We need to talk about Diarmuid

Started by Mayo4Sam, June 05, 2017, 09:37:38 AM

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sid waddell

Quote from: Brick Tamlin on September 26, 2017, 09:11:05 AM
A supremely gifted and talented player but nowhere near one of the greatest of all time.
The best are usually considered the best because they have the complete package which would include temperament, character, reliability etc and unfortunately Connolly has shown to be lacking in a few of these areas in recent years. The best can also usually be relied upon 9 times out of 10 to perform to a level and where they can be the difference between winning and losing.

A supremely gifted footballer but a heck of a way to go before being considered one of the greatest of all time.
Yeah, you'd have to rule Diego Maradona out of being one of the greatest footballers of all-time on a similar basis.




PW Nally

Quote from: sid waddell on September 26, 2017, 11:04:59 AM
Quote from: Brick Tamlin on September 26, 2017, 09:11:05 AM
A supremely gifted and talented player but nowhere near one of the greatest of all time.
The best are usually considered the best because they have the complete package which would include temperament, character, reliability etc and unfortunately Connolly has shown to be lacking in a few of these areas in recent years. The best can also usually be relied upon 9 times out of 10 to perform to a level and where they can be the difference between winning and losing.

A supremely gifted footballer but a heck of a way to go before being considered one of the greatest of all time.
Yeah, you'd have to rule Diego Maradona out of being one of the greatest footballers of all-time on a similar basis.
Diego also has 2 less all star awards.

Beffs

#662
Quote from: JoG2 on September 26, 2017, 09:43:31 AM
Quote from: Brick Tamlin on September 26, 2017, 09:11:05 AM
A supremely gifted and talented player but nowhere near one of the greatest of all time.
The best are usually considered the best because they have the complete package which would include temperament,
character, reliability etc and unfortunately Connolly has shown to be lacking in a few of these areas in recent years. The best can also usually be relied upon 9 times out of 10 to perform to a level and where they can be the difference between winning and losing.

A supremely gifted footballer but a heck of a way to go before being considered one of the greatest of all time.

I'm sorry, but that's claptrap. Connolly is right up there as one of the greats of the modern era. The temperament line is always brought up, there's plenty of the all time greats had a fair bit of devilment in the locker

A bit if devilment is one thing. Spending as much time as he does mired in controversy, getting sent off, getting suspended etc etc is on a whole other level to anyone else. The true all time greats are able to rise above the on the pitch provocation, bullshit and gamesmanship and stay on the pitch long enough to influence the outcome of games, more often than not, when it really matters. They'll have their moments now and then, but they are there when it matters, most of the time. The problem with Connolly is that what is the exception to the rule for most other players, is becoming the norm for him. His physical skill set is never in question. His mental one is. That is part of the package when judging players place in the pantheon of All Time Greats imo.

He redeemed him self a lot with his performance in the AI final. But one could argue that Dublin probably wouldn't have been in the tricky position that they found himself in in the first place, if Connolly had started the game. Connolly would have occupied Lee Keegan's time as he normally does, leaving Ciaran Kilkenny free to play his usual playmaker role. That may have led to a more comfortable victory for Dublin. We'll never know for sure, if that would have ever happened. But the factors at play that resulted in Jim Gavin having doubts about starting Connolly, are Connolly's fault and no one elses.

westbound

IMO, the big question mark against Connolly being one of the greatest of all times is his record in All Ireland finals.

In my opinion, great players deliver most on the big day when most needed by their team.

Connolly is a fantastic footballer, no doubt, but I just think his record in AI finals leaves him a bit short of all time greatness.

He has played in 5 and a half finals (including '16 replay & '17 second half). He has scored 1-4 in those 5.5 matches and the goal was a penalty. For a top class forward his scoring return is poor enough (especially compared to the likes of Canavan or Cooper).




Tyrdub

Quote from: westbound on September 26, 2017, 11:18:15 AM
IMO, the big question mark against Connolly being one of the greatest of all times is his record in All Ireland finals.

In my opinion, great players deliver most on the big day when most needed by their team.

Connolly is a fantastic footballer, no doubt, but I just think his record in AI finals leaves him a bit short of all time greatness.

He has played in 5 and a half finals (including '16 replay & '17 second half). He has scored 1-4 in those 5.5 matches and the goal was a penalty. For a top class forward his scoring return is poor enough (especially compared to the likes of Canavan or Cooper).

it's not all about scoring, it's about what else he contributes

westbound

Quote from: Tyrdub on September 26, 2017, 11:33:33 AM
Quote from: westbound on September 26, 2017, 11:18:15 AM
IMO, the big question mark against Connolly being one of the greatest of all times is his record in All Ireland finals.

In my opinion, great players deliver most on the big day when most needed by their team.

Connolly is a fantastic footballer, no doubt, but I just think his record in AI finals leaves him a bit short of all time greatness.

He has played in 5 and a half finals (including '16 replay & '17 second half). He has scored 1-4 in those 5.5 matches and the goal was a penalty. For a top class forward his scoring return is poor enough (especially compared to the likes of Canavan or Cooper).

it's not all about scoring, it's about what else he contributes

I agree it's not all about scoring, but he has been marked out of at least two of those finals. I just think overall he hasn't contributed enough in finals to be considered an ALL TIME GREAT.

But that just my opinion. And there is no definitive list of all time greats, just people's opinions of who the all time greats are!



galwayman

Quote from: magpie seanie on September 25, 2017, 09:57:53 PM
We just need to stop replying to him. It's the only answer. Ignore function and please don't quote his posts.
Amen to that.

Tyrdub

Quote from: westbound on September 26, 2017, 11:42:21 AM
Quote from: Tyrdub on September 26, 2017, 11:33:33 AM
Quote from: westbound on September 26, 2017, 11:18:15 AM
IMO, the big question mark against Connolly being one of the greatest of all times is his record in All Ireland finals.

In my opinion, great players deliver most on the big day when most needed by their team.

Connolly is a fantastic footballer, no doubt, but I just think his record in AI finals leaves him a bit short of all time greatness.

He has played in 5 and a half finals (including '16 replay & '17 second half). He has scored 1-4 in those 5.5 matches and the goal was a penalty. For a top class forward his scoring return is poor enough (especially compared to the likes of Canavan or Cooper).

it's not all about scoring, it's about what else he contributes

I agree it's not all about scoring, but he has been marked out of at least two of those finals. I just think overall he hasn't contributed enough in finals to be considered an ALL TIME GREAT.

But that just my opinion. And there is no definitive list of all time greats, just people's opinions of who the all time greats are!

True, it's all about personal perception. It's hard to shine on the biggest stage when you are being marked by currently the greatest man-marker there is, they will both cancel each other out. But DC is one of the best players in the game, and has been for a number of years, that surely stands.

Brick Tamlin

I went to see him play for Vincents against Slaughtneil last year and was expecting him to really shine but in fact it was the opposite. Connolly actually looked disinterested.
Im sure he wasn't and im sure he tried his best but even in defeat I was expecting him to be a lot better than what was on show. The one player worth the admission fee that day was McCaigue, his marker.

Divilment I can understand to a degree, but constantly getting involved and courting controversy are not what id associate with a 'great'. He will probably be remembered as much for the controversy attached to him as he will for his positive footballing contributions. Lets be honest, youd be pulling your hair out if your best player was regularly not on the field due to suspensions. He wont do much damage sittin on the sidelines watching games.

I didn't know Maradonna played GAA.

nrico2006

Connolly isn't an all time great.  Very good player at times but his scoring return is poor enough when it comes down to it.  He wouldn't be the first man to be marked by a top opposition defender either, the likes of Canavan, Cooper, Fitzgerald etc all would have been earmarked as the dangermen in every game they played. 
'To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal, light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle.'

sid waddell

Quote from: Brick Tamlin on September 26, 2017, 12:08:13 PM

I didn't know Maradonna played GAA.
Never heard of "Maradonna" but I have heard of Maradona and he played football, association football. There is no such sport as GAA. There is a sport called Gaelic football however, which Connolly plays.

Your rationale for not rating Connolly as a great player is on the basis of his "temperament, character and reliability", so on the basis of that you'd also have to not rate Maradona as a great player given that he frequently let his temperament get the better of him, had a dubious character and was sent home from a World Cup for failing a drugs test and served a year's ban in 1991-92, so "reliability" wasn't his strong point.

Maradona was also the greatest association football player in history, and there have been many other great players in different sports who have had dubious "temperament, character and reliability", so your assertion as it relates to Connolly is nonsense.

mackers

Quote from: Brick Tamlin on September 26, 2017, 12:08:13 PM
I went to see him play for Vincents against Slaughtneil last year and was expecting him to really shine but in fact it was the opposite. Connolly actually looked disinterested.
Im sure he wasn't and im sure he tried his best but even in defeat I was expecting him to be a lot better than what was on show. The one player worth the admission fee that day was McCaigue, his marker.
100% agree with this. I also think he's an outstanding footballer and went to Newry specifically to see him and was really disappointed in what I saw.  He made no effort to get on the ball and stood still on the 45 for most of the game with virtually no off the ball running.
Keep your pecker hard and your powder dry and the world will turn.

Brick Tamlin

Quote from: sid waddell on September 26, 2017, 12:27:56 PM
Quote from: Brick Tamlin on September 26, 2017, 12:08:13 PM

I didn't know Maradonna played GAA.
Never heard of "Maradonna" but I have heard of Maradona and he played football, association football. There is no such sport as GAA. There is a sport called Gaelic football however, which Connolly plays.

Your rationale for not rating Connolly as a great player is on the basis of his "temperament, character and reliability", so on the basis of that you'd also have to not rate Maradona as a great player given that he frequently let his temperament get the better of him, had a dubious character and was sent home from a World Cup for failing a drugs test and served a year's ban in 1991-92, so "reliability" wasn't his strong point.

Maradona was also the greatest association football player in history, and there have been many other great players in different sports who have had dubious "temperament, character and reliability", so your assertion as it relates to Connolly is nonsense.

Ok. Youre right.
That's how his name is spelt after all and again youre right, there is no sport called GAA.
Association Football. Great stuff.

JoG2

Quote from: mackers on September 26, 2017, 01:58:32 PM
Quote from: Brick Tamlin on September 26, 2017, 12:08:13 PM
I went to see him play for Vincents against Slaughtneil last year and was expecting him to really shine but in fact it was the opposite. Connolly actually looked disinterested.
Im sure he wasn't and im sure he tried his best but even in defeat I was expecting him to be a lot better than what was on show. The one player worth the admission fee that day was McCaigue, his marker.
100% agree with this. I also think he's an outstanding footballer and went to Newry specifically to see him and was really disappointed in what I saw.  He made no effort to get on the ball and stood still on the 45 for most of the game with virtually no off the ball running.

great footballer has a poor game shocker! Take Chrissy McKaigue for example as he's mentioned above, who I rate very highly. I've seen McKaigue, in the space of a week having Peter Harte in his back pocket to getting the runaround from Marty Clarke. Even the best have their odd off days.

Quote from: nrico2006 on September 26, 2017, 12:17:47 PM
Connolly isn't an all time great.  Very good player at times but his scoring return is poor enough when it comes down to it.  He wouldn't be the first man to be marked by a top opposition defender either, the likes of Canavan, Cooper, Fitzgerald etc all would have been earmarked as the dangermen in every game they played. 

another classic beatdown stick, lumping a half forward in with the greatest inside forwards of the modern era as a comparison .


TheGreatest

Well you might not see him play inter county football again. Gilroy as hurling manager announcement imminent is the strong rumour circulating.