View Full Version : Mikey Johnston M West Brom b.1999
Johnston played a full half against Greece and didnt really get a sniff which was always going to be a risk in terms of how the game might play out so I dont hold his non-selection for Greece against Kenny at all.
OTOH, I am one of those who was aggrieved at his call up to the squad. I have been eating humble pie since as he has made a difference and is precisely the sort of player that gives us something different off the bench and will be especially effective against the minnows. Ideally we find a spot for him in the starting line-up but would, i think, need a shift from 3-5-2 to do that.
ontheotherhand
20/06/2023, 6:41 PM
Johnston played a full half against Greece and didnt really get a sniff which was always going to be a risk in terms of how the game might play out so I dont hold his non-selection for Greece against Kenny at all.
OTOH, I am one of those who was aggrieved at his call up to the squad. I have been eating humble pie since as he has made a difference and is precisely the sort of player that gives us something different off the bench and will be especially effective against the minnows. Ideally we find a spot for him in the starting line-up but would, i think, need a shift from 3-5-2 to do that.
You weren't alone!
And yeah I agree. Without getting too excited he looks like a very useful addition and was the major difference against Gibraltar. I only mention the likes of Jack Byrne in relation to games like that because we need at least one player who wants to play the riskier but better ball. Ideally we have better options and hopefully Johnston is now that player. Smallbone hasn't quite done it for me yet.
We knew what we were going to face yesterday and we know our squad is very limited when it comes to incisive passes and that little bit of magic. Johnston sees the pass the average player doesn't. He played so many in one half yesterday. Balls around the corner or through the gaps, crosses from deep into the gap between the defenders and GK. All the stuff that helps you break through banks of players. He hits a better corner than anyone else and we need that too.
He also plays even the simple ball in a much more positive way than the likes of Cullen, Molumby or Knight. I'm thinking of the quick passes out wide to McClean yesterday. He cut inside a few times and ran into trouble but found McClean and engineered him an advantage on the defender by playing the ball into the right space instead of just to feet.
And he can beat a man or two! We haven't had a player like him for a while so fair play to Kenny for bringing him in. It's one of the best things he's done....which might be telling its own story in fairness....
joey B
13/07/2023, 12:08 PM
Out for 3 months with a back injury,thought there was a good chance he'd start in September so not ideal at all......
Razors left peg
13/07/2023, 1:52 PM
Out for 3 months with a back injury,thought there was a good chance he'd start in September so not ideal at all......
That's a nightmare for his Celtic career. New/old manager, would have wanted to have a good preseason to be in the plans, especially with Jota leaving
LurcherLover
13/07/2023, 3:29 PM
That's a nightmare for his Celtic career. New/old manager, would have wanted to have a good preseason to be in the plans, especially with Jota leavingPreseason is for fitness. It would have zero relevance to him getting anywhere near the 1st team ;)
Razors left peg
13/07/2023, 4:09 PM
Preseason is for fitness. It would have zero relevance to him getting anywhere near the 1st team ;)
I knew that would be brought up LOL, and it totally missed my point.
Johnston is not going to be part of training or matches for the entire preseason. All that together of course matters. Missing one chance in a game doesnt!
But fair play, it deserved to get called out ;)
LurcherLover
13/07/2023, 4:42 PM
:) I know, fully agree. Couldn't resist though.. ;)
tetsujin1979
28/10/2023, 10:12 PM
First appearance of the season for Celtic's first team today
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Stuttgart88
29/10/2023, 1:36 PM
Drew a good save from Marshall late on I heard.
tetsujin1979
28/11/2023, 6:17 PM
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SkStu
03/12/2023, 12:53 PM
Watched the second half of St Johnston v Celtic. Mikey Johnston came on at halftime and has had a great performance off both side. Changes the dynamic of the game a bit. A really good outlet and had a lovely touch in the build up to their second goal.
Eirambler
03/12/2023, 1:23 PM
Biggest challenge for Mikey is to stay fit for a full season. His Celtic career to date basically involves him getting a run in the first team, looking the absolute business, and then getting injured. Over and over. If he can stay injury clear from now until May then he can finally make a genuine impact there.
Trequartista20
10/12/2023, 4:35 PM
Started alongside Scales today in Celtic's defeat at Kilmarnock.
Stuttgart88
17/12/2023, 3:09 PM
Seems to be a chief scapegoat among Celtic fans in this slump in form.
Packie Bonner says it looks like he’s being told to hug the touchline whereas he’s better when allowed to roam inside.
seanfhear
17/12/2023, 4:35 PM
Rodgers will be coming under a bit of pressure. Interesting to see how it all works out.
I do hope if the links are true that Scales goes to Anderlecht in Jan, Celtic just comes across as a very toxic and unstable club and he's best leaving while his stock is high.
seanfhear
17/12/2023, 5:05 PM
I do hope if the links are true that Scales goes to Anderlecht in Jan, Celtic just comes across as a very toxic and unstable club and he's best leaving while his stock is high.
Celtic are a bit odd alright, and if Rangers start putting in a real challenge then you could see trouble ahead at Celtic.
Celtic are a bit odd alright, and if Rangers start putting in a real challenge then you could see trouble ahead at Celtic.
They have a foundation built on sand, they are totally reliant on singing foreign players as they have no pathway for their younger players to come through, surely the red flag should be the amount of Scottish u21’s who go elsewhere for their development which the likes of Lawal and Vata should follow, comparatively speaking they are like Chelsea or United in the PL but thanks to the lack of competition they will still likely win the league every year but it’s an indictment of the rest of the teams rather than everything being rosey at Celtic.
Eirambler
26/12/2023, 3:56 PM
Two very similar goals for him today, cutting in off the left wing and finishing with his right.
tetsujin1979
01/02/2024, 10:06 AM
Possible loan move to West Brom today
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Possible loan move to West Brom today
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feels like a sideways step, but if he gets more game time then i guess it's a good move.
Diggs246
01/02/2024, 12:19 PM
feels like a sideways step, but if he gets more game time then i guess it's a good move.
Sideways from Celtic
No this is a massive promotion!
The championship is an excellent league with at least 15 very good clubs in it
The SPL is not that.
Heres a question would Celtic get near a play off spot in the championship? I would seriously doubt it
Fixer82
01/02/2024, 12:33 PM
Sideways from Celtic
No this is a massive promotion!
The championship is an excellent league with at least 15 very good clubs in it
The SPL is not that.
Heres a question would Celtic get near a play off spot in the championship? I would seriously doubt it
I think Celtic would be like Sunderland. Near a play off place but never really penetrating that part of the table
Stuttgart88
01/02/2024, 12:58 PM
The current Celtic team would probably be middle of Championship, hard to tell. But if they were in that ecosystem they'd be solid Premier League before long. They have the fan base and commercial potential to be a much bigger / better club, constrained by their domestic league. They'd also attract better, richer owners. Same can be said of several clubs across Europe.
Agree Stutts. And that's the difference when it comes to evaluating Scottish football, the difference between Celtic, the club, and the league system that they are in. So for anyone moving from the Old Firm to the Championship, it’s usually a step down in terms of club profile but a major step up in terms of the challenge, overall quality and exposure. Both Diggs and zero are right, in their own ways.
Razors left peg
01/02/2024, 3:33 PM
The current Celtic team would probably be middle of Championship, hard to tell. But if they were in that ecosystem they'd be solid Premier League before long. They have the fan base and commercial potential to be a much bigger / better club, constrained by their domestic league. They'd also attract better, richer owners. Same can be said of several clubs across Europe.
This is the part that people never seem to understand. It's not about where the current team would be, its how big the club is and what they could do if they had the resources of English football available to them. Both Rangers and Celtic would be bigger than Newcastle if they had access to the England game. I pick Newcastle as the barometer because of the geographical location for comparison
Eirambler
01/02/2024, 4:26 PM
That's "what if my auntie had balls" stuff though. There's no point talking about what Celtic might be in some hypothetical situation that will never actually happen. Reality is that they're a club with a big support in a poor league and as a result receive relatively low TV money and therefore usually have a squad that is not Premier League quality. Under Ange they were probably the equivalent of a Southampton/Leicester/Burnley at best. The current team is more like a West Brom, Bristol City or Stoke.
It's a good move for Mikey. Didn't think he'd get a club like West Brom if he moved to England.
West Brom are in a good position in the league and if he can get decent minutes might open the possibility of another championship loan in the summer.
nigel-harps1954
02/02/2024, 6:03 PM
Great move for Mikey Johnston and a bit out of the blue. If he gets plenty of game time it's far better for his Ireland prospects too.
Came off the bench for the last half hour to make his debut. Replaced John Swift who was playing as the 10.
SkStu
13/02/2024, 11:44 PM
Off the mark for WBA. Decent finish first time though keeper will be a bit disappointed…
kqt3eRLTNJ9Va0fG
https://youtu.be/wCtta6OxHOI?si=kqt3eRLTNJ9Va0fG
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Scores again. Good start to life for MJ at West Brom.
and heavily involved in the third goal.
Eirambler
20/02/2024, 9:06 PM
Hopefully he can stay fit for the run in, maybe get himself a permanent move out of Celtic.
Incidentally, using Transfermarkt and some not unrealistic but slightly creative accounting, Johnston's goal is the 100th Irish goal in the Championship this season. Which is good going considering it's still only February.
Fixer82
21/02/2024, 9:24 AM
Hopefully he can stay fit for the run in, maybe get himself a permanent move out of Celtic.
Incidentally, using Transfermarkt and some not unrealistic but slightly creative accounting, Johnston's goal is the 100th Irish goal in the Championship this season. Which is good going considering it's still only February.
And what's the number without Szmodicz?
Eirambler
21/02/2024, 9:51 AM
Well he's scored 18, so that would leave 82. 50 of which were scored by players born 1998 or later (i.e. Kenny's Under 21 team onwards).
Stuttgart88
21/02/2024, 3:06 PM
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Scores again. Good start to life for MJ at West Brom.That's a class goal. And as Stu said his long dribble before the third was a key "pre-assist"
seanfhear
21/02/2024, 3:23 PM
Good goal alright ~ The two opposing defenders didn't cover themselves in glory, if you were a supporter of that club.
pineapple stu
21/02/2024, 3:49 PM
You have to love players like that.
Also radio commentary is great too.
The combination of the two? Mwah!
There was another chance between the 2nd and 3rd goals where MJ carried the ball through and found the right pass to the supporting player to pass back to another player who had a shot that went just wide of the target - the cut back nearly found MJ who had continued his run. A lot of the criticism he gets from Celtic fans over the years is his decision making / end product. I know its a small sample size but he is definitely showing an improvement along those lines since he went to WBA. Some players just need to be loved.
Eminence Grise
21/02/2024, 7:37 PM
... or better coached?
Razors left peg
01/03/2024, 7:39 PM
1763659095108669843
Johnston with another brilliant goal this evening.
Considering he couldn't really get in the first team at Celtic I'm curious to hear the thoughts on why he's doing well in Championship when he was up against supposed "League 2" opponents in Scotland
third policeman
01/03/2024, 8:12 PM
https://twitter.com/seery_o/status/1763659095108669843?s=19
Johnston with another brilliant goal this evening.
Considering he couldn't really get in the first team at Celtic I'm curious to hear the thoughts on why he's doing well in Championship when he was up against supposed "League 2" opponents in Scotland
Paddy McCourt turned down Albion for Celtic. Maybe a mistake in retrospect. Perhaps being technically excellent is an impediment to success in the SPL.
Razors left peg
01/03/2024, 8:14 PM
Paddy McCourt turned down Albion for Celtic. Maybe a mistake in retrospect. Perhaps being technically excellent is an impediment to success in the SPL.
Celtic have always had technically excellent players
seanfhear
01/03/2024, 8:22 PM
Stephen Kenny worked wonders on the lad (wink)
third policeman
01/03/2024, 9:22 PM
Celtic have always had technically excellent players
Always or once upon a time.
Razors left peg
01/03/2024, 9:39 PM
Always or once upon a time.
They still do.
Guess we're lining up with a front four of:
Ogbene Szmodics Johnston
.............Ferguson
Pity we haven't got a decent midfield two that could sit in front of the back four.
SkStu
01/03/2024, 11:56 PM
1763659095108669843
Johnston with another brilliant goal this evening.
Considering he couldn't really get in the first team at Celtic I'm curious to hear the thoughts on why he's doing well in Championship when he was up against supposed "League 2" opponents in Scotland
A coach that put his arm around him and put some trust in him, playing to his strengths.
That’s a goal of the month contender right there.
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