Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Y MEETS UTSIDE THE BOX
(First manager’s job 1992) Warnock hails Big Mac’s great feet in lifting Bluebirds
Brighton is a massive game.” Football behind closed doors means Johnstone’s parents have yet to watch their son in person as a Premier League player.
His father, Glenn, was also a keeper at Preston and Morecambe, while his mum worked by day among office staff at a prison and by night as a mobile hairdresser, while his career took root.
He said: “It’s a bit mad – I’ve served my time on loan in League One and the Championship, played a lot of games, won promotion a couple of times and come close to promotion a few times.
“When you reach the
Premier League, you’re gutted because nobody is allowed to see it – my family have all been behind the goal with the away fans when I’ve been out on loan, and I feel for them.
“They made the sacrifices for me, and it will be a proud moment for them when they finally get to see me play on the biggest stage.
“Leaving United was a tough call, but when you’ve done your loans, banked the experience and David de Gea is still No.1 every time you return, you can’t wait forever.
“You get the taste for playing every week, and you want more than to go training every day, hoping your chance will come.
“Deep down, I knew I wasn’t going to play for Manchester United and I had to go down a different route.
“I’m loving it here. I’ve already played more than 100 games for the club and it feels like home.”
NEIL WARNOCK has revealed rival manager Mick Mccarthy used to clean his boots... badly.
The pair clash when Middlesbrough face Cardiff today, with veteran Warnock looking to wreck Mccarthy’s eight-match unbeaten start.
And Warnock, 72 and 10 year his senior, said: “Mick was my apprentice when I was a player at Barnsley. He cleaned my boots, did Mick – and not very well either, I should say!”
“And we’ve always stayed in touch since then. He was the same old Mick Mccarthy back games, clubs Win pc then, same personality just on a younger head. He could play a bit as well.”
Warnock is desperate for Boro’s roller-coaster promotion play-off campaign “not to just peter out” after inconsistent results including defeat to Bristol City in midweek, left them playing catch up.
He is a former Cardiff boss himself, leading them to promotion three years ago, and is delighted Mccarthy is now at the helm. Warnock said:
“I’ve got so much time for him and he’s exactly what the club needed.
“I know certain groups of the fans want a certain style of football and want to play the wonderful way.
“But the squad they have, you play to their strengths and that’s what management is about – you get the best out of what you’ve got.
“He’s done a wonderful job winning six in a row.
“Mick actually stuck up for me once when I was at Cardiff. He was on one of the panels on TV and I was getting criticism about the style of play. I remember Mick saying that’s rubbish. He said, ‘Who’s to say what’s the right style? There’s no laws or legislation and Cardiff are getting the right results.’
“I thought that’s appropriate now that he’s got that job. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea but they’re winning games and it’s going great for him.
“Especially with how he left Ipswich. The grass isn’t always greener and they haven’t pulled any trees up since he left and neither have the Republic of Ireland.
“I’m pleased Mick’s there. I told him he has a great chairman and a great group of players.”
Mccarthy’s run has seen Cardiff move into sixth, where they sit three places and three points above Warnock’s side.
MIKE WALTERS WATFORD are so concerned about £35million jewel Ismaila Sarr being kicked, they have told him to stick to one or two-touch football.
Record-signing Sarr’s burst of form has helped to revive the Hornets’ automatic promotion bid with four straight wins. But head coach Xisco Munoz and team-mates are worried he could be kicked out of games, especially in the later stages by tiring full-backs, who have been given a chasing by the flying Senegal winger.
And they have advised Sarr to play two-touch football in the closing minutes before opposing defenders resort dangerous methods.
Sarr, 23, faces a rematch today with Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, who escaped a red card for an industrial challenge in only the second minute of the sides’ 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road in October.
Hornets defender William Troost-ekong said: “Ismaila is a huge player, who has been tremendous for us.
“The race for promotion could go all the way to the end, so you don’t want to lose key players who could make the difference.
“Everyone has their players who are quickest and, when it’s late in the game, we encourage him to play one or two-touch, if possible.
“Defenders, who have been trying to keep up with him all game, are fuming because he has been running at them all night. to
Some of them try to neutralise his threat, and simplify the game, by stopping him any way they can.
“There are different ways of protecting gifted players and, in some situations, it’s up to the bigger lads to stop it, but there are certain things we can’t control.”
Troost-ekong admitted Watford may have to sacrifice some of their defensive solidarity to chase the nine or 10 wins likely to be needed for automatic promotion over the last 14 games.
They survived a whiteknuckle ride in a Lancashire monsoon at Blackburn to win 3-2 in midweek and he added: “That was my worst game for Watford.
“As a unit, there have been other games where our defence has made the difference, and maybe I was a bit naive to try and play football, which wasn’t on in those conditions.”