Brennan Johnson

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I have watched Brennan play a lot. I've mentioned before in earlier posts, he is an excellent finisher really top level. He makes intelligent runs in the box.

But his main problems are definitely his crossing being inconsistent, and he cannot beat a full back apart from knocking it past him and doing him for pace.

He does not have a step over, feint, trick dummy or whatever. It is why Spurs are selling, keeping Kudus and Odobert because they are more dribbly.

Johnson is not a dribbly player, and is certainly not a 10 with creative passes. So when we play against a low block, he will be passing it backwards and sideways. Spurs fans get very annoyed with him. It will seem like he does nothing for 85 minutes but then scores the winner.

Against a high line he is Colmans.

Just tempering the excitement. This is a little bit of an Andros Townsend signing. Decent but he will not be winning games like Wilf or Eze could. Or even dare I say Bolasie ! I put him above Yannick and Andros though
 
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The Heath Eagle said:
I have watched Brennan play a lot. I've mentioned before in earlier posts, he is an excellent finisher really top level. He makes intelligent runs in the box.

But his main problems are definitely his crossing being inconsistent, and he cannot beat a full back apart from knocking it past him and doing him for pace.

He does not have a step over, feint, trick dummy or whatever. It is why Spurs are selling, keeping Kudus and Odobert because they are more dribbly.

Johnson is not a dribbly player, and is certainly not a 10 with creative passes. So when we play against a low block, he will be passing it backwards and sideways. Spurs fans get very annoyed with him. It will seem like he does nothing for 85 minutes but then scores the winner.

Against a high line he is Colemans.

Just tempering the excitement. This is a little bit of an Andros Townsend signing. Decent but he will not be winning games like Wilf could. Or even dare I say Bolasie ! I put him above Yannick and Andros though
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Reminds me of a certain Eze 🤭
 
The Heath Eagle said:
I have watched Brennan play a lot. I've mentioned before in earlier posts, he is an excellent finisher really top level. He makes intelligent runs in the box.

But his main problems are definitely his crossing being inconsistent, and he cannot beat a full back apart from knocking it past him and doing him for pace.

He does not have a step over, feint, trick dummy or whatever. It is why Spurs are selling, keeping Kudus and Odobert because they are more dribbly.

Johnson is not a dribbly player, and is certainly not a 10 with creative passes. So when we play against a low block, he will be passing it backwards and sideways. Spurs fans get very annoyed with him. It will seem like he does nothing for 85 minutes but then scores the winner.

Against a high line he is Colmans.

Just tempering the excitement. This is a little bit of an Andros Townsend signing. Decent but he will not be winning games like Wilf or Eze could. Or even dare I say Bolasie ! I put him above Yannick and Andros though
Click to expand...
I do also think this is why he is suited to our setup. We are best when we break at speed and get the ball into the box as fast as possible. It's possibly also why we're struggling at the moment. I agree about the low block concern, as Sarr also seems to struggle when he can't run in behind. However, Wharton's ability to break the lines means if there is any space behind the back line he can find it and hopefully Johnson can exploit that.
 
The Heath Eagle said:
Eze was a very creative player at times. Johnson is such a different profile.

You know what, Andy Johnson and Brennan Johnson share more similarity tbh. Brennan is a finisher with tremendous pace. But not your man for unlocking a defence with a pass
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I haven't seen him as much as you, but your analysis certainly rings true based on what little I have seen.

On one hand, it's a bit of an issue as Glasner will not change the system. We are all presuming (firstly) that Johnson will go into the starting XI, and (secondly) that he will play No10 behind Mateta and alongside Pino, at least until Sarr is around. As you say, that may not suit him. I still maintain that this team found its rhythm and self-confidence in Glasners first six months, when it had two amazing No10s who could take the ball in tight spaces and create. We will never have an Eze and Olise again, but I'm not sure the current players, especially Matata, have adjusted to the departure not only of players that good, but also of that type. They seem to give Pino the ball in the same places and the same way as they did Eze, and it doesn't seem to be helping him. Perhaps the same will happen with Johnson.

On the other hand, and whilst he pleasantly surprises me with his vision and passing here and there, Sarr isn't really a natural No10 but he's done great in the role. Or at least, he has since he and the team realised he wasn't Olise and started using him to run in behind instead. Perhaps the same will happen with Johnson?

In any event, whilst Glasner is married to 343, he isn't married to Palace. I'm not sure I buy the idea that if Johnson signs its because Glasner has told him he is staying. For one thing, he almost certainly isn't. He moves around clubs a bit and he can't achieve much more with us than he has. For another, managers get sacked all the time anyway, even by Palace. Johnson might have wanted to be assured of his place in the first XI for the rest of this season at least, so that he isn't swapping a high class subs bench for a lower class one, but I doubt this signing heralds Glasner putting down roots in SE25.

Perhaps the next manager will play a different system, and the issue of having to have two No 10s will disappear? We will lose Guehi anyway, so perhaps a back three isn't then such a natural fit for the players? Perhaps using a front two might get more out of Johnson, or even Nketieh, who we paid big money for and should try to use properly.

This signing will outlast the current system and manager. So long as he does well enough in what remains of this season to establish himself as decent, and for his confidence to grow, the rest can be addressed in the future.
 
The Heath Eagle said:
I have watched Brennan play a lot. I've mentioned before in earlier posts, he is an excellent finisher really top level. He makes intelligent runs in the box.

But his main problems are definitely his crossing being inconsistent, and he cannot beat a full back apart from knocking it past him and doing him for pace.

He does not have a step over, feint, trick dummy or whatever. It is why Spurs are selling, keeping Kudus and Odobert because they are more dribbly.

Johnson is not a dribbly player, and is certainly not a 10 with creative passes. So when we play against a low block, he will be passing it backwards and sideways. Spurs fans get very annoyed with him. It will seem like he does nothing for 85 minutes but then scores the winner.

Against a high line he is Colmans.

Just tempering the excitement. This is a little bit of an Andros Townsend signing. Decent but he will not be winning games like Wilf or Eze could. Or even dare I say Bolasie ! I put him above Yannick and Andros though
Click to expand...
If he can finish and has pace in behind then that is a big step up on our current options. We are a counter attacking side and rely on the wing backs for width rather than the forwards so sounds like he suits our system. I wouldn’t say either of Pino or Sarr can dribble or beat a man with skill. In Sarr’s case he runs in behind with pace and power playing off JPM so another player doing that would work well.
 
beak said:
The place or are people not talking to him?
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Lol. I suspect if Esse goes on loan we might not see him in a Palace shirt again. Has a transfer for c£8m in the summer written all over it. I can’t remember the last time we sent a player on loan to develop him for the first team rather than to move him on.
 
Some talk of will Johnson, fit our system, personally I think he will work well for OG. But for me the big deal is Johnson, scored eighteen goals last season, and boy could we do with some of that. As ever Palace drag their feet this morning getting this done .Hope it happens.
 
Putitout said:
Some talk of will Johnson, fit our system, personally I think he will work well for OG. But for me the big deal is Johnson, scored eighteen goals last season, and boy could we do with some of that. As ever Palace drag their feet this morning getting this done .Hope it happens.
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We always wait til we have welcoming video and interview done now so we can do a big announcement. All clubs seem to do this now, it just means it takes a couple of hours longer to announce and us fans just have to have a little bit of patience.
 
eritheagle said:
We always wait til we have welcoming video and interview done now so we can do a big announcement. All clubs seem to do this now, it just means it takes a couple of hours longer to announce and us fans just have to have a little bit of patience.
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The more elaborate the welcome video the sh*tter the player's career will be.

A bit like when people have a grand wedding then get divorced the next year.
 
I risk being made a fool ( not difficult ) by this prediction, but I think Johnson is ideal for Glasner’s system.
Pino might be the better footballer, Kamada more technically adept, but if the number 10 role under Glasner demands the player to run in behind , get in the box and finish then Johnson is your man at the type of price we can probably afford.
He has pace, always looks to get forward and has a decent shot.
If Mateta needs a rest and Nketiah stays, I wouldn’t mind seeing a front 3 on occasions of Nketiah, Sarr and Johnson.
All mobile, sharp players who could create problems for opposing defences - providing they get the right type of service.
 
PatrickA said:
I risk being made a fool ( not difficult ) by this prediction, but I think Johnson is ideal for Glasner’s system.
Pino might be the better footballer, Kamada more technically adept, but if the number 10 role under Glasner demands the player to run in behind , get in the box and finish then Johnson is your man at the type of price we can probably afford.
He has pace, always looks to get forward and has a decent shot.
If Mateta needs a rest and Nketiah stays, I wouldn’t mind seeing a front 3 on occasions of Nketiah, Sarr and Johnson.
All mobile, sharp players who could create problems for opposing defences - providing they get the right type of service.
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Hopefully you are right, but I'm not sure running in behind is all the system requires of the No10s. As others have said, Sarr is great at it, but struggles a bit when teams sit back against us. I think that's why we are better on the break and have had a better away record than home for ages. Sometimes Sarr looks shabby when asked to create, as its not really his game. Johnson may find the same.

Moreover, whilst it worked well if both No10s collect the ball and create (Eze/Olise) and it ended up working well when one No10 collects and creates and the other runs behind (Eze/Sarr), we haven't seen it work with two No10s who both run behind. Perhaps it'll be great. Not sure.

Where I totally agree is that scoring must be part of the No10 role regardless. We have had a few games recently where we created little but still manged to make a couple of scruffy chances and a few half chances, almost all of which went begging. Seeing poor Deveney snatch at presentable opportunities just shows that he isn't a natural finisher, whilst Pino has a lot to do on that front too. Perhaps even if a front three of Johnson, Mateta, and Sarr were crap outside the box, we would still be better off overall?

I agree about Nketiah. I think there is a goal scorer there waiting to emerge, and where Mateta at his best allows us to go from back to front directly and to be a danger on crosses, his movement isn't always great, and he can't really swap positions with the other forwards at speed to good effect. Perhaps we will cash in on JPM this summer and use EN in a more fluid forward line thereafter, which might suit Johnson too?

Christ, I'm really overthinking this! Has this kid fecking signed yet, or what?!
 
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