Journalist calls for Ben Johnson to be freed after Ryan Fredericks shocker v Newcastle
Ben Johnson deserves a chance for West Ham after Ryan Fredericks’ poor performance against Newcastle, according to Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas.
Fredericks was handed a rare Premier League start in the absence of Vladimir Coufal and was poor against the Magpies in the first 45 minutes.
He was constantly targeted on the wing, got booked for a late challenge on Joe Willock and allowed the cross into the box for the equaliser on the stroke of half time. He was hooked at half-time and replaced by Johnson.
After the goal, Thomas immediately took to Twitter and tweeted out the hashtag ‘#FreeBenJohnson’, clearly taking a dig at Fredericks and calling for the academy product to get a chance.
Johnson has played well whenever he was called upon this season but has fallen out of favour in recent weeks, with his last appearance in the Premier League coming on New Years Day prior to this game.
Trust
Something has clearly happened between Moyes and Johnson, because the 22-year-old was involved in the team regularly prior to the turn of the year.
Suddenly he can’t get a look in, with his only performances since that game coming in the FA Cup wins over Leeds and Kidderminster.
Johnson performed well in the second half after coming on as a substitute in the game with West Ham in a real battle against the Magpies.
With Coufal facing a spell out of the team following a hernia problem and Fredericks dropping a poor showing in his appearance, you’d now expect Johnson to get an extended run in the team.
Right-back is his natural position despite filling in on the left a lot this season and he is solid in both directions, so there’s a chance for him to make this position his own now.
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