Aaron Connolly F Millwall b.2000

Brighton have recently agreed a new partnership with Hibs that will see Brighton players going on loan there from time to time. Obviously quite a lot of Irish players at Brighton so the odds are one of them will go to Hibs at some stage. However one of the names I have heard rumoured as being loaned to Hibs is Aaron Connolly - the rumour is that he is one of three players offered in the first stage of the partnership. Probably nothing in it as it would seem too much of a step down for him at this stage, but who knows.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

Brighton have recently agreed a new partnership with Hibs that will see Brighton players going on loan there from time to time. Obviously quite a lot of Irish players at Brighton so the odds are one of them will go to Hibs at some stage. However one of the names I have heard rumoured as being loaned to Hibs is Aaron Connolly - the rumour is that he is one of three players offered in the first stage of the partnership. Probably nothing in it as it would seem too much of a step down for him at this stage, but who knows.

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If he continues being a **** it wouldn’t surprise me, he needs to spend less time focusing on his hair and sex tapes and spend that time focusing on his football.

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Originally Posted by CSAD

If he continues being a **** it wouldn’t surprise me, he needs to spend less time focusing on his hair and sex tapes and spend that time focusing on his football.

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Amen!

Any time hes on social media this off season he seems like hes in the pub. All grand for a normal guy in his early 20s but doesnt seem to act like a professional that looks after his body.... might be why he gets so many injuries.

I don't think they've been too impressed with his behaviour since he came back from injury, a loan might be a good lesson

Lads attitude to me seems like its terrible tbh, hope its just immaturity but comes across as a Charlie when hes done nothing in the game as of yet.

Can't see his behaviour improving too much up in lovely Edinburgh if that is the case!

Is Ireland beginning to produce a lot of young fellas and young women that are disappearing up their own back-sides ?

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Originally Posted by seanfhear

Is Ireland beginning to produce a lot of young fellas and young women that are disappearing up their own back-sides ?

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Its really disappointing. We never had babysitter like this until recently enough
I'm in favour of an absolutely zero tolerance policy.

Hibs finished third last season, assuming the title of 'Best of the Rest' and qualifying for Europe in the process as well as getting to the Cup Final, so they're a decent side that's doing relatively well just now.

I doubt Connolly will be making the move, but Molumby and, later on, Evan Ferguson are possibles.

Looks like Brighton are signing an Argentinian international forward for around 25 million so that will put Connolly one step closer to the exit door for next season anyway.

If Connolly had performed in the friendlies as Daryl Horgan did, it would be hype overload.

Unfortunately for Connolly he seems to lack a couple of attributes to make it at a really really high level = He is very small without the exceptional quality that you need when you are that small.

Is he really that fast , as some say here. I don’t think he has that exceptional speed when you consider his other physical limitations.

I think he is a talented player with plenty of potential but there are just too many off the field issues and stories to ignore at this stage. He almost had it too easy early in his career, he tore up PL2 and went straight into the Brighton first team from there without ever really putting in the graft that most players need to in order to make it to the Premier League. This seems to have turned him into something of a man about town in Brighton, a guy who spends more time in the pub than on the training field.

So in that regard a year out on loan down the divisions learning the game might be just what he needs to give him the boot up the hole he seems to need to get. A year of away games in the likes of Dingwall, Dundee and on a rubbish plastic pitch in Livingston (or similar places in League 1 or wherever) might just wake him up to the reality of professional football for those that don't make it to the top level.

This will probably sound ridiculous but watching Mbappe last night made me think of Connolly for some reason and made me irrationally irritated.

Mbappe broke onto the scene young and continued to develop and he is just fabulous to watch. Theres no doubt in my mind that he is the successor to Ronaldo and Messi as the top player in the game. By all accounts he is a super professional and we never hear any negative stuff about him off the pitch.

Connolly was never going to be Mbappe, but when he broke into the Brighton 1st team as a teenager he looked special. Maybe not exceptional speed but he is quick. He looked like a great finisher, had strength and had a super work rate. He looked to me like a young Aguero. But instead of using that early success as a catalyst to go on to bigger and better things he thought he had made it and became the party boy. He doesnt look after himself they way a young pro should and is always injured now because of it. Do you think Mbappe is skullin pints with his mates down the local in Paris?

Top class athletes devote their lives to the sport and their diets are key. If you are an average to good player but put the work in you can become excellent. Connolly could have been looking at a move to a big club by now if he had continued the trajectory of his 1st season, but instead we are talking about a loan move to Hibs.

You could almost guarantee that when hes in his late 20s or 30s he'll be doing interviews talking about how he should have looked after himself better as a kid if he doesnt cop on soon. Hes still got time, he is still young so hopefully something clicks in his head soon and he gets himself right and becomes the player that he should be. Does he want a career with a Spurs/Everton/or Leicester, or with Bristol/Millwall/Bradford.

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Originally Posted by seanfhear

Unfortunately for Connolly he seems to lack a couple of attributes to make it at a really really high level = He is very small without the exceptional quality that you need when you are that small.

Is he really that fast , as some say here. I don’t think he has that exceptional speed when you consider his other physical limitations.

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You are massively overthinking this.

Sadly Connolly rather waste away his career being on the **** and getting stupid new hair styles and getting himself in all sorts of alligations and keeping his football career as a clear secondary focus, it’s no wonder he’s injured all the time, how’s he supposed to keep his fitness up. He’s more trouble than he’s worth and It’s no surprise Brighton are looking for a replacement as I know if I was the manager I would lose trust.

Anthony Stokes mark 2

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Originally Posted by CSAD

You are massively overthinking this.

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Better than under thinking it. (wink)

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Originally Posted by seanfhear

Better than under thinking it. (wink)

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There’s no magic formula to being a top player... one major requirement though is not being a tw&t and giving 110%. Connolly seems more focused on his social life now and it’s showing with the amount of injuries he has due to lack of fitness and the amount of chances he misses because of a lack of focus, basically the next Anthony Stokes if he’s not careful.