The fact that Boro beat Doncaster Rovers 4-1 on Tuesday night and my column is almost entirely devoted to Adam Johnson goes some way to showing just how important the winger is to our team.
As the final days of the transfer window approach, the talk at Boro has switched from whichever Celtic player we were looking to buy in Strachan's 'collect em all' approach to transfers, to whether or not we can keep hold of Adam Johnson, and whether, in fact, we want to.
Anyone else feeling a sense of deja vu?
Last January, almost the club's entire focus was on keeping Stewart Downing until the summer. Oh and getting rid of Mido, who incidentally is looking for a new home again...
Downing, of course, gave us a full season to try to pull ourselves out of sliding into relegation, failed in that task, got injured in the process and had an extended holiday as part of the Villa 'long term absentee' list.
Now it is Johnson's turn.
Not that they are the same player - Johnson has, on many occasions, been at pains to point out the numerous differences in their style of play - but Downing's career has always had a direct influence on Johnson's be it in keeping him out of the first team or allowing him to shine after his departure.
I've met Adam Johnson on a number of occasions and he is generally very happy to be told not to speak to reporters regarding any possible moves. Which is pretty much the only thing any of us media types ever want to ask him.
Last season, this was because he could never earn a place in the starting eleven while Stewart Downing remained at the club. 'Frustrated' would probably best describe Johnson's state at this point in his career.
Now, I would imagine, his head is being turned by all the talk of big money moves to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.
Bigger club's than Downing's choice of Aston Villa.
Because make no mistake, it is a competition, it always has been.
Imagine watching somebody do your job, and frequently balls it up - I'm thinking of several missed penalties and no league goals last season here - while you twiddle your thumbs and your team goes down. Exactly.
I have no idea what the person feelings are between the two players, as both came through the academy system but Johnson was three years behind Downing, but, as players, Downing was always 'in the way' as far as Johnson was concerned.
Now that the obstacle of Downing has been removed, Johnson is enjoying showing what he can do.
But he has not done so consistently. Some of his home performances this season have been nonexistent. He is not the only one, but he is the focus of my article and I can't let that slip by.
He is also getting a reputation for being arrogant. Not clapping the fans is a very sore subject amongst the Boro faithful and 'Johnno' seems to be the main offender.
In person, he is generally rather quiet unless he has someone to play off. He is also cheeky, restless and can be rather cocky. Arrogant? well yes, at times, but frankly I want that in a footballer.
Jumping ship from Boro to the dizzying heights of the Premier League, and the top clubs at that, would be tempting for any young player.
However, his off the record - Sorry Adam! -comments regarding Ross Turnbull's move to Chelsea, which were basically that "he might be living a nice lifestyle, but he's not playing" suggest Johnson is smart enough to see past the glitz and money to his actual career playing football.
Johnson knows he is good, If anything he can sometimes give himself too much credit. In my opinion he has the potential, and more natural talent, to be better than Stewart Downing. But Downing's application of his abilities is light years ahead of Johnson's.
At 22, Johnson is no longer really a 'youngster' although he tends to be bracketed as such, firstly because he is an academy product, and secondly because his slight frame and lack of first team experience still suggest a teenager.
I think he needs this full season in the Championship to iron out the parts of his game that will not do him any favours in the Premier League. He still needs to be more aware of his team mates as he has a tendency to keep his head down when passing. He also goes missing and seems easily bored when games are not going his way.
Balanced against his goals for us and the confidence which allowed him to effectively volunteer as Boro's penalty taker, not to mention cheekily pinch Gary O'Neil's free kick for Boro's fourth against Doncaster and it is tempting to overlook these flaws. But Manchester City, Chelsea or hell even Sunderland won't.
And that's if he gets a game.
Then there's the money. If Manchester City really want Johnson, they will throw money at us until we are blinded by the green. If we were going to spend it wisely, it might be advisable to do the deal, rather than letting him go on a free transfer at the end of the season.
But we rarely spend money wisely at Boro. We are too unused to having it and blow it all on something shiny which turns out to be poorly constructed and breaks all the time, like Alves or Jonathan Woodgate. And, sometimes, we pay off old debts with it.
You need more than just money to attract players to a club, as a general rule, and we are lucky that we already have Johnson as, given that he is pretty much a Sunderland fan, he would never have come here if he had not started his career with us.
So far Strachan, or more likely Gibson and Lamb, have resisted the temptation to cash in on Johnson and, in my opinion, this is the right decision.
I honestly believe this is the best place for Johnson until he finishes his fast track footballing education in the Championship, and I don't believe we could find a replacement that would make losing him worth it.
There is not a Johnson at Celtic.
After all, take away the twelve goals he has already scored this season and where would we be now? Actually don't answer that, it is far too depressing.
And I'm still smiling after the Doncaster win, which, if it was Johnson's last game for us, was a far more fitting finale than Downing leaving the Riverside on a stretcher against the team who would become his next employers.
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 28/1/2010
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