Conor Sammon F Alloa Athletic b.1986

[Ceirtlis]

Couldnt find a thread on Sammon which is probably not a surprise as he hasnt exactly pulled up any trees since his move to Scotland up until now but the guy is on a brilliant run of form. If he keeps this up could he be in contention for the obligatory "big man up front" place in squad? Cillian Sheridan was called in last year after he had been on loan at St. Johnstone after all.

Scored two midweek and again today. His manager. Mixu Paateleinin said this after the game during the week,

"Somebody joked that the team talks are just 'feed the fish up front and they'll be okay'. Conor is fantastic. He works very hard and I think there's plenty of improvement still to come from him but he's on a fantastic goal run at the moment."

[Irish_Praha]

If Noel Hunt can make it into a squad I don't see why Sammon shouldn't be called up if he continues his form. I don't think he has done enough yet to be called up but if he's still banging them in into the new year then he could be included in the Celtic cup squad at the expence of someone like Folan. I've never seen Sammon play so I don't have a clue about his style of play and skill level but I presume most on here would prefer to see Stokes recalled at the moment than him to get his first cap.

[pineapple stu]

Ha! Truly the Sammon of College has arrived with his own thread now. Would be something else to see him in an Ireland squad having roared abuse at him for missing headers in League Cup games in the freezing cold in front of 100 people four or five years ago. Delighted for him. Go on the Sammo!

Now where's the Gary Dicker thread?

btw - amazing that the Kilmarnock site can't spell his name right. And not the surname (the much-punned one)

[Stuttgart88]

Sammon & Adam Rooney at ICT can't do much more than they're doing at the moment. Fair play. I saw the SPL Round Up on SKY today and both took their goals very well.

[John83]

I kind of wish Pineapple Stu was doing the video highlights a few years back. I'd be great fun to show the Ireland forum a horror show of Sammo's worst leaps in the vague direction of the ball. In fairness to him though, he seems to have come on a lot.

[pineapple stu]

In fairness to him though, he seems to have come on a lot.
I remember doing the Q&A with him in the week before the Cup semi. We asked a couple of double-edged questions kind of bluntly mocking his heading inability, but what struck me in his replies, in fairness, was how focussed he was. He was going to go pro, and that was the end of it. I'd say he's worked his hole off at Killie to get where he is now.

[ShamrockIreland]

I'd say he has worked hard Stu. I saw him a few times for UCD against Rovers. He could always find the net so if he keeps it up you'd never know. Would be great to see another former LOI player get a full cap, but even if he doesn't he's done well so far.

[Charlie Darwin]

This kid's at it again. He's put Killie 1-0 up at home to Rangers. Nevermind Ireland, Scotland will be calling him up soon.

I thought he was crap at UCD!

[AlaskaFox]

Scored their second too (but Miller scored a hat-trick for Rangers)

[CraftyToePoke]

I was delighted to see him get 2 at the weekend, and for him generally, people do sometimes, rightly or wrongly, measure a players progress/value while playing in Scotland a little higher if he does well against the Glasgow clubs.

Fair play to him, I remember LOI fans on here seemed a little surprised when the move happened originally, from Derry to Kilmarnock, he wasnt rated as one of the most likely to succeed, so he must have put the effort in to get the most out of his talents, and fair play to Kilmarnock too for spotting development potential and being willing to work on him and show a bit of patience.

I wonder if he or Adam Rooney will get a chance down the line, if they sustain this form? You would hope so if Folan and Sheridan are in the mix.

[drummerboy]

Cant comment on Salmon but I think if Rooney keeps up the same scoring rate, he will be scouted for a move down south.

[rebelmusic]

I had a dream last night that Rooney moved to Ipswich in January...

[pineapple stu]

I thought he was crap at UCD!
He wasn't crap with us - he was our top scorer one season. He was just hugely over-rated*. Pretty much every UCD fan - who'd have been watching him week in week out - has the same opinion of him (namely - head the f*@!ing thing!), whereas opposition fans all thought he was great. Curiously, when he joined Derry, I recall a lot of Derry fans changing from opinion B over to opinion A.

* - I'm aware of the irony of claiming others over-rated him while he's on the run he's currently on.

[CraftyToePoke]

I was browsing some Killie forums earlier, they are charmed with him, but he may be out of contract at the end of the season they say, they want him signed up longterm to prevent Rangers stealing even more of their players, which would be interesting.


http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=313&fid=156&sty=2&act=1&mid=2119444288
and here
http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=313&fid=156&sty=2&act=1&mid=2119519916

[pineapple stu]

Would we get some cash if Rangers buy him for £4m or whatever?

[Junior]

£4m???? I didnt read the link but surely he wouldnt be anywhere near that valuation - £1m more like? (Even if he signed a new contract with Killie its not going to be that lucrative, even if it would add more to his resale value).

[pineapple stu]

I'm being wildly optimistic here. It's a LoI thing.

[superfrank]

Rangers paid approx. £500k for Boyd from Killie in 2006 and £1.9m for Naismith in 2007. Celtic paid Hibs about £800k for Stokes. £4m would be an awful lot. Even £1m would be a big price considering Rangers financial state.

[pineapple stu]

Quiet. Killie will be paid what I say they'll be paid. We'll receive 10% and go on a mad spending spree, winning the league, nearly causing an upset in Europe and then going boom in a blaze of madness.

[Junior]

Last player (only player?) to go between two scottish sides for £4m was Scott Brown (Hibs-Celtic). Thats when a lot more money was in the game and he has turned out to be vastly overpriced imo.

Regardless, I think Stu is bang on the money with this one:)

[CraftyToePoke]

Quiet. Killie will be paid what I say they'll be paid. We'll receive 10% and go on a mad spending spree, winning the league, nearly causing an upset in Europe and then going boom in a blaze of madness.

I'm with you Stu, £4 million is a snip for this kind of talent, a future leader of men if ever there was one. Sammon Of College. Is there a sell on fee? One that UCD would benefit from?

[Schumi]

UCD won't benefit from any sell-on fee. He went to Derry from us before he went to Killie. We'd be due some solidarity compensation or whatever it's called similar to Crumlin United with Robbie Keane afaik.

[Hibs4Ever]

Wouldn't take too much from a player scoring in the SPL making them good enough for international football, the standard is absolute sh!t. Anthony Stokes could only score 1 goal in 25 games in the Championship, yet either side of that he's scored for fun in the SPL. League 1 or 2 in England would be as good if not better standard

[pineapple stu]

It was good enough for McGeady and Sheridan in fairness (though I agree with you in general). What's encouraging about Sammo though is both that he's scored three goals in two league games against the Old Firm (vaguely decent standard, if both having various woes of late) and that he's improved a massive amount year on year with Killie. I know Sheridan's only got a small number of caps and is a fringe squad player at best, and I don't really rate McGeady at all, but I'd be quite happy if a former UCD player got a small number of caps and was a fringe squad player. :)

[Charlie Darwin]

I think there's a big difference between scoring/performing against the Old Firm and scoring for the Old Firm. I can't see Sammon making an international squad without moving to Celtic or Rangers (or England).

[CraftyToePoke]

Wouldn't take too much from a player scoring in the SPL making them good enough for international football, the standard is absolute sh!t. Anthony Stokes could only score 1 goal in 25 games in the Championship, yet either side of that he's scored for fun in the SPL. League 1 or 2 in England would be as good if not better standard

All true, also, as a former season ticket at Leicester City, Ive seen first hand in the Craig Levein era several Scottish league players who had emerging reputations, fail miserably in England, most notable was Mark De Vries, a big striker, like Sammon.

However, goals against Rangers is encouraging, and he can only play whats put in front of him and at present is doing that very well, so good luck to him. Also, whatever about him being international standard or not, he might become as good as we have available, particularly, if we are looking at Sheridan and even Folan, whos career is in reverse at this stage.

Most of all, he is improving, a visibly better player than last season and if that continues, who knows?

I wouldnt be as dismissve as you have chosen to be just yet although he has work to to still, definitely.

[pineapple stu]

I think there's a big difference between scoring/performing against the Old Firm and scoring for the Old Firm. I can't see Sammon making an international squad without moving to Celtic or Rangers (or England).
Agreed. I'm just saying there's a nice difference between a 13-goal haul that only includes goals against Hamilton and Airdrie and Fort William, and a 13-goal haul which includes goals against the Old Firm as well as Dundee United and Hearts (both also in the top half).

[Real ale Madrid]

We really should re-name this part of the forum for all the ex-LOI players:

"I told you he was good"

[pineapple stu]

I don't recall ever saying that. :)

[Fixer82]

would hate to see an Irish lad go to Rangers with the sectarianism and anti-Irish history they have...
not to mention their BNP links etc

[CraftyToePoke]

would hate to see an Irish lad go to Rangers with the sectarianism and anti-Irish history they have...
not to mention their BNP links etc

I think its Killie fans fearing a repeat of previous pillages on their club by Rangers rather than anything of substance to be honest. I'm not sure how aware thay are how unlikely it is regarding Sammon. Celtic on the other hand .....

[AlaskaFox]

I think there's a big difference between scoring/performing against the Old Firm and scoring for the Old Firm. I can't see Sammon making an international squad without moving to Celtic or Rangers (or England).

Definitely, it's a lot tougher to score 13 goals playing for a non Old Firm team than it is when you actually have half-decent guys providing assists. So if he did move to Celtic or Rangers, we should be expecting over 20 goals a season (but that's only if he played week in, week out).

[Charlie Darwin]

History is littered with free-scoring strikers who haven't been able to make the step up to the Old Firm.

[gastric]

would hate to see an Irish lad go to Rangers with the sectarianism and anti-Irish history they have...
not to mention their BNP links etc

There is already a young goalkeeper there from Crumlin (I believe) by the name of Alan Smith. Don't know how he is going, but I would assume that there is a plan of support for him at the club.

[Junior]

Short 5 minute interview with him here (starts on 21:00 minutes).

www.rte.ie/podcasts/2010/pc/pod-v-23111026m32ssportatseventuesday.mp3

[rebelmusic]

Just scored number 14 of the season

[CraftyToePoke]

New contract on the table and lots improvement still in him according to this, just needed someone to pass properly to him .. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kilmarnock/9256575.stm

[ifk101]

Another goal for Conor Sammon. Did everything right - got across the defender and calmly slotted it home.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Fair play, Celtic embarrassed again. Well done Conor.

Though if he goes in the transfer window, if he's lucky it'll be to the Championship for £2-300k max.
The last thing he wants to do, is stay in the SPL?
Maybe Killie will do better with their sell-on clause?

[Stuttgart88]

Great stuff from him. Strike rate right up there if not better than Keane & Stokes' best spells in SPL probably.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Aye, but no pressure on him to succeed. Unlike if he played for either of the, er, big Glasgow clubs.
Hopefully he'd ever go to Celtic but as CD said it's unlikely.

The Championship beckons. Leeds maybe? Would be a great move for him.

[pineapple stu]

The last thing he wants to do, is stay in the SPL?
He's probably better served staying with Killie for another year anyway given how well it's going for him. How many times have players gone on a run, moved to a bigger club and then sunk? In any case, he's there two and a half years now, and while he's going very well, he wasn't exactly knocking them the rest of the time, so it's a bit of a step to think he's above the SPL all of a sudden.

[Junior]

Agreed stu. Another season of similar productivity and performance and then go for a move to a higher level. Obviously thats from a footballing point of view. However if its a move that ensures his financial security or at least dramatically improves it, then its hard to turn down, when one bad injury can finish a career.

Good luck to him anyway, great to see the Irish lads at the less fashionable teams in the SPL doing well.

[outspoken]

is in some form if he keeps this up hel be playing with either celtic rangers or in england.

[Fixer82]

is in some form if he keeps this up hel be playing with either celtic rangers or in england.

I think England would be a better move for him. Championship side. Would hate to see an Irish player go to Rangers due to their long history of anti-Irishness and fascist associations

[tetsujin1979]

I think England would be a better move for him. Championship side. Would hate to see an Irish player go to Rangers due to their long history of anti-Irishness and fascist associationsThe U19 keeper Alan Smith moved there a few months ago

[ArdeeBhoy]

Aye, I wonder how many Rangers fans know that though.

[pineapple stu]

Aren't Chelsea and Colchester (to name but two) historically considered anti-Irish? Don't recall complaints when Duffer or Yeates signed.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Colchester?? Squaddie town I suppose.

Chelsea have their fascist/Rangers links but even their morons are a pale imitation of the real thing.

[SkStu]

Aren't Chelsea and Colchester (to name but two) historically considered anti-Irish? Don't recall complaints when Duffer or Yeates signed.

Colchester eh? Interesting, never heard that one before. Thats where Mark Kinsella played for years too, prior to Charlton.