[Albion] The careers of Solly March and Anthony Knockaert

[Jimmy Grimble]

There is no way he would fit in the current team ethos, with Knocky everything was about him and when it didn't go right he would sulk out on the wing.

What we have now is a incredible team ethic of values and winning mentality.

I’m fully aware of that. Just deluding myself into thinking it possible as Knockaert remains my favourite Albion player of the last few years!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Knockaert has done it multiple times

Oh so that’s a bad thing? How dare an ex player turn up to watch us.

 

[Beach Hut]

Oh so that’s a bad thing? How dare an ex player turn up to watch us.

Dependant on what you define as a few mine would be Gross

 

[dazzer6666]

Oh so that’s a bad thing? How dare an ex player turn up to watch us.

Point. Missed.

 

[Beach Hut]

I’m fully aware of that. Just deluding myself into thinking it possible as Knockaert remains my favourite Albion player of the last few years!

Dependant of how you define a few but mine would be Gross

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Wrong quote. Goodnight all.

 

[Beach Hut]

Eh?

For some reason I quoted the wrong post - silly me

 

[Thunder Bolt]

For some reason I quoted the wrong post - silly me

Don’t worry. I’m all confused too.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Dependant of how you define a few but mine would be Gross

He is currently running him very close, agreed.

 

[timbha]

Only Solly would pass the no Dickeads policy

 

[Sheebo]

Will never speak badly of AK - and not many will. He was player of the league that season. His fathers passing - the Sidwell goal at Brizzle, the players going over for the funeral - all of it is nothing but happy Albion memories in one of our best ever seasons as a club.

But yes, mad how his career spiralled.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

To answer the actual question, I would not have guessed their careers correctly.

That said, I loved Knocky in the Championship but soon tired of his petulance in the Prem; the final straw was that Goodison red card right in front of me. Solly is the reverse though; in the Championship I felt he was average and given the benefit of the doubt too many times due to being a local lad. 6 years later, and at a far higher level, he’s now a key player. I would never in a million years have predicted this.

I was very close by for his red card there too, and remember a couple of our fans giving him a fair bit of verbal abuse in the moments before he got that card. (You could see him staring directly at the 2 fans in question who were shouting it at him, and then as soon as play restarted, he went flying in at the Everton player and got the red.) We found out later it was also the time when he was going through the breakdown of his marriage and a divorce, and was fighting for custody / visiting rights for his kid, so of course he wouldn't have been in a good place mentally to start with, and their actions likely pushed him over the edge and he snapped (He'd lost the support of his father, his wife, (who also took his kid away from him), and then to see some his own supporters turning on him too was probably the final straw)

It would have been very interesting to see how he would have got on for us in the top flight if his father was still with us, I suspect it would have been very different. They were clearly extremely close and his father's support was a big motivational factor for him, and helped push him on to try to achieve success. He often said about wanting to make it to the top flight so his father could watch him playing there. So to suddenly lose him created a massive void in his life which would have clearly affected him deeply, and which probably then led to his marriage breaking up and other off the field problems too.

This traumatic period in his life would naturally have also affected him and how he performed at work too, and the effect it had on him probably led to his reputation amongst some of our fans that he was petulant, prone to hissy fits, frustrated at his inability to beat players, etc as mentioned above, but was likely caused by his loss, which in turn had a seriously negative effect on his mental health, affecting his attitude to life and to football

Sadly too many fans seem to think that footballers should be this unfeeling machine, that their mental health could never be poor and so on simply because they get to play a game for a living and are well paid for doing so.

 

[BiffyBoy100]

I was very close by for his red card there too, and remember a couple of our fans giving him a fair bit of verbal abuse in the moments before he got that card. (You could see him staring directly at the 2 fans in question who were shouting it at him, and then as soon as play restarted, he went flying in at the Everton player and got the red.) We found out later it was also the time when he was going through the breakdown of his marriage and a divorce, and was fighting for custody / visiting rights for his kid, so of course he wouldn't have been in a good place mentally to start with, and their actions likely pushed him over the edge and he snapped (He'd lost the support of his father, his wife, (who also took his kid away from him), and then to see some his own supporters turning on him too was probably the final straw)

It would have been very interesting to see how he would have got on for us in the top flight if his father was still with us, I suspect it would have been very different. They were clearly extremely close and his father's support was a big motivational factor for him, and helped push him on to try to achieve success. He often said about wanting to make it to the top flight so his father could watch him playing there. So to suddenly lose him created a massive void in his life which would have clearly affected him deeply, and which probably then led to his marriage breaking up and other off the field problems too.

This traumatic period in his life would naturally have also affected him and how he performed at work too, and the effect it had on him probably led to his reputation amongst some of our fans that he was petulant, prone to hissy fits, frustrated at his inability to beat players, etc as mentioned above, but was likely caused by his loss, which in turn had a seriously negative effect on his mental health, affecting his attitude to life and to football

Sadly too many fans seem to think that footballers should be this unfeeling machine, that their mental health could never be poor and so on simply because they get to play a game for a living and are well paid for doing s

I was very close by for his red card there too, and remember a couple of our fans giving him a fair bit of verbal abuse in the moments before he got that card. (You could see him staring directly at the 2 fans in question who were shouting it at him, and then as soon as play restarted, he went flying in at the Everton player and got the red.) We found out later it was also the time when he was going through the breakdown of his marriage and a divorce, and was fighting for custody / visiting rights for his kid, so of course he wouldn't have been in a good place mentally to start with, and their actions likely pushed him over the edge and he snapped (He'd lost the support of his father, his wife, (who also took his kid away from him), and then to see some his own supporters turning on him too was probably the final straw)

It would have been very interesting to see how he would have got on for us in the top flight if his father was still with us, I suspect it would have been very different. They were clearly extremely close and his father's support was a big motivational factor for him, and helped push him on to try to achieve success. He often said about wanting to make it to the top flight so his father could watch him playing there. So to suddenly lose him created a massive void in his life which would have clearly affected him deeply, and which probably then led to his marriage breaking up and other off the field problems too.

This traumatic period in his life would naturally have also affected him and how he performed at work too, and the effect it had on him probably led to his reputation amongst some of our fans that he was petulant, prone to hissy fits, frustrated at his inability to beat players, etc as mentioned above, but was likely caused by his loss, which in turn had a seriously negative effect on his mental health, affecting his attitude to life and to football

Sadly too many fans seem to think that footballers should be this unfeeling machine, that their mental health could never be poor and so on simply because they get to play a game for a living and are well paid for doing so.

He’s clearly not the only player to have ever lost someone significant or dealt with personal issues while playing at a too level.

I think the key difference between Knocky and Solly was attitude and coachability. One already thought they were a premier league player whilst the other was plucked from a much lower level and played with everything to make the step up.

I would have never guessed it, but Solly had a higher ceiling.

 

[Springal]

Sadly too many fans seem to think that footballers should be this unfeeling machine, that their mental health could never be poor and so on simply because they get to play a game for a living and are well paid for doing so.

Not that it’s really top trumps , but he’s not the first and won’t be the last to go through things like. We’ve seen it with Murray first time round when he split for his partner who moved back up north with his young son, Potter losing both mum & dad in close succession a couple off the top of my head.

Hopefully he can make the most of what is left of his career anyway and looks back on the many highlights he has

 

[Uh_huh_him]

No I wouldn't have guessed it.

Clearly temperament is the difference. Solly has what's required at this level, Knocy, unfortunately, doesn't.

It always amuses me when Solly comes over to take a corner, his chant will start and he will seem to be unaware of it, but will eventually give us a little clap, without breaking stride. He knows he should acknowledge us, and does, but his focus is 100% on his game.

Very similar temperament to Groß

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I was very close by for his red card there too, and remember a couple of our fans giving him a fair bit of verbal abuse in the moments before he got that card. (You could see him staring directly at the 2 fans in question who were shouting it at him, and then as soon as play restarted, he went flying in at the Everton player and got the red.) We found out later it was also the time when he was going through the breakdown of his marriage and a divorce, and was fighting for custody / visiting rights for his kid, so of course he wouldn't have been in a good place mentally to start with, and their actions likely pushed him over the edge and he snapped (He'd lost the support of his father, his wife, (who also took his kid away from him), and then to see some his own supporters turning on him too was probably the final straw)

It would have been very interesting to see how he would have got on for us in the top flight if his father was still with us, I suspect it would have been very different. They were clearly extremely close and his father's support was a big motivational factor for him, and helped push him on to try to achieve success. He often said about wanting to make it to the top flight so his father could watch him playing there. So to suddenly lose him created a massive void in his life which would have clearly affected him deeply, and which probably then led to his marriage breaking up and other off the field problems too.

This traumatic period in his life would naturally have also affected him and how he performed at work too, and the effect it had on him probably led to his reputation amongst some of our fans that he was petulant, prone to hissy fits, frustrated at his inability to beat players, etc as mentioned above, but was likely caused by his loss, which in turn had a seriously negative effect on his mental health, affecting his attitude to life and to football

Sadly too many fans seem to think that footballers should be this unfeeling machine, that their mental health could never be poor and so on simply because they get to play a game for a living and are well paid for doing so.

Whilst I understand this, and do not wish to belittle his situation and am sympathetic, there were signs of certain aspects of his character long before his well publicised personal issues. These were no doubt amplified when he went through his troubles, but I believe certain traits were always there. I‘m also not convinced the company he kept in Brighton helped.

He‘s a good person, and a fine footballer but I felt it was best for everyone he started afresh elsewhere

 

[Thunder Bolt]

He’s clearly not the only player to have ever lost someone significant or dealt with personal issues while playing at a too level.

I think the key difference between Knocky and Solly was attitude and coachability. One already thought they were a premier league player whilst the other was plucked from a much lower level and played with everything to make the step up.

I would have never guessed it, but Solly had a higher ceiling.

There is still this idea that Solly had a lower standard and worked hard to get where he is now.
As I said previously, two cruciate injuries held Solly back. He was playing for England U21s, scoring a worldy against Denmark, at the Amex. He always had the ability.

VIDEO: Solly March scores amazing goal for England Under-21s | Goal.com UK

The Brighton starlet showed some excellent shooting ability to double the Young Lions' lead in their friendly against the Danes

www.goal.com

 

[warmleyseagull]

Knocky lacked the emotional/mental resilience to be a success at the very top. Very needy, ‘all about him’ type of character. Gave us some amazing moments in the championship but too fragile to reach the pinnacle.

Substitute Maupay for Knocky in first sentence and you have another précis of a player who didn’t live up to expectations

 

[dazzer6666]

There is still this idea that Solly had a lower standard and worked hard to get where he is now.
As I said previously, two cruciate injuries held Solly back. He was playing for England U21s, scoring a worldy against Denmark, at the Amex. He always had the ability.

VIDEO: Solly March scores amazing goal for England Under-21s | Goal.com UK

The Brighton starlet showed some excellent shooting ability to double the Young Lions' lead in their friendly against the Danes

www.goal.com

Yep - odd that some still keep progressing that view - every manager we've had has had him in the starting XI. DeZ pointed him out before he even took charge as someone with real ability.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Just as several others have said on this thread, l loved watching both.

Although both players are wingers they are as different as night from day in many respects, Knocky is the brash, outgoing, confident type, happy to run at defenders and with an eye for goal, whereas Solly might be considered the polar oppostite, far more composed, rational and certainly a lot less hot headed.

As to who was the most exciting to watch, well that has to be Knockaert (albeit in the Championship), but the better player and the more successful well that is Solly March, simply because he is performing consistently, week in week out, in the Premier League, something that Knocky was unable to achieve.