lacking in the first place .

I would like to think Potter sticks with him for next season and hopefully Connolly will sort out whatever demons he has and turn his form around , the goal never moves so that's not the problem because he certainly knows where the goal is and he will know more than all of us that he has missed some sitters .

I can't abide seeing our supposed own fans kicking players whilst they're obviously going through a bad patch but I guess it's easy to criticise from afar without knowing what's going on with a person they don't remotely know anything about .

I'm backing Connolly to turn it around , there's just something about him that I really like and would be gutted if we cut loose or even loaned .

I could be wrong of course but I'm not of the mind this kid is a no hoper, yes he needs a new hairdresser that's obvious , but when has having a goid haircut made you a good footballer , oh apart from Propper obviously .

The thought of him being sold for peanuts which is a possibility I suppose leaves me with a sense of impending doom that he would come back to haunt us in a crucial game , so please Mr Potter give the lad a chance , he will turn it around .

Thank you , Mr Connolly snr

Well said sir.