Brennan Johnson

[Bedfordspurs]

I know we are not attacking anywhere near as quickly as the start of last season (Probably not helped by teams figuring us out and sitting deeper), But there was still plenty of chances for Johnson to run at his man 1v1. I just don't think he's that good at beating a full back with any real skill alone so is a bit reluctant to try it. He prefers the through ball and to pass and move around the defence, That's fine if that is what he is but it relies on our passing being on point to get the best out of him. As opposed to someone like Odobert who will take any opportunity to try and go at the full back, Only taking the easy option when doubled up on. Johnson doesn't have a decent left foot to cut in and shoot and his crossing is hardly Perisic levels, His strength is his movement, Stretching the defence, and getting in those dangerous positions to get on the end of things.

Nah
He prefers wa ball just quickly to him so he can run at the man
We have no one at Perisic levels by the way but he was best in class at that
But if we expect Johnson go jinx past a man after getting a ball flat with no pace we have the wrong man.

 

[metalgear]

He doesn't suit the way ange plays him.

Son. Werner too.

player profiling vs tactics mismatch.

 

[JerusalemMan]

Really lovely and protective stuff said by Ange about Brennan, both about social media abuse and his current frustrations on-pitch.
Very much conveyed that he sees a lot more within him that can be brought out so it's way too early for this silly stuff about a player not suiting the way that the manager who bought him is using him

 

[Bishop]

Nah
He prefers wa ball just quickly to him so he can run at the man
We have no one at Perisic levels by the way but he was best in class at that
But if we expect Johnson go jinx past a man after getting a ball flat with no pace we have the wrong man.

He doesn't prefer to run at his man, he never does it!

He wants the ball in space so he can run in a straight line. If there's a defender there he will almost always take the safe option.

I do agree if you play him the ball early and in space he would then have more chance, but overall his poor running with the ball skills will always trip him up if a defender decides to pay close attention to him.

Personally I think the only way to use him successfully is for him to actually get involved in the game and play 1/2s with those around him to work some space but he rarely does this. He's consistently the player with the fewest touches of the ball on our team.

He's a problem and I have been saying this. He doesn't suit the football Ange is trying to play. He's going to need to learn to get far more involved and learn some basic at least dribbles. He doesn't even push and run like a Lennon did.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

He doesn't prefer to run at his man, he never does it!

He wants the ball in space so he can run in a straight line. If there's a defender there he will almost always take the safe option.

I do agree if you play him the ball early and in space he would then have more chance, but overall his poor running with the ball skills will always trip him up if a defender decides to pay close attention to him.

Personally I think the only way to use him successfully is for him to actually get involved in the game and play 1/2s with those around him to work some space but he rarely does this. He's consistently the player with the fewest touches of the ball on our team.

He's a problem and I have been saying this. He doesn't suit the football Ange is trying to play. He's going to need to learn to get far more involved and learn some basic at least dribbles. He doesn't even push and run like a Lennon did.

Fewest touches says that we aren’t passing the ball there
That has to be a question mark
Either the players feel like you and an Ange is wrong playing him
Or the players struggle to please to that area.
What we do know is Brennan does exactly what the coaches want which is why I assume we play him

 

[glasgowspur]

Fewest touches says that we aren’t passing the ball there
That has to be a question mark
Either the players feel like you and an Ange is wrong playing him
Or the players struggle to please to that area.
What we do know is Brennan does exactly what the coaches want which is why I assume we play him

I find it baffling that people are saying we're not playing ange ball and Johnson isn't suitable.
Angeball is stopping before it gets to Johnson, not when it gets there, Johnson is a symptom, not the issue.

 

[Bishop]

Fewest touches says that we aren’t passing the ball there
That has to be a question mark
Either the players feel like you and an Ange is wrong playing him
Or the players struggle to please to that area.
What we do know is Brennan does exactly what the coaches want which is why I assume we play him

If I were a player I wouldn't pass to him unless the circumstances were perfect, would you? You know if there's anyone near him he's just going to just pass it on to someone else. He won't take the player on.

He needs get himself more involved, pass and move will earn him space. It will shift defenders, it will make them second guess what is happening next. Just standing as far away from the defender as possible when there's no threat is not really intelligent use of space.

 

[glasgowspur]

If I were a player I wouldn't pass to him unless the circumstances were perfect, would you? You know if there's anyone near him he's just going to just pass it on to someone else. He won't take the player on.

He needs get himself more involved, pass and move will earn him space. It will shift defenders, it will make them second guess what is happening next. Just standing as far away from the defender as possible when there's no threat is not really intelligent use of space.

Well you would never pass because nothing is perfect.

 

[Grays_1890]

When he has the space we don’t pass it to him. We’re shockingly bad at passing quickly
Not that your gonna waste time and watch the game back but our two fast attacks after the first 10 minutes came when using him quickly
There was a cross around 37 minutes that was blocked by the third defender and the shot late in the half that went over.
He has limitations but we make them look much worse, like son, by passing to them slowly when they are the marked. It’s nuts

Johnson aside for a second I agree with this massively, its been an issue with us for 5 year plus, GHod knows why, I can't believe every manager in those times, and there have been a few, have trained for slow passing, but its something thats haunting us IMO.

To reference other replies, I don't think Solanke purposely didn't pass to BJ, he just took an age to get his shot off, the shot was the right call IMO.

As for Johnson, our fans or at least social media mob show their lack of class again meaning he leaves the platform, shame really that people can't just draw the line at saying someone's poor and have to push it further.

 

[Bishop]

Well you would never pass because nothing is perfect.

But Johnson is the one who only wants it in that perfect scenario. He only wants the ball when there is eons of space. If that isn't the case he just passes it back where it came from. As an intelligent player if you understand his game, why would you pass to a player who only seems willing to play in a specific context?

I want him to be braver, I don't mind him losing the ball a few times if he's actually trying to use his initiative and his attributes to move the team forward. I'm not risk averse, but Johnson is.

There's a part of me that doesn't hate that he plays it safe because hes realising he's likely to lose the ball so instead plays it safe but it does mean that the attack just kind of dies there because unless he's in that acres of space he's just unwilling and I think unable to beat his man.

 

[glasgowspur]

But Johnson is the one who only wants it in that perfect scenario. He only wants the ball when there is eons of space. If that isn't the case he just passes it back where it came from. As an intelligent player if you understand his game, why would you pass to a player who only seems willing to play in a specific context?

I want him to be braver, I don't mind him losing the ball a few times if he's actually trying to use his initiative and his attributes to move the team forward. I'm not risk averse, but Johnson is.

There's a part of me that doesn't hate that he plays it safe because hes realising he's likely to lose the ball so instead plays it safe but it does mean that the attack just kind of dies there because unless he's in that acres of space he's just unwilling and I think unable to beat his man.

I think almost the whole team are risk averse.
Only kulu, poro and sometimes Biss are too afraid to make a pass that isn't safe.

 

[Bishop]

I think almost the whole team are risk averse.
Only kulu, poro and sometimes Biss are too afraid to make a pass that isn't safe.

It's true but you get less risk averse players with higher technical quality guys. They will attempt those passes or dribbles because they have the confidence in their ability to produce successfully. Again a bit repetitive from me but without that higher quality of player, playing the way we want to is going to be difficult because we don't have the calibre of technical players to pull it off imo.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

If I were a player I wouldn't pass to him unless the circumstances were perfect, would you? You know if there's anyone near him he's just going to just pass it on to someone else. He won't take the player on.

He needs get himself more involved, pass and move will earn him space. It will shift defenders, it will make them second guess what is happening next. Just standing as far away from the defender as possible when there's no threat is not really intelligent use of space.

If I was a leader of the team and i thought people were not passing to a player I’d go mad

He doesn’t need to do anyting you mention as he is literally doing what Ange wants. Have you not seen the coaching video I posted?

He receives it so late and slow so much he has to pass it back which is such a waste

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Johnson aside for a second I agree with this massively, its been an issue with us for 5 year plus, GHod knows why, I can't believe every manager in those times, and there have been a few, have trained for slow passing, but its something thats haunting us IMO.

To reference other replies, I don't think Solanke purposely didn't pass to BJ, he just took an age to get his shot off, the shot was the right call IMO.

As for Johnson, our fans or at least social media mob show their lack of class again meaning he leaves the platform, shame really that people can't just draw the line at saying someone's poor and have to push it further.

The guys a spacegoat for many
If he gets the right passes and fudges up ill criticise
But if he gets no passes I don’t see how he is doing things wrong

 

[glasgowspur]

If I was a leader of the team and i thought people were not passing to a player I’d go mad

He doesn’t need to do anyting you mention as he is literally doing what Ange wants. Have you not seen the coaching video I posted?

He receives it so late and slow so much he has to pass it back which is such a waste

If I was in any of our teams in the last 20 years there would have been a lot harsh words said.

This team have shown they can play the way the coach wants, they either now don't trust themselves or don't want to do it anymore.
Either way I don't see some of them lasting much longer.

 

[Yiddo]

Ange Postecoglou on the abuse that Brennan Johnson has received: "I hate how we’ve just normalised all that stuff.
"I’ve been around long enough and even when I was playing, I copped a fair bit, but it was usually on the terraces and then the game was over and you’d go home. When people are at the game they get a bit frustrated that you’re not playing well, they give you some fairly direct feedback, I’ve had all that.
"You’re talking about a young guy who is probably lacking a bit of confidence at the moment. Things haven’t gone his way, but he comes here every day, he’s working his backside off, he’s asking for feedback, he’s doing everything right, he’s trying so hard to become the player he wants to be, it’s hurting him a lot.
"It’s not like he’s out on the town and he doesn’t care and he rolls up late. So what’s his crime? His crime is he isn’t performing at the level that people expect of him. As a professional footballer you've got to expect that you’re going to get criticism about that, that’s part of your growth. He’s still a young player and I think there is so much more of Brennan that we’re going to bring out in him.
"It's sad for me that we’ve kind of normalised that stuff. That getting abuse, and it is abuse and a lot of it personal, is 'oh well, that’s part of the territory'. I don’t see that.
"I don’t cop it anymore. If somebody is abusive to me, they’re going to hear it back. I don’t believe that’s right. I’ll take criticism because that’s my role, and scrutiny, you have to because that’s your role, but I don’t have time for abuse. I feel sorry for the young people today, they are on these social media platforms. I can switch off and my one follower doesn't get upset by it.
"For the young guys today, it’s part of their world. They seem to get some sort of enjoyment from it. I don’t understand it but they do. The fact that they’ve got to limit their world, close their world a little bit because of… I mean what kind of person writes abusive things to an individual?
"Criticism is one thing, exasperation at a game, you accept that. To sit down and write something abusive anonymously… say it in front of me, you’ll get a punch on the nose, you won’t do it again, mate. But they won’t do that. They’ll hide behind this… I hate that it’s normalised but unfortunately that’s the world we live in.
"When I look at Brennan I see a young man who is trying his hardest to be the best he can be. It doesn’t always guarantee success and it’s part of his journey how he deals with all this, but he’s a great kid, a great footballer and I’m very optimistic about what he's going to do for us."



This fan base is really starting to make me lose faith. We really do have one of the worst fan bases in the country.

 

[Bishop]

If I was a leader of the team and i thought people were not passing to a player I’d go mad

He doesn’t need to do anyting you mention as he is literally doing what Ange wants. Have you not seen the coaching video I posted?

He receives it so late and slow so much he has to pass it back which is such a waste

I watched the video and doing what Ange wants isn't going to work imo.

He can keep doing that and we will keep getting this vein of results. He will only cross when he has acres of space out players seem unwilling to pass to him unless there is that acres of space so the opportunity to make his samey crosses into the same space is limited. If he added some variety to his game he would guess what; have more opportunity to make those crosses that Ange's seemingly wants.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I watched the video and doing what Ange wants isn't going to work imo.

He can keep doing that and we will keep getting this vein of results. He will only cross when he has acres of space out players seem unwilling to pass to him unless there is that acres of space so the opportunity to make his samey crosses into the same space is limited. If he added some variety to his game he would guess what; have more opportunity to make those crosses that Ange's seemingly wants.

That’s a whole different discussion. Until I see us play Ange ball correctly I can’t say whether it will or won’t work

He crosses regularly but it gets blocked sometimes and clears the man others

He won’t add variety because he is doing exactly what the coaches ask. That’s what he should do. If that fails then cool we move on.

Your issue is you don’t think the way we play can work and you’re pinning it on limited wide forwards. I could back that if id seen us use them correctly but until I see that I can’t knock it

Ange has to do something about the speed of play which is toxic imo. Then we may see quick balls wide and the best of Johnson and son. If not it will be a carry on of what we have seen

 

[Bishop]

That’s a whole different discussion. Until I see us play Ange ball correctly I can’t say whether it will or won’t work

He crosses regularly but it gets blocked sometimes and clears the man others

He won’t add variety because he is doing exactly what the coaches ask. That’s what he should do. If that fails then cool we move on.

Your issue is you don’t think the way we play can work and you’re pinning it on limited wide forwards. I could back that if id seen us use them correctly but until I see that I can’t knock it

Ange has to do something about the speed of play which is toxic imo. Then we may see quick balls wide and the best of Johnson and son. If not it will be a carry on of what we have seen

You think the coaches tell him "don't attempt to beat your man, if there is a defender in the way pass it to someone else unless you have space as wide as a bus to go past him"?

They want him to cross the ball, the best way to do that is obviously when you have space and time. Unfortunately he is unable to make space and time for himself so it limits the amount of times he can put those crosses in.

What I'm suggesting doesn't negate Ange ball, it enhances it. If he wants spam 100 crosses a game it's not gonna happen if we need the perfect scenario whereby Johnson is completely alone with no one near him. He is going to have to be able actually play football. It's not a passive sport, the opposition aren't going to just allow him all the space of the world to spam crosses.

Passing and moving potentially earns him space and the opportunity to cross the ball. Why would that be a negative if that's the football Ange wants to play?

 

[Bedfordspurs]

You think the coaches tell him "don't attempt to beat your man, if there is a defender in the way pass it to someone else unless you have space as wide as a bus to go past him"?

They want him to cross the ball, the best way to do that is obviously when you have space and time. Unfortunately he is unable to make space and time for himself so it limits the amount of times he can put those crosses in.

What I'm suggesting doesn't negate Ange ball, it enhances it. If he wants spam 100 crosses a game it's not gonna happen if we need the perfect scenario whereby Johnson is completely alone with no one near him. He is going to have to be able actually play football. It's not a passive sport, the opposition aren't going to just allow him all the space of the world to spam crosses.

Passing and moving potentially earns him space and the opportunity to cross the ball. Why would that be a negative if that's the football Ange wants to play?

Ange wants crosses
It’s the system
He gets the ball when he is already pinned in so he can’t always pass and move. I’ve seen him pass it back before, move and then we pass it back to Romero and kill the potential
We don’t pass and move as a team currently and we don’t pass first time anywhere near enough