Aaron Connolly Admits He Had Issues

B

BeanBeany

Well-known member
Appears that a lot of the stories swirling round about off field issues were probably right. Taken from a report in The Sun:

Speaking to Irish Football Fan TV, the 22-year-old revealed that he made the move to Italy to get away from negative influences in England.

He said: “I wasn’t in the right place to go on loan last year. I did it because I wanted to play football but I wish this version of myself right now had showed up at Middlesbrough.

"It would have been a different story.

I can't believe that when we scout someone that we don't get a bit of an idea on this sort of thing!
 
Well most people on here got this kind of idea from a quick google last January, but not the club by all accounts...
 
BeanBeany said:
I can't believe that when we scout someone that we don't get a bit of an idea on this sort of thing!
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We probably do, but it's a risk v's reward decision. Did we think we could cope with that, given his talent or did we think that he would change based on a new environment.

It is a gamble, and this time it didn't pay off, with someone like Merson it did.
 
BeanBeany said:
Appears that a lot of the stories swirling round about off field issues were probably right. Taken from a report in The Sun:

Speaking to Irish Football Fan TV, the 22-year-old revealed that he made the move to Italy to get away from negative influences in England.

He said: “I wasn’t in the right place to go on loan last year. I did it because I wanted to play football but I wish this version of myself right now had showed up at Middlesbrough.

"It would have been a different story.

I can't believe that when we scout someone that we don't get a bit of an idea on this sort of thing!
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Bet he’s changed loads already
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
We probably do, but it's a risk v's reward decision. Did we think we could cope with that, given his talent or did we think that he would change based on a new environment.

It is a gamble, and this time it didn't pay off, with someone like Merson it did.
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Merson and Gascoigne🤣

www.mirror.co.uk

Merson's incredible story on how he and Gazza passed time while living together

The pair lived together during their time a the club as they targeted promotion back to the Premier League
www.mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk
 
Incredible that a player is coming out and saying this after we paid him well and probably paid a significant loan fee.

You'd think someone would do back ground checks on him. I always remember Warnock saying he phones former managers and players who know them to see what they are like as a person. You'd think his private life is well documented and it would be a red flag.

I 'thought' he'd been alright off field. I just thought he was sh*t and that's why he didn't perform.

Yet listing to Wilders comments suggest a few things off field went on behind the scenes. I just thought it was another 'terrific' Boro loan 😂
 
Colgates_shaving_foam said:
You can have issues but I don't see how that can make you utterly cack at football?

His main issue is surely lack of football ability?
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Yep, that's why he's got 8 caps for ROI, signed for a PL team and managed to fool 3 other professional clubs into signing him on loan.

Clever lad, to fool all these people whose sole job is to spot talent, what with his non existent lack of ability.
 
S7DiscoDown said:
You'd think someone would do back ground checks on him. I always remember Warnock saying he phones former managers and players who know them to see what they are like as a person. You'd think his private life is well documented and it would be a red flag.
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If we're looking for a perfect angel, with immense football talent, low wages and his parent club is willing to let him go on loan then we'll be looking at an extremely limited pool of players.

You'll never get a 100% perfect player, and so you have to weigh the good up v's the bad and make a decision / take a risk which is what we did with him.
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
If we're looking for a perfect angel, with immense football talent, low wages and his parent club is willing to let him go on loan then we'll be looking at an extremely limited pool of players.

You'll never get a 100% perfect player, and so you have to weigh the good up v's the bad and make a decision / take a risk which is what we did with him.
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I guess. Although he had 'form'

You just had to read the Brighton forums to know he loved a beer and a night out. It wasn't a secret.

Also he really wasn't that good. I mean I'd back a managers judgement of a player over mine. Yet he just looked a poor loan signing without his baggage.

I wish him well. It could be the making of him. I imagine he's at a bit of a crossroads. Still young enough to get his career going again. Yet hovering on the edge of blowing it and falling down the leagues (although you can still have a good career in leagues 1 and 2).
 
Colgates_shaving_foam said:
You can have issues but I don't see how that can make you utterly cack at football?

His main issue is surely lack of football ability?
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Exactly mate....many the time I've turned up at Sunday league having had a barney with my lady over a pint of 80 Bob...had a kebab...spewed...turned up and bagged a hat trick....fan@ies nowadays....mentally fragile people ....however....and its a big however...my barney with my lady was not on everyone's phone the next day making it world info.....and that's the reason youngster's.are crumbling nowadays....everything they Do is micro examined
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
Yep, that's why he's got 8 caps for ROI, signed for a PL team and managed to fool 3 other professional clubs into signing him on loan.

Clever lad, to fool all these people whose sole job is to spot talent, what with his non existent lack of ability.
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It's just an opinion - like saying a movie is sh*t, but could you do the job of the writer, producer, actor director. No.
If Connolly played Sunday League against us he would take the absolute p*ss, there is no question about that. But within the pool of professional footballers in the Championship last season, in context, he wasn't very good was he?
 
h_m_boro said:
It's just an opinion - like saying a movie is sh*t, but could you do the job of the writer, producer, actor director. No.
If Connolly played Sunday League against us he would take the absolute p*ss, there is no question about that. But within the pool of professional footballers in the Championship last season, in context, he wasn't very good was he?
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No, but to claim there is a "lack of football ability" is a stupid statement, and nothing like saying a film is rubbish.

Art is subjective, footballing ability less so. To claim someone who has made it to the top 1% of his chosen career, something millions have tried and failed to do, and is paid tens of thousands a week by a professional PL club, not to mention getting 8 caps for his country has a lack of ability is just not true.

How do you account for the probably hundreds of people involved in the game, who've spotted and nurtured his talent since he was say ten years old, whilst letting thousands of other talented people fall by the wayside in favour of AC ? Have they all been fooled by this lads lack of talent ?

He may not be the player you wanted him to be, he may never win a single trophy, but to claim he has a lack of ability is just silly.
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
No, but to claim there is a "lack of football ability" is a stupid statement, and nothing like saying a film is rubbish.

Art is subjective, footballing ability less so. To claim someone who has made it to the top 1% of his chosen career, something millions have tried and failed to do, and is paid tens of thousands a week by a professional PL club, not to mention getting 8 caps for his country has a lack of ability is just not true.

How do you account for the probably hundreds of people involved in the game, who've spotted and nurtured his talent since he was say ten years old, whilst letting thousands of other talented people fall by the wayside in favour of AC ? Have they all been fooled by this lads lack of talent ?

He may not be the player you wanted him to be, he may never win a single trophy, but to claim he has a lack of ability is just silly.
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He may have ability but he doesn't apply that ability because he has no football intelligence. He was always in the wrong place, never anticipated anything, was always on the wrong foot.

Reading that I think MFC should sue Brighton for supplying defective merchandise.
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
No, but to claim there is a "lack of football ability" is a stupid statement, and nothing like saying a film is rubbish.

Art is subjective, footballing ability less so. To claim someone who has made it to the top 1% of his chosen career, something millions have tried and failed to do, and is paid tens of thousands a week by a professional PL club, not to mention getting 8 caps for his country has a lack of ability is just not true.

How do you account for the probably hundreds of people involved in the game, who've spotted and nurtured his talent since he was say ten years old, whilst letting thousands of other talented people fall by the wayside in favour of AC ? Have they all been fooled by this lads lack of talent ?

He may not be the player you wanted him to be, he may never win a single trophy, but to claim he has a lack of ability is just silly.
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He was probably decent as a youngster, probably because he was faster than everyone else and he had a bit of strength. Technical ability isn't as important as a youth player if you are getting opportunities to score due to your physical qualities. When everyone else catches up and the physical qualities aren't enough then you start to drop standard until you find your level. He's had about 5 good games in his professional career (0 for us). His reputation is built on scoring twice in his first start in the PL for Brighton. Since then people have been trying to "recapture his potential". It's rubbish, he has none. He will not make it at the top level of football. He's not good enough. His technical ability is some of the worst I have ever seen in a Boro shirt. His first touch is non-existent and he can't kick a ball cleanly. Those are pretty basic skills to be lacking.

Also, International caps doesn't tell the whole story. ROI have a dearth of striking options. There are no PL strikers in the ROI squad. He scored 0 goals in his 8 caps so at least he is consistent.
 
Soutra said:
He may have ability but he doesn't apply that ability because he has no football intelligence. He was always in the wrong place, never anticipated anything, was always on the wrong foot.

Reading that I think MFC should sue Brighton for supplying defective merchandise.
Click to expand...
Soutra said:
He may have ability but he doesn't apply that ability because he has no football intelligence. He was always in the wrong place, never anticipated anything, was always on the wrong foot.

Reading that I think MFC should sue Brighton for supplying defective merchandise.
Click to expand...
boro should have cancelled his loan
 
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