At a recent MFC shop signing session, Adam Johnson and Boro and Manchester United legend Gary Pallister were on hand to promote the Boro Legends calendar as well as the official team calendar and 2009-10 season annual.
After Pallister had left, Johnson asked to take the poster of himself, which had been used to advertise the event, home as he said his nana would hang it on her wall, and also requested a shirt with his name on for his young niece.
Having been denied by the club the chance to ask 'Johno' the question everybody wants the answer to, where does his future lie? (sorry, Strachan's orders apparently!) ComeOnBoro.com's Elle Brunton talked penalty misses, scoring records and missing out on Under 21 selection with Boro's brightest star.
EB: Do you think this international break has come at a good time, the manager can get to know everyone a bit better and the loan players can bed in a bit more?
AJ: It goes both ways, we want to get to the next game but it has nearly come back round and hopefully we will get a win.
EB: Strachan has a habit of losing his first match whenever he takes over a new club, but you must have expected to beat Crystal Palace?
AJ: It was disappointing both games, but at Palace we were in charge. We should have had four points or better.
Silly mistakes go on and we didn't put the chances away. That is a really the first thing, you have got to put chances away and stamp out mistakes. We have been working hard this weekend we want to show on Saturday what we are all about.
EB: You have scored nine goals this season and our strikers are not chipping in with many... do you feel under pressure to score? And have the loan signings taken dome of the pressure off?
AJ: I don't know, you'd probably have to ask the manager what he thinks... I think the strikers are going to come through and score goals. Marcus looks fantastic, he's a real athlete and he is doing well, we've got four strikers now to come in and score goals.
I thought he [Bent] had a very good game.
But I'm happy with my contribution. I'm disappointed I'm not on ten with missing the penalty as well.
But I don't mind having the pressure on me to score goals, that's my job!
EB: Yes, you have taken over from Stewart Downing as our official penalty taker, did you ask for the responsibilty?
AJ: I didn't ask but I stepped up to take the first one, that went in so now I take them.
EB: And you have just become too old for the England U21s, you must be looking to get into the senior side?
AJ: Yes, only just, if I was born a month later I would have been in the next team.
EB: That's interesting...
AJ: Yes, I'm '87 not '86 but it depends on how old you are for the first match, if I was born later I would have been still in.
Seniors? Well, yes, that is the aim. I have played and represented my country at every other level and the only one that really matters, well no, but the one that means the most, is the seniors. That has got to be your aim but you've got to play at the highest level.
EB: When I spoke to Mark Yeates he confessed to having a lot of admiration for you as a player, is the feeling mutual? It must be nice to hear good things from your team mates?
AJ: Aw, that's nice to hear, he probably only did it so I'd mention him though! Yeh I played against him when he was at Colchester and I was at Watford, and he was at Tottenham with Ben Alnwick and I know him quite well - we became mates over the years because we are both from Sunderland.
I was delighted when I knew he [Yeates] was coming here and I think the first few games he played he was great, but it is hard with the manager chopping and changing, I know that better than anyone. I have a lot of sympathy for him but I'm sure if he gets the chance he'll show his quality, that's what we saw in the first few games of the season.
After joking that the photograph was for my 'private collection' and disputing the existance of this very website! Adam Johnson, Boro winger and star was eventually persuaded to pose for a picture before leaving the shop.
For the record, I think Johnson will be leaving us in January and I don't think he will be travelling too far to find his new home... But what will be will be and if he continues to score goals and create opportunities for his team mates to squander, sorry put away, then the eternal understudy will have done his job since taking centre stage for Boro.
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 19/11/2009
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