Emne: EX-SPILLER: Paul Connolly

[Promotion 2010]

Leeds United: I have joined a huge club - Connolly
Date: 10 June 2010
By Leon Wobschall

Paul Connolly insists he has left a big Championship club in Derby County for a monster one in Leeds United.

The Scouse right-back, has become Simon Grayson's third recruit of the close season after penning a three-year deal with the Whites after leaving Pride Park on a free transfer.

After much speculation, the 26-year-old former Plymouth Argyle defender put the finishing touches to his transfer yesterday and can't wait to get cracking in pre-season with his new club.

Several other sides, including Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United, were interested in Connolly, who made his name as an ultra-consistent full-back at Argyle before heading to Derby in the summer of 2008.

But once Leeds first revealed their hand, Connolly admits there was no contest.

Connolly, who spent a brief loan spell at Bramall Lane late last season after being frozen out at Derby, told the YEP: "In my eyes, I've left a big club, but come to a massive club in Leeds and I'm buzzing.

"I've got a feeling all the momentum is here and I feel something good could happen next season, I really do.

"Sheffield United were also interested, but I'm not too sure of the financial situation down there at the moment, so I think that died off. There were a couple of other clubs interested, but it's one of those – as soon as I spoke to the gaffer, I just wanted to come here anyway.

"I'm made up and it's all out of the way now and I can relax and get going again in July and I'm glad to finally get it sorted out and things have worked out great."

On a fraught time at Derby last term, his last Championship start arriving on December 28, he added: "It was hard few months for me when I was out of the team without explanation and I had to dig deep.

"I had all my friends and team-mates getting ready to travel down south for a game or up north and I was with the youth team on Saturday morning. But I came through and in the end, managed to get a move to Sheffield United on loan and all credit to them for letting me do that.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sheffield and without being told, I actually knew I had to move on from Derby.

"It's worked out well and I'm so pleased to be here."
While not knowing hardly any of his new team-mates, Connolly does at least have the benefit of one familiar face in the shape of ex-Rams triallist Patrick Kisnorbo.

Connolly added: "Patrick was on trial at Derby for a couple of weeks, so I remember him from there. He was a cracking lad and a really good player. To be honest, I actually couldn't believe Derby didn't sign him, but there you go.

"I don't know anyone else, but it won't be a problem. I'm one of those lads where I'll get to know others quite quickly."
Whites boss Grayson said: "Paul brings plenty of experience and know-how to the squad. He has made a lot of appearances at this level for both Plymouth and Derby.

"He has captained teams in the Championship and is a good addition to the squad."


YP:
"I heard about the interest a while ago," he said. "I followed Leeds's fortunes last season and was obviously hoping the club would get to the Championship. There were others – but Leeds gave me a concrete offer.

Vi har nok vært ute etter ham en stund. Kanskje helt siden i januar!  

[Promotion 2010]

Fra Derby-hold:


Paul Connolly, the former Plymouth defender, has moved to Leeds United on a free transfer. There was a year left on his contract but the Pride Park management have decided to release him from his contract to facilitate his move to Yorkshire.

On the move, Nigel Clough said: 'Paul leaves with our very best wishes. He is a good professional and we wish him and his family well in the future.'

Read more: http://www.derby.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=201427#ixzz0qXN212pb

[Promotion 2010]

Fra LUTV-intervjuet:

Says the championship is more continental now than when we were last in it, more passing teams in it Which bodes well for players like Kilkenny. 

Really impressed with his interview actually. Seems quite confident and driven. Wants to do well here.

Also liked the bit where he said he was ''annoyed' being at Derby when they were midtable. So doesnt seem one to accept mediocrity lighlty. Wants to get us into the prem.

Clearly likes Leeds as a city, said he loves the North. Leeds as a city/people reminds him of Liverpool (where he is from originally)

Said he was surprised Derby didnt sign Kisnorbo when he was on trial (questioning the ambition).

Refers to us as a club on the up (with momentum) compared to Derby who he said were on a downward spiral and the fans mindset was a game was lost as soon as they went one down.

Says he doesnt know anyone other than Kisnorbo, but said it doesnt phase him and he is the type to settle in and get on with everyone straight away.

Says playing in front of big crowds is no problem for him. Says he can play in front of 2 people and play in front of 30k just as easy.

[jackbauer68]

Eg liker Jason Crowe,og tror han kan overraske neste år.Var i sin tid sett på som ett virkelig stortalent,og kan blomstre nå

Connolly er også velkommen8)

Er du ironisk i forhold til Crowe? Du disser Parker, men tror at Crowe "har fremtiden foran seg"?

auren

fremtiden foran seg var no sterkt sagt,Parker er bare ikkje god nok,så enkelt er det

[Killa]

Noen som har sett Paul Connolly i aksjon og kan beskrive litt mer hva slags spillertype han er? Er han hurtig? God innleggsfot? Sterkest defensivt eller offensivt? "Tough-tackling?" Vi får vel selv se svaret utover høsten, men er litt spent på denne kar'n jeg da.....

[Tom S]

Herlig intervju med Paul på LUTV!
Fekk veldig tru på gutten og etter å sett hans entusiasme klarer eg nesten ikkje vente til sesongstart.

[Tom S]

Noen som har sett Paul Connolly i aksjon og kan beskrive litt mer hva slags spillertype han er? Er han hurtig? God innleggsfot? Sterkest defensivt eller offensivt? "Tough-tackling?" Vi får vel selv se svaret utover høsten, men er litt spent på denne kar'n jeg da.....

Har ikkje sett han spille, men ifølge han må vi ikkje forvente at han skal drible av eit heilt lag for å til slutt sette ballen i krysset... Men, heller at han jobber hardt i forsvar og gjer det på en enkle måten, i tillegg liker han å komme framover og mate gode baller i boksen.
Høyrest jo lovandes ut.

[Rasmussen7]

Eg liker Jason Crowe,og tror han kan overraske neste år.Var i sin tid sett på som ett virkelig stortalent,og kan blomstre nå

Connolly er også velkommen8)

Er du ironisk i forhold til Crowe? Du disser Parker, men tror at Crowe "har fremtiden foran seg"?

auren

fremtiden foran seg var no sterkt sagt,Parker er bare ikkje god nok,så enkelt er det

Ben Parker er jo skadet en gang og bestandig... har personlig mer tro på Aidy White.

[B_Ød]

Ny strålende signering av SG, her er et lag, som vil gjøre det meget godt kommende  sesong, under komposisjon 

[jackbauer68]

Ny strålende signering av SG, her er et lag, som vil gjøre det meget godt kommende  sesong, under komposisjon 

og da definerer du neppe meget godt som opprykk??

[lojosang]

Ny strålende signering av SG, her er et lag, som vil gjøre det meget godt kommende  sesong, under komposisjon 

og da definerer du neppe meget godt som opprykk??

Etter dommedagsspådommene fra forrige silly season er vel din profetlisens inndratt, Jack? 

[Promotion 2010]

Et lite festskrift over Connolly sånn like før julen ringes inn:


Monday Talking Point, Leeds United’s Unsung Hero.
Dec 20th, 10 / 0 Comments / Share this Entry
                    


One day Paul Connolly will be set in stone

Ben looks beyond the headlines.

Well I didn’t see that coming. The news that Luciano Becchio had signed a new 3½ year contract was greeted with as much adulation as the final score on Saturday. Second place at Christmas, who’d have thought it?

Putting pen to paper has completed Becchio’s transition from second striker to ultimate cult hero with the fans. We’ve been fortunate in the last couple of decades to have ‘worshipped’ some of these heroes – Ian Baird, John Sheridan, David Wetherall to name but three.

We have also had a number of players who quietly got along with their jobs without a great deal of reverence. Chris Whyte was one of those – integral to our first season back in the First Division in 1990-1 and then the title-winning season but won little exaltation. Norwegians Gunnar Halle and Alfie Haaland were no nonsense defenders who rarely had bad games. I always thought Olivier Dacourt was criminally underrated and shamefully discarded by Terry Venables.

The current side has a number of players who have been criticised from the terraces previously but since our upturn in form cannot get enough praise. But there is one player who is barely mentioned in the stands, barely interviewed on LUTV or in other media, and who I think is up there with our best players in this half-season: Paul Connolly.

Connolly was Derby’s captain under Paul Jewell, but when Nigel Clough took charge the captaincy was taken off him (given to everyone’s favourite pantomime dame, Robbie Savage), and he fell out of favour, even going on loan to Sheffield United last January. A work colleague of mine who is a regular at Pride Park told me he was a distinctly average full-back who had no pace and wouldn’t be missed.

He was our third free summer signing after Schmeichel and Paynter, and the various message boards were incredulous about his capture (which I found odd as we had struggled in the second half of last season after Crowe had lost form/been injured, and Hughes and Bromby not in their natural position). Federico Bessone augured more promising reviews given Swansea’s defensive reputation, and it is ironic that our right full back has delivered much more than him.

To be fair to the naysayers Connolly didn’t get off to the best of starts, the nadir being a woeful performance at Bury in pre-season where the entire defence was torn apart by playing far too high up the pitch. Once the season had begun, Connolly’s relative successes in nullifying attacks down our right-hand side meant opposition were attacking the other wing, exposing Bessone’s weaknesses.

Before his injury in September Connolly didn’t get forward too much which meant he was unable to support the winger in front of him. His injury coincided with the terrible performances against Ipswich and Preston, showing that his defensive qualities were greatly missed. Upon his return we he has been quietly going about his business and there is a confidence that opposition wingers will not exploit us (cf. Frazer Richardson). He is vocal and monitors the back line so the shape isn’t lost, and his previous captaincy experience means he is an organiser.

In recent weeks he has created a great understanding with Robert Snodgrass on the right. As well as doing his job at the back he now gets forward to support the attacks. His assist for Becchio’s equaliser last week was outstanding; this week he did a cute pass to Snodgrass before the his tricky run and cross for the goal, and minutes before he crossed a superb ball of Becchio who would have scored if it weren’t for Paddy Kenny’s fingertips.

He is not a perfect player by any means; he is out most booked player so far this season with six. His booking on Saturday was retaliation from a bad challenge, which was a bit needless. He certainly doesn’t want to be outfought, and I don’t mind a bit of bite so long as free kicks are not conceded in dangerous positions. Occasionally his enthusiasm going forward leaves a gaping hole at right back and his speed certainly isn’t his strongest quality. Tyrone Mears, who rivalled Connolly in that position at Derby knew this last week at Turf Moor when most of Burnley’s first half attacks came from that side when Connolly was stranded in the opposition half.

As with all quality right backs (Gary Neville, Lee Dixon and more recently someone like Maicon of Inter and Brazil) if you don’t notice them, they are doing their job. Although not in their class yet Connolly is certainly up there with the best in the division. He is only 27 and could easily fill in as captain should injury hit Jonny Howson. Maybe one day he will even get his own chant, but for now Paul Connolly remains an unsung figure in the team.

http://clarkeonenil.co.uk/front-page/monday-talking-point-leeds-uniteds-unsung-hero

[Asbjørn]

Fint intervju med Connolly i YP

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Automatic-target-for-unsung-Leeds.6698898.jp


Automatic target for unsung Leeds star Connolly


"Some players produce a nine out of 10 performance one week and then the following game are a five, whereas Paul is a seven out of 10 every week."

So said Leeds United manager Simon Grayson about Paul Connolly last month when asked if his side would miss the suspended full-back when taking on Crystal Palace at Elland Road.

It was an apt way of summing up the impact made by a summer signing from Derby County who has proved to be a solid and reliable addition to the squad. It was also a quote that Connolly had not heard until speaking to the Yorkshire Post during the build-up to today's trip to Portsmouth.

"Is that what the gaffer said about me?" said the 27-year-old who has started all but five of United's 30 league and cup outings since moving to Yorkshire. "It is a nice thing to hear from a manager who was a defender himself.

"The gaffer knows how difficult it can be at times to keep concentration levels up and be consistent at the back. I feel consistency is something I have grown into. When I was 18, I would bomb forward all the time and leave so many gaps at the back. Now I know it is about picking your time to get forward and I take what the manager said as a compliment."

Connolly arrived at Elland Road as one of 11 summer signings made by Grayson as Leeds looked to adapt to life in the Championship after three years in League One.

The United chief had made it a priority to try to solve what had been something of a problem position during the campaign that ended in promotion, the role having been filled with varying degrees of success by Jason Crowe, Andrew Hughes and Leigh Bromby.

Liverpool-born Connolly still had a year to run on his Pride Park contract but Nigel Clough's need to trim the wage bill meant a player who had finished the season on loan at Sheffield United was available on a free transfer.

Grayson moved quickly and has been rewarded with a string of consistent performances from one of United's unsung heroes.
Connolly said: "I am enjoying it and the season is going well. I signed a three-year deal fully expecting we would get promotion during that time.

"I know we all played it down before the season but, to me, Leeds were never the sort of club who would be floating around at the bottom of the Championship.

"The fans wouldn't accept that, nor would the players and neither would the chairman. Although we played it down, we still had an eye on it and were thinking, 'we could slip under the radar here'.

"I know being Leeds can make that hard because this is a big club. But I think we did manage it for much of the first half of the season. Now, you look at the league, and we probably have exceeded expectations. To me, automatic promotion has to be on."

This exceeding of expectations sees United travel to Fratton Park today sitting fifth in the Championship table, just two points adrift of second-placed Swansea City.

With Leeds having bowed out of the FA Cup in midweek after a replay against Arsenal, Connolly insists Grayson's men are ready to kick on in the pursuit of promotion.

He said: "Portsmouth is a massive game. I am sure they will look at us having played Wednesday night and hope we will be a bit heavy-legged. But I am sure we will come out flying.

"They were very lucky to get a (3-3) draw (at Elland Road last month) through an own goal (by Andy O'Brien).

"As we proved against Arsenal, we have nothing to fear. I thought it was a proud night for Leeds United, even though it was hard work due to just how good Arsenal are in keeping possession.

"They are the sort of side who can pick you off and, to me, are one of the top five teams in Europe.

"But we did well over two games and that must give us confidence for the rest of the season, because no team in our league is even half as good as Arsenal."

[Promotion 2010]

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110207/connolly-injury-being-assessed_2247585_2287337

Hamstring og ute i noen kamper!

[Per-Stian]

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110207/connolly-injury-being-assessed_2247585_2287337

Hamstring og ute i noen kamper!

Ikkje bra! No blir vel kamptaktikken framover å satse på lange innkast...

[Promotion 2010]

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110207/connolly-injury-being-assessed_2247585_2287337

Hamstring og ute i noen kamper!

Ikkje bra! No blir vel kamptaktikken framover å satse på lange innkast...

 

[auren]

Bromby er kun en nødløsning. Her bør det hentes inn en høyreback på lån!

auren

[Oggy]

Smart av oss å kvitte oss med alt av backer,
vi har lite back-up......

[bwirum]

http://www.footymad.net/storytext.asp?article=3619086

Leeds defender Paul Connolly could be set for a return to first-team action after completing 90 minutes for the club`s reserves on Tuesday.

The right-back has been absent since injuring his hamstring in the Whites' win over Coventry last month, but lasted the full match in the second string's 6-0 hammering of Gateshead.

Boss Simon Grayson will now have to decide whether to hand him a recall for the trip to Sheffield United or stick with Aston Villa loanee Eric Lichaj.

The United States international recently had his loan at Elland Road extended until May 7.

[kalle_92]

Vanskelig valg? Lichaj har gjort sakene sine bra, men Connolly har vært stabil når han har spilt i tillegg. Vi har ihvertfall god dekning på denne siden synes jeg, og er mer bekymret for venstresiden.

[Bites Yer Legs]

Var Huseklepp på banen i går?

[Joe Jordan]

Jepp, han var nesten like dårlig som Riise.....

[RoarG]

Jepp, han var nesten like dårlig som Riise.....

Takk og lov for det. Denne Riise har ødelagt en gang for mye for Leeds.

[Jon R]

Var Huseklepp på banen i går?

Flott kamp av Connolly på lørdag og jeg mener han spilte seg inn i laget igjen. Håper Grayson gir lørdagens bakre firer en god "run" nå. Stabilitet og tillit blir nøkkelfaktorer for å spille inn en forsvarsrekke som fungerer. 

[Sydhagen]

Var Huseklepp på banen i går?

Flott kamp av Connolly på lørdag og jeg mener han spilte seg inn i laget igjen. Håper Grayson gir lørdagens bakre firer en god "run" nå. Stabilitet og tillit blir nøkkelfaktorer for å spille inn en forsvarsrekke som fungerer. 

Enig!

[Sleivind]

Er Connolly god nok for et lag som jakter opprykk?

[Leedsfan]

Er Connolly god nok for et lag som jakter opprykk?

Nei, han er ikke en moderne type som gode lag trenger. Han er ikke mer enn gjennomsnittlig bakover eller fremover. Hadde vi hatt en White type på høyreback med potensial til utvikling så hadde jeg vært fornøyd.. Jeg hadde vært glad for Lichaj...

[auren]

Han er nå ikke noe verre enn Richardson som spiller fast på årets mest suverene lag...

auren

[Leedsfan]

Han er nå ikke noe verre enn Richardson som spiller fast på årets mest suverene lag...

auren

Richardson er vel bedre offensivt enn Connolly?

[auren]

Det kan medføre riktighet, men defensivt var jo Frazier til dels frynsete.. Sier som tidligere: det viktigste med en back er at han er god defensivt. Vil mye mer ha en god defensiv back enn en som er god offensivt, men frynsete bakover...