Wigan buy DAVID CONNOLLY FOR £3million

[thejollyrodger]

if he does the business at the EPL level then fair play to him and maybe he can given another shot at International level. I remain skeptical though. I just have all those memories of bad performances

[OwlsFan]

He did it once, away to Romania 1997. It's been all downhill after that and I shudder when I think of that petulant sending off against Belgium.

Clinton can hold the ball up and has a much more physical presence than Connolly and does score the odd beauty for us. No comparison.

[Junior]

He did it once, away to Romania 1997. It's been all downhill after that and I shudder when I think of that petulant sending off against Belgium.

What did he do once in that game? we got beat 1-0 afterall, if thats his best performance for a striker............well

[Buller]

What did he do once in that game? we got beat 1-0 afterall, if thats his best performance for a striker

did he not score a hattrick?!

[Junior]

did he not score a hattrick?!

nah we got beat 1-0, Roy missed a pen.

[Cowboy]

Aren't you thinking of David Kelly?

Of course you are right, apologies

[tetsujin1979]

What about his performance against turkey? Scored a decent goal and got MOTM.

[brine3]

He set up Robbie Keane for the winner. (edit, that was in 1999, I see you're talking about the friendly match a while ago)

David Connolly gets given an awful slating from Irish fans. Yeah, he got a red card 8 years ago in the 89th minute of a match. So what. Some people don't half hold a grudge.... And no, he's not the most polite person in the world, but since when does that matter on the football pitch?

David Connolly, when he gets his act together, is one of the more skillful players in the Ireland squad. He has a better goals per game ratio in an Ireland shirt than Niall Quinn, Frank Stapleton, Tony Cascarino or Liam Brady. Hopefully now he'll take his chance at Wigan and starting knocking on the door of the Ireland team again. It's not like we have loads of strikers.

i look forward to the day when Connolly,whatever he does or wherever he plays is surplus to requirements for Ireland,but that day is a fair way off yet i reckon,if he has a half decent season playes regularly and gets the odd goal then i think,looking at the current squad, he has to be considered an option.

I saw him dismantle Ajax once in the Arena (he got two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win) with Feyenoord. He was fantastic that season, he spearheading the Feyenoord attack and he got them into the Champions League - and then fecked off to Wimbledon on a Bosman, which was frustrating.. I hope he can replecate that form again, because he is naturally talented. He just needs to channel his talent properly. Brian Kerr is good at that kind of thing.

But no doubt the boo boys will be out to get him when he pulls on the Ireland jersey, which will frustrate him and kill his confidence.

Sometimes I do wonder if it's because he's born in England.

[tricky_colour]

Sometimes I do wonder if it's because he's born in England.

I just say I have noticed a very negative attitude to any players not
born in Ireland, which I think is unfortunate I think some posters would
rather play an Irish born donkey than someone with Irish parents born in
England.
My view is that it is you long term genetic makeup which determines your
nationality rather than where you are born.

I mean look at Wayne Rooney, I don't believe he has a drop of English
blood in him, (might be wrong though), apart from anything else he looks
like a typical Irish 'navvie'. (No offence intended).

[gypsydownunder]

I think people's dislike of David Connolly is NOT about where he was born - it's all to do with the fact that he's a petulant little fcuker.

Many Non-Irish born players have been well received over the years - Grealish, Waddock, Mancini, Lawro, Hughton, Houghton, Townsend etc etc.

[Baker]

I've never been as angry with any player as I was when Connolly get sent off against Belgium. However we are not exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to strikers and should he start to knock them in this season he will force his way into the Irish squad which is only right. Its a big chance for him which he must have thought would never come and I hope it goes well for him.

I mean look at Wayne Rooney, I don't believe he has a drop of English
blood in him, (might be wrong though), apart from anything else he looks
like a typical Irish 'navvie'. (No offence intended).

I remember reading when the FAI were trying to get him to declare for Ireland a few months before his Everton debut that all four of his grandparents are Irish.

[Donal81]

I just say I have noticed a very negative attitude to any players not
born in Ireland, which I think is unfortunate I think some posters would
rather play an Irish born donkey than someone with Irish parents born in
England.
My view is that it is you long term genetic makeup which determines your
nationality rather than where you are born.

I mean look at Wayne Rooney, I don't believe he has a drop of English
blood in him, (might be wrong though), apart from anything else he looks
like a typical Irish 'navvie'. (No offence intended).

I disagree with you there. Who gets debated the most on this site? Robbie Keane, Ian Harte, Shay Given or David Connolly? There is general criticism and questioning across the board on this site, which is generally a good thing. David Connolly doesn't get stick because he was born in England, look at the generally positive attitude towards Clinton who probably has less connection to Ireland than Connolly (not sure about that one, just a guess). Connolly gets stick because he never seems to be up for it.

[brine3]

Clinton gets stick as well. Quite a few people have mentioned that he's not Irish or that he should be playing for England.

As somebody who was born in Ireland but spent 80% of their life living outside of Ireland I find some of those comments offensive. It's as if only people born and bred in a certain country have a right to represent that nationality. I think trying to measure how "pure" somebody is the beginning of a journey down a very dark road...

[Donal81]

Clinton gets stick as well. Quite a few people have mentioned that he's not Irish or that he should be playing for England.

As somebody who was born in Ireland but spent 80% of their life living outside of Ireland I find some of those comments offensive. It's as if only people born and bred in a certain country have a right to represent that nationality. I think trying to measure how "pure" somebody is the beginning of a journey down a very dark road...

As someone born of an Irishwoman born in Birmingham, I agree with you completely about measurements of Irishness between those that consider themselves Irish. I have always thought there to be a difference, however, between someone like Breen, Kilbane or Terry Phelan, born in England but who always wanted to play for Ireland, and those who would never have considered it had their places of birth come calling first. This isn't a measurement of Irishness - give Tony Cascarino's book a read. He says himself that he always wanted to play for England growing up and why shouldn't he have? Anyway, sorry, we're getting very much off topic here and this is a topic debated to death anyway.

[TerryPhelan]

I have always thought there to be a difference, however, between someone like Breen, Kilbane or Terry Phelan, born in England but who always wanted to play for Ireland, and those who would never have considered it had their places of birth come calling first.

God bless you, sir.

Quite fitting you mention Terry in the same breath as those two other world-class giants of Irish football.

[Donal81]

God bless you, sir.

Quite fitting you mention Terry in the same breath as those two other world-class giants of Irish football.

You're too modest, Mr. Phelan. The other two chancers should count themselves lucky that they're in the same post as your fine self.

Seriously, though, I remember an interview with him done years ago before USA 1994. I don't think his da was ever around, his mother was from, I think, Sligo, and he always told her that if he made it in football, he'd play for Ireland to make the family proud.

[Soper]

You're too modest, Mr. Phelan. The other two chancers should count themselves lucky that they're in the same post as your fine self.

Seriously, though, I remember an interview with him done years ago before USA 1994. I don't think his da was ever around, his mother was from, I think, Sligo, and he always told her that if he made it in football, he'd play for Ireland to make the family proud.

Yeah, your right - she is from Sligo.

[TerryPhelan]

Take Kilbane, for example. He is born and bred in England, but considers himself Irish. I have no problem at all with people like that representing Ireland.

Kevin Kilbane is like your average Trinity College Arts student.

He's got long hair, says he's Irish but speaks with an English accent, and pretends he's a left-winger so everyone will like him.



Seen by a TCD Arts student on the wall of the Ussher jacks.
Genius.

[TerryPhelan]

Yeah, your right - she is from Sligo.

Indeed she is, God bless her. Apparently used to knit my socks as well, due to an alleged allergy of mine to some fibres in the normal socks used. What a character.

[paul_oshea]

Seriously, though, I remember an interview with him done years ago before USA 1994. I don't think his da was ever around, his mother was from, I think, Sligo, and he always told her that if he made it in football, he'd play for Ireland to make the family proud.

did he also say that he would never take any responsibility for anything his fault and also cost ireland ( or as good as ) going to quarter finals in a world cup.