Luca Connell (D/M Barnsley b.2001)

[liamoo11]

Luca Connell on bench for Bolton today for I think first time. He is under 18 this season midfielder but we seem to play him left full a fair bit.

[Olé Olé]

Came on in extra time.

[Stuttgart88]

He looked great for the U16s against Bosnia in the Euros. I think he was left back that day. Comfortable on the ball, terrier-like in defence. My thoughts at the time were that he was highly accomplished but at same time, tenacious full backs are two to a penny in underage football. He went off injured in that game and we were poorer without him. Kingdom and I watched that game together, I wonder does he agree. I said a few weeks ago on another thread (Nathan Collins was the prompt) that all but the keeper and central midfield in that team looked like they were beyond what you might expect. Connell was very much in my mind when I wrote that.

[liamoo11]

Knight who was one of those centre mid s was training with Derby's first team before Christmas.i have never been overly impressed with Coffey who played centre mid that day
.

[Stuttgart88]

Yeah, he did nothing wrong but nothing particularly good either.

[Kingdom]

He looked great for the U16s against Bosnia in the Euros. I think he was left back that day. Comfortable on the ball, terrier-like in defence. My thoughts at the time were that he was highly accomplished but at same time, tenacious full backs are two to a penny in underage football. He went off injured in that game and we were poorer without him. Kingdom and I watched that game together, I wonder does he agree. I said a few weeks ago on another thread (Nathan Collins was the prompt) that all but the keeper and central midfield in that team looked like they were beyond what you might expect. Connell was very much in my mind when I wrote that.

I do agree. I was in Georges Park spectacularly early that day and got to watch the teams warming up in a strong breeze. He stood out in the warm-up as he looked ready-to-go (quite a few didn't which worried me at the time). Certainly he looked tigerish that day, and was more than competent. We weren't as capable without him for two reasons. They made 3 changes to substitute him. They shuffled each of the defenders across the pitch one spot, with Max Murphy coming on making a balls up almost immediately upon the restart. The same lad got roasted a number of times against Belgium apparently.
It also broke up the Collins/Ledwidge partnership too, which was very impressive, although McEntee improved a huge amount when he went into the middle.

Knight is a very tidy player, one you could see take a big leap very quickly, as he appears to be very technical.

[liamoo11]

Gets on the bench tonight for first time in league

[Closed Account]

Starts tonight alongside Marc Wilson for Bolton up against Callum O'Dowdas Bristol City.

No Irish involved in tonight's other FA Cup game.

[Closed Account]

Nice assist
https://streamja.com/Kv6y

[irishfan86]

A strong performance in a conventional central midfield role. Clearly not the finished article but his class is clear. Impressive showing for a 17 year old and he plays with no fear — good range of passing and had the confidence/quality to take set pieces. Hopefully this opens the door for action in league play.

He had one play in particular near the end of the first half where he beat two Bristol players with a tidy spin, and of course picked up the assist for Bolton’s goal with a great cross.

EDIT: Just noticed a weird thing on his Wikipedia page where it says he chose Ireland for his “short term” international future...hopefully that’s not a sign of another upcoming tug of war because he looks the real deal.

[samhaydenjr]

Made his league bow tonight, playing 72 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Reading: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46955104#tab-0

[Cathalsmart]

Fcuk just realized he is English born, I can hear the door knock from Southgate all the way from here and I’m on the other side of the world!

[CraftyToePoke]

Fcuk just realized he is English born, I can hear the door knock from Southgate all the way from here and I’m on the other side of the world!

Keep up, would you.
His own wiki was saying we were chosen as his short term international side till the other day.

[Cathalsmart]

Wow that’s a new low, actually calling up a player who has a clear ambition to play for England...

[Olé Olé]

Keep up, would you.
His own wiki was saying we were chosen as his short term international side till the other day.

But there was no link or quote as evidence for that assertion.

His Twitter profiler is him playing for Ireland. Not that that counts for much, Rice has made suit it doesn't.

[Diggs246]

Wow that’s a new low, actually calling up a player who has a clear ambition to play for England...

agreed he shouldnt be anywhere near our team

[Cathalsmart]

If he has said his ambition is to play for England we should tell him to gtfo.

[Wangball]

If he has said his ambition is to play for England we should tell him to gtfo.

Its only wikipedia! My long term ambition is to marry a supermodel, yet here I am swiping right on School Teachers & Nurses

[tetsujin1979]

If there's any proof that he did say that, you should post it here

[SkStu]

There’s no proof per se. just his wiki page. Interestingly, last week it said “he has committed his short term future to ireland”, now it says “his long term ambition is to represent England”. Not sure exactly what to make of it all but someone may just be faffing around with his account...

[Closed Account]

https://i.imgur.com/jcu4ZCj.png

Plot Thickens

[greendeiseboy]

https://i.imgur.com/jcu4ZCj.png

Plot Thickens

It's Wikipedia, anyone can edit it, I wouldn't read anything whatsoever into it either way

[SkStu]

The guy claiming to be Luca's uncle has a history of edits to Wikipedia that includes...

Sandra Vergara (Sophia's sister), Abbeyknockmoy GAA, Goulash, Hepatitis B, Devin Toner and the Little Drummer Girl.

Wow. :)

[Diggs246]

The guy claiming to be Luca's uncle has a history of edits to Wikipedia that includes...

Sandra Vergara (Sophia's sister), Abbeyknockmoy GAA, Goulash, Hepatitis B, Devin Toner and the Little Drummer Girl.

Wow. :)

So he is a fruitcake

[Razors left peg]

With a kid like this who has played a couple of first team games do ya call him up to the Ireland squad for the next qualifiers to see how he reacts? If he turns it down we wash our hands of him immediately, but if he turns up then you are getting him training with the squad early.

I cant make up my mind on whether we keep going as we are knowing we will get burned from time to time by the likes of Rice in the hopes that we get an Obafemi.

[TrapAPony]

With a kid like this who has played a couple of first team games do ya call him up to the Ireland squad for the next qualifiers to see how he reacts? If he turns it down we wash our hands of him immediately, but if he turns up then you are getting him training with the squad early.

I cant make up my mind on whether we keep going as we are knowing we will get burned from time to time by the likes of Rice in the hopes that we get an Obafemi.

I'd call him up to the senior squad and bring him on in the last minute against Gibraltar. Problem solved and issue put to bed. Obviously if he refuses the call up then we have weeded him out early enough and he should not be picked again. If these lads think they are going to use us to audition for England then think again.

[Razors left peg]

I'd call him up to the senior squad and bring him on in the last minute against Gibraltar. Problem solved and issue put to bed. Obviously if he refuses the call up then we have weeded him out early enough and he should not be picked again. If these lads think they are going to use us to audition for England then think again.

Think Id probably go along with that for a select few who are very highly rated, but then you are getting into a situation where players are getting easier call ups because they are a flight risk which isnt fair on Irish born players....its a tough one.

[samhaydenjr]

I'd call him up to the senior squad and bring him on in the last minute against Gibraltar. Problem solved and issue put to bed. Obviously if he refuses the call up then we have weeded him out early enough and he should not be picked again. If these lads think they are going to use us to audition for England then think again.

I said something similar here about Reece Grego-Cox a few years ago :doh::shame:

[tommy_c12000]

Starts today vs Swansea. Looks ominous however: https://www.google.com/amp/s/lionofviennasuite.sbnation.com/platform/amp/2019/2/16/18227296/gossip-england-keen-on-luca-connell-switching-international-allegiances I definitely agree in calling him up now to test his resolve, and forget about him if he refuses and concentrate on developing another young Irish player. He has played well in a number of championship games, so calling up is not completely crazy considering the potential long term gain, and also when considering the current standard of our midfield/left back areas

[Cathalsmart]

Damning indictment of English football that they have to resort to taking championship players off us.

[Diggs246]

Damning indictment of English football that they have to resort to taking championship players off us.

His wiki page has that he wants to play for England. It was down, but now back up.

It's his age that's attracting England. He will be a prem player this time next year anyway I guess

[TrapAPony]

His wiki page has that he wants to play for England. It was down, but now back up.

It's his age that's attracting England. He will be a prem player this time next year anyway I guess

If the FAI had any foresight at all then Luca should be called into the senior squad for the Gibraltar game. We can then call his bluff.

[Paddy Garcia]

Agree - the Welsh move quickly to build their team, capping young players like Ampadu - & in the process killing any potential for the hugely damaging speculation that seems to dog the Irish set up.

Unfortunately we seem to lack the wit, intent and agility to respond - rather take a pride in the stand we are taking to make them earn their place in the team. It's like taking candy from a baby......

[Kingdom]

I’m not going to get into the specifics but I know someone very close to that Irish team that was in the euros last summer.
There is absolutely no doubting the allegiances of any of those kids. Trust me on that.

[Fizzer]

That’s good to hear Kingdom, some talented players in there.I’d be inclined to agree though that the Gibraltar game is the ideal opportunity to solve a few future problems.Five minutes at the end of the game and we can enjoy the likes of Connell develop into a premier league player. It’s a cynical approach but we have to be a little tougher when these kids are being advised by cynical people.If a player refuses a senior competitive cap then he should not be taking the place of a committed player in our underage squads.We really do have to learn from the six month circus that Rice put us through.

[Diggs246]

I’m not going to get into the specifics but I know someone very close to that Irish team that was in the euros last summer.
There is absolutely no doubting the allegiances of any of those kids. Trust me on that.
Including Luca? I'm not sure what you are getting at? Can u clarify

[Olé Olé]

I’m not going to get into the specifics but I know someone very close to that Irish team that was in the euros last summer.
There is absolutely no doubting the allegiances of any of those kids. Trust me on that.

Not meaning to pry too much but there were very few English-born lads in that squad. Could you specifically state there is no doubting the allegiane of any of the non-Irish born kids?

What is his connection does anyone know?

[TrapAPony]

I’m not going to get into the specifics but I know someone very close to that Irish team that was in the euros last summer.
There is absolutely no doubting the allegiances of any of those kids. Trust me on that.

Not doubting it. However, as these English born lads get a little older and England come calling and a real decision has to be made, then I presume the strength of their allegiance to us really becomes tested. Declan Rice & Jack Grealish have been clear examples of that.

[backstothewall]

Does anyone know if we were selected to send a team to Toulon in the summer? Or how likely it is we will be selected? I know Kenny mentioned trying to enter it. Potentially Connell could be part of a very competitive squad.

[Closed Account]

This article from Feb 14th suggests we may have been successful

http://www.echo.ie/sport/article/i-think-people-want-to-see-the-new-breed-of-irish-players-kenny

[Charlie Darwin]

Does anyone know if we were selected to send a team to Toulon in the summer? Or how likely it is we will be selected? I know Kenny mentioned trying to enter it. Potentially Connell could be part of a very competitive squad.
Kenny confirmed we've been accepted for this year.

[Kingdom]

Not meaning to pry too much but there were very few English-born lads in that squad. Could you specifically state there is no doubting the allegiane of any of the non-Irish born kids?

What is his connection does anyone know?


Including Luca? I'm not sure what you are getting at? Can u clarify

My post is explicit. I’m not naming names and I’m not explaining further. That team is tight.

As far as I can recall this is the first age group of the development squad era. It would take a committed and talented kid not raised in Ireland to make those squads.

[liamoo11]

My post is explicit. I’m not naming names and I’m not explaining further. That team is tight.

As far as I can recall this is the first age group of the development squad era. It would take a committed and talented kid not raised in Ireland to make those squads.

Yes lads need to calm down. Obafemi, crowley and johsnsson have committed In last few months with us not handing out caps willy nilly. Louie Barry is an exceptional under 16 striker dual qualified banging them in for England 15s and 16s and our 15s and 16s. Should we offer him a cap against Gibraltar and cut him loose if he doesnt accept?

[Fizzer]

You’d prefer to hang on to players who don’t accept Liam?

[liamoo11]

You’d prefer to hang on to players who don’t accept Liam?

I think the way we have done this up to now has been successful and correct. Rice ultimately behaved poorly to accept senior caps when he was not fully committed and then to compound it dragged it out so unnecessarily long to confirm his intention. I think we should learn from this and not give senior friendly caps without public commitment to accepting competitive cap.

Grealish to his credit did not allow it go to that point .

otherwise we need to decide that we won't pick dual nationals at any level underage and leave it at that. England cap about 50 lads at under 15 and 16 level a season and have no difficulty picking lads who also play for other countries and continue to pick them without making them choose again Barry, riley at city and hodge at city are prime examples of this in our set up at moment Dembele is prime example of this born London moved Glasgow as 2 year old played with Scotland under 16s from age 13 then Brits swoop in and pick him at 16s level for them.

So if we take the high moral ground on this ,which may be the correct thing to do, we need to not be whinging when lads are playing for England with strong Irish background s at senior level and saying the fai scouting is terrible how did we not get them on board.

[Fizzer]

I can see where you’re coming from but Rice was vocal about his commitment,leaving aside the badge-kissing and singing the national anthem etc.Totally agree re Grealish,surprisingly he has turned out to be the more mature and decent person out of the two.I don’t think this ‘difficult decision’ has taken a bat off Rice.Christmas has come early for him.i don’t have a problem with capping good dual-eligibility players, I just don’t think we should be used as a shop window.The Rice situation is probably an aberration as players with an ounce of decency are more likely to take the Grealish approach.I just think we have adequate opportunity to weed out the ones intending to use us as a steppingstone and we should take it.Its sort of like a pre-nup,you want to play for us? Great, here’s five minutes against Gibraltar to confirm your commitment.Now you can ‘concentrate on your football’ without any annoying questions from the press or phone calls from the England recruitment staff.

[liamoo11]

It's a fair point about using us as a shop window if u look at Oliver o Neil who looked a fine player in our 16s in no ember he had never been involved with England at 15s or 16s up to then but following this he was called up to the next England 16s squad(didn't attend though!) Same thing with o o'Driscoll the spurs keeper called up by us never previously involved with Brits and suddenly in their next squad . This forum which tracks dual qualified underage players from a Brits perspective is very interesting and shows how the Brits approach it with all countries not just us http://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/english-players-dual-nationality-thread.2019295/page-71 .

I like to believe that there will always be players who feel Irish and will want to play for us even if st senior level the Brits also want them. For that reason I am supportive of the idea of not offering that competitive cap at senior level until they are genuinely going to be in the managers plans for genuine involvement.

To my mind this is what crowley had done. At 21 he has no reason to not believe he could get an England cap in the next 4 or 5 years(he is a more naturally talented playmaker than maddison and mount who have been capped or in senior squads) . It sickens me when lads I talk to who wouldn't pick him out of a line up are saying he only choose us cause his career has gone off the rails and he isn't good enough for England.

I genuinely believe if we had taken a hard stance with him at a younger age and demanded he commit we would have turned him off as he would have felt we were simply stockpiling players and were not genuinely interested in him and his Irish heritage.

[SkStu]

My post is explicit. I’m not naming names and I’m not explaining further. That team is tight.

As far as I can recall this is the first age group of the development squad era. It would take a committed and talented kid not raised in Ireland to make those squads.

Sorry, I’m taking Wikipedia over some random guy on the internet like you...

[tetsujin1979]

Ironically, Wikipedia is written by random guys on the internet

[SkStu]

Ironically, Wikipedia is written by random guys on the internet

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/012/132/thatsthejoke.jpg