BREAKING NEWS... JOHNNO IS BACK... BREAKING NEWS... JOHNNO IS BACK...
FULL STORY IN THE GAZETTE TODAY...
MY BID to rehabilitate Gaizka Mendieta in the forlorn hope of creating some options on the bench - described cruelly but possibly correctly in the pub as "a sad last act of madness by a desperate man" - has been given short shrift at Hurworth.
Pressed on the possibility of a return Gareth Southgate dismissed it curtly. "At this moment in time I don't see him being involved with the first team," Southgate told the Gazette. "His attitude to training is fantastic and his training has been brilliant. But I've discussed his situation with him and I think it is best he moves on." In fairness, Mendieta has accepted his internal exile with good grace, says he will keep plugging away in limbo and remains unimpressed with the suggestion that he should find an "exit strategy" detrimental to his bank balance.
But we still need something to inject a spark, offer the possibility of tactical changes within the game and an ability to switch styles and tempos on the pitch in a way that will create space, opportunities and those elusive goals. And we need it NOW. January may be too late - and we have an appalling record spending then anyway! We need that spark now and that leaves us with little choice but to shaft Watford and BRING BACK JOHNNO!
Home grown hero Adam Johnson is on fire at Watford. He is ripping defences apart in a competitive league, playing in a table topping team and getting his share of goals. He is winning plaudits from seasoned team-mates and bright young boss Aidey Boothroyd has tipped the wing wizard as a future England player.
We all know the compelling arguments for sending Jinky out on loan. Giving an exciting talent the chance to blossom with valuable regular first team experience in a competitive environment rather than be restricted to 15 minute cameos off the bench and often out of position is an effective way of honing the final product.
It offers an opportunity to learn the ropes at a lower level, get precious pitch minutes and crucially make their mistakes well away from the pressure cooker of the Premiership where not only could errors be costly to Boro on the pitch but they could also help store future animosities from an unforgiving and judgemental audience.
Outward loans have proved effective for Boro in the past. David Whaeater, Matthew Bates and Andrew Davies were steeled ready for first team action away from the Riverside and Ross Turnbull came back from Cardiff to take up a position of readiness one knock away from taking his place between the sticks. And as we know Stewart Downing - the player who most would see as being rightly under pressure to perform from Johnson's return - really cut his teeth in a successful spell playing at a lower standard.
But the point of loans is to prepare players for Boro and the rave reviews from all quarters suggest he is ready. It is time to bring him back. Boro are crying out for pace and penetration, invention and zest going forward and for options in midfield and Johnson offers those in spades.
As has been suggested on this blog he could be played on the left allowing Downing to slot inside in an echo of his own assent to stardom when he squeezed Bolo Zenden into the central creative role to solve a crisis. It would help plug the yawning gap there left by Julio Arca for now and add some legs bursting through the middle.
Likewise he could play on the right, or alternate with Downing between the two, allowing Gary O'Neil to move his all action presence inside. That would allow him to dictate pace more and add a bit of steel in what has at times been a very porous area of the pitch. Having two specialist flankers may give Boro an extra dimension, and as we saw in Johnson's occasional outings last year, it takes the pressure to create - and often the extra marker - off Downing giving a bit of balance to the side and increasing outlets when moving forward.
There is another reason Boro should move too. Watford are flying and already look a show-in for Premiership football and are playing a brand of attacking football that clearly suits Johnson. We shoudl bring him back before he gets too attached or is infected by the euphoria of the promotion glory and starts to think of himself as a Hornets' player.
With the parachute payments from last season's Premiership relegation and next term's windfall if they go up there is no doubt Watford could to make a move for him and given the impact he has had on their side it is clear they would want him so Boro should brace themselves for a January bid and be prepared to turn it down - even if it seems a generous one that will push the Academy into profit.
Johnno wants to play in the Premiership and has the ability to do it. We must make sure that when he does it is with the Boro. Boro are desperate for quality, pace and hunger and they are qualities he can add in a way that the rest of the benchwarmers can not. We need him.
The best chance of ensuring his long term presence at the Riverside is getting him back and getting him involved - and quickly. He must be shown he can be as big a part of the team here as at Vicarage Road and that like Stewy before him he can return to be an instant hero.
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