Tommy Johnson unsurprised to see Stephen Robinson bag Motherwell a cup-final spot

TOMMY JOHNSON has known Steve Robinson for almost a decade and isn’t surprised to see him excelling as Motherwell manager.

The former Celtic star took his coaching badges with the Northern Irish FA and Robinson was part of the assessment group. Johnson immediately took to Robinson and found his work to be of the highest standard and enlightening.

He has worked his way up in the game and is now Fir Park gaffer.

His finest moment came last weekend when he defeated Rangers 2-0 in the semi-final of the Betfred League Cup. They now play Celtic in the Final on November 26.

Johnson expects another cracking game and fancies the Steelmen to make it extremely difficult for the Hoops.

He said: “I was at the semi-final last weekend at Hampden Park and it gave me great pleasure to see Steve being rewarded for his efforts.

“I’ve known him since 2008, when I was doing my badges in Northern Ireland. He was on the staff and involved in coach education.

“We struck up a rapport and he then took me as his assistant when he was given the roles of Northern Ireland Under-17 and Under-21 manager.

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“He is an impressive character and a very knowledgeable football man. He is hard-working, methodical, structured and organised. One of the best I’ve worked with.

“Michael O’Neill clearly spotted the positives, too, as he made him part of his backroom team during the 2016 European Championship qualification campaign.

“A few years ago, I knew he wanted to get into club management and he tried his best to do so. There were knocks and refusals along the way, but he never gave up.

“He got involved at Motherwell and then went on to be his own man at Oldham Athletic. That didn’t go to plan and he came back to Fir Park under Mark McGhee and eventually got the job.

“Maybe a few Motherwell fans were a wee bit sceptical about his appointment. But I’m certain that they will all be fully appreciative now.

“Any Motherwell supporter knows that when they go along to watch their team, they will see a group of players determined to win and playing with enjoyment. They have totally bought into what the manager wants and that is key to any club being successful.

“They also like his backroom staff of Keith Lasley, Stephen McManus and Craig Hinchcliffe. The coaching staff all contribute.

“I also like the fact Motherwell can also mix it up during a match, and that was evident against Rangers last weekend.

“They’ve been accused of bullying Rangers in the game and I think that is absolutely right. But they bullied their opponents in an effective way. Rangers had no answers.

“That apart, let’s not take away from some of the football Motherwell played, and the quality of Louis Moult’s second goal. What a wonderful finish. It was right out of the top drawer.”

Johnson – now Chief Scout of Blackburn Rovers – will be back in Glasgow next month for the Final.

It’s a competition he enjoyed success in as a player, and he scored for the Hoops when they beat Aberdeen in the 2000 League Cup Final with Kenny Dalglish was manager.

Johnson said: “The game is the first step of trying to do back-to-back Trebles for Celtic. It will not be an easy thing to achieve, but you’ve got to fancy them.

“I watched the quality of football they delivered in midweek when they beat Aberdeen. My goodness, it was on another level to anything else in Scotland. The players were superb and the depth of squad available to Brendan Rodgers is frightening.

“It goes without saying Celtic will be clear favourites, but every now and again the underdog pulls off the unimaginable.

“One thing is for sure and that is Steve will have a plan. He’ll study Celtic and try to find a weakness or two to exploit.

“He will be meticulous in his preparation, and in the build-up to the Final he will present his players with a plan to get a victory.

“The Motherwell players will be confident that, having already defeated Rangers at Hampden they can go and do a number on Celtic. It all points towards a fascinating Final and there won’t be an empty seat to be had.

“I have a lot of fond memories from this competition and I look forward to next month.”