Connolly

Cant see Smith making the required grade here, looks to me to be a potentially OK league 2 player at best.


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He's 18 and has played 2 competitive games of mesters football. Of course he's a kid.

By way of contrast Bree has played 37 and Smith has played 48. They might be similar ages but Bree and Smith have the equivalent of an extra season's experience which makes a lot of difference.

I'm not saying Smith/Bree are better or worse than Connolly but there is a difference in terms of their development.

 

What did he do wrong to make you think that?

 

Prior to joining us Connolly had only ever played 40 hours and 18 minutes of under 21's youth football. Since joining us and playing just 2 games that has now risen to 43 hours and 18 minutes. To put that into some perspective I worked 49 hours last week alone.

 

He trains with the first team at Finch farm, He's up against the likes of Lukaku day in day out. The Belgium 22 too year old would destroy any experienced 28 year old say in the country so thats a great way to learn.

 

That's the minutes right. They do train every day. He's not sat doing nothing 5 days a week hes learning from the likes of barkley deulofeu lukaku Stones Coleman.

 

So what you're saying then is that he has been learning from more experienced players? Interesting. Very interesting

 

Connolly doesn't deserve this level of negativity, he did ok. Southend did a very professional number on us which we must now expect.

 

hardly experienced are they just very very talented. When Barnsley have signed 21 and 22 year olds people have said they aren't experienced.

 

The few more experienced players you mentioned have racked up almost 1000 games between them. Of course they're more experienced than him and you have admitted he is learning from that experience.

You have also once again got confused between age and experience, there is a difference

 

Does he learn from Jagielka and Barry too?

 

It's weird because whenever I hear youngsters interviewed who are out on loan they nearly always say 'it's great training with quality players but it's nothing like playing competitive football for 3 points' or words along them lines.

They must be all wrong.

Connolly looked nervous & reminded me a bit of Smith when Smith first got games last season.

I think I'd prefer Williams at RB & Smith at LB but I don't mind Connolly playing either because I'm confident he'll improve game by game

 

Bree far better imo although am only judging on the one match I have seen him play

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Sounds like he played well on his away debut which I didn't see. His home debut was one of the worst for us for a few seasons. Nervous on the ball, seemingly looking to go backwards all the time, too slow, simple balls to him along the floor a couple of times he couldn't reach which went out for throw ins, chipped balls down the flank to our wingers when it would be better to feet and got done a few times.

But as I said the other day whilst our board interfere in the managerial side of the club (ban on over 30s for example) we've to get used to playing kids who's never or hardly ever seen mans football so mistakes/nerves are naturally going to happen.