Nick Johnson: Tactical Genius
KuPS fans are hailing Irish manager Nick Johnson a "tactical genius" after they saw Johnson lead KuPS to a 5-0 aggregate win over Rosenborg to take KuPS into the Champions' League Group Stages for the first time in KuPS' history.
After a 2-0 win in the home leg, KuPSi fans were quietly confident that they could finish the job in Norway, although there was some doubt, as there always is. However Nick Johnson's strange "Banzai Tika-Taka" as he calls it, with no strikers has been a revelation in Finland this season, and saw off Rosenborg 3-0 on their own ground. This put KuPS into the groups for the 2014-15 Champions League, having already knocked out Scottish giants Celtic and another Norwiegen team Molde in previous rounds.
Some KuPS fans already believe Johnson is a legend of the club, and certainly looks like he could be, and although he's had a rough personal life lately, his footballing life has been nothing but tremendous, and if he keeps going this way, he will certainly be an icon of the club, maybe more.
There has been recent speculation as to whether Johnson's future lies elsewhere on the continent, if he outgrows Kuopio, and the Savon Sanomat Areena. However, Johnson has been quick to leap and reassure fans he won't be leaving any time soon. He's here to challenge the big boys of Europe, and he's here to stay.
Darijo Rakitic, Savon Sanomat
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