Not that simple.

In my opinion...

Howson had to play DM because we knew about Jophnson's passing. Someone had to sit there and pass.

Johnson had to play because Tettey was woefully out of form at the end of last season - by his own admission.

Now Tettey is trusted by the manager - and he had to earn that back - which in turn frees up Howson as he no longer needs to replace Johnson - Fer is there for that. Wes is out of favour, so Howson has got his chance.

Of course that's just my opinion, but I'd be very surprised if we saw Howson/Johnson DM pairing again in anything other than emergencies. But I can see why he played there.

Posted By: Yellalee, Oct 6, 21:41:40