Damien Johnson has issued an apology to Birmingham supporters.
Damien Johnson has issued an apology to Birmingham supporters following his reaction at the weekend on being substituted.Club captain Johnson tossed his armband and shirt to the floor after City supporters cheered when his name was read out as Birmingham readied a substitute.
Blues chief Steve Bruce was less than enamoured with the combative midfielder's reaction but now Johnson has moved to offer an explanation and subsequent apology for his behaviour.
Johnson admits he may have misconstrued the reaction of the supporters in St Andrews, eager to reaffirm his commitment to the club and their bid to regain Premiership status.
"When the subs were read out there was a huge cheer from the fans which I took to mean the fans were glad I was being taken off - and after more than four years of service for the club, that really hurt,'' he told the club's official website.
"I have been told I misread the reaction of the crowd and if that is the case I am sorry and I hope the supporters can appreciate that.
"I give Birmingham City my complete dedication and will continue to do so and I hope that my passion on the field can show everybody that I totally mean what I am saying.
"Once again I wholeheartedly apologise."
Bruce appears now to have put the incident to bed, conceding that the player's temper is something that on occasion rears its head in the wrong manner.
"He wears his heart on his sleeve and we also know he has a red flash and a bit of a temper which we saw on Saturday.
"I truly believe he wrongly read the crowd's reaction but nobody likes to see what he did, and he has apologised to me, his team-mates and now, most importantly, the fans."
