[Albion] Aaron Connolly - joining Hull permanently

[Rugrat]

Yes, we don’t know how good he’ll get but recently, he looked good against Southampton and was a level or two above the Swansea defenders when we played them in the cup at the Amex, they could not live with him.

IIRC that Swansea team was predominately a reserve team

Agreed. My only way of thinking is Connoly was a great player in his attributes and inner belief but this was coached out of him. They tried to make him a different player and it shouldn't have happened. His record as a youth player was amazing. Sadly the whole association with club and fans has turned toxic.

I think you're right that he was a huge talent as a (younger) youngster. I just think he's got age on his side and might have been better starting off at one of the 'bigger' L1 clubs that have a real need for a goalscorer (Portsmouth/Wednesday look like they might have a need) and defences will definately be much more suspect than Champ. It could go either way of course but if he doesn't hit the ground runing at Boro then I think he's bench material very quickly given the expectation on Wilder to cement one of the play off places (if not get them straight up)

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Agree. Sadly I suspect the move to Boro will be a stepping stone to oblivion. Hope the lad proves me wrong

I suspect the same but likewise, happy to be proven wrong. The fact his Love Island fluff is in tow and posting pictures of their luxury temporary gaff on Instagram suggests a distraction waiting to happen.

 

[GT49er]

If that’s the case then why have they been playing Onel Hernandez upfront in their last two games? They’ve got three strikers; a bloke who played for Billericay last season, a big immovable lump who clearly won’t be a Wilder player & Sporar. If Connolly gets his head down and works hard then he’ll start.

Wanting to a player with nearly 50PL appearances to league two is proper mental.

It is exactly the case - see post #86. Local knowledge?

A lower league for half a season, to get up to speed, and followed up by a season in The Championship is far from mental; it makes perfect sense. However, it has now ben decided to send him to Middlesbrough, a top end Championship team that are doing well. Fine - I hope it's a great success. Will be an interesting few months which I shall follow with great interest.

 

[amexer]

I wish him all the best and a move will be, it or bust for him. However must change his game if he is going to play centrally. His game is just based on through balls or balls over top to run onto all in the inside left position. Easy to mark and needs to be able to pull defenders out of position like Maupay

 

[Lower West Stander]

I suspect the same but likewise, happy to be proven wrong. The fact his Love Island fluff is in tow and posting pictures of their luxury temporary gaff on Instagram suggests a distraction waiting to happen.

Wilder won’t take any crap from him. Not sure turning up with a Love Island airhead splashing garbage all over Instagram gets him off to particularly good start with their Neanderthal fans.

Let’s see how it goes.


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[Cowfold Seagull]

Hopefully he will get games. Boro seem to be doing fine without him

That's what l was wondering, do Middlesbrough really need him? they seem to be doing very well with the options that they currently have. Pointless him going if he is going to be warming the bench much of the time.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Wilder won’t take any crap from him. Not sure turning up with a Love Island airhead splashing garbage all over Instagram gets him off to particularly good start with their Neanderthal fans.

Let’s see how it goes.


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Indeed, if he thinks he gets a lot of crap from the Albion fans, it's nothing to what he will receive from the locals if things go wrong up there.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I suspect the same but likewise, happy to be proven wrong. The fact his Love Island fluff is in tow and posting pictures of their luxury temporary gaff on Instagram suggests a distraction waiting to happen.

I think that’s unfair, and wrong thinking tbh. In terms of the likelihood of him focusing on the right things, surely it’s better that he has his girlfriend with him, than he’s out on the pull / lash every night.

 

[dazzer6666]

I think that’s unfair, and wrong thinking tbh. In terms of the likelihood of him focusing on the right things, surely it’s better that he has his girlfriend with him, than he’s out on the pull / lash every night.

Hasn’t stopped him so far

 

[Whitechapel]

It is exactly the case - see post #86. Local knowledge?

A lower league for half a season, to get up to speed, and followed up by a season in The Championship is far from mental; it makes perfect sense. However, it has now ben decided to send him to Middlesbrough, a top end Championship team that are doing well. Fine - I hope it's a great success. Will be an interesting few months which I shall follow with great interest.

Neither Onel Herndanzes nor Duncan Watmore are natural strikers. It would be like Owens/Naylor writing that a new striker we signed would be competing with a spot with Trossard up top. Technically it’s true, but it’s not really relevant. Both of my Boro supporting mates expect Ikpeazu to be loaned out, he’s not a Wilder type player and hasn’t managed more than a brief cameo since he came in. If Connolly gets his head down and trains well he’s almost guaranteed to start.

The problem is, it’s a very big if.

 

[GT49er]

Neither Onel Herndanzes nor Duncan Watmore are natural strikers. It would be like Owens/Naylor writing that a new striker we signed would be competing with a spot with Trossard up top. Technically it’s true, but it’s not really relevant. Both of my Boro supporting mates expect Ikpeazu to be loaned out, he’s not a Wilder type player and hasn’t managed more than a brief cameo since he came in. If Connolly gets his head down and trains well he’s almost guaranteed to start.

The problem is, it’s a very big if.

The point is, I think, that he's going to an upper end Championship club who are doing pretty well without him - so harder for him to make an impact. He's young enough to have time to spend half a season at a level where he's more likely (although not guaranteed, of course) to shine and have a season in the Championship next year.
But that isn't happening - it is what it is. Hope it goes well.

As you say, there's plenty of ifs!

 

[RandyWanger]

Good luck to him. The club have clearly invested a lot of time and money into the young man and fore vat ever reason (I don't think it's because of lack of talent) it's not worked yet. Hopefully a loan spell will rejuvenate him and get a player back or we can get some return and sell him off.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Confirmed he's off, over to you Aaron.

https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/news/2435176/aaron-connolly-joins-middlesbrough-on-loan

 

[b.w.2.]

Step 1 complete. Now to offload the DJ


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[Icy Gull]

I will watch how he does with interest and hope as it could be brilliant or a complete car crash

 

[Silverhatch]

Good Luck fella. Get your head down, love your GF and scores some goals - there's a footballer in there. I thank Wardy's feet that there weren't phone cameras around 40 years ago!

 

[Commander]

Agreed. My only way of thinking is Connoly was a great player in his attributes and inner belief but this was coached out of him. They tried to make him a different player and it shouldn't have happened. His record as a youth player was amazing. Sadly the whole association with club and fans has turned toxic.

Or far more likely, the step up from the Under 23 league to the toughest league in the world was just way too big for him, and that his style of play just wasn’t anywhere near clever enough to get past world class defenders. So we’ve tried to develop his game to enable him to compete at this level, but he hasn’t been able to adapt yet. Which is why dropping down a level again makes perfect sense.

I predict he’ll score a couple of goals for Boro, come back all cocky and confident, score one for us, cup his ear to the fans and then fade into oblivion.

 

[Hamilton]

Good luck. Play well. Earn us some money via a transfer to Burnley or somewhere.


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[b.w.2.]

Or far more likely, the step up from the Under 23 league to the toughest league in the world was just way too big for him, and that his style of play just wasn’t anywhere near clever enough to get past world class defenders. So we’ve tried to develop his game to enable him to compete at this level, but he hasn’t been able to adapt yet. Which is why dropping down a level again makes perfect sense.

I predict he’ll score a couple of goals for Boro, come back all cocky and confident, score one for us, cup his ear to the fans and then fade into oblivion.

Good prediction (sadly)


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[Guinness Boy]

Or far more likely, the step up from the Under 23 league to the toughest league in the world was just way too big for him, and that his style of play just wasn’t anywhere near clever enough to get past world class defenders. So we’ve tried to develop his game to enable him to compete at this level, but he hasn’t been able to adapt yet. Which is why dropping down a level again makes perfect sense.

I predict he’ll score a couple of goals for Boro, come back all cocky and confident, score one for us, cup his ear to the fans and then fade into oblivion.

I predict he’ll score a couple of goals for Boro, come back all cocky and confident, score one for us, cup his ear to the fans, have a big fight in a seafront nightclub and then fade into oblivion