Bradley
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I thought he was excellent..
Though I was worried for him after that yellow card, and then after he made a rash challenge.. I thought sub him now to avoid a red card.. but he kept his head...
Fair play to him..
Looks like another gem from the academy..
Though I was worried for him after that yellow card, and then after he made a rash challenge.. I thought sub him now to avoid a red card.. but he kept his head...
Fair play to him..
Looks like another gem from the academy..
That's 3 very good games in a row now. Unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. Certainly not doing his chances of being a full on squad player any harm. This is why you get your most promising young players out on loan at the earliest possible.
Defo has a Robbo style of play about him the way he sets off in motion down the flanks.
Defo has a Robbo style of play about him the way he sets off in motion down the flanks.
Phew! Thank fuck for that.
Very very promising start. Let’s hope he’s more Trent than Flanagan long term,
He has a higher ceiling than Flanagan that's for damn sure.
Well it's clear he isn't gonna be anything like Trent and I'm glad because Trent should be unique to Trent plus you want a proper RB who can first and foremost defend, he looks to have more in his locker than Flanagan although Flanagan did end up playing mostly on the opposite flank for us, then can we say let's hope he's more like Robbo.
Robbo is a good comparison, they've got a lot of similarities. Both get stuck in, both work their socks of and both are very agile.
I think Bradley is on a really good trajectory. He's taller than Robbo and will add more muscle. I think he's on par or better than Robbo going forward too, although obviously Robbo has more assists.
I think Bradley is on a really good trajectory. He's taller than Robbo and will add more muscle. I think he's on par or better than Robbo going forward too, although obviously Robbo has more assists.
Steaaaaaady yourself.
The thing is where was Robbo playing at 20? In the championship. He did have a season in the Prem before but his Hull side had just got relegated. No one thought back then Robbo would go on to be the player we now know him as. If Conor can keep his head down and stay away from any trouble which he seems the type to do then hopefully his trajectory will follow.
I really do. Bradley is originally a winger and played further forward for Bolton.
He looks more comfortable with the ball.
That's not saying that Robbo is terrible.
Playing as a winger/WB for Bolton in league 1 doesn't mean you now become better in the final third than a Prem/CL winning LB.
When/if Bradley can reach Robbo's levels of goals/assists/chances created then we'll talk.
So if Robbo moved to league one now he'd be Gareth Bale?
To me Robbo looks like a defender when he's attacking, Conor looks more like a winger.
If Robbo moved to Bolton now he wouldn't get as many goals as Bradley did because let's face it.....he can't shoot but he'd get about 40 assists.
Robbo of 3-4 years ago, would get about 120 assists.
Sheer persistency in his overlap play, he was the best of the best at it.
Don't know how many assists they each have from corners/set plays but they did share the vast majority between them.
He is clearly a top, top, prospect.
Exactly, it's the crossing that I need to see more of, but honestly, it's not bad. Got himself an assist today.
He plays more like a young JoeGo than Robbo.
Rory Lynch will never forget the first time he saw Liverpool FC's new star Conor Bradley play.
The 20-year-old is the first Northern Ireland-born player in 70 years to make an assist for Liverpool in England's top flight and boss Jurgen Klopp called him as "such a good footballer".
But his talents were noticed more than a decade ago, back home in Aghyaran.
"His football brain set him out - he was doing things no one else could," his first coach told BBC News NI.
"And he knew the importance of hard work," added Mr Lynch, from St Patrick's FC.
On Sunday, the full back set up Liverpool's third goal in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth.
The Irish Football Association said that makes him the first male player from Northern Ireland to provide an assist for the club since Sammy Smyth back in 1954.
Bradley's journey to the Premier League started a world away from the bright lights of English football's top flight, in Aghyaran - a hamlet in west County Tyrone.
It is about six miles from the town of Castlederg and 30 miles from Northern Ireland's second city, Londonderry.
His stock has risen quickly in the 10 years since his home club's coaches first marvelled at his talent, working through the youth ranks at the Merseyside giants before excelling during a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers.
He has since become a regular in the senior Northern Ireland squad.
Mr Lynch said he "was always going to be different".
"I had been involved in youth football for a long, long time, seen a lot of good players but Conor was something different even at eight or nine. He was a totally different character."
Aghyaran's rural homes and working farms are spread across of few miles of countryside. A church and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club are at the heart of community life.
Ask people there about Liverpool's newest star and they speak a common language.
This is a young man as talented as he is modest, as committed to fulfilling his potential as he is humble.
"Everyone at the club is so very, very proud of him," Tommy Moss, of St Davogs GAA club, said.
'Down to earth'
As a teenager, the Liverpool star would often turn out for the club.
"He is part of our club, we know he still looks out for our results," added Mr Moss.
"He is really down to earth, a lovely fella, none of this will go to his head. That attitude is why he has made it."
Dixie Robinson is head of youth development at Dungannon Swifts where Conor spent a few years before signing for the Merseyside giants.
He told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme Bradley first came on the club's radar aged about 10 or 11.
"He came and played a couple of friendly games for us, but lo and behold, he didn't sign for us then - he came back at under-14," Mr Robinson recalled.
"I had always kept in touch with his mum Linda, who has to take a tremendous amount of credit. She kept Conor level-headed and humble at all times," he said.
Young Bradley, Dixie said, combined athleticism with hard work and had "tactical knowhow beyond his years".
"Obviously he had a lot of talent to go with that, every time you stepped him up, he answered the call. He was a gift from God and a fantastic young man," he said.
In a statement, St Patrick's Primary School in Castlederg said the Northern Ireland international "was a very gifted pupil across all subjects and he excelled at sports from a very young age".
"His P1 teacher sent for the principal (both trained PE teachers) to marvel at his ball control in P1 with a sponge ball.
"His P1 report reads he is a great pupil and a delight to have in the classroom."
Bradley spent nine years there, including nursery school, before finishing primary seven in 2015 - the same year he became Northern Ireland's primary school cross country running champion.
"There is a strong sporting ethos at the school and it is great for our school community to see Conor's many achievements," the school added.
'A great friend'
Those achievements included representing the school's senior teams in Gaelic football, football, hurling, athletics and cross country running - all at the age of nine.
"What marked him out from teaching/coaching perspective was his temperament and his ability to include everyone at play," the school statement added.
"He was a great friend and even though he joined Liverpool at a young age and represented Northern Ireland at youth level, it never affected him."
The school added: "The support he received from his family is incredible and it was impressive that Liverpool FC let him continue to play Gaelic with his local club St Davog's Aghyaran at youth level.
"Everyone in the school community is delighted at his progress and we wish him every success."
He's looking great. So did Flanagan, who was the new Cafu for a season. I didn't like the anti-Trent posts in the game thread, you must be joking. But, another nice problem to have.
Exceptional performance from the lad, but still steady. One step at a time.
