Lake, Lake and Lake again, dedicated and a god given talent would and should have been a world great ruined by injury, Johnson ruined by a poor life style and mental weakness, no comparison at all.
Mental weakness isn't the same as mental illness, something both were treated for.
Probably the two best players our academy has ever produced, and both sadly had their careers destroyed. Lake's all too short career is righty mourned, but Johnson widely goes under the radar and I think that's a shame.
For me, the short Eriksson era was a brilliant one; he gave Hart his first run in the team, Richards was an animal at the back, Ireland's dodgy wig and habit of dropping his shorts to reveal his Superman underpants was a constant source of entertainment. Elano playing rightback, Corluka in midfield, Hamann bossing games at walking pace, winning two derbies. It was fantastic time, despite the awful kits and the Bond villain owner.
But the main highlight was Michael Johnson, in his first full season; he fit in seamlessly between Hamann and Elano, gliding around the pitch, passing well and scoring a couple of goals from midfield that Yaya would be proud of, but in a more elegant manner.
He'd have no issues whatsoever fitting into our current team with the likes of Silva and Aguero; Lampard and Gerrard were superb professionals and as a result were able to establish themselves as two of the best midfielders in the world, but Johnson had more natural ability than both, and could have eclipsed their achievements both at club and International level.
Hopefully it isn't too long before our academy produces another local lad with a similar talent.
