Brad Johnson

[RedWhite&Blue]

I absolutely love the guy. I love the way he plays and the way he represents the Club more than anyone ever. But sentiment aside and looking at how he will be remembered, should he call it a career at the end of this year. He still has the ability to swing games, to take the big grab, slot the big goal. But little signs have been creeping in that suggest he is on the downward slope.
Should he call it now, break the games record and go out on top or should he stay and risk holding back the teams development.
Tough question, Yes or No

 

[Runyon]

I am afraid the time has come for Brad. Clearly the guy is a legend but the game has passed him by. He is not able to do the things he once was and I think he has had trouble getting "in the game". In those dark days under Rhode and the early years of Eade he was the guy we all looked to kick a goal or 3 and get us a, at times, rare win. A champion knows when to retire and he should at years end knowing he has left a team close to the top and not the bottom. there is nothting sadder than a player going on past his prime.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

It will depend upon

a)How his form is towards the end of the year

b)How his motivation is to play on? If he feels he can go through another pre season

c)How close the club thinks they are too a premiership. If they think they have a chance to win it, they might be tempted to squeeze one more year out of him.

It is hard to say this early in the season. In an ideal world you would like him to retire on a high, but it is not an ideal world unfortunately. Looking at it from a cold and calculating point of view, he is probably taking someone's spot if he plays on next year, and those 22 games he plays, could be spent on a developing player. Having said that, there are other players who should give up their spot before Johnno does, and the loyalty that Johnno has shown this club deserves many credit points.

 

[bulldogsman]

He looks a lot better player with Welsh in the side. He seems to play more up the ground which suits him a lot more. Really depends on his form and injury though. If West and Grant didn't get injured, they probably would've got another year.

 

[chef]

This question cannot be answered untill the end of this season.

 

[Mutt]

I am very surprised we are asking this question.

Johnson has been in our best in several games this season and was very good against Adelaide. I agree with Chef that it is way too early for the club or Johnno to even consider 2010.

Normally I have no problem with questioning a players place in the team for the coming week, but to suggest our captain's retirement at this stage may be a little disrespectful to a club legend.

 

[Mingo]

Yeah I'm undecided really, although I lean towards play on. He's starting to look very promising around the flank and the wing.

 

[brandy1023]

He should stand down as captain at the end of the year but play on next year form and fitness permitting.

 

[RoyBoyTurnedDog]

He would still be a major asset in the forward pocket or flank for the next couple of years. Especially given that we will need to put some inexperienced forwards in at times to develop them. Grant, Cordy and co. would benefit from playing alongside him for a season or two.

 

[mcglee]

Let's consider this when he plays more than one really bad game in a row, not just because a few BF members have a fortnightly campaign against him. Agree he should handover the captaincy just like Grant did, but way too early for retirement call on what he has shown in MOST games this year. But 18 games to go ( finals included of course). Anything can happen and hopefully can do a Crawford.

 

[RedWhite&Blue]

I am very surprised we are asking this question.

Johnson has been in our best in several games this season and was very good against Adelaide. I agree with Chef that it is way too early for the club or Johnno to even consider 2010.

Normally I have no problem with questioning a players place in the team for the coming week, but to suggest our captain's retirement at this stage may be a little disrespectful to a club legend.

This is BigFooty - we don't tiptoe around any subject here. It's a forum to discuss any relevant issues and questions that might be circulating. The issue has been raised in conversations with Bulldogs and opposition supporters alike. To pretend it hasn't is burying your head in the sand. I just wanted to get an idea of what people here honestly thought about it.
I personally think Johnson should play until at least the end of 2010.

 

[Mutt]

This is BigFooty - we don't tiptoe around any subject here. It's a forum to discuss any relevant issues and questions that might be circulating. The issue has been raised in conversations with Bulldogs and opposition supporters alike. To pretend it hasn't is burying your head in the sand. I just wanted to get an idea of what people here honestly thought about it.
I personally think Johnson should play until at least the end of 2010.

I'm just surprised his form is considered so poor that he should be considering retirement.

 

[The Original Swooper]

Too early to call.

He COULD... hold the Cup aloft in 09, then do a Crawf.
He COULD...*touch wood* get injured, and his decision is made for him
He COULD.. re-demonstrate to the cynics he is a legend with some blistering games...

BUT my opinion is simple. If the great man come season ends wants to go on...so be it!! As long as the Club does NOT expect a spring heeled mid, and leave him in the FP... alongside a bloke called Ayce Cordy... who has another legend called Akermanis on his other side.. we have... shit...that won't work...a fixed full forward line is sooo old hat...:>)

hooroo....

 

[staphy]

would not surprise me to see him play close to 400 games.

 

[UnCani]

He should stand down as captain at the end of the year but play on next year form and fitness permitting.

agree

 

[#1 Dogs Fan]

Wouldn't surprise me if he called it quits this week or in 4 years time.

The way Johnson is playing now I think he wont play much worse "not that he is playing bad or anything !"

But I think we should wait and see at seasons end how he is traveling then we can comment.

My heart is telling me 1 more year though.

 

[lifelike_]

This question cannot be answered untill the end of this season.

Completely agree.

He's at a very interesting stage in his career. He's Mr. Durable, but at his age one injury could spell very big trouble, ala Richo.

On the other side of the equation, he could very well sit in a forward pocket for the next couple of years and kick 30-40 a season.

Time will tell.

 

[mark west]

love the bloke, but its time to go. hes been carried for a while now , and l've had enough. look at what aka gives us, the man is still winning games off his own boot. bj has not done this for a at least 12 months. st kilda are flying without robert harvey , when your time is up, your only holding someone better back.no good one on one, always falls to ground, goes looking for cheap meaningless kicks, and lost his pace......sorry people , but that's reality.

 

[wian]

love the bloke, but its time to go. hes been carried for a while now , and l've had enough. look at what aka gives us, the man is still winning games off his own boot. bj has not done this for a at least 12 months. st kilda are flying without robert harvey , when your time is up, your only holding someone better back.no good one on one, always falls to ground, goes looking for cheap meaningless kicks, and lost his pace......sorry people , but that's reality.

i agree - he's been a champ, but unless he shows form by the end of this year, i think he's past it....

what jabs my arse with him is that he doesnt seem to do the basic simple fundimentals well any more. He makes silly errors, he plays behind the defenders more times than most unstead of playing in front, and he certainly hasnt won any games off his own boot like akka did today for a long time

i have loved watching him, but he needs to get back to doing the basics well again

 

[BWFC]

At times today he was ok but at other time he was terrible. He's closing in on the end at a rapid rate. Sad to see.

 

[Lightning_Mcqueen95]

i agree - he's been a champ, but unless he shows form by the end of this year, i think he's past it....

what jabs my arse with him is that he doesnt seem to do the basic simple fundimentals well any more. He makes silly errors, he plays behind the defenders more times than most unstead of playing in front, and he certainly hasnt won any games off his own boot like akka did today for a long time

i have loved watching him, but he needs to get back to doing the basics well again

Are you saying he was playing like a Millionaire?

 

[wian]

Are you saying he was playing like a Millionaire?

over his career, he's had flashes of brilliance, but they are few and far between now - and thats expected - hes over 30 and he's slowing down-

i cant help but think that he's had plenty of chances to step up in big games though- for instance, he made crucial errors in the prelim last year against the cats that a captain should not have made if you ask me...

He's had chances to get us into a grand final, but i feel he hasnt stepped up in big games when we have needed him to have a huge impact on a game which is sad....

cheers

wian

 

[Walrus]

I think discussing playing future of any of our senior players is a fair debate for supporters and my personal view is that Johnson is playing well enough at this stage of the season to continue playing.

However, as other posters have commented, this decision is best made at the end of the season.

Whether he should relinquish the captaincy is, however, a separate issue. I am not sure that supporters without an intimate knowledge of the players are qualified to make this decision.

There is more to the captaincy of an AFL club than just marshalling the troops on match day, although the AA selectors seem to think he was fine in this role when they made him captain in 2007.

The captain is the footballing face of the club. He represents the club to our supporters, corporate sponsors and the media and, along with the leadership group, has a strong influence on the culture and behaviour of the players, both on and off the field.

For the last 15 years we have had Wynd, Grant and Johnson as our club captains, all men of unquestionable character. I don't think it is any co-incidence that our players have not been involved some of the more unsavoury incidents that have plagued other clubs.

Anyone who can remember some of the incidents involving our players prior to then know what a turnaround this has been.

It is a great honour to captain any club and I believe Johnson has done us proud.

 

[Syrah]

over his career, he's had flashes of brilliance,
wian

This is hilarious. Your first year of watching footy, I assume?

 

[wian]

This is hilarious. Your first year of watching footy, I assume?

31 years actually mate

maybe you mis understood my interpretation of the phrase "Flashes of Brilliance.." That was a compliment , believe me.....Johnno has certainly been Brilliant in his career..Maybe i should have said "Consistent and numerous Flashes of Brilliance throughout his career..."

i would say that Johnson has been one of the top 10 players at Footscray of all time, and he has had a brilliant career...I just think that the last few years has seen him slow down sadly..