Roger Johnson and Scott Dann belong in the Premier League, says former Birmingham City favourite Jon McCarthy

Mar 18 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

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FORMER Birmingham City favourite Jon McCarthy has praised twin peaks Roger Johnson and Scott Dann for their ‘‘exceptional’’ performances this season.

And McCarthy said it should not be forgotten the contribution of the players immediately around them in helping their rookie Premier League campaigns go so well.

“Johnson and Dann have been exceptional,” said McCarthy, who is now Blues’ expert summariser for 1152 am/BRMB radio. “I remember seeing Johnson in pre-season and thinking he looked nervous. I wondered if he was going to struggle.

Colin Tattum will be live online to chat with the fans at 12pm - www.birminghammail.net/live

“He looked quite slow in the game. I made some comments, but I also backed them up by saying it would take some time for him to settle into this league and the jump up.

“I have been as surprised as anybody how he has adapted. And Dann, having to come in – I think Alex McLeish would have expected to play another centre-half with Johnson – did remarkably well.

“Johnson took the lead. He said ‘I’m the experienced one now’ rather than having to be the underdog and he stepped up to the mark.

‘‘Dann played a kind of understudy role, and then that relationship changed. He started to come through in a couple of the games and started to recognise he was good enough to be here.

‘‘And the two of them now are very solid Premier League defenders.