Michael Johnson.....

[kunaguero10]

Utterly tragic.

MJ had it all, just like Lake.

Here was the complete player who, only a few years ago, Liverpool tried to buy from us, repeatedly, for 7m (a lot then). The next Gerrard was how they and me saw him. Without doubt would have been a 1st name on the sheet England regular by now.

Blighted by an injury, I think its easy to sit in judgement and adopt a holier-than-tho attitude (normally pedaled by those in 'glass houses') when this lad had the world at his feet and its been taken from him...................

Very sad.

totally agree, but £7million wasnt 'a lot' back then, it was only a few years ago. i remember everyone on this forum telling liverpool to get fucked with such a derisory offer

 

[Chippy_boy]

i knew a lad years ago,a youg pro footballer,got injured just before a big move(wrexham),really good up and coming lad.he got injured,nothing too serious but needed an op,the hospital messed up,his career over,he didnt piss it up the wall,he went to college,got an education,now last i heard hes doing well in accountancy,,got a great wedge compo(not sure how must)

michael johnson was lucky enough to live the dreams of kids worldwide,he got injured which is sad,but did he put everything into getting back ? or did he go for a drink ?

drink driving should carry the tag of attempted murder,everytime you get into a car and drive it pissed,your putting my childrens life at stake,your putting my parents lives at stake,your putting every person in the countrys life at stake.

how anybody can have sympathy for a drink driver is nothing short of mental,what next sympathy for child murderers,because when your pissed driving theres every chance youll hit a kid.

I had a falling out with a mate years ago as he was caught and i said this very thing to him..

I'm with your mate. Totally ridiculous comment.

Even an idiot can see that there's a bit of a difference between coming at someone with a knife and trying to kill them vs going out for a quiet meal with the missus and sharing a bottle of red, only to find you are marginally over and knicked.

My heart goes out to anyone who has been a victim an accident due to a drink driver.

But the law is a joke. Most of the accidents are caused by people miles over the existing limit, and yet they want to reduce the limit further. All that will do is make those people even further over another arbitrary limit. Whilst massively inconveniencing those who pose no threat whatsoever.

Lewis Hamilton on 10 pints has to be a better driver than my mother after a small sherry (actually without the sherry) yet the law does not recognise this. Similarly driving at 50 down a crowded high street will get you 3 points and a £60 fine when you might easily kill someone. But 90 milligrams instead of 80, late at night with no-one about gets you a years ban and £500 fine and £3000 extra on your insurance.

This might not be a popular view, but I think our obsession with the evils of drink driving are ridiculous. Driving pissed out of your skull is not on, of course. But it's not all black and white, is it. Who knows how marginal Johnson's offences were? And yet I here "should be classed as attempted murder". Utterly ridiculous comment.

 

[RandomJ]

Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't some of his injury problems in his head? I seem to remember reading a report where the City medical staff said they could see nothing physically wrong with him and didn't know why he kept breaking down.

 

[Unknown_Genius]

Comparing him to Lake is ridiculous. Lake battled hard, and gave his all to try and get back, but was badly let down by the club. Johnson went out on the drink, which is the last thing in the world an injured player should do. Alcohol makes recovery from injuries, a much slower, and prolonged process. In large amounts, its career suicide, so I have little sympathy. I'm convinced he would have recovered from his injuries if he was teetotal and spent that time resting, rather than out on the town. Medical facilities and treatment are far more advanced then they were in Lake's day. Lake would probably have recovered if he was playing now. I'm of the old fashioned view that players shouldn't be going to nightclubs and drinking. To reach the very top you have to be ultra professional and dedicated. That probably means no going out to clubs, staying in, and spending more time on the training field. That may sound boring, but if you want to be the best, you have to make sacrifices. With the money and status Premier League footballers get, is that really too much to ask? The rewards are sweet if you do. He's ruined his own career, he will probably end up a League One journeyman, if he's lucky.

 

[grim up north]

Comparing him to Lake is ridiculous. Lake battled hard, and gave his all to try and get back, but was badly let down by the club. Johnson went out on the drink, which is the last thing in the world an injured player should do. Alcohol makes recovery from injuries, a much slower, and prolonged process. In large amounts, its career suicide, so I have little sympathy. I'm convinced he would have recovered from his injuries if he was teetotal and spent that time resting, rather than out on the town. Medical facilities and treatment are far more advanced then they were in Lake's day. Lake would probably have recovered if he was playing now. I'm of the old fashioned view that players shouldn't be going to nightclubs and drinking. To reach the very top you have to be ultra professional and dedicated. That probably means no going out to clubs, staying in, and spending more time on the training field. That may sound boring, but if you want to be the best, you have to make sacrifices. With the money and status Premier League footballers get, is that really too much to ask? The rewards are sweet if you do. He's ruined his own career, he will probably end up a League One journeyman, if he's lucky.

They are not fucking robots, like everybody else on the planet they need a life to keep their sanity. Never read such a ridiculous load of bollocks

 

[MCFCinUSA]

I just see it as a great shame, the boy had the lot. Whatever caused the destruction of his career is beyond thinking about.

it's not over yet - he's only 23

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Match-reports/2011/January/City-EDS-v-Rochdale-reserves" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Match-report ... e-reserves</a>

nice catch!

let's hope he continues on and can do something with himself, as after all - when he had it, he very definitely had it!

(as for getting into the City first team, that's another matter, but I wish him every success in sorting himself out)

 

[Any1aBlue]

Comparing him to Lake is ridiculous. Lake battled hard, and gave his all to try and get back, but was badly let down by the club. Johnson went out on the drink, which is the last thing in the world an injured player should do. Alcohol makes recovery from injuries, a much slower, and prolonged process. In large amounts, its career suicide, so I have little sympathy. I'm convinced he would have recovered from his injuries if he was teetotal and spent that time resting, rather than out on the town. Medical facilities and treatment are far more advanced then they were in Lake's day. Lake would probably have recovered if he was playing now. I'm of the old fashioned view that players shouldn't be going to nightclubs and drinking. To reach the very top you have to be ultra professional and dedicated. That probably means no going out to clubs, staying in, and spending more time on the training field. That may sound boring, but if you want to be the best, you have to make sacrifices. With the money and status Premier League footballers get, is that really too much to ask? The rewards are sweet if you do. He's ruined his own career, he will probably end up a League One journeyman, if he's lucky.

They are not fucking robots, like everybody else on the planet they need a life to keep their sanity. Never read such a ridiculous load of bollocks

Completely agree mate - pretty ironic that 'genius' is the guys name eh?

I wasn't commenting on whether or not Lake and MJ had the same gene-pool psychologically, merely that both were supremely talented and that, therefore it should be a tragedy that either hasn't had the chance to fulfill their promise - whatever the circumstances..............

 

[LoveCity]

I just see it as a great shame, the boy had the lot. Whatever caused the destruction of his career is beyond thinking about.

it's not over yet - he's only 23

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Match-reports/2011/January/City-EDS-v-Rochdale-reserves" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Match-report ... e-reserves</a>

nice catch!

let's hope he continues on and can do something with himself, as after all - when he had it, he very definitely had it!

(as for getting into the City first team, that's another matter, but I wish him every success in sorting himself out)

The problem is he doesn't seem to want to salvage his career. He isn't even training at the club now, or at least not appearing in any training reports, so something appears to be up. Can't be taken at gospel but some months ago someone on here said Johnson doesn't even like football anymore and has no passion for it. If Johnson had the right mindset I think he'd have been able to battle back, I mean as far as we know he's technically been fit for most of the last year but his Leicester loan move was a flop as even Sven couldn't get him functioning again. It's a tragedy, I full agree with the sentiments that like Joe and Micah he would have survived the cull and could be a top player for us now had he never gotten injured and avoided the "lifestyle" even if he hadn't been injured.

 

[Unknown_Genius]

Comparing him to Lake is ridiculous. Lake battled hard, and gave his all to try and get back, but was badly let down by the club. Johnson went out on the drink, which is the last thing in the world an injured player should do. Alcohol makes recovery from injuries, a much slower, and prolonged process. In large amounts, its career suicide, so I have little sympathy. I'm convinced he would have recovered from his injuries if he was teetotal and spent that time resting, rather than out on the town. Medical facilities and treatment are far more advanced then they were in Lake's day. Lake would probably have recovered if he was playing now. I'm of the old fashioned view that players shouldn't be going to nightclubs and drinking. To reach the very top you have to be ultra professional and dedicated. That probably means no going out to clubs, staying in, and spending more time on the training field. That may sound boring, but if you want to be the best, you have to make sacrifices. With the money and status Premier League footballers get, is that really too much to ask? The rewards are sweet if you do. He's ruined his own career, he will probably end up a League One journeyman, if he's lucky.

They are not fucking robots, like everybody else on the planet they need a life to keep their sanity. Never read such a ridiculous load of bollocks

Completely agree mate - pretty ironic that 'genius' is the guys name eh?

I wasn't commenting on whether or not Lake and MJ had the same gene-pool psychologically, merely that both were supremely talented and that, therefore it should be a tragedy that either hasn't had the chance to fulfill their promise - whatever the circumstances..............

So you think going out on the piss is a good idea for a professional Premier League footballer? Do Aguero, Silva, Kompany, Milner, Hart and the like do it? Yep, thought as much.

 

[mancity1]

No one wants to be a hermit but you have to be smart about the way you do it.

When you are in the spotlight you are a sitting shot when your out and about.

Most clubs now have curfews on times and what is expected when they front up to training.

in the AFL , Leadership groups ensure that players who front up to training having broken alcohol curfews are dealt with by the appropriate suspensions.

Drink driving infringments are now basically automatic 6 week bans and if they lie about it it means further suspensions and fines.

As for MJ its inconceivable he will ever put on a shirt for the first again.

He clearly has personal issues that he has to deal with before he can begin to resurrect whats left of his football career assuming he ever wants to play again which as most have said will be in the lower divisions if that.