Mikey Johnston M West Brom b.1999

[Eirambler]

Well, he's eligible, he has declared for us and Kenny is talking like he's planning on calling him up. So we may as well give him his own thread.

If you were looking at our up and coming prospects aged say 23 and under I don't think he'd even be in the top 30 of them at the moment to be honest. But you'd never know, the more options the better I guess, he might just come good.

Vitória are currently 3-1 up against Santa Clara and haven't felt the need to introduce him so far tonight.

[pineapple stu]

Came on for the last ten minutes (plus ten minutes of injury time) but seems the game was over by then.

That was his 15th league game of the season, of which seven were from the bench.

[tommy_c12000]

This was a ridiculous waste of time by Kenny, bizarre he’s ranting and raving about him. Assume he’s going to be in next squad the way he’s talking which will hamper the development of players with much higher ceilings such as Festy

[elatedscum]

Haven’t seen any games of his since the injury that I remember. Just highlights here and there.

Suppose the question is if he’s better than the likes of O’Dowda, Robinson etc. It’s not the highest bar.

There’s a real issue in us playing against really weak teams with 5-3-2, especially if someone like Coleman is playing at wingback. There’s no pace out wide to stretch teams. Teams just put 10 men behind the ball and we have neither the width to stretch teams nor the creativity to carve out chances in the final third when it’s compressed - and with the spare centre half, there’s three totally redundant players, which is unnecessary. I think that’s contributed to the poor results against the likes of Armenia, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan - and in the difficulty in scoring against Luxembourg and Malta.

No harm having another option out wide anyway, hopefully he wins the ballon dor ?

[liamoo11]

This was a ridiculous waste of time by Kenny, bizarre he’s ranting and raving about him. Assume he’s going to be in next squad the way he’s talking which will hamper the development of players with much higher ceilings such as Festy
He is totally different to festy though. If you were needing a goal against a weaker side that was sitting deep and leaving to space behind their fullbacks Johnson is a lad who is very similar to Kevin zefi with that guile and craft to create chances. Unfortunately he isn't an athlete and struggles physically. As an aside zefi seems to me to have similar physical.and athletic deficits that hopefully he can develop. Festy obviously has no such concerns but he also has limited guile and craft. If you were a visiting team and sat deep in a 5 4 1 in Dublin defending a lead against us I think you would handle festy s threats very easily

[Jd2793]

hamper the development? lads what are ye on about. the next camp is 10 days long.

[tetsujin1979]

Confirmed by the FAI, and that he'll be available for the two fixtures this month
1633425088795082752

[paul_oshea]

Do we think this is an on purpose generate a good news story and a bit of excitement in the squad? I always wonder about the timings of these things. It's not a go at Kenny or anyone in the FAI but perhaps things are a bit flat and this is timed to bring that excitement and buzz into the squad and around it. Because of itself its fairly insignficant

[SkStu]

I think this would have got a lot of people very excited 4 years ago, and maybe some Irish Celtic fans will still be excited by it, but it is largely "wait and see" for now for most.

[JR89]

Sammie Szmodics also available for selection according to Lancashire Telegraph as he's recently received his passport after issues with paperwork.

[Exgrad]

Do we think this is an on purpose generate a good news story and a bit of excitement in the squad? I always wonder about the timings of these things. It's not a go at Kenny or anyone in the FAI but perhaps things are a bit flat and this is timed to bring that excitement and buzz into the squad and around it. Because of itself its fairly insignficant

The majority of Irish fans will barely know who Mikey Johnston is so i doubt it.

[liamoo11]

Sammie Szmodics also available for selection according to Lancashire Telegraph as he's recently received his passport after issues with paperwork.

That took a long time is it 18 months since that training squad have was in? Hopefully dan crowleys passport came in the same envelope

[Razors left peg]

Dan Crowleys has already been revoked

[SkStu]

Apparently VG tweeted that Johnston had been called up to the Ireland squad for the upcoming friendly and then deleted the tweet...

[JR89]

They were probably informed he made the extended squad and tweeted out he's been called up. Like MON and his 40 man squads that then get reduced a week later just now we don't publicly announce whose made the extended squad.

[tetsujin1979]

It's happened a couple of times. Usually the FAI request that they make the official squad announcement, and then the respective clubs confirm their player has been called up. If any of the clubs jump the gun, they're requested to remove the announced

[JR89]

It's happened a couple of times. Usually the FAI request that they make the official squad announcement, and then the respective clubs confirm their player has been called up. If any of the clubs jump the gun, they're requested to remove the announced

Sheffield United have done it more than once but always only like an hour or less before the official squad was announced

[Bielsa´s irish]

i told you about this fellow a long time ago in a galaxy..... we need the galagher chap too, manning to a better team, and what remains from robbie brady

[pineapple stu]

On the bench again this evening for the home game against Arouca.

[tetsujin1979]

Not involved at all today against Benfica
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[Razors left peg]

This was a ridiculous waste of time by Kenny, bizarre he’s ranting and raving about him. Assume he’s going to be in next squad the way he’s talking which will hamper the development of players with much higher ceilings such as Festy

Whoops! We all get it wrong, but this was a strange attack on Kenny. Not sure will Johnston ever be more of an impact sub for us, but Kenny was 100% right when he said that Johnston offers us something we dont have in squad. Zefi is the only player coming through that might have a similar ability to beat a man with a trick from what I can see. I think we seen last night that this was a pretty good move by Kenny

[tetsujin1979]

Happy to admit I got it wrong about him. Did really well when he came on and was driving forward every time he got the ball.

[Razors left peg]

I cant say I was over excited about him coming on board, but there was a strange attitude towards it from a lot of people. To me it was always a case that hes a young player and all additions are welcome. He could turn out to be a gem!

[Kingdom]

Didn't know a thing about him before yday.
Wouldn't start him Monday, but I'd let him loose vs Gibraltar & Greece with no qualms.

[Razors left peg]

Didn't know a thing about him before yday.
Wouldn't start him Monday, but I'd let him loose vs Gibraltar & Greece with no qualms.

Absolutely, theres no chance he starts on Monday but he could be a nice weapon against teams that sit back and defend against us and we find hard to breakdown.

[Kingdom]

I woukldn't be against him coming on if we need something late on Monday just to say.

[Razors left peg]

I woukldn't be against him coming on if we need something late on Monday just to say.

If we are getting a bit of possession then yes, any player who can run at defenders and beat a man is a big asset

[irishfan86]

Really in terms of a substitute coming on for his debut, he did brilliantly. We lack guile and creativity especially against the "weaker" teams and he will add this. If the match is tight against France and we need to go for a goal late I'd be happy to see him coming on as a guy who could perhaps make something happen. Just one match and not a full one at that, but I think it would be difficult to say anything negative about his performance.

[tommy_c12000]

One swallow never made a summer.

He’s a squad player for a Portuguese team 28 points behind the league leaders, and surplus to requirements at Celtic. There has to be a reason he’s at this level. I didn’t see the game only the highlights, but he impressed against a tiring Latvian defense. Let’s see how many telling competitive contributions he makes at the end of qualifying to assess whether it was worthwhile introducing him to our squad. God only knows the wreck Festy could have done to that tiring Latvian defense….

[irishfan86]

One swallow never made a summer.

He’s a squad player for a Portuguese team 28 points behind the league leaders, and surplus to requirements at Celtic. There has to be a reason he’s at this level. I didn’t see the game only the highlights, but he impressed against a tiring Latvian defense. Let’s see how many telling competitive contributions he makes at the end of qualifying to assess whether it was worthwhile introducing him to our squad. God only knows the wreck Festy could have done to that tiring Latvian defense….

Festy beats his opponents with speed and athleticism. Johnston appears much better technically and can beat people in tighter spaces. There's room for both in future squads but they're not directly comparable.

[liamoo11]

Festy beats his opponents with speed and athleticism. Johnston appears much better technically and can beat people in tighter spaces. There's room for both in future squads but they're not directly comparable.

Exactly this. Johnson showed skills last night to beat players that no one else in our squad has. Zefi is the only one who has similar ability . Its a great asset to have to spring from the bench.

[Razors left peg]

One swallow never made a summer.

He’s a squad player for a Portuguese team 28 points behind the league leaders, and surplus to requirements at Celtic. There has to be a reason he’s at this level. I didn’t see the game only the highlights, but he impressed against a tiring Latvian defense. Let’s see how many telling competitive contributions he makes at the end of qualifying to assess whether it was worthwhile introducing him to our squad. God only knows the wreck Festy could have done to that tiring Latvian defense….

It's alright to admit you got it wrong Tommy. Don't double down on it now. Even if he's never a regular for us the rant about it being a disgrace and blocking Eboseles progress isn't right.

Ebosele is seen as a fullback for his club, it's more Seamie or Doherty keeping him out. Andy Lyons might be keeping him out next

[texidub]

It was a fantastic cameo performance. That run he went on beating three defenders in the box was a thing of beauty, whether the opposition was tiring or not.. shot off the post wasn't bad either. I'd have no problem with him coming on against France.

[liamoo11]

It's alright to admit you got it wrong Tommy. Don't double down on it now. Even if he's never a regular for us the rant about it being a disgrace and blocking Eboseles progress isn't right.

Ebosele is seen as a fullback for his club, it's more Seamie or Doherty keeping him out. Andy Lyons might be keeping him out next

I don't think there is any need to be having a go at Tommy like that. This attacking the poster is becoming more common on here and totally unnecessary. It's not ybig

[Razors left peg]

Liamoo I was just making the point that the initial post having a go at Kenny was over the top and unnecessary. There's been too much on here of wanting to have a go at manager and looking for any excuse to do it, to the point where I honestly think people want players and the team to fail just so they can say they were right.

Some posters have already said in the wake of the Latvia game that they were wrong here, look at Tets post above as the perfect example. It's a forum and none of us are experts so it's ok to admit when you get it wrong, being stubborn and digging in for the sake of it deserves to be called out for the nonsense it is I believe.

I think I was wrong on Kenny, I thought he would do better than he has done to date and I think we'll be replacing him before too long.... but I'm also hoping that I'm wrong about that and we go on to qualify.

In the context of this thread I was pretty ambivalent about Johnston coming on board, but the impact he made the other night was fantastic. This crap that it was only against Latvia so what, comes across as begrudging and bitter when in fact it got people excited and looking forward to seeing more of him.

[EAFC_rdfl]

It's not like we've been breaking down sides 'like Latvia' at our ease. Having someone of the bench with a bit about them to beat 2 or 3 tired defenders is a massive asset for those games. Against France & their ilk he probably struggles, I don't think he'd be alone in that from our squad.

[TonyD]

It was a very good cameo. Yeah, sure you can say that it was only Latvia, and a tiring Latvia at that. Of course there is a fair point there, and it will remain to be seen how he goes from here. All we can say for now is that he did very well and is certainly due another look. He came pretty close to bagging two goals for himself after all.

[third policeman]

Interesting that RTE report described Johnson's "Paddy McCourt style" run. McCourt scored astonishing goals from time to time and scored a couple against Faroe Islands for NI which is a similar level to Latvia. However, he didn't make the grade to be a regular at either a decent club level or on the international stage. It's too early to judge Johnston, but his career trajectory seems to be heading downwards at the minute. I loved McCourt and the romantic in me, would always favour having that kind of skill-set available somewhere just in case it might be the thing to turn a game or make a breakthrough.

[Olé Olé]

Interesting that RTE report described Johnson's "Paddy McCourt style" run. McCourt scored astonishing goals from time to time and scored a couple against Faroe Islands for NI which is a similar level to Latvia. However, he didn't make the grade to be a regular at either a decent club level or on the international stage. It's too early to judge Johnston, but his career trajectory seems to be heading downwards at the minute. I loved McCourt and the romantic in me, would always favour having that kind of skill-set available somewhere just in case it might be the thing to turn a game or make a breakthrough.

I had thought, for some reason, that Johnston qualified for Ireland via grandparents from Donegal but it transpired to be Derry. So there's a McCourt link.

The fact he also qualified for NI is great..

[joey B]

Seen on Twitter that Johnston is the first Scottish born player to play for Ireland that didn’t have connections to Donegal ….

[Fixer82]

Seen on Twitter that Johnston is the first Scottish born player to play for Ireland that didn’t have connections to Donegal ….

Just a few miles away in Derry

[Olé Olé]

Seen on Twitter that Johnston is the first Scottish born player to play for Ireland that didn’t have connections to Donegal ….

It sounds like this may not be bang on and that the point that he had one Irish grandfather from Derry may not be the case. It may be that he applied for his passport via that grandparent but he was interviewed in the Indo saying "Its always been talked about, it's in my family, in my blood. My mum and dad, we had a conversation, they said go for it if it's what you want. I have some family in Derry, some in Donegal, some in Dublin as well." The article states prior too that that he "is eligible thought grandparents on both sides of the family."

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Johnson could turn out to be a very good player. He showed great early promise. He's definitely gone back a bit from there but there certainly is talent that needs to be worked on. Not sure he'll get that where he is in Portugal but I'd be holding out hope for him.

[SkStu]

Just to say his last name is spelt the way it is on the top of the thread here. In the FAI match day squad announcement this morning it was Johnstone and I noticed when he came on against Latvia it was on RTE screen as Johnson.

Johnston :)

[texidub]

He had a nice moment just after coming on tonight, but didn't see much of the ball after that. He looks classy. I wonder does him playing in Portugal in the heat make him a starter for the Greece game?

[TonyD]

He had a nice moment just after coming on tonight, but didn't see much of the ball after that. He looks classy. I wonder does him playing in Portugal in the heat make him a starter for the Greece game?

Quite possibly. If not to start then you’d imagine there is a fair chance he’ll see some game time. Greece a massive test now. All tonight’s good work will be undone unless we get a win, or worst case a draw there. We’ve got to give the Dutch a similar rattle here too and hopefully get the win this time.A point in Holland might not be out of the question too.

[liamoo11]

Quite possibly. If not to start then you’d imagine there is a fair chance he’ll see some game time. Greece a massive test now. All tonight’s good work will be undone unless we get a win, or worst case a draw there. We’ve got to give the Dutch a similar rattle here too and hopefully get the win this time.A point in Holland might not be out of the question too.

We have to win in Greece. Otherwise we likely will need to beatbthe Dutch twice to get second which is a big ask. Beat the Greeks twice and draw twice with the Dutch and we get second in the group given the disastrous Dutch result on Friday night. Its a tough ask but ultimately if you are going to qualify for a tournament you have to expect to achieve those 4 results

[tetsujin1979]

Two assists for Johnston yesterday in a 3-0 win. From a corner, at 0:47, and a nice cross from the left with his right foot at 1:26
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[Yard of Pace]

Didn't know a thing about him before yday.
Wouldn't start him Monday, but I'd let him loose vs Gibraltar & Greece with no qualms.

It's a bit nuts that pretty much every single person who watches Ireland also wanted Johnstone let loose against Greece and Gibralter except for Kenny. Never afraid to receive the ball and makes things happen. He's probably already one of our best players.

[ontheotherhand]

It's a bit nuts that pretty much every single person who watches Ireland also wanted Johnstone let loose against Greece and Gibralter except for Kenny. Never afraid to receive the ball and makes things happen. He's probably already one of our best players.

Definitely Gibraltar but I'm not sure he would have seen the ball against Greece. We had more basic problems then unlocking their backline.

It's also a a bit harsh to use Johnston as a stick to beat Kenny with. Before Kenny brought him in most people hadn't a notion who he was and the ones who did knew him from a failed stint at Celtic. Sure this thread starts in May of this year and the comments are generally a bit baffled at Johnston getting a mention.

Not disagreeing with your overall point though. He was the obvious pick to break down Gibraltar. At least Kenny made the call early but he probably should have started given the options we had.