[Football] The official 'Best wishes to Aaron Connolly for tonight' thread

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PILTDOWN MAN

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GT49er

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He has been running around like a headless chicken most of the time.

The Irish have been a lot better this half and Connolly was never in the right position when the ball came into the box

Can you not just accept that running around is not necessarily running round 'like a headless chicken'? - and maybe pay more attention to the fact that none of his team mates managed a decent pass to him in the danger area (or pretty much anywhere else for that matter).
I guess none of the four U23 Irish strikers who are ahead of him were available tonight?
 




The Brighton Buzz

Falmer here we come
Jan 31, 2008
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Duffy has played well. Connelly had little service but must try and stay on his feet. Refs will get used to him falling over and he will struggle to get fouls.
 


Tony Towner's Fridge

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Aug 22, 2003
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Why should it he’ll be playing with people who can play football

That is so true..RoI have been very poor in midfield. No ability to spot a pass and to be honest I can understand AC losing his rag a bit. That guy Mclean looks absolute guff...commentator called the AC substitution with Hogan 'like for like'! FFS a 27 year old playing for Stoke City being compared with a 19 year old hot shot playing for us.... no, I do not think so?


TNBA


TTF
 








PILTDOWN MAN

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BNthree

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Sep 14, 2016
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State of that pitch. Wish Park's Sunday league pitches usually in a better state come early March!
 




Jolly Red Giant

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Jul 11, 2015
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Can you not just accept that running around is not necessarily running round 'like a headless chicken'? - and maybe pay more attention to the fact that none of his team mates managed a decent pass to him in the danger area (or pretty much anywhere else for that matter).
I guess none of the four U23 Irish strikers who are ahead of him were available tonight?

Countless times tonight Connolly had opportunities to get on the ball - he over ran it, he went the wrong way, he over hit passes, he was tempestuous diving into several tackles.

I like Connolly - I think he is a talented kid who has a lot of potential - but he was poor tonight. I think the game got to him a bit.

As for better U23 strikers - that would be hard seeing as Ireland doesn't have an U23 team.

Hopefully - Connolly turns it around at the weekend and plays well against Villa (if he is picked). He will likely have plenty of more opportunities for both Brighton and Ireland.
 


nwgull

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Jul 25, 2003
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Countless times tonight Connolly had opportunities to get on the ball - he over ran it, he went the wrong way, he over hit passes, he was tempestuous diving into several tackles.

I like Connolly - I think he is a talented kid who has a lot of potential - but he was poor tonight. I think the game got to him a bit.

As for better U23 strikers - that would be hard seeing as Ireland doesn't have an U23 team.

Hopefully - Connolly turns it around at the weekend and plays well against Villa (if he is picked). He will likely have plenty of more opportunities for both Brighton and Ireland.

I agree. He's had a fairly crap game tonight. He's the new darling though, so people will blame his team mates, the pitch etc.. Hopefully, he'll play much better at the weekend - all players have off days.
 






GT49er

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Countless times tonight Connolly had opportunities to get on the ball - he over ran it, he went the wrong way, he over hit passes, he was tempestuous diving into several tackles.

I like Connolly - I think he is a talented kid who has a lot of potential - but he was poor tonight. I think the game got to him a bit.

As for better U23 strikers - that would be hard seeing as Ireland doesn't have an U23 team.

Hopefully - Connolly turns it around at the weekend and plays well against Villa (if he is picked). He will likely have plenty of more opportunities for both Brighton and Ireland.
U21s then. Young teams. Youth teams - you know, the one you've been banging on about Connolly being the fifth choice for.

OK, I get it, you see him as being not very good, running round like a headless chicken, Everybody else sees him running around trying to press and make space, but nobody capable of passing the ball to him. Okey doke, carry on.
 


Jolly Red Giant

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Jul 11, 2015
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Duffy own goal at the death - disappointing as it probably was going wide - wouldn't have made a difference in the end.
 


Countless times tonight Connolly had opportunities to get on the ball - he over ran it, he went the wrong way, he over hit passes, he was tempestuous diving into several tackles.

I like Connolly - I think he is a talented kid who has a lot of potential - but he was poor tonight. I think the game got to him a bit.

As for better U23 strikers - that would be hard seeing as Ireland doesn't have an U23 team.

Hopefully - Connolly turns it around at the weekend and plays well against Villa (if he is picked). He will likely have plenty of more opportunities for both Brighton and Ireland.
Let's be thankful these lessons have been learnt abroad and not in the PL. I hope it doesn't affect GP's opinion of his worthiness to play at Villa Park.
 


Durlston

"You plonker, Rodney!"
Jul 15, 2009
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Haywards Heath
Roy Keane was right about Mick McCarthy.

Ireland have blown this spectacularly and the Danes will put the final nail in their group qualification hopes next month. Watching them is like pulling your own teeth out. Saturday was awful to watch in Georgia along with tonight. Spoilt after England's brilliant performance last night? Probably.
 




Swansman

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May 13, 2019
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Roy Keane was right about Mick McCarthy.

Ireland have blown this spectacularly and the Danes will put the final nail in their group qualification hopes next month. Watching them is like pulling your own teeth out. Saturday was awful to watch in Georgia along with tonight. Spoilt after England's brilliant performance last night? Probably.

Switzerland is a better team in every single position though, hard to point at McCarthy though he is certainly not someone I would hire to coach any time of national (or club) team.
 


Jolly Red Giant

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Jul 11, 2015
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U21s then. Young teams. Youth teams - you know, the one you've been banging on about Connolly being the fifth choice for.
I haven't actually - Weeks ago I said that Connolly was down the pecking order - he has improved dramatically over the past 3-4 months and I have acknowledge that on here.

OK, I get it, you see him as being not very good, running round like a headless chicken, Everybody else sees him running around trying to press and make space, but nobody capable of passing the ball to him. Okey doke, carry on.
you are looking at the game from the perspective of a Brighton supporter - I am looking at the game from the perspective of an Irish supporter who is looking at his team in its totality.

First comment from the Irish pundits after the game 'Connolly didn't make the impact we expected' (they were being polite) - he was poor - he wasn't the worst - I thought Jeff Hendrick was awful and I don't understand why McCarthy put O'Dowda on instead of Hourihane.

At the end of the day Ireland finished the game with 5 championship players and one player from Hearts on the pitch out of 10. You can criticse the Irish team for not playing to the standard of the PL - but they had two players from Sheff Utd - one from Brighton and one who plays occasionally st Burnley on the pitch at the end of the game. You have to be realistic about what that kind of team can achieve, Ireland is better than the sum of its parts.

I thought Egan was the best Irish player on the pitch tonight - and I have felt he was under rated for a long time - going back to when I argued that he was better than Duffy when Hughton signed Duffy. Not to say that Duffy hasn't improved dramatically - but I think Egan is as good a defender and a better footballer.

One other thing - I also think Randolph is an under-rated goalkeeper - I think he should be playing PL. I know Darren's father - I coached underage basketball at the same club his father played for and I coached teams that played against him. He was a top class basketball player - but he is a far better goalkeeper - he has excellent reflexes (from his basketball days) and he is never fazed when he is on the pitch.
 


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