Aaron Connolly message

[coluka]

I think the strikers get a bum deal. Where are these clear cut chances they are missing?

Half the time the problem is passing out from the back means the opposition are all set up shape wise, we then try to transition but many of our players don’t have the ability to play that way. Our passing is far from accurate to feet, or the pace on the ball is too hard, so it comes back. When the midfield receive the ball our first touches are not great. Teams press quickly and our only real outlets are Bola and Jones. We have been found out when teams sit deep and counter

If we play long we lack hold up players and pace in the middle to support and we give the ball away in blind alleys. Jones has stopped taking men on as much and feeds to Dijksteel if he’s about, Djiksteel looks lost in the final third. The ball goes right to left and back looking for an opening that isn’t there till eventually we give the ball away or have a shot blocked or shoot wide or over, sometimes over commiting leaving ourselves vulnerable to a quick counter (E.g Huddersfield, Barnsley, Bristol). We lack creativity on the left and down the middle. I’d prefer a number 10 as one of the strikers, someone with pace and trickery.

Swansea are a possession based team too, so although it might be a chess match game it might mean we have more space to play in with possession when we win it. We need a plan B though rather than sticking with plan A but with fresh legs.

 

[Zoophonic]

I thought in December Swansea were the best footballing side we have played this season. We really rode our luck in that match and a great Jones solo effort won it. I have been surprised how Swansea have just not competed at the top this season

 

[BoroMart]

Pace? Strength? Movement? Technique? Touch? Finishing? Finding space? Anticipation? Passing? Work rate? ect ect.

How would you rate him on a scale of 10 on those attributes?

Sure,

Physical 6.5 but should get himself some on-on-one speed training, lots of players pay for specialist 1-to-1 trainers:
Body strength - he's short, but moderately well built, still got a bit more upper body strength to come
Balance & Coordination - he's fine in this area, he takes a lot of punishment and wins free kicks because players have to give him a hefty shove to knock him over
Speed - OK would have expected him to be quicker running in behind, he isn't slow, what he does do well is run as fast with the ball as without it, again helps him draw fouls
Acceleration - he's a little slower off the mark than he should be. Needs to work on this, could be confidence caught on his heels, could be his nature
Stamina - one of the best at the club for stamina. Has no problem working for 90 mins 3 times a week

Technical 6.5:
- Has a decent first touch, you only see him mis-control when he's getting shoved from behind.
- Dribbling, he can and does dribble out of tight spots well, his dribbling is better than average but maybe a little 'safe' sometimes rather than dribbling at the last man
- shooting, can generate power from a short backlift, but he's snatching at shots and pulling them. Not sure if that is confidence or an embedded technique issue
- he has shown in the past that he has the technique to do the difficult stuff, overhead kicks finishing with a backheel, volleys etc.

Tactical 5.5:
- Not always doing it in the right place for us. Doesn't run in behind enough, might be frustration that we aren't playing through balls
- doesn't run across the front post enough
- Hasn't shown a natural movement in the box enough to find the space
- drops deep too often, might be due to not getting any quality ball though when he stays up top

Social 5.5:
- Seems fairly popular with the other players
- maybe lets his personal life interfere with his mindset a little

With a little work, good coaching, and better creativity in the side, there are the foundations of a decent player, not a prem player, not a top class one, but enough to work with at this level.

 

[BoroMart]

View attachment 37596

Whoscored is based on only certain metrics, claiming he has a poor defensive contribution is an 'interesting' claim as he is clearly the best high-presser off the ball at the club.

 

[Bruce]

View attachment 37596

That's pretty damning. I think he seems like a good kid who has tried hard but it hasn't worked and there's no sign of that changing. I also think that bar a few keyboard warriors he has been well supported by the fans who recognise that he hasn't shirked the challenge. Players are just young blokes who read social media (or at least get told what's on it) so he'll know what's been said. He's probably also looking at what he's achieved in the loan and worrying that he's lost his chance at the Premier league because there's no way he's getting back into the Brighton team on the back of scoring 2 deflected goals playing regularly in the best part of half a season in system that is set up to bring the best out of him.

 

[BoroMart]

I think the strikers get a bum deal. Where are these clear cut chances they are missing?

Half the time the problem is passing out from the back means the opposition are all set up shape wise, we then try to transition but many of our players don’t have the ability to play that way. Our passing is far from accurate to feet, or the pace on the ball is too hard, so it comes back. When the midfield receive the ball our first touches are not great. Teams press quickly and our only real outlets are Bola and Jones. We have been found out when teams sit deep and counter

If we play long we lack hold up players and pace in the middle to support and we give the ball away in blind alleys. Jones has stopped taking men on as much and feeds to Dijksteel if he’s about, Djiksteel looks lost in the final third. The ball goes right to left and back looking for an opening that isn’t there till eventually we give the ball away or have a shot blocked or shoot wide or over, sometimes over commiting leaving ourselves vulnerable to a quick counter (E.g Huddersfield, Barnsley, Bristol). We lack creativity on the left and down the middle. I’d prefer a number 10 as one of the strikers, someone with pace and trickery.

Swansea are a possession based team too, so although it might be a chess match game it might mean we have more space to play in with possession when we win it. We need a plan B though rather than sticking with plan A but with fresh legs.

spot on.

On Swansea, our best opportunity is to look to utilise the counter, which means Jones using his skill and pace to get at them not just get up the pitch then wait and play it back to Dijksteel. We need Bola to find a bit of on the ball quality too. He gets in behind but then his crossing is very poor. If McGree plays, I want to see him burst forward and support the forwards more, he seems to have it in his locker from his Birmingham days, but has played too cautious so far for us.

 

[Nano]

Whoscored is based on only certain metrics, claiming he has a poor defensive contribution is an 'interesting' claim as he is clearly the best high-presser off the ball at the club.

All the forwards have the same thing so it's probably just that they don't actually win the ball or make tackles at the defensive end of the pitch. The interesting bit, and the bit that is hard to argue against, is the strengths category. To have no strengths is pretty damning (but supports what I have seen from him). Weaknesses in not being able to hold on to the ball or pass it isn't particularly good either. We know he can't shoot so if he can't hold the ball, win it in the air, pass it or shoot then what is he doing? Is pressing on its own a good enough reason to have him in the team? It would be much easier to train better footballers to press better than train him to be a better footballer.

Think you have rated him too highly for technique. I've yet to see him strike a ball cleanly.

 

[BoroMart]

Says it all that Sporar barely had a mention this week despite putting in one of the worst performances of the season on Saturday

very true and it wasn't a one off. He's been very poor for 3 months+ If you are having a tough time with your personal form, you only get out of it by working harder, and being up for the fight and Sporar has his deck chair out and is waving a white towel.

Sporar is a senior experienced pro on massive wages, and he's shown a real lack of fight, there is undoubted ability there but without the mental and physical effort it'll never ever show.

 

[BoroMart]

I didn't mention his discipline in the three months he's been at Boro, but it ended previous loans at Luton and Stoke.

He's only ever had 1 loan, at Luton, he was 18 years old when he rocked up there. He was a kid physically and mentally, I wouldn't hold that against him.

 

[TeaCider]

He's only ever had 1 loan, at Luton, he was 18 years old when he rocked up there. He was a kid physically and mentally, I wouldn't hold that against him.

As I said on the previous page, there was never a disciplinary issue, he's completely made that up.

They signed him on loan in January when he was injured and he didn't get fit till midway through April.

 

[BoroMart]

He will play at Swansea and I hope he plays well and scores a brace.

he did score a brace against Swansea for Brighton in the EFL cup earlier in the season

 

[ForssAwakens]

the point of who scored is that is uses metrics in an unbiased way.

 

[BoroMart]

The interesting bit, and the bit that is hard to argue against, is the strengths category.

those strengths and weaknesses are generated automatically from metrics, if something isn't measured in a metric it won't flag up as a strength, if it had a metric for km covered per minute, he'd be one of the top 3 in our club and would have the strength 'work rate'. I look at whoscored regularly, and would often disagree with some of the strengths and weaknesses of players. It's the weakest part of the website.

Think you have rated him too highly for technique. I've yet to see him strike a ball cleanly.

There are multiple 'techniques' involved in that figure, yes he isn't hitting a ball clean right now, but I have seen him do it for Brighton, he's snatching right now I think. He can dribble out of tight spaces, he does have a good first touch and even high press is a technical aspect to do it right, and he does that well. Yes his shooting for us shows a technique of 4, but I lift it up with his other technical strengths.

 

[BoroMart]

the point of who scored is that is uses metrics in an unbiased way.

true, but making conclusions from metrics can be flawed if you don't have the right metrics, which it doesn't. It also doesn't have enough data points to be absolutely correct. I mean Tav has a weakness of crossing, despite being a decent crosser, Payero has a weakness of passing, and Howson has no weaknesses despite scoring just 6 goals in 5 years.

They are an indication but not an absolute.

 

[ForssAwakens]

true, but making conclusions from metrics can be flawed if you don't have the right metrics, which it doesn't.

Also true, it’s a starting point. Like lots of said though who scored seems to back up what they see, so on this occasion it’s seems it to align

 

[BoroMart]

Also true, it’s a starting point. Like lots of said though who scored seems to back up what they see, so on this occasion it’s seems it to align

Like I said, I like whoscored, from a pure metrics perspective, but metrics need context and human analysis to create conclusions.

I'm not blind to connolly's failures and weaknesses, he does need to improve his variation in movement, he does need to work on his finishing, and he does need to practice his ball striking. But I also see how ludicrously over the top some of the negativity is, he isn't wandering around disinterested and offering absolutely nothing as some claim. He is putting the effort in and working off scraps of service. He is making runs then getting frustrated that our midfielders play the easy ball outwide instead. I balance the negativity of some out, he has scored some good goals previously in his career, he does work extremely hard, and he is still very inexperienced. No one is claiming he is a world beater, simply that the negative fans are being over the top with slatting him. I've been around the block to see that happen on many occassions, the extremity of opinions on players. I remember when Alan Kernaghan was a pub player to many fans then went to Man City for 1.5m captained us and them and played for Ireland. I remember Zenden being labelled as sh!te within 10 matches before being a brilliant player for us. Some players take time to find their groove, to get their confidence and for the team to adapt to them.

 

[JM14]

Look at the Chelsea game again if you think he gives 100%.

I didn't mention his discipline in the three months he's been at Boro, but it ended previous loans at Luton and Stoke.

Why go with someone who has question marks about so many facets of his life when there are so many others with good or excellent characters?

Most people who have watched him in the last three months haven't seen anything to suggest he'll amount to anything.

If he'd turned in a few good performances then I'd say there's maybe a decision to be taken. But he's done nothing on the field, and the off field history is just confirmation we don't need the problem.

Strange to pick a game against the world champions where we barely got close to them to criticise him, it certainly wasn’t through lack of effort for anyone, we were just completely outclassed which you can’t blame on one player

He wasn’t ever on loan at Stoke so not sure where you got that from, it looks like any problems he had were fairly minor and standard thing for a young lad with too much money, nothing to suggest he has these problems now and has done nothing whilst at Boro to show he isn’t committed. The way some go on you would think he was a young Nile Ranger

I don’t think he has exactly been impressive since we signed him minus a few games but again none of our strikers have been better than average at best, strange how Connolly gets all of this criticism over the rest of our strikers. But again you are clearly another one who decided they didn’t like him the second he signed and nothing will really change that opinion

 

[Glover_elbow]

I thought in December Swansea were the best footballing side we have played this season. We really rode our luck in that match and a great Jones solo effort won it. I have been surprised how Swansea have just not competed at the top this season

I thought Swansea were absolutely dreadful so open at the back you could have driven a bus through

 

[BoroMart]

I thought Swansea were absolutely dreadful so open at the back you could have driven a bus through

Where's Gazza when you need him!

 

[TeaCider]

I thought in December Swansea were the best footballing side we have played this season. We really rode our luck in that match and a great Jones solo effort won it. I have been surprised how Swansea have just not competed at the top this season

Agreed, them and Coventry have been the best two sides I've seen up here.

They're just very inconsistent.