tommytheblue said:
how many assists has he made this season? 1 for a winger, that's poor. Both Silva and milner have done better in that regard.
Suggest you read Southgates article in the times. Johnson good technique, quick acceleration, but more comfortable on taking on left backs, rather than going toe toe with a rightback.
Crossing, still erratic and needs to learn to read the game better...
Don't always look for the shot, which he does.
He has the quality, just needs to be kept in check. and encouraged to think about his game more.
Having captained and managed Adam Johnson I am more aware than most of his journey to get to the City of Manchester stadium this afternoon. From depressingly wet, windy nights at Billingham Synthonia — destroying opposition reserve teams — to Wembley and England duty. His has truly been the road less travelled.
The pale, skinny little kid from the youth team is slowly coming of age. The feet dance, the legs wriggle, only the quality of defenders left behind changes.
We used to chuckle at the list of scouts, which was longer for our reserve matches than first-team games. I had more enquiries for Adam than any other player at Middlesbrough, albeit from Championship clubs. At one point I tallied 15 that wanted to take him on loan. To begin with, it annoyed me that managers could see we were struggling and wanted to bother me for their own needs. By the end, like a proud parent, I was tempted to phone the remaining nine managers and ask them why they hadn’t been in touch too!
Physically slight, Adam had an enormous amount to learn about his role within the team, particularly his defensive responsibilities. The problem for a winger at a lower half Premier League team is that for around 55% of the game your side don’t have the ball and you have to help win it back. Then you are under more pressure to make the most of the possession you get.
I can still picture Steve Harrison, an excellent coach and wonderful character, doing an impression of Steve McClaren, jumping up and down in Basil Fawlty fashion, during a Uefa Cup match in Stuttgart. We were 2-0 up and McClaren sent Adam on with 20 minutes to go. Johnno played when we had possession and stood and watched, oblivious to his defensive duties, when Stuttgart had it. We were under the cosh for that period, conceding a late goal and leaving the tie hanging in the balance.
Adam Johnson does have a rare talent — the ability to dribble past opponents with good acceleration When I took over from Steve, Adam was part of the squad, but hardly ready to start. He was frustrated by the situation and would regularly knock on my door asking to go on loan. He approached those meetings amiably and I could understand his frustrations. It is difficult for young players when they have had a taste of first-team football, to go back in the reserves and keep their enthusiasm.
Early in the 2007-08 season, I had to balance the short-term hit of losing a player from an already thin squad with the long-term development for player and club. In the end I sent him to Watford. They were at the top of the league, so he would get plenty of the ball.
I also knew Aidy Boothroyd would work on Adam’s defensive game and that living away from home would help him mature. In a couple of months, Adam scored five goals and had almost double that number in assists.
I knew his performances were still flawed, but we were struggling and had a player starring in the Championship. It didn’t look right and I had to pull him back, even though I knew the best thing for him would have been to stay at Vicarage Road. Playing in an average Premier League team is a different environment and sure enough after a handful of indifferent performances I had to leave him out again. We couldn’t carry two out-and-out wingers and Stewart Downing was our best player.
Back to Billingham for Adam.
The following year, when we were relegated, Adam again rarely had a consistent run. So we faced the Championship, where we couldn’t keep Downing, but knew Johnson would shine. Adam took a lot of convincing that it would benefit him to stay, even as the star in the team.
He started the season with match-winning performances. Previously he hadn’t been certain he would play enough. Now he was in the last year of his contract and in a strong bargaining position. Adam and his parents (there was, refreshingly, no agent) preferred not to re-sign. After my departure, with Boro for many reasons slipping out of the promotion challenge, it was no surprise that Johnson was sold.
I would have taken him to the World Cup — as an impact substitute. I don’t believe, though, he would have altered the outcome of England’s tournament, and it was probably better for him that he wasn’t tarnished with that failure.
Although he looks frail, Adam is brave. I remember a heated pre-season game against Guimaraes in Portugal, where the opposition kept hacking at him. He laughed at them, demanding the ball and evading their challenges again and again. He does have a rare talent — the ability to dribble past opponents with good acceleration.
He is not the finished article. His crossing is erratic and his awareness of the game is still developing. He has, for a while, preferred to play on the right, letting him step inside to shoot powerfully, or cross an inswinger with his left foot. I think he finds it hard to go around strong full-backs when he plays on the left, hence his preference for the right.
The brilliance of his dribbling has beaten defenders up to this point, but now he must continue to add to his armoury. He must keep on improving his right foot. At Wembley, Montenegro allowed him to go outside on the right touchline, forcing him to cross with his right foot. If Arsène Wenger saw the outcome, he will advise his defenders to do the same today.
The book of knowledge has to remain open. Working with a foreign coach at Manchester City should open his mind, as will playing with some top players. If the next 12 months are as dramatic as the last, then we can really start to get excited.
