Re: Anthony Sullivan : Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:48 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Connolly was also one of these players who were naturally fit. I remember seeing him leaving the gound about an hour after a Wigan v Saints game at Central Park (he was still at Saints then) Connolly could hardly walk as he was leaving the ground, and looked in a lot of pain, and I thought that's him out for a few weeks.

Needless to say he was in the side for Saints the week after. He was a very strong and durable player.

The amount of beer he used to get through it's amazing he could play at the level he did.

SLSM was a good watch and just confirmed what I already knew, Gary was forced into the arms of the enemy by our short sighted board of the time.

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:03 pm  

I thought Connolly came across as insincere. If he wanted to stay with Saints, why did he go to Canterbury? Why was he willing to play for Wigan for free but whined about the offer Saints made? And why is he 'telling the truth' now but not then? There aren't as many holes in a teabag as there were in Connolly's story.

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:05 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

I thought Connolly came across as insincere. If he wanted to stay with Saints, why did he go to Canterbury? Why was he willing to play for Wigan for free but whined about the offer Saints made? And why is he 'telling the truth' now but not then? There aren't as many holes in a teabag as there were in Connolly's story.

To be fair to Gary, he is thick as a bulls d*ck

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:19 pm  

Come on Saints fan cut him a break. He was going to Canterbury and was sold to Wigan. He asked not to go and wanted 3k more to stay at Saints. Board said no and he went to Wigan for double his wage.

He may have planned to go to Canterbury, but that's no worse than Graham. Could you imagine the constanation if the board told Graham no, but we've sold you to Wigan for 400k.

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:05 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

Come on Saints fan cut him a break. He was going to Canterbury and was sold to Wigan. He asked not to go and wanted 3k more to stay at Saints. Board said no and he went to Wigan for double his wage.

Interesting, though, that when people were speculating over what Eastmond might be wanting, people were thinking that maybe Eastmond was putting too high a value on himself? I think that might have been Connolly's problem also. We weren't in the same financial league as Wigan. And, as Connolly also said, how could anyone turn down playing for Wigan when they had all those great players (who they had doubled the wages of from other clubs no doubt!)?

I don't have to give him a break. He got all the money and glory he craved. I'm quite sure the rest of the Saints team of that time would have liked Wigan sized wages too but Saints were not in a position to pay. To me it all sounded like a fair deal: Connolly wanted out (first to Canterbury then to Wigan), Saints needed money. Fair dinkum.

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:06 pm  

St pete wrote:

To be fair to Gary, he is thick as a bulls d*ck

He is, isn't he? He looked really gormless to! Suited Wigan down to the ground actually.

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:09 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

:D He is, isn't he? He looked really gormless to! Suited Wigan down to the ground actually.

I was only a kid when he played as a young lad at Wembley. After the game, a pie eater put me on his shoulders and took mecon the Wembley pitch. I recall giving Gary a hug and he was crying his eyes out.

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:53 am  

McClennan wrote:

As great as Lyon was (and for two seasons he was the best centre to play for a team over here since Meninga or Danny Moore), .

I like the way you did that just to see who was paying attention

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:56 am  

At the time I was devastated when judas left, but the fact that his transfer fee brought in newlove was a great bit of business, much as binning Gleeson enabled us to get Lyon. Worst thing about judas was his habit of scoring against us in big games. To**er

Re: Anthony Sullivan : Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:49 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Interesting, though, that when people were speculating over what Eastmond might be wanting, people were thinking that maybe Eastmond was putting too high a value on himself? I think that might have been Connolly's problem also. We weren't in the same financial league as Wigan. And, as Connolly also said, how could anyone turn down playing for Wigan when they had all those great players (who they had doubled the wages of from other clubs no doubt!)?

I don't have to give him a break. He got all the money and glory he craved. I'm quite sure the rest of the Saints team of that time would have liked Wigan sized wages too but Saints were not in a position to pay. To me it all sounded like a fair deal: Connolly wanted out (first to Canterbury then to Wigan), Saints needed money. Fair dinkum.

He wanted the going rate for a quality player and theres nothing wrong with that,he actually would of taken less from Saints than Canterbury would pay him.He didnt crave money and glory.He would of loved to of stayed at Saints but Saints wanted to pay him peanuts,he didnt want to play for our rivals but was sold and didnt have a choice in it.And you mention why would he play for Wigan for free ? look at the stage of his career he was at,it was his last few games of a great career you cant compare that to the stuff that went on at Saints at the begining of his career.For the sake of £3000 the board let him go.

Maybe im biased being an ex Blackbrook player and been coached by his father in law,but Gary is a very nice fella who over the years has taken a ton of crap for something that was never his fault.