Damien Johnson Plymouth
DAMIEN JOHNSON last night spelt out the reasons behind the decision to end his eight-year stay at Birmingham City.
Johnson turned his back on a European challenge in the Premier League for a Championship relegation battle with Plymouth Argyle just before the transfer window close on Monday.
And while it may seem a strange move to some, it all boiled down to having a manager – former England and Arsenal striker, Paul Mariner – that made him feel wanted.
The 31-year-old appeared in only one Premier League games this season for Alex McLeish’s side – as a substitute – before leaving St Andrews and he had grown tired of spending Saturday afternoons watching football instead of playing.
Johnson, who played almost 200 times for the Blues, said: “It was a tough decision to leave Birmingham. I’d been there a long time and really enjoyed it.
“Sometimes, though, you need to move on and now is definitely that time.
“Birmingham are having an unbelievable season, they are having a really good run and it was nice to be part of that, but I wasn’t as involved as I would have liked to have been and every player wants to play and game time is important.
“The manager at Plymouth made me feel very welcome and said that he wanted me in his team.
“That’s important for a player, I haven’t felt that at Birmingham for the last season or so.
“I wasn’t getting enough games; I wasn’t getting enough opportunities at Birmingham, but I am going to get that at Plymouth.
“This is a fresh challenge for me. I’m here to play games.”
Johnson had six months of his contract to run at Birmingham and he has only ever played in the top two divisions of English football.
Plymouth are teetering perilously close to the Championship’s relegation trap door, but Johnson has no fear that his move will ultimately see him drop two leagues in the same year.
“It’s important that Plymouth stay in this division and I’m confident they can do that,” he said.”I wouldn’t have come here otherwise.
“I’m going to be here for two-and-a-half years and I want to be playing Championship football next season without a doubt.”