[BaggieSteve]

Johnstone bust up with Val.  Suggestion being Val is trying to force him out in Jan to obtain money to add to squad (Johnstone out of contract at end of season).

It looks like the manager is losing the players and we are in meltdown.

Just listened to Joe Masi’s comments and I think he’s spot on. We have an England international goalkeeper who is the best in the division. We have an understudy in Button who fully accepts his role as stand-in when Johnstone is unavailable and probably expected to be on the bench last night. Accepting this view, it seems completely perverse to leave Johnstone out unless, as Stairs says, he’s looking to sell him now and so is forcing the issue by creating a spat. Of course, Johnstone could be equal perverse and say “fu*k you, I’ll stay until the summer, run my contract, I’ll get my choice of clubs and Albion get nothing”. If Val is playing that game, it’s pretty stupid