[Albion] Aaron Connolly - joining Hull permanently

[Clive Walker]

Connolly posting on Insta that Boro fans are the best he's played in front of is absolutely fabulous levels of petty.

But remember, he's the victim of bullying. LOL.

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Fair comment from connelly imo. He’s really only played in front of home fans for brighton, borough and ROi. I’m surprised he feels borough outweigh ROI but not surprised by his opinion on our fans.

The atmosphere at the Amex is dreadful. It’s often so quiet I can hear the players instructions. Embarrassing and I think the club can do more to bolster atmosphere. For example give us something to actually cheer about and dropping the fam zone which is beyond cringe.

 

[bhafc99]

More of a blindspot of when to send Connolly out on loan - should have gone on loan 18 months - two years ago................. and there are plenty of us on here for whom that is not hindsight!

100% agree, and I’ve always been in that camp.

Ben White (and others) had a planned and steady development plan. Aaron never had one.

Instead, one freakishly good debut performance, and then just an expectation for him to instantly become a PL player.

Result: two wasted seasons where he wasn’t out on loan growing his abilities as he should have been, but neither was he able to contribute much more than the occasional substitute appearance here. He stagnated at best, went backwards at worst.

Who knows how things might have turned out if he’d been given a similar path to Ben White. Maybe he wouldn’t have ever made it, but I’m left with a sense of disappointment that we messed this one up.

 

[Fat Boy Fat]

100% agree, and I’ve always been in that camp.

Ben White (and others) had a planned and steady development plan. Aaron never had one.

Instead, one freakishly good debut performance, and then just an expectation for him to instantly become a PL player.

Result: two wasted seasons where he wasn’t out on loan growing his abilities as he should have been, but neither was he able to contribute much more than the occasional substitute appearance here. He stagnated at best, went backwards at worst.

Who knows how things might have turned out if he’d been given a similar path to Ben White. Maybe he wouldn’t have ever made it, but I’m left with a sense of disappointment that we messed this one up.

In many ways I want to share your disappointment and feel we could have done more, however, at the same time I have the saying bouncing around in my subconscious that it doesn't matter how long you polish a turd, it's still a turd!

 

[GT49er]

Fair comment from connelly imo. He’s really only played in front of home fans for brighton, borough and ROi. I’m surprised he feels borough outweigh ROI but not surprised by his opinion on our fans.

The atmosphere at the Amex is dreadful. It’s often so quiet I can hear the players instructions. Embarrassing and I think the club can do more to bolster atmosphere. For example give us something to actually cheer about and dropping the fam zone which is beyond cringe.

What is surprising is that on a thread about Connolly, whilst replying to a post about Connolly, people can still maintain the view that there has to be an 'e' in there somewhere.

Unbelievable .................................

 

[The Fits]

Wise words.

Strikers need a lot of time to master their craft.

There are not many youngsters scoring freely in the EPL. I currently think of Southampton’s Armstrong & Brentford’s Toney as two great examples of when an EPL club has let their players go too early, thinking that they are destined for the Football League, only to find they flourish when they get to early/mid 20’s.

Connolly is still astonishingly young.

Not sure it’s as simple as that. There will always be examples like Toney. He wasn’t deemed quite good enough for Newcastle and has flourished since, but that happens. Teams can’t keep every young player, and ultimately the deal worked out for both parties.
Armstrong has scored two goals for Southampton.
There will be players we sell or release who eventually become decent Premier players via a different route. Just the way it goes, but you definitely can’t keep every youngster just in case they come good at 25.

 

[zefarelly]

AC may well have done better if he'd been handled like BW was but the big difference IMO is BW has something useful between his ears.

 

[Munkfish]

More of a blindspot of when to send Connolly out on loan - should have gone on loan 18 months - two years ago................. and there are plenty of us on here for whom that is not hindsight!

What, like when he was sent out to Luton on loan?

 

[GT49er]

What, like when he was sent out to Luton on loan?

No. You obviously missed the "should have gone on loan 18 months - two years ago bit. Unfortunately after that brief loan (only two appearances because of injury) three years ago we didn't send him out on loan again.

 

[JBizzle]

What, like when he was sent out to Luton on loan?

I'm not sure a 1.5 month loan spell after returning from an injury that kept him out for 2 months qualifies as a development pathway

 

[Stat Brother]

100% agree, and I’ve always been in that camp.

Ben White (and others) had a planned and steady development plan. Aaron never had one.

Instead, one freakishly good debut performance, and then just an expectation for him to instantly become a PL player.

Result: two wasted seasons where he wasn’t out on loan growing his abilities as he should have been, but neither was he able to contribute much more than the occasional substitute appearance here. He stagnated at best, went backwards at worst.

Who knows how things might have turned out if he’d been given a similar path to Ben White. Maybe he wouldn’t have ever made it, but I’m left with a sense of disappointment that we messed this one up.

We know, had he moved up the loan ladder, he wouldn't have been the hairy man-child Gary Lineker pronounced as 'the next big thing', as he'd have been playing his trade in League 1.

I'm not giving excuses for him and some of his lifestyle choices, but I'm not entirely sure I could deal with that kind of adulation.
I certainly would think I'd 'made it', when I clearly hadn't.



What I'm finding more baffling now, is the noise on here that Ferguson is generating.

It's almost as if we refuse to learn lessons.

 

[Swansman]

Interesting how much confidence Wilder is giving him despite not too many goals and their reasonable strike force. Definitely suggests that Mr Connolly is a demon in training sessions but just struggle to get it all out in the games.

 

[Springal]

What I'm finding more baffling now, is the noise on here that Ferguson is generating.

It's almost as if we refuse to learn lessons.

Especially as Ferguson has a 'worse' scoring record vs Connolly, despite playing in a much better U23 squad

 

[Insel affe]

Especially as Ferguson has a 'worse' scoring record vs Connolly, despite playing in a much better U23 squad

However playing better opposition than Connolly was at that age.

 

[Springal]

However playing better opposition than Connolly was at that age.

True - I thought Connolly had played 1 season in PL1 but apparently not

 

[amexer]

I think Connelly is the clever one. Maybe realises his lack of talent and knows if he had gone on loan a couple of seasons ago to a Div 2 side and failed could have been end of league career. By not going has obtained a few seasons on PL money all on back of 2 goals against Spurs and a lot of goals at junior level. I did read many Midd supporters are saying it would help if he stayed on his feet.

 

[GT49er]

We know, had he moved up the loan ladder, he wouldn't have been the hairy man-child Gary Lineker pronounced as 'the next big thing', as he'd have been playing his trade in League 1.

I'm not giving excuses for him and some of his lifestyle choices, but I'm not entirely sure I could deal with that kind of adulation.
I certainly would think I'd 'made it', when I clearly hadn't.



What I'm finding more baffling now, is the noise on here that Ferguson is generating.

It's almost as if we refuse to learn lessons.

Not really. We were quite legitimately excited about Connolly's performances in the U23s, and we're impressed with young Ferguson now. Hopefully he'll make a few 1st. team appearances between now and the end of the season, almost certainly as a sub.
What happens after that is the important bit. In the summer of 2019 Connolly (apparantly) persuaded the powers that be not to send him out on loan again. I would hope we don't repeat the same mistake again in with Ferguson in 2022.

 

[GT49er]

Interesting how much confidence Wilder is giving him despite not too many goals and their reasonable strike force. Definitely suggests that Mr Connolly is a demon in training sessions but just struggle to get it all out in the games.

Wilder is showing a lot of confidence in Connolly - no evidence yet that it is giving Connolly any more confidence though, not in front of goal anyway.

 

[Insel affe]

Wilder is showing a lot of confidence in Connolly - no evidence yet that it is giving Connolly any more confidence though, not in front of goal anyway.

Wilder is not stupid and neither is Potter, there is clearly something there, the boy does have talent and potential.
It seems like it up to young Aaron to take this chance during the promotion push.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Wilder is not stupid and neither is Potter, there is clearly something there, the boy does have talent and potential.
It seems like it up to young Aaron to take this chance during the promotion push.

It should be noted that the following players were selected to the Irish squad ahead of Connolly - Callum Robinson, Troy Parrott, Will Keane,, Scott Hogan, Chiedozie Ogbene, Connor Ronan (Adam Idah would be there - but he is injured - as is Michael Obafemi).

 

[Justice]

Wilder is not stupid and neither is Potter, there is clearly something there, the boy does have talent and potential.
It seems like it up to young Aaron to take this chance during the promotion push.

Many managers tried and failed with Ravel Morrison were they smart to try it or was it wasting everybody’s time? I would say the former.