Topic: MR. Glen Johnson, Would you stay with me?

[lindylou100]

See this is precisely the situation where we should be looking to offload him. If most people agree that the squad needs to get better in order for us to improve our position in the table then any first choice RB needs to be as good if not better than the kid on loan we currently play. His stats don't match up this season (or even the last 2) and given his age and the fact that the fullback positions are the most physically demanding positions in the team, his form looks to be on a downward trajectory. I do have some sympathy for him defensively though as he spent a large part of this season trying to cover for stevies deficiencies in DM as well as his own position.

I should also point out that we are producing academy players capable of playing in both fullback positions, we should be looking to develop them instead. If GJ doesn't mind being a toure style squad player on at least a 50% wage cut then I've no objections but otherwise then there are better options out there.

[Miltonred]

I called for him to be moved on in the summer, and was roundly and overwhelmingly slagged off - of course that was when we were full of piss and vinegar and everyone thought we were going to win the title.
We are a fickle lot aren't we?

[Bunter]

Let QPR pay him £100k a week. He hasn't even been worth half that for a long time now and the 'experience' angle is not a good enough excuse to keep him. When he lost his athleticism he become a shadow of the player he was I'm afraid. Thanks for the memories but time to move on.

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

Johnson seems to have lost all his pace. Isn't he a bit young to be doing that? Rodgers alluded to him losing all his marauding attacking abilities, but I don't understand why.

Honestly, I like him in that RCB role. He is pretty decent defensively, and gives us a bit of composure on the ball. Can's better there though. 1 yr extension on reduced wages would be decent business. Pretty sure he won't be offered an extension on his current terms.

Don't think he's ever recovered fully from the series of injuries he had (groin being the main one iirc). It happens. He also played through injury for a fair chunk of the season back then, think Rodgers mentioned that.

If the comments are true about Rodgers hinting Johnson's attacking abilities are affected, then move him on. We don't need to keep him for RCB, Lucas could be tried out there in case of an emergency.

[macca888]

I thought the leathering the Liverpool player threads were not allowed on here anymore?

Two seconds in this one is an illustration of why.

The manager is a tit who needs to get on here more

The manager is a fucking bell John. He thinks Johnson is good enough, and we need his experience at the club next season. What the fuck does he know though?

Maybe his game will adapt over the next couple of years. He's not the marauding full-back of six or seven years ago.

But he's still a quality player, with a lot to offer in terms of his experience. He's one we'd look to keep. I hope that between the agent and the club, they can organise a deal."

Rodgers has made clear that he wants to keep as much experience at the club as possible for next season.

And although major doubts remain over the long-term future of Mario Balotelli, who has struggled to make an impact in the five months since he moved to Anfield from AC Milan, Rodgers is not planning a series of high-profile departures.

He said: "The intention will be to keep everyone, partly because of the mix in the group. Steven Gerrard will be a loss. I think any football club losing someone of that calibre, of that status as a player and a man, would find it a loss.

"But you move on. Football over many years has shown that you've got to keep moving forward.

"For the younger players to develop the potential that they have, we're going to need that seniority. You can't just have a whole group of young players. So players such as Glen Johnson, we'll want to keep. Lucas, we'll want to keep."

Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/393115.html#YYR4FrE6OAJeWSfJ.99

[Hazell]

Great news, hope he signs it.

The manager is a fucking bell John. He thinks Johnson is good enough, and we need his experience at the club next season. What the fuck does he know though?

He knows how to wind up most of RAWK

[jepovic]

I called for him to be moved on in the summer, and was roundly and overwhelmingly slagged off - of course that was when we were full of piss and vinegar and everyone thought we were going to win the title.
We are a fickle lot aren't we?

I wanted to get rid of him long ago, and there were plenty of others agreeing with me. He was by far the worst starting player in the very good spring season. It's his attitude I can't stand.

But now it's even simpler, because now we finally have alternatives. Markovic and Manquillo have shown a higher level this fall than Johnson has shown in ages. When was the last time Johnson was as good as Markovic has been the last few games? I'm not having this argument that Johnson is uneven, because even his good games aren't that good. One goal and 2 assists in 1 1/2 seasons, for a player who has the offensive part of the game as his strength...

Changing the system doesn't change anything. He's too poor defensively to play CB, and doesn't have the lungs to play wing back. Manquillo might be suited better to a FB in a back of four, but on the other hand I could very well imagine Manquillo as RCB in a three.

[Kopenhagen]

Again where is this leadership and experience coming from?
When has he shown it? He was terrible in our two biggest fixtures last year, Palace and Chelsea. He's just old which does not equal experience.

Only part of the game is played on the pitch, though. He could be very valuable to younger players on the training field, etc. There's a lot we don't see. I'd rather have Manquillo taking his minutes, but Manquillo isn't our player (people forget this), and if Johnson is willing to accept a squad role on reduced wages, I don't see anything wrong with it. Our squad is incredibly young as it is, and we can't have all young players, as Rodgers said. The game isn't played on a computer, with quantified metrics and every player reaching their guaranteed potential.

If Johnson brings certain intangibles to the fore, and Rodgers wants him around, I don't have a problem with it.

[Andy]

I called for him to be moved on in the summer, and was roundly and overwhelmingly slagged off - of course that was when we were full of piss and vinegar and everyone thought we were going to win the title.
We are a fickle lot aren't we?

Nope, thought you were wrong then and think you are wrong now.

[georgiejones]

You're saying he needs to improve his form, but he can't play in order to do so?

Most of the squad is 25 or under, so we need to retain some experience - esp with Gerrarg leaving in the summer. When he is on form, he can be outstanding. Plus he is a good alternative to Manquillo - he is a good attacking full back, whilst Manquillo is a good defensive full back.

It's a yes from me.

I agree here,were losing all our experienced senior players as he's still got something to offer I'd keep him as long as his wages are not silly

[Severely]

Depends which Glen Johnson we get. I feel like the Crystal Palace game (yes, THAT Crystal Palace game) last season summed him up - was fine for the majority of the game, and then he fell asleep and we let in goals from the right.

[Mighty_Red]

Not arsed  either way.  I was happy that we did not sell him inthe summer only because we needed a smooth transition for Manquillo. If we offer him a contract now it will be on our terms.  The way our pay structure is, I cannot believe that they will offer him anywhere near his original terms.

If he wants a big payday then let him go,  but if he really wants to stay then maybe he is worth keeping in the squad. I don't think we should be spending money trying to replace him

[Melbred]

If we want a player who still has something (good) to offer, who offers invaluable experience, the contract should be going to Toure, not Johnson.

[DanA]

Would be decent backup for Markovic. We haven't really seen how he'd go as a wingback yet. It seems to me to be a role that suits him.

[Red in Korea]

Absolutely no reason to give him a new contract whatsoever.

This. Time to move (him) on.

[John C]

Discussions about Glen being offered a contract, together with the positives and negatives are welcome. Snide points about the player and self righteous posts aren't necessary.

[B0151?]

Not arsed  either way.  I was happy that we did not sell him inthe summer only because we needed a smooth transition for Manquillo. If we offer him a contract now it will be on our terms.  The way our pay structure is, I cannot believe that they will offer him anywhere near his original terms.

If he wants a big payday then let him go,  but if he really wants to stay then maybe he is worth keeping in the squad. I don't think we should be spending money trying to replace him

Pretty much this mate. It's on him whether he's still got something to offer this club. I don't think it's a terrible decision by the club to offer him a wage as a squad player.

[TSC]

When on top of his form some years ago it was always recognised you gave a bit up defensively for his ability going forward.  That was when he was super fast and capable of steaming forward and creating something.  That was probably about 4 years ago.  He's still poor defensively and can no longer offer what he used to do going forward.  So no idea why we'd want to hold on. 

Unless, given the quote earlier from Rodgers, he's simply pissed at the fact the 'committee' or 'owners' can basically over-ride whatever he wants.  Then that becomes a bigger problem.

[ryatnalkar]

When I look back to how we pretty much replicated Rodger's first half season here during this first half of the season. I think somehow Rodger's isn't great working with too many new players all at once. (Did he start his Swansea career slowly too?? ) I dont mean that as an attack on Rodger's but just that some coaches prefer to build on things from last season and some coaches do have it in them to just go in a new place and steady the ship immediately (Koeman comes to mind).

May be one of the motivation is to not lose Kolo, Johnson and Gerrard all in the same window as it has been mentioned. People think that if we bring in one of the experienced heads in Europe here we can replace him and do even better. But may be they will have other better clubs to use their experience and make more money? May be they dont have the motivation needed to do a job here? May be they dont settle down here and want to go back in a month? There are many factors and half of the Johnson bashing comes from his poor performances but half of it comes from his wages, I think.

Johnson's agent isn't an absolute idiot. The club will probably go to him and say, here is what we offered Kolo Toure when he joined us from Man City. Take a similar deal or go play for Crystal Palace. The fact that not a single club has made any noise about signing him should tell him and his agent all they need to know... (If that is indeed the case). I dont think another year with significantly reduced wages is completely out of order for him.

Unless QPR stay up... then Harry will probably pay him lots...

[trimore]

May be one of the motivation is to not lose Kolo, Johnson and Gerrard all in the same window as it has been mentioned.

*snip*

I don't know I could be wrong but I sometimes feel this is being overstated too much. We still have Lucas and Skrtel. Lallana, Allen, Sturridge, Sahko, and Henderson aren't exactly in their debut seasons either. Maybe that would be enough leadership? Maybe the value of having young legs all over the pitch is greater than the value of having leadership with slower legs? Yes the younger players will make mistakes but so do the older ones.

 I wouldn't mind Kolo staying another year but wouldn't feel worried at all if he left.

[locultom]

Squads, teams, clubs need balance. You have to trust the manager to work out the ingredients we need. This changes over time.

Glen Johnson, from my observations of the last 2 or 3 years, waxes and wanes his form in blocks. 10 average, 10 good, 10 poor 10 injured. It looks like he needs his role altering and his game time managed.

He is a borderline decision and you have to trust the manager to make a judgement call.

[Pelé as a Comedian]

The manager is a fucking bell John. He thinks Johnson is good enough, and we need his experience at the club next season. What the fuck does he know though?

i used to have full faith in Glen coming back and showing us all his sporadic great performances in his first few years werent a flash in the pan (there were some really great runs there showing him to be a good, even great player at times) but no thanks full stop.

he's not an organizer or a stabilizing effect in the defence. a defence that has had Lovren come in and exit promptly despite being hailed as the final puzzlepiece, do we really need an aging wildcard rightback chucking in sporadically? especially now that we are finally looking pretty good with Sakho - Skrtel - Can ?

 he has experience yes but thats it. he's not gonna become a mainstay now and "having experience" is not a position on the field is it.

if he accepts a massively lowered weekly wage and works his socks off in practice with the up-and-coming new breed then im all for it, hats off to him. but thats the only scenario i want to see him associated with the club from here on and from the sounds of things coming from his camp then thats not anywhere near what he wants at this point in time (aint gonna go begging for a new contract)

Rodgers talking him up in the media, meh, i'd hardly expect him to trash talk him so, whatever.

[MolbyLovesGravlax]

One thing that hasn't been noted, Johnson isn't on huge wages this year. Comolli gave him his last contract with a final year that dropped down considerably. The idea being to stop an experienced player just riding out a fat contract to leave on a free by making it much more attractive for them to sign a new contract or leave before that final season when the wage drop kicks in.
Of course it didn't work out that way, but the club essentially offered Johnson a new contract on a level close to what he is earning this year and he wants closer to what he was making previously.
I think Rodgers is worried he'll be trying to play next season with a team where 25 year olds are the veterans. I am sure if he was offered an Alves instead he would be fine with letting Johnson go, but he maybe worries we will lose Gerrard, Kolo etc and only bring in 20 year olds. Rather the experienced devil you know than the unknown youths who may come his way.
Also I think he sees Johnson more as playing in the Can position with the ability to also play in the wingback role on either side, in other words experience and fills 3 positions.

[Redman78]

See this is precisely the situation where we should be looking to offload him. If most people agree that the squad needs to get better in order for us to improve our position in the table then any first choice RB needs to be as good if not better than the kid on loan we currently play. His stats don't match up this season (or even the last 2) and given his age and the fact that the fullback positions are the most physically demanding positions in the team, his form looks to be on a downward trajectory. I do have some sympathy for him defensively though as he spent a large part of this season trying to cover for stevies deficiencies in DM as well as his own position.

I should also point out that we are producing academy players capable of playing in both fullback positions, we should be looking to develop them instead. If GJ doesn't mind being a toure style squad player on at least a 50% wage cut then I've no objections but otherwise then there are better options out there.

Great example of a constructive, well thought out post!

[Redman78]

Can we not just see how the rest of the season plays out before having a pop at the player and the club?

[hassinator]

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/393115.html?CMP=OTC-RSS


Back on tack. Looking fit and hungry for some gametime - Brendan is still looking into extendone of our most expensive contracts.

Glen has been here for quite some time and it aint over untill the fat lady signs.


So, think hes in for a 1+1 deal?

he has experience which is going to be important after gerrard goes.

he can play on the right of a 3 CB formation; RB and LB.

he won't be on the same wages if he's not going to play every week.

good business for me as he has been playing through injury for us the past couple of seasons.

i guess it means a move for arbeloa as a squad replacement for toure won't be happening now?

[robgomm]

I can't see him as a wing back, he doesn't seem to get back well enough now. I guess that leaves him as a very patchy full back or a new position. He'd have to up his game to be a centre back, he has the aerial prowess but whether he's got the concentration and positional ability I don't know.

Rodgers will have to work some magic, which normally I'd have faith in but he's played him consistently despots some very poor form so I guess I don't see whatever he sees this time.

[Cid]

Johnson next to Skrtel is a recipe for disaster.  We seem to have hit upon a formation that brings the best out of Martin so I'd rather we don't regress to using a player who hasn't been genuinely good for a couple of years.

Manquillo has been a breath of fresh air on the right, and Flanagan can play there too.  I'd rather give the game time to these young, exciting talents than a veteran who isnt only getting worse from here on in.

It's not even a case of youth vs experience to be honest.  I'd honestly say both are better than Johnson already.

[killer-heels]

I can understand keeping experienced players and certainly we should keep a hold of the likes of Toure and Lucas. But Johnson hasnt played well and doesnt really deserve a new contract.

[SlowRap]

But Johnson hasnt played well and doesnt really deserve a new contract.

He was actually one of our better players before his injury as he started to hit form

[Andy]

I don't know I could be wrong but I sometimes feel this is being overstated too much. We still have Lucas and Skrtel. Lallana, Allen, Sturridge, Sahko, and Henderson aren't exactly in their debut seasons either. Maybe that would be enough leadership?

For me, there is a big difference between leadership and experience. Gary Mac is a prime example: he was a leader, but also had the years behind him that gave him perspective and experience that younger guys (like Gerrard) could benefit from.

[Darren G]

Absolutely no reason to give him a new contract whatsoever.

 I tend to agree with this.  His form has been dire for the best part of two years.  For me though, perhaps more than that, is the number of times that I've seen him strolling around the pitch and not appearing to give a flying fuck.  I just don't see what he offers us anymore.

[Redman78]

He was actually one of our better players before his injury as he started to hit form

He did put in some impressive displays but as usual that'll be ignored by the masses on here

[El Lobo]

End of the day it's the club and managers decision to make.

But based on his form for a good couple of years, his potential wages and his injury record, it seems amazing to me that we'd even be contemplating giving him a new contract. As a right back, both Manquillo and Flanagan have performed far better. He isn't a CB. Andre Wisdom as a RB/CB has potential to become excellent. People talk about experience. Where was it against Palace? Our plan is to challenge for the title again next season, we need better than Glen Johnson. Let him go to QPR, or the MLS.

[SwordInYourGut]

Not fussed either way. If it was upto me, I'd keep him unless someone like Arbeloa was available.

[Shepnois]

Just read an article of questionable authenticity saying Johnson will sign a 3 year extension, bloody bonkers if thats true.

[007.lankyguy]

Absolutely no reason to give him a new contract whatsoever.

Completely agree, I find it utterly appalling he's getting one. Shouldn't even be in the squad anymore

[jooneyisdagod]

Johnson was terrible again against Bolton. Ran into so many blind alleys and his passing was poor or non-existent. It looks like he's really not come to terms with his decline and he seems to be trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

[UNO]

It will be a waste of money if he is given a 3 years' contract, at whatever cost. Brendan sometimes makes really silly decisions on defenders. Today he gives out another horrible performance, can't see anything positive.

[Giono]

Many in these threads make mention that Rodgers values what happens in the training sessions a lot in determining who plays or doesn't.


Johnson must be one hell of a trainer to be a regular starter this season considering how poorly he plays in matches.