11-02-2026, 11:36
(11-02-2026, 02:44)Salopbaggie Wrote: I am not sure why people keep complaining about Mickey Johnstone not starting, as I posted following the last game, he is suffering with a repetitive strain injury, 'Osteitis pubis', which affects the area above the pubic bone,he has been suffering with it for some weeks and trying to play through it, it causes chronic groin and/or lower abdominal pain. So I think it only fair to stop criticising Ramsay for not starting him, I am sure given a choice he would not even be on the bench.
I'm critical of Ramsey for not selecting Johnston because I think he's one of our best players. He's the only player we have with the ability to beat someone one-on-one.
And I'll remain critical of him, because I don't buy that Johnston is injured...
He came on in the 62nd minute against Stoke and the 60th minute against Blues. That means he's played over an hour of football in 3 days.
I don't think you play that much football if you're injured.
So while it might be true that he's playing through pain or carrying a knock, he's clearly able to play. Therefore, I think he's being selected on the bench for tactical reasons.
I believe that Ramsay is leaving him on the bench in favour of a more defensive option. Although Ramsay hasn't been here long, it's very clear already that he's quite a negative coach.