West Brom - Post Match

[Fredo]

Questions raised on whether he (Johnson) is "outstanding" defensively though..

Well he is an outstanding right back. He doesn't have to excel at defending, he needs to do great job at both and he does. Of course, you won't have him in a static system like the one Roy Hodgson employs, where he's got to hold his line all the time.

[Muddled]

I don't think Johnson is miles better than Kelly. Kelly is younger and hasn't got much game time. He's is not a progressive as Johnson nor will he ever be, but he is solid and reliable. How do people think any young player can develop if they do not get regular football? As i said he is unlucky than Johnson is ahead of him in the pecking order.

As for Johnson being outstanding, that's a wee bit of an exaggerating IMO, he has improved leaps and bounds no doubts but he still needs to improve defensively. Another example yesterday for the first goal West Brom scored Johnny Giles highlighted this yesterday on RTE, Needless foul by Johnson for them to get corner & Johnson turns his body away from the shot too. Mistakes like this costing us goals, like Gerrard's silly pass for the sending off. Taking away nothing form the strike was class!

I do like Johnson though he is a better option at RB for sure, and it is bit of a dilemma what to do with Kelly, as he has so much potential. is he commanding enough in the air to be a CB? I'm not so sure

Come on Dan! There was nothing more Johnson could have done for the first goal! He was quick out the blocks, he didn't slow down and went to close the shot down quickly - nobody *EVER* does that face first! It's a natural reaction to put your body there, but you just turn away.

We just have to accept it was a worldie, top corner, move on.

The corner leading up to the goal maybe. But he'd got goal side of Johnson and I think he made the decision to go with his weaker foot to stop him getting any further. The deflection from the wall could have gone anywhere, the annoying thing for us is that it did go for a corner.

The clearance from Skrtel was good, but looking back at it there was a massive void of space between our zones in the box, the edge of the eighteen yard line and a player roaming on the semi-circle ... perhaps that player could have been more aware of Gera. I don't know who it was mind.

[dom9]

To think there are - or at least were - *loads* of Reds on this forum who think Kelly is better than Johnson. Mind boggling.

I know I'm not the most frequent visitor to the footy forums, but really? I don't recall anyone saying that.

[Shaggy]

I know I'm not the most frequent visitor to the footy forums, but really? I don't recall anyone saying that.

Yep loads. See the Martin Kelly Appreciation thread for example. Some wanted Kelly in over Glen full stop, others wanted Glen moved to right wing and Kelly in at RB

Wasn't just on here either.

[dom9]

Fair enough. I haven't ever read that thread. I won't start today either.

[danperkins]

Come on Dan! There was nothing more Johnson could have done for the first goal! He was quick out the blocks, he didn't slow down and went to close the shot down quickly - nobody *EVER* does that face first! It's a natural reaction to put your body there, but you just turn away.

We just have to accept it was a worldie, top corner, move on.

The corner leading up to the goal maybe. But he'd got goal side of Johnson and I think he made the decision to go with his weaker foot to stop him getting any further. The deflection from the wall could have gone anywhere, the annoying thing for us is that it did go for a corner.

The clearance from Skrtel was good, but looking back at it there was a massive void of space between our zones in the box, the edge of the eighteen yard line and a player roaming on the semi-circle ... perhaps that player could have been more aware of Gera. I don't know who it was mind.

One of the cardinal rule of defending never turn your body like that. I'm a fan of Johnson but i posted few times when Alan Hansen on MOTD ripped Glen Johnsons defending and body positioning apart especially.

He went through several games throughout the season and showed examples not exactly like like the West Brom one but several times when Johnson body positioning was so unnatural for a defender and caused goals from it. It was a really insightful critique of how to defend and for the life of me i can't find it anywhere. I have posted this on here before when chatting about Johnsons defensive side of the game. The way i see it when someone like Alan Hansen gives you a detailed insight in to defending.. you listen as he knows his ****.

Nobody ever doe the face first? That is very untrue. Anyways look we clearly agree on several different things and if i have no interest in hashing it out over and over again, so like i said in previous post i'll agree to disagree.. respectfully of course

[danperkins]

Yep loads. See the Martin Kelly Appreciation thread for example. Some wanted Kelly in over Glen full stop, others wanted Glen moved to right wing and Kelly in at RB

Wasn't just on here either.

That was when Johnson was going through a bad patch and making lots of mistake defensively.

Thing is though what do we do with Kelly? He does have potential so do we leave him warming the bench and use him as good cover? He does need games though, it is a dilemma but Johnson has cementing his place in teh first team as our best RB

[Shaggy]

I dunno man it's a dilemma alright, unless Johnson gets injured he's got no chance at RB and likewise at CB.

[Muddled]

so like i said in previous post i'll agree to disagree.. respectfully of course

As always mate, no issue.

[danperkins]

As always mate, no issue.

never mate

[danperkins]

I dunno man it's a dilemma alright, unless Johnson gets injured he's got no chance at RB and likewise at CB.

True enough, when he burst onto the scene i thought we were going to eventually use him at CB but that hasn't been the case. He is unlucky with who's ahead of him, but eventually he will want regular football.. sure any players would want the same.

He is great cover, but also for a young lad with lots of potential it's not really good for him to be sitting on teh bench every week, he will regress the longer this happens IMO.

[Muddled]

Nobody ever doe the face first? That is very untrue.

I was wrong:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJlN6Cf7_i0"]DEFENDER BLOCKS SHOT WITH FACE! * Funny * - YouTube[/ame]

[danperkins]

I was wrong:

DEFENDER BLOCKS SHOT WITH FACE! * Funny * - YouTube

[TheElephantMan]

The first goal was unstoppable under the circumstances, I think we just have to accept that it was a great goal. The second goal was a gift from the ref and the third was a consequence of the second and having to chase the game.

We outplayed West Brom yesterday for most of the game, it's a very disappointing result. It always seems like bitterness when the referee gets blamed, but it's frustrating when they make baffling decisions that have more of an impact on the game than most of the players. The second penalty was never a penalty. We lost anyway so we need to be far more clinical if we're going get some points from the next three home games.

[Mattimetal]

The worrying thing that no one has seemed to pick up on from yesterday was the fact that we kept crossing balls into the box to two midgets against 6ft tall defenders. We were playing for Carroll yet he was stuck on the bench!

Rodgers should have swallowed his pride and removed Borini for Carroll at HT as Borini did nothing yday. Carroll doesn't deserve the treatment he's currently getting under Buck.