Ange Surprises Us All As He Picks Mikey “Magic” Johnston Instead Of Our Greek Bhoy.

I said to a friend of mine earlier today that I was done posting until the match was over except in one circumstance; where the manager surprised us with an unusual team selection.

Tonight he’s done just that by opting to start Mikey “Magic” Johnston instead of Giakoumakis.

This means that Kyogo plays through the middle, and it means that we have some mighty powerful options to come on for us off the bench.

It is a surprise move, but Ange is going to spring these on us – and on the opposition – from time to time.

Mikey is a good footballer and it hasn’t taken the boss long to figure that out. It comes a few days after an idiotic attack on the player by Frank McAvennie, an attack which has aged about as badly as Mickey O’Rourke. Ange trusts this boy; that’s what counts.

The media will have fun with this, mostly at Giakoumakis expense, but Ange is still finding things out about this team. The big guy will be a great asset for us and this is just our manager experimenting a little. I have no fears about Mikey handling the evening.

Playing Kyogo through the middle is the most pleasing aspect of it.

I do love watching this guy play as the striker, although I stand by every word I wrote earlier in the week about how the boss will weight up the numbers when making the decision about where Kyogo plays.

The rest of the team is basically the one that beat St Johnstone; continuity at the back and in midfield, players comfortable in their roles, people getting the hang of playing together in this system.

It’s a good decision. Keep the number of changes to a minimum.

There is no “selection roulette” with this guy. Everything hinges on stability.

See you all on the other side of the 90.