[Albion] Aaron Connolly - joining Hull permanently

[GT49er]

I have read this through three times and still have no idea what you’re on about

Maybe try again in the morning.................................

 

[Easy 10]

No - blimey, you're not being whooshed. I just watched the highlights back and you and @Van Cleef are 100% correct and I am 100% WRONG! I would have sworn that Connolly got the first, but of course HIS first goal in that game was his first-time flick that came back off the keeper, then he tucked in the rebound.

I'll never doubt @Van Cleef's memory again!

FFS @Easy 10 , you've made me look like a right KNOB here.

OK. In my defence that game happened to take place on my BIRTHDAY. So I may have been a trifle 'emotional' at the time, following an eventful and colourful pre-match buildup. There may also have been some SCENES afterwards, in the wake of the result, which further erased some braincells.

Anyways. I'd rather be a pisshead than a STATO. (not the Stato on here of course. He's sound).

 

[jackanada]

Just to chip in that I sat near to Connolly during the England/Netherlands match in the pub, and he was the model pro - not really drinking, happy to chat to fans, and openly stating he wished he could have done more for Brighton.

Nothing like the reputation he has and which people confidently talk about as fact. He seemed like a thoroughly decent lad. Just to counter the continual negativity against his name...

Well he's grown up a bit.
A vast number of us have been a bit of a twat as young men. I'd even say looking back on the you of a few years previously and thinking "Christ I was a bit of twat" is a routine part of growing up.

 

[AZ Gull]

....

Anyways. I'd rather be a pisshead than a STATO.

 

[Lenny Rider]

He's from a nice small town on the outskirts of Galway...

Apologies my Welsh friend, post amended, but the sentiment is the same, we took him from relative obscurity in Ireland, a somewhat naive lad, built him up, paid him fortunes and then all watched as his career imploded.

I’ve got a place in Spain and a friend at my local, Gerry from Dublin, initially thought AC was the new Robbie Keane he thought he was that good.

Hopefully the club will learn from this and the pastoral care for our young players off the field, especially the ones not familiar with Brighton, and England in general, will improve.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Well he's grown up a bit.
A vast number of us have been a bit of a twat as young men. I'd even say looking back on the you of a few years previously and thinking "Christ I was a bit of twat" is a routine part of growing up.

I’m 59 and can still be a twat

 

[sparkie]

Good luck to him. Hopefully he makes a success of the rest of his career.

 

[Insel affe]

Surely the thread title is misleading and needs an update.

 

[timbha]

I’ve got a place in Spain and a friend at my local, Gerry from Dublin, initially thought AC was the new Robbie Keane he thought he was that good.

You got a place in Spain, a friend called Gerry, and a local? What more could a man want!!

 

[Lenny Rider]

You got a place in Spain, a friend called Gerry, and a local? What more could a man want!!

It’s the future old love

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

To be honest I agree with you to some extent.

As someone who follows the Albion and Ireland and whose family is from Galway, no-one was more invested in Aaron Connolly doing well than me. And I definitely gave him more time and was sticking up for him more than most.

But as the good performances became a bit more sporadic and the rumours about his life came from all directions (NSC, people who played with him in the youth setup, sixth formers I teach) it became obvious he might be a bit of a bellend.

That said, plenty of bellends still make it as top, top footballers and I do think Albion and Ireland got it wrong with Connolly. After the Spurs game we had him leading the line week in week out aged 19 for a team that was really getting bullied and he was barely getting a touch. Then Mick McCarthy followed suit and did the same for Ireland. Must have had a mixture of making him think he'd made it and also severely knocking his confidence as the goals didn't come for either team.

Ah well, as has been said on here it's water long under the bridge now. On to Evan Ferguson. And failing that, on to Mark O'Mahony!

It's water under the bridge but as @chaileyjem alluded to, thus far he has had a decent footballing career. Next move is important but just because he did not make it at the Albion it does not mean he's a failure.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Apologies my Welsh friend, post amended, but the sentiment is the same, we took him from relative obscurity in Ireland, a somewhat naive lad, built him up, paid him fortunes and then all watched as his career imploded.

I’ve got a place in Spain and a friend at my local, Gerry from Dublin, initially thought AC was the new Robbie Keane he thought he was that good.

Hopefully the club will learn from this and the pastoral care for our young players off the field, especially the ones not familiar with Brighton, and England in general, will improve.

Hmmmm. Too direct. I'd have said "Gerry, from my Spanish local"

 

[Withdean South Stand]

Really?

Surely we, ie the Albion, were culpable in some way, we plucked him from little old Galway put him in the first team, two goals get the Spurs boss the sack, the media and fans turn him into 'Peter Ward incarnate', we then put his wages up overnight and he moves next door to Shane Duffy.

And then expect him to behave like Daniel Radcliffe...........

No, he has personal responsibility. I have no doubt the club tried to keep him grounded and look after him, but ultimately it's up to the boy himself and he blew it. For whatever reasons, he went his own way. He alone is responsible for how his career is going and he alone will be responsible for fulfilling his potential, if he ever does.

 

[BadFish]

No, he has personal responsibility. I have no doubt the club tried to keep him grounded and look after him, but ultimately it's up to the boy himself and he blew it. For whatever reasons, he went his own way. He alone is responsible for how his career is going and he alone will be responsible for fulfilling his potential, if he ever does.

I love NSC for its nuanced thinking and balanced view of things.

An added NSC bonus is that this nuanced thinking is totally backed up by minimal understanding of what transpired.

Top marks.

 

[Commander]

Just to chip in that I sat near to Connolly during the England/Netherlands match in the pub, and he was the model pro - not really drinking, happy to chat to fans, and openly stating he wished he could have done more for Brighton.

Nothing like the reputation he has and which people confidently talk about as fact. He seemed like a thoroughly decent lad. Just to counter the continual negativity against his name...

Don't let @Han Solo hear that. There is absolutely no way that can be true, he would be locked in a bunker somewhere, not watching England in a pub.

 

[Han Solo]

He alone is responsible for how his career is going and he alone will be responsible for fulfilling his potential, if he ever does.

Agree with this. Having done well in the Championship and now seemingly joining a big team there is largely down to him. Some 95% of the professional footballers of the world could only dream of playing in a league like that, and even less so scoring 8 goals in it. As someone from Sweden and watching Allsvenskan every week, I think there's maybe 3 or 4 strikers who could score 8 goals in the Championship.

Compare how things have gone for him with most of his teammates in the old U23/Pl2 and you'll find "he alone is responsible for how his career is going" is a huge compliment to Aaron and the level he has reached.

 

[DJ NOBO]

He’s doing well.
A career in the Championship is better than a lot of his Albion contemporaries.
A couple of years ago I thought he was most likely to slip out of the picture.
Good on him.

 

[jackanada]

I’m 59 and can still be a twat

Me too. But relatively less of a twat I hope. I've been at a comfortable level of occasional mild twattishness for some years now.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Part of the problem was being ‘advised’ by Shane Duffy

 

[Lenny Rider]

Hmmmm. Too direct. I'd have said "Gerry, from my Spanish local"

I'm kicking myself we didn't meet for a beer in Berlin last week