‘We've no doubt about him, he seems a really a good guy' – Stephen Bradley has no attitude concerns about Connor Malley

Irish Independent

3 days ago

Sligo Rovers boss John Russell described Malley as the 'most complete midfielder in the country' last October but their relationship soured after the Bit'O'Red knocked back winter approaches from Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne for a player that had a year remaining on his contract.
He has made little or no impression this year amid murmurs of behind the scenes unrest that entered the public domain when Russell suggested that the player had been left out of the squad for a game with the Hoops because of how he had trained and conducted himself.
Malley's last league appearance was a brief cameo against Bohemians on May 10 and with the writing on the wall for him at The Showgrounds, Bradley moved to arrange a loan deal until the end of the season that will allow the ex-Middlesbrough trainee to effectively audition at a club that was prepared to pay a significant five-figure sum for his services at the end of last term.
Bradley says a positive first conversation with the 25-year-old and references from other people who have encountered him during his career convinced him that it was worth pursuing a deal.
'Look, I don't know exactly what went on behind the scenes. I've obviously met Connor before we signed him and had a bit of coffee and had a good hour and a half, two hours talking about everything,' said Bradley.
'You get a nice feel. We've walked away from players in the past after meeting them and but Connor was one, when we left, we (Bradley and sporting director Stephen McPhail) both said, 'yeah, he's the one that we want here'.
'He's shown his ability time and time again and we've seen it playing against him. So that was never in question. I don't know what's going on in the background, but I know teams made bids for Connor at the end of last season and they were rejected. And you're hearing different stories from the agent, from the player, from the clubs and you don't know what's going on.
'That's between them, like, you know, in terms of who said what and regarding the bids. And that can be unsettling for players in a group.
'So, yeah, I can understand (unhappiness) from John's point of view but I can also – from speaking to Connor – understand his point of view. We were pretty clear after we left him that he was someone we wanted here and around the group and spoke to quite a number of people that have worked with him in the past and they all say the same thing. So, they all can't be wrong in terms of what type he is.
'So, yeah, we're under, we've no doubt, first of all, that his ability is a really high level, but second of all, he seems a really good fella, a really good guy. He just wants to work, wants to play and, yeah, I'm looking forward to getting him around the group.'
Malley was involved in a weekend friendly but was allowed to go home and spend some time with family before taking part in an U-20 match this evening.
He is not eligible for involvement in the second leg of the Conference League formality with St Joseph's from Gibraltar tomorrow but will come into contention for the next round. Rovers have a four goal lead going into the second leg in Tallaght.