What does Adam Johnson actually do?

[1950]

At least he tried, unlike Nasri.

[Redna]

On screen you really can't se how a player is performing off the ball. Strangely it is the play without the ball that is the most important part off the game. Score can anyone do.. well almost anyone.
I must though say we did press them back for the last 30 min. I'm really dissapointed at the result but if we should play this fixture 10 times I'm sure we would win 8, draw 1 and lose 1. Unfortenately it was the tenth game.
Scouse will be a different game as I guess they will push for it. Might suit us better ..or not.
AJ has a few tricks up his sleeve but the play without the ball leaves a lot more to offer.
CTID!!

[Spurge]

I thought he played well. If you run at players you sometimes lose the ball. He was imo our best creative player imo & goals should have been scored from moves he started & passes he made. I think he should be allowed to come inside more though. Mancini shouted at him to stay wide but I think he plays well when he comes in. I underrstand he wants to pull defenders out but I think AJ should be allowed to move around & send someone else out there.

Nasri on the other hand created almost nothing.

No offence Ted..and I value you're opinion..but he was utter dogshite

Mancini spent most of the game shouting at him because he was fucking up

Can't agree with that. I think he was the only player to produce anything of quality build up 1st half. Made some bad decisions yes but much less than Yaya who ruined many good moves started by great play from AJ. Last 20 mins he was mostly ineffective but that was when Mancini was shouting at him most & he was telling him to go wide.

Agree with you Ted, although I did think strangely he appeared knackered in those last 20 mins - not sure why that would be.

But pleased to see some sensible stuff from someone in this thread. We lost so todays scapegoat is Adam Johnson, great stuff!!!!

[1950]

But pleased to see some sensible stuff from someone in this thread. We lost so todays scapegoat is Adam Johnson, great stuff!!!!

Don't forget Dzeko. His topic was created almost an hour earlier, which makes him the very first scapegoat of 2012!

[Longball]

thought he played well should lift up his head abit more tho

[Spurge]

But pleased to see some sensible stuff from someone in this thread. We lost so todays scapegoat is Adam Johnson, great stuff!!!!

Don't forget Dzeko. His topic was created almost an hour earlier, which makes him the very first scapegoat of 2012!

Yes true enough , one mans scapegoat is another mans 'well he was shit as well but not as shit as.......etc' after a defeat.

We lost so we were all shit, Mancini was shit, the coaching staff were shit, Hughes was shit, Sven was shit, Thaksin was shit (and corrupt allegedly), or what about Keegan, ah yes it was all down to him, should never had signed Fowler, or was it Joey, yes thats it, of course thanks Joey all your fucking fault.

There you go sorted!

[Flixton Blue]

There was plenty worse than A.J. today.

Hart-6
Zabba-6
Lescott-5
Kompany-6
Kolorov-3
Nasri-5
Ya Ya-5
De Jong-5
AJ-6
Dzeko-5

[Douglas Higginbottom]

There was plenty worse than A.J. today.

Hart-6
Zabba-6
Lescott-5
Kompany-6
Kolorov-3
Nasri-5
Ya Ya-5
De Jong-5
AJ-6
Dzeko-5

Go on I will bite.Why does lescott get 5 and Kompany/zaba 6?

[Flixton Blue]

I think Lescott's had a fine season so far,his downfall is his lack of pace which was again exposed today.
Kompany/Zabba were marked at 6 because I believe they had a stronger influence on the game,especially going forward.

[Blue2]

There was plenty worse than A.J. today.

Hart-6
Zabba-6
Lescott-5
Kompany-6
Kolorov-3
Nasri-5
Ya Ya-5
De Jong-5
AJ-6
Dzeko-5

Go on I will bite.Why does lescott get 5 and Kompany/zaba 6?

That was Zabs worst game for some time.

[Flixton Blue]

like I said not as bad as some though

[DoomMerchant]

I thought he played well. If you run at players you sometimes lose the ball. He was imo our best creative player imo & goals should have been scored from moves he started & passes he made. I think he should be allowed to come inside more though. Mancini shouted at him to stay wide but I think he plays well when he comes in. I underrstand he wants to pull defenders out but I think AJ should be allowed to move around & send someone else out there.

Nasri on the other hand created almost nothing.

I noticed Mancini giving him those instructions and I've noticed it many times before. If he's so keen for AJ to hug the touch line and not come inside then why play him on the right.

he was on the left for a fair spell during the first half iirc.

[halnone]

There was plenty worse than A.J. today.

Hart-6
Zabba-6
Lescott-5
Kompany-6
Kolorov-3
Nasri-5
Ya Ya-5
De Jong-5
AJ-6
Dzeko-5

wasn't able to watch the 2nd half, which looking back I'm glad. Was Kolarov really that bad?? Sometimes people single him out.

[kinkylola]

I think that's a little harsh on kolarov, he was just invisible and offered nothing going forward. I don't believe he had much to do defensively before he was off, unless i'm remembering incorrectly.

I would say lescott was not good, I think his passing was poor and he gave the ball away a few times and made some terrible attempts at tackling sessegnon ... who could go past lescott at will all game.

For me, kolarov and zabba were both invisible, but not horrible in the sense that they gifted the oppo great chances or made a meal of anything ... and I think that was a bigger source of our lack of edge than anything else. Having Clichey and Micah both being able to get up the wings and provide that attacking width is what makes silva/nasri/johnson cutting inside as playmakers so much more effective.

[MSG77]

But pleased to see some sensible stuff from someone in this thread. We lost so todays scapegoat is Adam Johnson, great stuff!!!!

Don't forget Dzeko. His topic was created almost an hour earlier, which makes him the very first scapegoat of 2012!

Yes true enough , one mans scapegoat is another mans 'well he was shit as well but not as shit as.......etc' after a defeat.

We lost so we were all shit, Mancini was shit, the coaching staff were shit, Hughes was shit, Sven was shit, Thaksin was shit (and corrupt allegedly), or what about Keegan, ah yes it was all down to him, should never had signed Fowler, or was it Joey, yes thats it, of course thanks Joey all your fucking fault.

There you go sorted!

Haha. True.

I agree he was mostly shit, especially late, but not as shit as some. He really seemed to fade late but how often does he get the full game to run out? Not that he really should. Much better as an impact sub coming on later.

Still, he was really the only one doing anything remotely offensive in the 1st half. Not great but no one was. Has been scoring of late and if he'd hit the net with that short corner shot everyone would be saying what a great left foot strike he has and how much they love him. But we lost on a late offside goal so he's totally shit.

BTW - on that late goal he actually did something that he often gets accused of not doing and ran back defensively. Admittedly late, but there was effort despite him playing the whole game. Unlike Richards who was fresher as a sub and was only the RB during a counter down that side. He was nowhere near the play. He now spends more time making runs into the opponents box than he does actually defending.

[Dubciteh]

Back on topic i agree with Ted. Johnson was our best creative player in the 1st half but faded badly in the second half, prob down to a lack of game time recently and rustiness. He has been like that since he joined us actually he is better off replaced around the 60 min mark, the problem with yesterday is come the 60th min we could of brought the whole bench on there was that many players out of sorts and im glad mancini made the subs he did.

Fwiw nasri was far worse, constantly kills our momentum by taking too many touches and dilly dallying on the ball and going back, he has been one of the most dissapointing signings we have made in a while, he is a good player in his own right he just doesn't suit our style of play at all.


is it a coincidence arsenal had the same problems as us recently when he was in the team?

[stommy]

I think today proved why he should rarely if ever start a PL game

Lost count of the times he lost the ball with shite dribbles or wayward passes

Garbage

Someone remind me why he is considered an upgrade on sweep?

There is something that many of you have forgot, rotation system is not good for any team...AJ so as Dzeko played in the last month when you add all games maybe half an hour, you can not really expect from these player to be great with so much lack of match practice.

I think that Ted is right, maybe not the best game from both of them but far away from "shite"

[sandman]

Adam Johnson makes a few assists/goals every 10 appearances and it is enough to satisfy the simple idiots that fail to see the fact that he is no better than he was when he signed two years ago.

It is time for him to move on I feel.

[Ted Hughes]

Adam Johnson makes a few assists/goals every 10 appearances and it is enough to satisfy the simple idiots that fail to see the fact that he is no better than he was when he signed two years ago.

It is time for him to move on I feel.

His few assists and goals has been pretty excellent this season though & he should have at least one more assist from that game imo.

If I was to join in the AJ criticising mob, my criticism wouldn't be about his contribution as a player (which I think has ranged between average & superb so far this season) it would be his contribution as a winger which is pretty much non existent. I think he's a superb footballer who should be allowed to roam around, but as a winger, the likes of Valencia, Nani etc are far better at that job.

Mancini was yelling at him to go wide all the time but AJ plays most of his best football & scores his goals when he comes inside. On the whole, he is going against Mancini's instructions when he does that (he's said so several times) and that will probably lead to a parting of the ways as AJ watches Nasri being given the freedom he craves & doing little with it & Mancini wants a winger but hasn't got one. He will try to sign one sooner or later & AJ will probably get frozen out.

I would like to see him given the kind if role Nasri gets; let him play with Silva. I'm not sure Bob will go for it though.

Harry will make a fortune from him.

[s1ty m]

Adam Johnson makes a few assists/goals every 10 appearances and it is enough to satisfy the simple idiots that fail to see the fact that he is no better than he was when he signed two years ago.

It is time for him to move on I feel.

His few assists and goals has been pretty excellent this season though & he should have at least one more assist from that game imo.

If I was to join in the AJ criticising mob, my criticism wouldn't be about his contribution as a player (which I think has ranged between average & superb so far this season) it would be his contribution as a winger which is pretty much non existent. I think he's a superb footballer who should be allowed to roam around, but as a winger, the likes of Valencia, Nani etc are far better at that job.

Mancini was yelling at him to go wide all the time but AJ plays most of his best football & scores his goals when he comes inside. On the whole, he is going against Mancini's instructions when he does that (he's said so several times) and that will probably lead to a parting of the ways as AJ watches Nasri being given the freedom he craves & doing little with it & Mancini wants a winger but hasn't got one. He will try to sign one sooner or later & AJ will probably get frozen out.

I would like to see him given the kind if role Nasri gets; let him play with Silva. I'm not sure Bob will go for it though.

Harry will make a fortune from him.

Mancini is getting it badly wrong if he is shouting at AJ to get out wide. He's hugely left footed and getting wider down the right necessitates the use of the right foot to cross. He has to cut in. This is what happens when you play people on the opposite wing. It may be fashionable at the moment, but if you want a winger, let him play on the wing he prefers.