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

[Stat Brother]

Who is this clucking clown?

 

[Guinness Boy]

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.

As usual you're talking nonsense. Connolly was brilliant in Premier League 2 scoring 11 goals in 15 games and also notching 5 in 3 EFL Trophy games. When he went to Luton, though he was injured. Saying he wasn't ready for the PL last season is nonsense. The season finished in mid MAY. It is now OCTOBER. There is literally no way a player improves that much in five months, from being unfancied at Luton to a full international who has two goals against last season's Champions League finalists. He was, perhaps, not ready to play in Hughton's side because we were playing with an abominable lack of confidence and his primary job would have been to track back.

But (as usual) you've diverted off the point. You said it was hard for youngsters to break in to Man City's first team and, of course you are right. I flippantly, but correctly mentioned that no youngsters were blooded by Hughton either. Since Potter has taken over he has brought in Connelly and Alzate, is bringing on Baluta and has transformed Dan Burn who, again, was not trusted last season.

The idea that Aaron Connolly jumped in to Graham Potter's arms, fully formed as an accident of timing but that he wasn't ready five months ago is laughable.

 

[Whitechapel]

Don’t know why people still bother replying to this biased moron.

Connolly could finish the season with 30 goals and he’d still be telling us Jonathan Afolabi is the future of Irish Football and will certainly be first choice once he’s managed to make his professional debut in the SPL.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

As usual you're talking nonsense. Connolly was brilliant in Premier League 2 scoring 11 goals in 15 games and also notching 5 in 3 EFL Trophy games. When he went to Luton, though he was injured. Saying he wasn't ready for the PL last season is nonsense. The season finished in mid MAY. It is now OCTOBER. There is literally no way a player improves that much in five months, from being unfancied at Luton to a full international who has two goals against last season's Champions League finalists. He was, perhaps, not ready to play in Hughton's side because we were playing with an abominable lack of confidence and his primary job would have been to track back.

He was injured in January - he didn't go to Luton until the beginning of April (after he had played a game for Brighton against Vancouver Whitecaps) -

Now if you think that Hughton should have picked him between January and April while he was injured then fair enough but I doubt that would have worked out. After he recovered he went to Luton - and a player you think should have been starting in the PL except Hughton won't play young players - couldn't get a game as a starter in League One.

As for how quickly players develop - young players often take big leaps forward from time to time - usually based on a growing maturity and being able to handle 1. pressure - and 2. the trappings of celebrity status.

But (as usual) you've diverted off the point. You said it was hard for youngsters to break in to Man City's first team and, of course you are right. I flippantly, but correctly mentioned that no youngsters were blooded by Hughton either. Since Potter has taken over he has brought in Connelly and Alzate, is bringing on Baluta and has transformed Dan Burn who, again, was not trusted last season.

Alzate spent months out injured - before that he was playing in League Two - yet again you think that Hughton should have been picking him last season. Same with Baluta - spent the second half of last season back with his old club in Romania - Dan Burn is 27 years old and was so-so at Wigan last season - and people on this board are already talking about shipping him off.

To suggest that any of these players (with the possible exception of Burn - though I doubt Hughton would have dropped either Duffy or Dunk for Burn) were capable of playing in the PL last season is a little on the gobsmacking side.

The idea that Aaron Connolly jumped in to Graham Potter's arms, fully formed as an accident of timing but that he wasn't ready five months ago is laughable.

Maybe - just maybe - Huhgton's cautious approach has benefited Connolly - that he wasn't tossed in at the deep-end as an teenager in a struggling team fighting relegation. Potter didn't even plan using Connolly this season - he was going to be shipped out on loan - it was David Weir who persuaded Potter to promote Connolly to the first team squad (after he saw him playing - not for Brighton - but for the Irish U19s during the summer).

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Don’t know why people still bother replying to this biased moron.

Connolly could finish the season with 30 goals and he’d still be telling us Jonathan Afolabi is the future of Irish Football and will certainly be first choice once he’s managed to make his professional debut in the SPL.

Only if Afolabi scores 40 goals.

And the player that is top of the pile in terms of the future is Troy Parrott - until he or someone else proves otherwise.

Listen - Connolly is showing a lot of potential - and has made a big impact in a handful of games - but lets see how he manages the rest of the season before labeling him the new Wayne Rooney. the PL is littered with players that did exactly what Connolly has done and then crashed and burned.

And I for one would be absolutely delighted if Connolly scores 30 goals this season - it will mean that Ireland will have a striker capable of scoring in next summer's Euros (and there will be a prospect that the a*sehole that is Robbie Keane might lose all his precious records with Ireland).

 

[GT49er]

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.

So, the manager made the right decisions. Not a time to blood a youngster who was not match sharp and just coming back from injury and wasn't familiar with the team, so he didn't and they won the league. That's the beginning and the end of it - any more waffle is just that - waffle.

 

[Guinness Boy]

He was injured in January - he didn't go to Luton until the beginning of April (after he had played a game for Brighton against Vancouver Whitecaps) -

Now if you think that Hughton should have picked him between January and April while he was injured then fair enough but I doubt that would have worked out. After he recovered he went to Luton - and a player you think should have been starting in the PL except Hughton won't play young players - couldn't get a game as a starter in League One.

As for how quickly players develop - young players often take big leaps forward from time to time - usually based on a growing maturity and being able to handle 1. pressure - and 2. the trappings of celebrity status.


Alzate spent months out injured - before that he was playing in League Two - yet again you think that Hughton should have been picking him last season. Same with Baluta - spent the second half of last season back with his old club in Romania - Dan Burn is 27 years old and was so-so at Wigan last season - and people on this board are already talking about shipping him off.

To suggest that any of these players (with the possible exception of Burn - though I doubt Hughton would have dropped either Duffy or Dunk for Burn) were capable of playing in the PL last season is a little on the gobsmacking side.


Maybe - just maybe - Huhgton's cautious approach has benefited Connolly - that he wasn't tossed in at the deep-end as an teenager in a struggling team fighting relegation. Potter didn't even plan using Connolly this season - he was going to be shipped out on loan - it was David Weir who persuaded Potter to promote Connolly to the first team squad (after he saw him playing - not for Brighton - but for the Irish U19s during the summer).

I'm sorry. You're suggesting a) that three players have magically become mature enough overnight to handle fame and pressure and b) that you know what Graham Potter THINKS? Jesus.

 

[Frankworthington]

Only if Afolabi scores 40 goals.

And the player that is top of the pile in terms of the future is Troy Parrott - until he or someone else proves otherwise.

Listen - Connolly is showing a lot of potential - and has made a big impact in a handful of games - but lets see how he manages the rest of the season before labeling him the new Wayne Rooney. the PL is littered with players that did exactly what Connolly has done and then crashed and burned.

And I for one would be absolutely delighted if Connolly scores 30 goals this season - it will mean that Ireland will have a striker capable of scoring in next summer's Euros (and there will be a prospect that the a*sehole that is Robbie Keane might lose all his precious records with Ireland).

Nobody suggested he was the new Wayne Rooney Surely?

The fact remains that he is a promising young player who still has a lot of hard work to do Early days,.

If Chris was still manager he would be out on loan at Crawley or Luton!

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

The fact remains that he is a promising young player who still has a lot of hard work to do Early days,.

Absolutely

If Chris was still manager he would be out on loan at Crawley or Luton!

Actually - Potter was the one who intended to send him out on loan this season.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

I'm sorry. You're suggesting a) that three players have magically become mature enough overnight to handle fame and pressure and b) that you know what Graham Potter THINKS? Jesus.

I am suggesting that 6 months can be massive in terms of maturity for 19/20 year olds - massive.

And I don't know what Potter thinks - but I do know that it was reported in the Irish media that Potter intended to send Connolly out on loan and would have except for Weir's intervention.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I am suggesting that 6 months can be massive in terms of maturity for 19/20 year olds - massive.

And I don't know what Potter thinks - but I do know that it was reported in the Irish media that Potter intended to send Connolly out on loan and would have except for Weir's intervention.

"Reported in the Irish Media" (with no link in an age where every report is online). Ah.

Brighton as a club and Tony Bloom in particular keep their cards very close to their chest. The press only finds out what they want them to find out and Andy Naylor, who got a well paid role with The Athletic based on his local reporting and twitter following, was wrong about the goings on at the club as often as he was right.

The hindsight based facts are a lot more complicated and involve the availability of both players and suitors in the loan and purchase market.

Three forward players who had disappointed last season, Locadia, Andone and Jahanbakhsh were tried in various roles in pre season (as you'd expect with three expensive signings). Locadia looked ok in pre season but was then awful when the real thing started. As soon as Hoffenheim came in with a loan offer we bit their hands off. Jahanbakhsh, meanwhile, started a couple of friendlies but was nowhere near the team for Valencia and seems to have been dropped or injured ever since. Presumably we either haven't had a loan offer, haven't been able to offload him due to injury or he is actually in Potter's long term plans after all. No one will know until he gains full fitness.

That left Andone. Scoring on the first game of the season, he seemed keen but he's a troubled character. Given a chance to start he ruined it by getting sent off early on in a game played on the hottest day of the season. An interview conducted after his subsequent loan suggests he won't be sending Bloom and Potter a Christmas card.

That meant two players out and therefore we needed a minimum of two in. Maupay was one. Connelly was the other. He had not gone out on loan after all for whatever reason but if Potter didn't fancy him by then we'd have certainly not offloaded Andone and / or tried to sign another permanent or loan striker before our window shut at the start of the season. He might have been on the verge of being out but he was now in.

Now, it's only been a few games but he's nearly scored the winner at Newcastle, scored two against Spurs and made his full international debut. Not bad in a few weeks. If he was NOT ready a few months ago as you claim then at least some of the credit for coaching him in to this position and giving him a chance goes to Potter. If he was then we missed out last season. Simple as that.

 

[Frankworthington]

Absolutely


Actually - Potter was the one who intended to send him out on loan this season.

Yawn Yawn

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

"Reported in the Irish Media" (with no link in an age where every report is online). Ah.

Ah - come on - I read it in passing somewhere last week - wasn't thinking I was going to have to produce links for a post on a football forum this week.

The hindsight based facts are a lot more complicated and involve the availability of both players and suitors in the loan and purchase market.

Three forward players who had disappointed last season, Locadia, Andone and Jahanbakhsh were tried in various roles in pre season (as you'd expect with three expensive signings). Locadia looked ok in pre season but was then awful when the real thing started. As soon as Hoffenheim came in with a loan offer we bit their hands off. Jahanbakhsh, meanwhile, started a couple of friendlies but was nowhere near the team for Valencia and seems to have been dropped or injured ever since. Presumably we either haven't had a loan offer, haven't been able to offload him due to injury or he is actually in Potter's long term plans after all. No one will know until he gains full fitness.

That left Andone. Scoring on the first game of the season, he seemed keen but he's a troubled character. Given a chance to start he ruined it by getting sent off early on in a game played on the hottest day of the season. An interview conducted after his subsequent loan suggests he won't be sending Bloom and Potter a Christmas card.

That meant two players out and therefore we needed a minimum of two in. Maupay was one. Connelly was the other. He had not gone out on loan after all for whatever reason but if Potter didn't fancy him by then we'd have certainly not offloaded Andone and / or tried to sign another permanent or loan striker before our window shut at the start of the season. He might have been on the verge of being out but he was now in.

Now, it's only been a few games but he's nearly scored the winner at Newcastle, scored two against Spurs and made his full international debut. Not bad in a few weeks. If he was NOT ready a few months ago as you claim then at least some of the credit for coaching him in to this position and giving him a chance goes to Potter. If he was then we missed out last season. Simple as that.

No argument here - all very sensible reasoning - that doesn't contradict the point I was making. I am sure that Potter has had an impact - I also suggest that Hughton had an impact as well - along with the rest of the coaching staff at Brighton. The reality with young players is that it is mostly about how they handle the pressure of playing in the PL rather than their ability. Many have all the ability in the world but can't handle the pressure - and a few months maturity can make all the difference. Throwing a kid into the first team before they are ready is the worse thing you can do. Some may never be ready - but others can come good if given the time to grow and mature. This is even more the case today than in the pre-sky era. The kid who can come in as a teenager and handle it all from the very start is a rare exception rather than the rule.

Here is hoping Connolly - and Molumby - continue to grow because both look like they have the talent to succeed.

 

[sagaman]

Ex Brighton Irish Player does well at GAA

One of our earlier Irish hopes Dessie Hutchinson went back to Ireland and has had some sucess at GAA

Nice that two brothers joined him as subs in the Cup win

Good luck to Dessie




https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/hurling-match-reports/ballygunner-1-24-de-la-20575774

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2019/1013/1083093-ballygunner-land-another-waterford-crown/

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/dessie-hutchinson/profil/spieler/335595

https://www.irishexaminer.com/break...layer-hutchinson-starts-on-a-high-917715.html