Just a few miles away in DerryQuote:
Originally Posted by joey B
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Just a few miles away in DerryQuote:
Originally Posted by joey B
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."Quote:
Originally Posted by joey B
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.
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 :)
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by texidub
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 resultsQuote:
Originally Posted by TonyD
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
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
Definitely Gibraltar but I'm not sure he would have seen the ball against Greece. We had more basic problems then unlocking their backline.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yard of Pace
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.
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!Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
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....
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 leavingQuote:
Originally Posted by joey B
Preseason is for fitness. It would have zero relevance to him getting anywhere near the 1st team ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
I knew that would be brought up LOL, and it totally missed my point.Quote:
Originally Posted by LurcherLover
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 ;)
:) I know, fully agree. Couldn't resist though.. ;)
Drew a good save from Marshall late on I heard.
We are massive!!!!
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.
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.
Started alongside Scales today in Celtic's defeat at Kilmarnock.
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.
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.
Celtic are a bit odd alright, and if Rangers start putting in a real challenge then you could see trouble ahead at Celtic.Quote:
Originally Posted by CSAD
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by seanfhear
Two very similar goals for him today, cutting in off the left wing and finishing with his right.
feels like a sideways step, but if he gets more game time then i guess it's a good move.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
Sideways from CelticQuote:
Originally Posted by zero
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 tableQuote:
Originally Posted by Diggs246
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.
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 comparisonQuote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
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.
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.