ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Andy Johnson

On Friday afternoon I had the surreal experience of engaging in a 10 minute telephone conversation with Andy Johnson. Remember, this is less than 24 hours after the Uefa Cup debacle! A work colleague happened to be in a coffee shop in Hale, Cheshire, when AJ and his wife entered the shop and sat on the next table. The aforementioned colleague (City Fan) approached him, mentioned she has an Evertonian colleague (me) and asked if he would speak to me on the phone. He did.

He asked if I was sure I wanted to speak to him after the previous night?s events! He told me he is worried that the fans would now turn against him and he sounded genuinely gutted. We all know he can score goals and we know he loves the club. Come on, let?s sing his name on Saturday and convince him we are behind him ? he?ll come good!
Michael Wood, Northwich, Cheshire Posted 24/09/2007 at 17:33:04

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Let's have yer number, Michael. I've got David Moyes and Bill Kenwright with me right now...

Chris Hanrahan
1 Posted 25/09/2007 at 04:24:32

AJ, you’re the best. Don’t let it get you down, man.

Chris Hanrahan
2 Posted 25/09/2007 at 04:24:32

AJ, you’re the best. Don’t let it get you down, man.

Alan, Dublin
3 Posted 25/09/2007 at 08:06:16

So long as he continues to give 100% each time he pulls on the royal blue, which in fairness he always has done, then he has nothing to worry about on that score.
Keep plugging away Andy and the chances will come.
One of the good guys he is.

Brian Wolf
4 Posted 25/09/2007 at 08:20:47

As usual some fans need a scapegoat for what is going wrong at the club at the moment, unfortunately for AJ it’s him at the moment.

What these fans need to understand is that when a certain Mr Beattie was put under the same pressure by the fans he wilted and eventually his confidence was shot, now look at him.

For once can we just get off AJ’s back, it’s not like he doesn’t have a great work-rate. If we support him he’ll come good again, if we continue to berate him he will be no good to us.

Ray
5 Posted 25/09/2007 at 09:04:37

Well unlike some fans or thats what they call themselves, I dont forget what AJ did for the club last season scoring 12 goals despite missing a fair few games through injury..If we lost AJ in the transfer window we wouldnt find another striker with the same work rate, the same pace to burn and also the goals he scores.. He has had a bad patch in front of goal which lets not kid ourselves its more to do with how poorly Everton have played gradually reducing the standard of service the strikers get game by game. What we need is Arteta back, but not just back we need him back and firing to the high standards of the last two years. We need him in that middle along with Gravesen. Players who can create more and more good opportunities for AJ and Yak for that matter.. Players who can pick a pass rather than just aimlessly hoof to the corner flags and say chase that.. I dont have a short memory..AJ was and still is that striker that we had so badly been lacking. Anyone remember what it was like when we had no pace up front?. Yes I do too.. Get behind and he will deliver.

Simon Gemine
6 Posted 25/09/2007 at 09:22:37

Watch AJ get at least one goal against ’Boro on Sunday. He is well overdue a couple of goals, and only needs one to come off his arse to start scoring. I do honestly believe the man has shown a hell of a lot of bottle this week after the UEFA Cup game. Re-taking the penalty on Thursday when it was much easier to let someone else like Faddy take it, and toiling for over an hour on Sunday with very little chance of scoring due to the lack of creation in midfield. He never gives less than 100%, and I for one still thank him for those 2 goals he scored against the red shite last season. Keep the Faith!

Brian Waring
7 Posted 25/09/2007 at 09:26:47

Ahh,it’s okay,AJ.You keep slotting them thousands of pounds a week into your bank account,and keep running around like a chicken with no head.FFS lads!the man is there to score goals.I know Moyes takes some of the blame for his goal drought,but come on,he gets paid a fucking fortune to score goals.

Brian Wolf
8 Posted 25/09/2007 at 09:37:30

Brian,

Wind your neck in. Johnson is there to score goals but he is going through a bad patch at the mo. No-one can fault his work-rate and if he supplies a few goals as well as scores them this season then that’s fine by me.

Get behind the lad, or shove off.

Brian Waring
9 Posted 25/09/2007 at 09:59:28

Brian,every game I go to I get behind the team as a whole.I know you can’t knock AJ’s work rate,but at the end of the day,he is there to score goals(you can’t argue with that) and is getting paid a nice tidy sum to do it.That’s my opinion.When he starts banging them in again,I will be the first on here to praise him.

Dave Lawley
10 Posted 25/09/2007 at 10:22:49

Brian Waring. All the players get paid alot of money, some to score goals some to provide chances, and some to stop them going in, the way I see no one is doing their job very well (you can’t argue with that) so why are we picking on him? there are players in our team not putting as much effort in as AJ, and he can’t just magic a chance for him to score can he. Jimmy Greaves used to say if a stiker nets one goal in five chances he’s doing ok, (I don’t know about that, lets say one in three) how many chances does AJ get per game? and pls don’t tell me he has to create his own chances and slot them away aswell.

Dave Whelan
11 Posted 25/09/2007 at 10:40:42

AJ hasn’t scored since March, so its far past "just a bad patch". Did he even score in pre-season, i can’t remember?

Jeff Leahey
12 Posted 25/09/2007 at 10:25:44

He wont come good if he dosent get the service.You never know Sheffield united might come sniffing in january.

Mikhail Ridhuan
13 Posted 25/09/2007 at 11:22:31

A lot of my mates are saying AJ is due a goal or two next match against Boro.

It’s comments like these that are just going to burn more fodder for AJ’s detractors should he fail to score again, regardless his performance.

I have been pondering over this the past few days and am starting to believe he is getting shortchanged by his teammates. Let’s just get behind the team this weekend and MAKE SOME NOIZZZEE!

Alan Mustard
14 Posted 25/09/2007 at 11:29:39

What total bullshit!Some people will write anything to get their name in print.Premier ’stars’just don’t do things like ringing odd-ball fans-never have ,never will.

patty blue
15 Posted 25/09/2007 at 11:48:59

Don’t mind if he doesn’t make his duck until the Derby!! Fair play the man works hard enough which is more than can be said of Yakubu who has yet to impress me with his work rate

Michael Wood
16 Posted 25/09/2007 at 12:22:36

Alan - sorry you’re so cynical! I’ve never written to a paper/site before but after the conversation with AJ I felt compelled too!

Matt Geraghty
17 Posted 25/09/2007 at 12:27:17

Alan Mustard
Posted 25/09/2007 at 11:29:39

Report abuse
What total bullshit!Some people will write anything to get their name in print.Premier ?stars?just don?t do things like ringing odd-ball fans-never have ,never will.

..Alan, you might get along a bit better if you don’t judge everyone by your own standards - just coz its never happened to you.

Brian Wolf
18 Posted 25/09/2007 at 12:45:00

Alan (colonel) Mustard,

Was it you, in the kitchen with the dagger?

Carl Rimmer
19 Posted 25/09/2007 at 11:58:45

My brother was working in the Somerfield in Lymm a few months ago when in walked AJ with his wife. It was my nieces birthday the next day so our kid asked AJ if he minded signing a Birthday card for her after he finished shopping. When AJ had finished his shopping,our kid asked him to sign the card he wrote the card out and signed it. Enough said.

Clive Pritchard
20 Posted 25/09/2007 at 13:34:14

AJ tried to ring me the other night.All I got was a message on my mobile that said ’MISSED CALL’ !

Ken Awford
21 Posted 25/09/2007 at 13:37:11

Andrew Johnson ain’t that special. At villa Park,my youngster asked him to sign a blow-up picture of his ’top tier’penalty miss as he was in the crowd.He told him to piss off!

Norman Whiting
22 Posted 25/09/2007 at 13:40:49

We gotcha,Michael!Skinner’s laughing his duck off since I showed him your posting.Good ’get’,yea?

Brian Waring
23 Posted 25/09/2007 at 14:49:27

Dave Lawley,I totally agree most of them aren’t earning their wages.My problem is that,it’s okay for everyone to slate Hibbert and Neville(who have both been crap this season)but as soon as someone has a go at the blue eyed boy AJ,it gets slapped down.As I have said I get behind the lads 100% when I go the game,and would never dream of slating any of them while they are on the pitch.But,I have just as much right as anyone else to come on this site and air my opinion.

Brendan McLaughlin
24 Posted 25/09/2007 at 22:27:57

Clive are you sure it wasn’t "TWO MISSED CALLS"