The thing with our high press game as well is that it needs decent bench options. Was disappointed with Abada. I know he doesn’t have a great touch always but he is match sharp and used to playing in that system.
The others have more excuses but all were found wanting. Ajeti doesn’t offer himself in behind but isn’t quite strong enough to link it up either. Johnston was hugely frustrating. As Roy Makaay said to Ryan Kent in training yesterday “tricks are for the circus.” He needs to learn to be more direct and part of a cohesive forward line. And McCarthy was concpicuous in his lack of interventions.
Even when yer man steps in front of Abada and brushes him off the ball for the winner, McCarthy has a chance to intercept the next pass but he’s just too slow. I thought they played around him a good bit when he came on. He just wasn’t sharp enough to make his presence felt.
He was direct. I honestly don’t expect what you think he could have done better. He gave one ball to Ajeti and he miscontrolled it and ran into a defender. Johnston was the only outball we had and he was 3 or 4 on 1 anytime he go the ball.
He was played in with a great chance and ran away from goal. He had lots of times to play passes inside but tried to beat his man every time and ended up losing it. I like him but he was really poor tonight.
They were very good at moving us around in fairness. Wirtz is some player. But they kept engaging Bitton and the full backs and then running off them and leaving huge gaps in behind or our wide when they moved away. Bitton got to grips with it in fairness and McCarthy was probably at the level Bitton started at but that wasn’t good enough.
I don’t recall that. I recall one time where he beat his man on the left and Ajeti made an appalling run that did nothing for him. Your criticism reminds me of the idiots who used slate McGeady in the European games when he was a one man band for Celtic on the front foot.
For me Johnston did well, he demanded the ball and won it took players on but lost a few possessions as he was consistently left isolated and overcrowded by the opposition, our midfield stopped supporting the attack, Ajeti was absolutely criminal - as bad a cameo as I can remember and Abada didn’t want to know about it. Instead Johnston was the only player in the front three who offered any sort of outlet and it was a thankless task as he had to contend with loads of bodies when the ball came to him? What did you honestly expect him to do, go on a mazy solo run and beat 5/6 players everytime he got on the ball?
You’ve invented scenarios to excuse Johnston. Even if he was treble/quadruple/quintuple teamed every time he got the ball, which he wasn’t, then he needed to check out and retain possession and let us find the space elsewhere. We were winning when he came on and he was as bad as any of the other subs, yet you’re defending him and slating the others. We suffered because, collectively, there was drop off in quality with the replacements including Johnston. His lack of awareness is striking and he’s not a kid anymore. The time when he didn’t even get his head up (cc Ray Houghton) when Abada was steaming unmarked through the middle was particularly poor.
You’ve a blind spot for him, same as you do with that other ineffective jocko wide man McGeady.
If you search “Mikey Johnston” on Twitter you’ll see a torrent of criticism for his display. You’re talking absolute shit here and you should withdraw your indefensible circle jerk taunt. It’s unforgivable.
I will not withdraw the circle jerk comment. I’m dead right here, it’s same type of abuse McGeady would get in European games when he was a one man band.
When Rocko was on here steadfastly defending Liewell and Lennon last season and before you were stuck there awkwardly navel gavzing and paralysed with fear.