Jones: Johnson Decision was Purely Tactical

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USA: American striker Eddie Johnson (ISI)

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Eddie Johnson had a strange weekend for Cardiff City. The American striker was brought on as a sub before the halftime whistle by Bluebirds boss Dave Jones, only to be subbed back off the pitch before the match ended.

After the game, Jones explained that his decision to pull Johnson out of the match had nothing to do with the striker’s performance on the field.

“It was purely a tactical decision, nothing to do with Eddie’s performance,” Jones said to WalesOnline.co. “The lad was gutted, but I spoke to him after the match and he understands the situation.”

Jones went on to explain that his decision to remove Johnson was based on matching up with Ipswich in the midfield.

“When Ipswich were down to 10 men they played three in midfield and we had to match up to them and keep our wide players high,” Jones Said. “Eddie had done his job and it was up to Stephen McPhail to go on and finish the job off.”

The biggest knock on Johnson since his move from Major League Soccer to the England is that he has not been able to score. But Jones said that the former Kansas City Wizard start is starting to show some good signs.

“Eddie’s playing well, running into form and his touches are good,” the Cardiff manager said. “All he needs now is a goal, to be honest.”

Jones may be right. Johnson has a history of being a streaky scorer. In 2006, Johnson scored only twice for the Wizards in 19 matches. But in 2007 the striker found his form and scored 15 times in 24 games.

Chopra’s loan with Cardiff is set to end in January and Johnson could be called upon to carry a big part of the offensive load in the New Year. Cardiff is unbeaten in their last five. The recent run of good form has Johnson’s team sitting in fifth place in the Championship table with their eyes firmly on a promotion spot.

--Allen Ramsey, Goal.com