[Football] Anthony Knockaert

[Klaas]

Was talking to my (82 year old) dad yesterday who was saying he’d lost a bit of interest as ‘all we do is go round in circles and never put the ball in the net’. We got on to talking about how we missed the directness and excitement of the Hughton promotion team (promotion season and the near miss season before that) - and that led quickly to talking about what a delight it was to watch AK in those seasons. Which in turn prompted me to see what he’s up to - such a shame he’s not playing. I sense his mental health issues with his dad passing away were a bigger issue than reported - I maintain he was good enough for the PL, and it was such a shame that happened at that time. He was certainly more than good enough for the Championship so a real shame he’s not still tearing it up there.

'sfunny coming on here and seeing this thread at the top. Just now, with half an hour to spare, found myself watching a few highlights from the 2 seasons prior to promotion. What a couple of years they were and Knockeart was just pure box office.

 

[lawros left foot]

He was at our game against West Ham.

 

[scooter1]

He was at our game against West Ham.

Shame he didn't have his boots....I jest.
That ship has sailed

 

[Is it PotG?]

Had once decent game in the PL as far as I recall, v Man Ure at home. Aside from a couple of fleeting glimpses in the PL, the Championship was where it was at for AK.

Alas Fulham & Forest put him down the pecking order.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Love him and legend for sure. But judged not good enough for Prem by Leicester, not good enough to start for us in Prem (though liked him as a squad player) and not good enough for Prem by Fulham. None of the three clubs are idiots so unless he just doesn’t like sticking around unless starting, there’s something in it.

 

[Gabbafella]

The artist formally known as Ker-nockaert was an absolute joy to watch in our promotion season and the season before. One of those players that was genuinely exciting, unplayable on his day but unfortunately not consistent enough and as others have touched on, the passing of his dad clearly played a massive part.
Still, I'd love to buy him a drink for giving me the always enjoyable memory of 'that goal', an corker of a strike.

 

[Recidivist]

Absolutely agree. Terrific for us in the championship but never really had much chance in Hughton’s “backs to the wall” team in the Premier League.


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[dazzer6666]

Good to see him at West Ham a couple of weeks ago……..loved watching him play and was brilliant for us for a couple of seasons (I remember the audible wave of excitement that spread through the crowds queuing for food and drink outside the ground when the team Tweet was put out in the playoff game against Massive and he was in - after being crocked in the first leg no-one thought he would play) but never really looked like cutting it in the PL.

 

[NooBHA]

Anthony is one of those players who thrives when he is happy and I think he was genuinely friends with the players he played with back then which brought out the best in him and he loved the fact that the fans loved him.

 

[Lever]

I think some people either have incredibly short memories, or are keen to be really, really harsh.

No Knockaert, no promotion. No Knockaert, no survival that first season. He's one of our best ever players and I hope things improve for him.

Agreed. He was fantastic.

Sadly, I think the beginning of the end for his Albion career came with his sending off at the Amex against Bournemouth; our ten-man team took a trouncing and it was obvious that Knockaert had psychological issues.......

 

[Hugo Rune]

If you had to compile a list of Albion’s best ever Championship (not division 2!) players based on the effect they had on points, Knocky would surely be knocking on the door of the No.1 slot. For me, the top 5 would be:

1. Murray
2. Knockaert
3. Dunk
4. Stephens
5. Duffy

 

[Icy Gull]

Coupled with his personal problems it all unravelled at the end. He was a player who would never have thrived in a team who were scared of crossing the halfway line with more than two players and it’s clear GP didn’t fancy him in the squad he was building. Not sure he even got a chance under GP did he?

Doesn’t take away from the fact that he was one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen in the stripes for a couple of glorious seasons. The definition of a player who got “fans off their seats” when he ran at goal

 

[Stat Brother]

This is all a bit predictable.

'quick everyone put your rosy specs on, as the current team can't hit a cows arse with a banjo'.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Love him and legend for sure. But judged not good enough for Prem by Leicester, not good enough to start for us in Prem (though liked him as a squad player) and not good enough for Prem by Fulham. None of the three clubs are idiots so unless he just doesn’t like sticking around unless starting, there’s something in it.

This keeps being repeated as Leicester offered him a new contract. He turned it down to go to Bruges, as his home in France was near the Belgian border. His brother had died, only in his twenties. It was reported in the Leicester Mercury.

He then came to us, and his father died not long after. His wife also left him.
Yes, he had deep, personal issues, which Hughton helped him with enormously and his teammates.

 

[Del of Albion]

Never the same without Bruno in the team.

 

[A1X]

Bar Lamptey the last player to get me out of my seat every time he took hold of the ball

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Never the same without Bruno in the team.

They did have a great understanding of each other’s game.

 

[nwgull]

If you had to compile a list of Albion’s best ever Championship (not division 2!) players based on the effect they had on points, Knocky would surely be knocking on the door of the No.1 slot. For me, the top 5 would be:

1. Murray
2. Knockaert
3. Dunk
4. Stephens
5. Duffy

Good list. I reckon I'd put him above Murray though. We got him in when our 15/16 season was stuttering and we we on the verge of dropping out of the top 6, and although his first game (the 0-2 at Rotherham within about 48 hours of him signing) was possibly our worst performance of the season, we subsequently managed 45 points in our next 20 games - an incredible ppg that was far superior to everyone else in the league.

 

[B-right-on]

Bar Lamptey the last player to get me out of my seat every time he took hold of the ball

This is my exact thought too. But with Knocky, there was always a chance for a goal, with Lamptey, it's more about the assist.

 

[Clive Walker]

If you had to compile a list of Albion’s best ever Championship (not division 2!) players based on the effect they had on points, Knocky would surely be knocking on the door of the No.1 slot. For me, the top 5 would be:

1. Murray
2. Knockaert
3. Dunk
4. Stephens
5. Duffy

Good list but I’d probably replace dunk with kemy