Agreed, up to a point, but it is also possible he's been waiting for enough of the right players to be fit enough to fit them into an 11 man system?
It's not just about the back 3 or 4 it also needs the right round pegs in the right round holes in front of the back line to make the whole system work
It's also clear Johnson has changed (instructed to change?) his distribution away from always looking to play it out from the back to also being prepared to punt it long to both wings as well as down the middle
Just a thought that it's not a clear cut black and white situation and not an argument
COYB
I think it was a combination of things, including player availability.
There is no doubt that Darren Moore really wanted 3 at the back to work, and it did for a big chunk of the season at home in particular, with Barnes constantly ripping the opposition a new one every time we beat a press = Loadsagoals! However, our goal scoring was compensating for just how vulnerable we looked at the back and once Gayle got injured and the goals dried up he had to change.
Mozza has been bought back gradually , but although at times his display was understated on Saturday due to the more direct style of play, he made a massive difference to the balance of the team. Quick to turn on the ball, able to close down past the front three and fully aware of the space around him he just made us tick and for once Livermore was able to play as part of a balanced midfield team. This solidity also allowed Phillips to get forward more and he had one of those days when he just looks a beast.
Regarding Johnstone, yep this looked to me like a tactical switch and he had been told to get rid up to the front three quickly often via the head of Phillips and Tosin who actually lost out once to the pipsqueak marking him but then won everything else. However, this more direct route would not have worked withouth HRK and JRod having stoermers and this is where I do have to take off my hat to Darren Moore in the persistence with both. We all had unhappy thoughts when we saw HRK on the team sheet and I thought JRod was done......but Darren Moore kept the faith and obviously saw they still had performances in them.