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Ok I don't wanna slate one of our own, but for nearly 2 years his name has annoyed me on online forums.

The phrase "it will be like a new signing"

People mentioning him when discussing our English spine and internationals.

People putting him in best 11's etc.

Sorry but this is a real pet hate. Can I ask for a yes or no from all interested, do you think MJ will ever play a significant part in our 1st team?

Big no for me as he's been recovering from injury since he turned 8.

no i reckon hes finished in the top tier of football, was a great prospect but the injuries and off field stuff has unfortuneatly finished him, saying that i just wish he would prove me totally wrong in every word i just said

Hope he proves me wrong but NO.

So many years out of the game at his age, problems with fitness have left their mark in his body even if he gets back into shape, injury prone, questions about mental side. And even when he WAS fit, he showed quality only in glimpses. Usually went missing badly for long periods and just walked around in the pitch doing fuck all.

He has great natural talent but that on it's own is rarely enough.

Two sesnisble replies. Thank god, thought I was going mad.

He showed he still had the talent when he recovered from his first injury problems. Truth is, nobody on this site really knows what he'll be like once he is fit again. Douglas gets a few glimpses here and there, but I think he won't want to get our hopes up too high nor shoot MJ down. And rightly so. Time will tell, think he could be a useful squad player at least.

If he's not had at least 5 appearances by summer (at least 45mins) then i'd like to see him off the wage bill.

No for me aswell but there will be plenty disagreeing with me.

I obv wish he proves me wrong but cant see it, maybe the old city he wouldve had a chance but now we have top athletes at the top of there game hes got a long way to go to get close to them.

Not a chance

Im wondering where this suddenly popped up from.. have you been sneaking around on bluemong PBL?

Truth is whether you love him or hate him the odds are seriously stacked against him even if he was aiming to get back into the city side of two seasons ago.. now he is looking at a different level altogether that even if he had not been injured it would be suspect if he could be part of it.
Personally i wouldn't write him off though until he has had a chance and Mancini will certainly take him at face value and give him that chance to show if he can live with where we are now.

So i am not going to say No, im going to say it is unlikely but tbh really i havent got any idea.


i can understand why it winds people up, but when players show the natural ability he did at times, fans just cant help wishful thinking.

i don't really know how anyone could possibly have a clue how [strike]we[/strike] he would, could or will perform.

He's been out of sight and out of mind for me for years. When is he out of contract?

cheers

Nothing against him coz Id do the same but he has probably earned more money being injured and unable to work than we will do in our lifetimes. Sad that init!

No Way!!!

Pretty Boy Lee wrote:Ok I don't wanna slate one of our own, but for nearly 2 years his name has annoyed me on online forums.

The phrase "it will be like a new signing"

People mentioning him when discussing our English spine and internationals.

People putting him in best 11's etc.

Sorry but this is a real pet hate. Can I ask for a yes or no from all interested, do you think MJ will ever play a significant part in our 1st team?

Big no for me as he's been recovering from injury since he turned 8.

So pretty much every post in this thread has said 'no' in some way or other.
What initially gave you the feeling most people thought he was some world beater?

No idea. Depends on if his injury problems are really behind him or not. This injury is not connected to the one that kept him out for so long in the past though, so in theory there's nothing stopping him from resuming his career.


Will he be too slow? Can't imagine he'll be slower than Barry.

Will he be too weak? Looks to have built himself up nicely whilst he's been out & looks a strong lad.

Does he have football intelligence? Yes, he was just as smart as Elano before injury & should have learned more whilst watching.

Is he technically as good as our midfield players? Absolutely, better than almost all of them.

Can he pass as well? Better.

Can he shoot as well? Better.

Trackling? Decent. Heading? Decent.

So what could he possibly lack if he's not to succeed? Fitness/mobility. If he can't get those he's fucked.

And if he gets those? England international & City regular.

I'd love it SAY LOVE IT if he did ... sadly I don't think it looks likely mind. Give him a job learning to get physio career or summit, like the club did with Lakey for a bit .. would be a nice touch that

Alright, I will take you up on it , pbl.

Course he will.

Whoever said Johnson "wandered round the pitch doing fuck all" is talking out their arse. Complete fucking bollocks of the first order. Yes, he had slightly dodgy spells, but show me a teenage footballer that doesn't. Don't forget that he was playing with an injury most of the time because we did not have the luxury of being able to leave him out like we would now. Johnson when he was fit was able to bring his teammates into the game more than any other midfielder I have seen at City in 20 years. He made Elano look like a Premiership footballer. He could defend and was more than capable going forward. He would fit nicely into the team as it is now in the role that Milner is currently having a bit of trouble filling (from an attacking point of view - Milner is doing very well defensively), if his fitness is up to it. I will go out on a limb and say that if he recovers fully, he will be better in this team than Milner and Barry are.

Dig out the highlights from Pearce's team (at least it won't take long to watch them) and Sven's first two months and you'll find it was Michael Johnson pulling the strings in everything - and I mean everything - that was good. Sven's team went off the boil when Johnson first got injured. It is not coincidence. Michael Johnson was the first name on Sven's team sheet: talent is not the issue. Paul Lake was the only comparable player we have had in terms of talent at the same age. The only issue will be his fitness, and of that I have got no idea but I appear to be one of the few who have got their fingers crossed.

You can call me over-optimistic if you like.

He has what all the great players have - the ability to appear as if time stands still when he's on the ball and the vision to go with it.
But he'll also require the mental strength (being out injured for so long may have helped him in this as it happens) and the patience to go with it.
If he can show he has those plus, of course, the necessary fitness and mobility then I see no reason why he shouldn't still carve out a decent career for himself. Whether that's at City is another matter.

when he recovers in fm10 he becomes a good all-round midfielders after rehabing ... not spectacular but a good player. I can see him becoming that as long as he stays fit. With luck he could fulfill his potential. If we've got him on a good rehab program and he can stay metnally fit as well as physically, I think he could become a star.

City have not rushed mj and this is key.

If his problem is sorted out for good, he wil be better than before! This is an awesome thought as he is the one player i have seen who never looks rushed and always looks like he has bags of time and the game is easy to play.

Looking forward to his return

Wonderwall wrote:City have not rushed mj and this is key.

If his problem is sorted out for good, he wil be better than before! This is an awesome thought as he is the one player i have seen who never looks rushed and always looks like he has bags of time and the game is easy to play.

Looking forward to his return

I agree with that, if fit, he'll be much better than he was. It's also much easier for a player like him to play with these players than it would have been with Pearce's or Sven's team. If he's fully fit, he'll star in this team & Mancini will try to give him a chance too because Sven will have told him all about Johnson.