[Albion] Aaron Connolly - joining Hull permanently

[Jolly Red Giant]

you probably know more about irish football and the characters of the kids currently coming through than me, so I'll happily take your word on that. but you absolutely can have too many strikers, and as nobby cybergoat mentioned young players aren't going to come to us to sit on our bench when they can get paid double to do the same at a big club. they come here to play, so they either need to be getting minutes or out on loan. my issue is that I would much prefer ferguson to be given the chance to gain experience before we throw him in at the deep end, regardless of how good a lad he is, simply because it's worked a lot better when we've done it this way, obviously allowing for exceptions like lamptey who were a couple of years older. the context this discussion has happened is that some have stated that there's no need for a new forward as we have ferguson. any new forward we brought in would probably be expected to be fighting to be one of the first names on the team sheet. I'm saying we're still a season or two early to be expecting that from ferguson.

Finding a PL quality striker is extemely difficult. Look at Lukaku - signed by Man U for £90m and then dumped off to Italy - signed by Chelsea for £100m and will likely get dumped back to Italy again in the next few weeks. And it is often a case of throwing darts and hoping to hit the bull (and when you get one, like I commented on the thread about Dyche, you don't go and sell to the highest bidder).

So - you can never have enough strikers in the PL squad because you never really know the quality that you have - the more darts you throw the better the chance of hitting the bull (and that is either by bringing them through the academy or by signing them for a lot of money).

 

[macbeth]

Finding a PL quality striker is extemely difficult. Look at Lukaku - signed by Man U for £90m and then dumped off to Italy - signed by Chelsea for £100m and will likely get dumped back to Italy again in the next few weeks. And it is often a case of throwing darts and hoping to hit the bull (and when you get one, like I commented on the thread about Dyche, you don't go and sell to the highest bidder).

So - you can never have enough strikers in the PL squad because you never really know the quality that you have - the more darts you throw the better the chance of hitting the bull (and that is either by bringing them through the academy or by signing them for a lot of money).

I don't disagree with any of that. what I take issue with is the suggestion (not your suggestion) that there's no need for new forwards next season as we already have a 17 year old kid we can rely on instead. can't be bothered to go and find where but it has been said, and to me that seems absolutely bonkers and a recipe for disaster

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

you probably know more about irish football and the characters of the kids currently coming through than me, so I'll happily take your word on that. but you absolutely can have too many strikers, and as nobby cybergoat mentioned young players aren't going to come to us to sit on our bench when they can get paid double to do the same at a big club. they come here to play, so they either need to be getting minutes or out on loan. my issue is that I would much prefer ferguson to be given the chance to gain experience before we throw him in at the deep end, regardless of how good a lad he is, simply because it's worked a lot better when we've done it this way, obviously allowing for exceptions like lamptey who were a couple of years older. the context this discussion has happened is that some have stated that there's no need for a new forward as we have ferguson. any new forward we brought in would probably be expected to be fighting to be one of the first names on the team sheet. I'm saying we're still a season or two early to be expecting that from ferguson.

Even waiting for two seasons, I'm not seeing any 19 year olds with good goalscoring records in the Premier League. Between 26 and 30 is the peak striker age and there's barely anybody providing any output at all, before about age 23. Broja is about the only one doing anything and I think, from this we can reason he's likely to go on to be a very good player.

If we're bringing through Ferguson, or Connolly, (or Sima, Zeqiri Tolaj, Ella etc) the way the club and fans should look at it is that we're investing in their future and proving the existence of a PL pathway to other young strikers. Any goalscoring contribution is a bonus

 

[macbeth]

Even waiting for two seasons, I'm not seeing any 19 year olds with good goalscoring records in the Premier League. Between 26 and 30 is the peak striker age and there's barely anybody providing any output at all, before about age 23. Broja is about the only one doing anything and I think, from this we can reason he's likely to go on to be a very good player.

If we're bringing through Ferguson, or Connolly, (or Sima, Zeqiri Tolaj, Ella etc) the way the club and fans should look at it is that we're investing in their future and proving the existence of a PL pathway to other young strikers. Any goalscoring contribution is a bonus

yeah it's going to be a while before he's someone we can actually rely on, though I'd imagine by 20 he could maybe start to have more PL minutes and get the odd start here and there. my overall point here (and I think we probably agree on this) is that choosing not to bring in another forward this summer, who you'd expect to be starting most games, because we have ferguson instead is absolute lunacy

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

yeah it's going to be a while before he's someone we can actually rely on, though I'd imagine by 20 he could maybe start to have more PL minutes and get the odd start here and there. my overall point here (and I think we probably agree on this) is that choosing not to bring in another forward this summer, who you'd expect to be starting most games, because we have ferguson instead is absolute lunacy

I do. Any chance to give Evan top level game time is a bonus.

 

[GT49er]

yeah it's going to be a while before he's someone we can actually rely on, though I'd imagine by 20 he could maybe start to have more PL minutes and get the odd start here and there. my overall point here (and I think we probably agree on this) is that choosing not to bring in another forward this summer, who you'd expect to be starting most games, because we have ferguson instead is absolute lunacy

Undav is coming in to be added to the first team squad, is he not?

 

[macbeth]

Undav is coming in to be added to the first team squad, is he not?

yeah he is, I'm not here to start a debate as to whether he's enough (though personally I'm not sure), my point is that if the club decide we do need someone else, that someone should be someone with more experience than a 17 year old kid, who wont be ready for another few seasons

 

[hart's shirt]

Came on as sub after 65 minutes, then this on the BBC text...

HITS THE WOODWORK
Swansea 1-1 Middlesbrough

Aaron Connolly so nearly snatches a winner for Middlesbrough, he steers a shot onto the post in the final minute.

 

[Reddleman]

He’s trending on Twitter and the Boro fans are not happy. Missed an absolute sitter apparently.

 

[Icy Gull]

Came on as sub after 65 minutes, then this on the BBC text...

HITS THE WOODWORK
Swansea 1-1 Middlesbrough

Aaron Connolly so nearly snatches a winner for Middlesbrough, he steers a shot onto the post in the final minute.

Shame, it would have done his confidence a world of good to win a game in the last minute

 

[Wozza]

Think he was unlucky personally...

https://twitter.com/PaddySisyphus/status/1517921849530896384

[tweet]1517921849530896384[/tweet]

 

[R. Slicker]

Think he was unlucky personally...

https://twitter.com/PaddySisyphus/status/1517921849530896384

[tweet]1517921849530896384[/tweet]

Agreed, did everything right and very unlucky.
I can't imagine any Brighton fan taking joy in that, Surely?

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Agreed, did everything right and very unlucky.
I can't imagine any Brighton fan taking joy in that, Surely?

He obviously didn't do everything right.

 

[Swansman]

Think he was unlucky personally...

https://twitter.com/PaddySisyphus/status/1517921849530896384

[tweet]1517921849530896384[/tweet]

Decent attempt considering the average Brighton player would put in 10 meters over the bar

 

[LamieRobertson]

He obviously didn't do everything right.

Goal posts were in the wrong place

 

[warmleyseagull]

Agreed, did everything right and very unlucky.
I can't imagine any Brighton fan taking joy in that, Surely?

Sign him up.

 

[Icy Gull]

Think he was unlucky personally...

https://twitter.com/PaddySisyphus/status/1517921849530896384

[tweet]1517921849530896384[/tweet]

Me too, hard to criticise that, brought the ball down well and got it past the keeper bearing down on him and being closed down by a player. Show me a striker who hasn’t missed in the same way. Got to feel for him, surely? Potential hero to slagged off zero in a second

Lovely pass to set him up too

 

[GT49er]

Sadly for him, most Middlesbrough fans echo the views of that Paddy Syphilis fella. Pretty sure the defender made contact with Connolly's foot just as he kicked the ball.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Again - the contrast - Connolly is on the bench and has a chance to score but fluffs it - Obafemi leads the line for Swansea and when he gets a chance he buries it.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Agreed, did everything right and very unlucky.
I can't imagine any Brighton fan taking joy in that, Surely?

Many on here seem to be loving putting the boot into him and have been gleefully doing so for years, so....