David Connolly

**The Legend** · 12/11/2002, 6:40 PM

Well he's their topscorer...

... i didn't realise he's irish though, where's he from?

brine2 · 12/11/2002, 9:50 PM

http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/020323/59/cv1v9.html

He's from Galway. Apparently he's the second highest topscorer in the first division.

**pete** · 13/11/2002, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by brine2
I already explained why I thought Connolly played badly for Ireland, pete.

He got taken off against Andorra cos he was useless against them. Are you telling me a professional footballer kept this grudge going all the way to the World Cup where he impacted on his performance.

I'm guessing Connolly would be lucky to have got 1 goal in his last 20 internationals? If i played that many minutes of international football i'd probably be likely to get the odd goal by pure luck.

btw any remember his senseless sending off in Belgium minutes after coming on as sub?

**fosterdollar** · 13/11/2002, 10:24 AM

Originally posted by The Legend
[B]Well he's their topscorer...

yup he's got 10 goals from 18 games so far, making him joint second highest scorer in div1...

...Connolly is joint third with 9

**Sage** · 13/11/2002, 3:35 PM

How many of Robbie Keane's goals have been scored against rubbish opposition - three v Malta for starters.

Not a massive fan of Connolly - but nor would I damn the bloke. How many international goals has Duff got? What has Barrett done to deserve a place?

9 goals in 4 games albeit in the first division is a super return. Let's face it, we're not exactly overun with strikers.

And also remember, many of the teams we play at international level are no better than Nationwide standard - so Connolly fits the bill nicely.

**The Legend** · 13/11/2002, 10:53 PM

Ehm, Robbie Keane..... World Cup!.... wasn't exactly Malta he was playing there lad!

As for Connolly? I am trying to think of one decent team he ever scored against!

**pete** · 14/11/2002, 9:51 AM

Originally posted by Sage
Not a massive fan of Connolly - but nor would I damn the bloke. How many international goals has Duff got? What has Barrett done to deserve a place?

Duff is a winger but still a better forward than Connolly.

I don't know if Barrett is good enough but suppose he deserves his chance - for sure Connolly has had so many chances at this stage.

Even if Connolly plays in the CL next season he still will not be an international quality forward - whole different set of skills required at club & international level.

**Éanna** · 14/11/2002, 10:06 AM

Glen Crowe or John O´Flynn are as deserving of a chance as Connolly, if not more deserving

brine2 · 14/11/2002, 2:32 PM

All three deserve their place more than Graham Barrett, that's for sure.

**The Legend** · 14/11/2002, 3:21 PM

I agree...

Since when is Brighton the new Inter Milan?

**bitored** · 14/11/2002, 8:26 PM

Crowe and O'Flynn!!

I hope you're not trying to claim that the eircom league is up to the same standard as the English First Division? Get real.

**The Legend** · 14/11/2002, 9:47 PM

Well i'm not, but Brighton aren't exactly the brightest star of English Division One football!

**Shelsman** · 15/11/2002, 12:58 PM

Originally posted by pete

I'm guessing Connolly would be lucky to have got 1 goal in his last 20 internationals? If i played that many minutes of international football i'd probably be likely to get the odd goal by pure luck.

The problem is exactly that. Outside of the first two years of his International Career ( during which he had a very good match:goal ratio) Connolly's appearances have been in minutes -usually the last 10 or 15 of a match. So if you say that he has only scored one in his last 20 caps, that's because they were all token appearances. In fact I think he has done well in a lot of the limited appearances he did make and did score a few goals for us in the last few years.
His record at club level is exceptional so I don't think anyone can argue about that. If Connolly got a decent run in the Ireland team and was actually allowed to play the full 90mins he would do very well for us. Remember, Robbie Keane scored shag all goals during our qualifiying campaign ( one against Holland, one against Iran ) and he nearly always played the full match of each of the qualifiers. Granted, he did have a very good World Cup and is probably a better player than Connolly but that doesn't automatically make Connolly a bad player!

**Éanna** · 15/11/2002, 2:30 PM

Originally posted by Shelsman
If Connolly got a decent run in the Ireland team and was actually allowed to play the full 90mins he would do very well for us.

You´ve got to be taking the p¡ss?! You say his record at club level is very good- maybe thats cos he´s always playing second division football! He´s another one of those players who´ll do the job for his manager at an avergae club team and go to pieces the minute the standard gets any higher.

**insomniac** · 16/11/2002, 7:42 PM

Originally posted by Éanna

You say his record at club level is very good- maybe thats cos he´s always playing second division football!

He plays first division football.

I could have sworn he dragged Wimbeldon back into the game against Norwich which they were losing by scoring 4 goals.

By the way Wimbeldon haven't lost since he returned from injury. But that's just coincidence isn't it. He obviously couldn't have had an effect seeing as a lot of you guys think he's rubbish, so therefore he must be.

I reckon give him a chance up front with Robbie Keane before we settle for Clinton Morrisson. Don't write him off just because he plays in the 1st Division. Matt Holland plays there and I'm sure he'll be guaranteed a place, why not Connolly?

**Éanna** · 17/11/2002, 2:54 PM

Originally posted by insomniac
He plays first division football.

I thought the first division in england was the second division? as in there´s another division above it, so it´s second division.

**fosterdollar** · 18/11/2002, 8:57 AM

what exactly happened there lads?

**patsh** · 18/11/2002, 9:33 AM

From the Irish Times
18/11/02: As a good portion of the Irish squad for this Wednesday's friendly against Greece fell victim to an epidemic of minor injuries and informed Don Givens that they would not be fit to travel, David Connolly made it clear to the caretaker manager that having been left out of the original squad he simply wasn't inclined to answer the late call-up he received yesterday.

The original decision by Givens last week to omit the 25 year-old Wimbledon striker had been something of a surprise given the player's form of late for the London club. It was comfortably overshadowed last night, however, by Connolly's blunt refusal to join up with a squad that has lost 10 players, nine of them well-established, over the past 48 hours.

"I'm very disappointed with anybody who turns down his country," said Givens last night. "Whether it affects his international future or not has very little to do with me, I've made it clear that this is just a one off for me but I don't think it's the sort of thing that would look good on anybody's record."

Connolly's decision is all the more remarkable given that he would have been virtually guaranteed a start in Athens after all of the squad's other regular strikers, Clinton Morrison (groin), Robbie Keane (shoulder), Damien Duff (calf) and even Kevin Kilbane (shoulder) withdrew from the travelling party. Of those that remain only Gary Doherty has much experience of playing as an out and out attacker and it now seems that Glen Crowe of Bohemians may partner him up front at the start of Wednesday's match.

Crowe, who would be the first Eircom League player since Pat Byrne 16 years ago to be capped at senior level if he features, was one of four players who answered the call in the wake of withdrawals which also included Steve Carr, Gary Kelly, Ian Harte (all calf injuries), Mark Kinsella (ear infection), Graham Barrett (knee) and Andy O'Brien (family commitments). Mark Kennedy had already made it clear that he would not be travelling so soon after returning from a long lay-off.

In the circumstances, Connolly might well have simply informed Givens that he, too, was carrying a knock and could not make it but Givens was clear last night that the striker, who has scored nine goals in seven games for Wimbledon since returning from injury recently, would be absent, "because he hadn't been included in the squad the first time around".

Also included now in what was scheduled last night to be a group of 18 flying out this morning are Wesley Houlihan of Shelbourne as well as Coventry City pair Barry Quinn and Richie Partridge. With six players, including John O'Shea, Matt Holland and Gary Breen still not having arrived by early evening yesterday, Givens wasn't ruling out the possibility of having to cope with even fewer than that but, he said, "you have to get on with it and I still think it's a useful exercise and try telling the lads who will get their chance that it's lost its meaning."

Having had to cancel training yesterday, though, because only six players had arrived, the build-up so far can have done little to persuade Givens that he made a mistake by so quickly ruling himself out of the race to succeed Mick McCarthy.

REVISED SQUAD: Given (Newcastle), Kiely (Charlton), Colgan (Hibernian), Finnan (Fulham), O'Shea (Manchester Utd), Dunne (Manchester City), Doherty (Tottenham), Breen (West Ham), Cunningham (Birmingham City), Delap (Southampton), Holland (Ipswich), Carsley (Everton), McPhail (Leeds United), Healy (Celtic), Houlihan (Shelbourne), Partridge (Coventry), Quinn (Coventry), Crowe (Bohemians).