Lee Johnson's Radio Bristol Post Match Interview. IN FULL

[RaspberryRed]

After every game this season I find myself eager to hear the next lot of nonsense that will tumble from our Head Coaches mouth and have become increasingly frustrated that the radio Bristol post match interviews were not available. So things have become that sad that I decided to record last nights so that I could fully digest the next raft of excuses or throwing people under the bus as he has become so fond of. Loads of people have referenced the interview and its content so here it is for you to fully digest

RB So Lee how do you account for that spell early in the second half when all those goals went in

LJ Well it's devastating isn't it. I'm frustrated, angry because in the first half I thought we played some excellent football. I thought we was the better side and was unlucky to come in one nil down. But it's just those moments we need to be tougher, whether it be balls coming into the box, finishing, 50-50 tackles and that's what we've said in there (Dressing Room) because let's be honest in that 20 minute spell in the second half we capitulated. Even the subs that came on. Magnusson came on and spent half of the time on the floor and he's got to be tougher, stronger and nobody can really say they had a good game particularly in the second half but (inane laughter) it is so frustrating because we wasn't that bad in the first half. Like I said we did have opportunities, we did have good ground, played some good football and players on their game and then conceded another poor goal where our 2 centre forwards have tried to flick it again on the halfway line and we spoke about that from the Brentford game we was too flicky wanting to secure the ball but sometimes they play their own game, that's what you get they're both talented, they've both got that ability but we don't need that we need to be secure, we need to set, get the ball wide and we did that a number of times and the second half it's just so frustrating because in my opinion it wasn't a five nil game but we've got beat five nil and like I say there were three or four really poor defensive errors and that's cost us.

RB Yes in the second half was it in the mind because it seemed like that every time Preston attacked they were going to score

LJ Yes I think it is in the mind I think that's the biggest thing with this group, we go one nil up and we are all right but if we go one nil down we panic for five minutes then we are all right but if we go two nil down (and we haven't done that a lot this year) then the mindset needs to be stronger

RB Up until tonight you haven't had a three goal defeat so does that make it worse the fact you lost by so many goals tonight

LJ Um listen it hurts I'm not going to deny it to anybody, I love this football club and I'm desperate to keep everybody in the Championship and the players (more inane laughter) know that because we have really thrown the riot act at them and not just myself but also Jamie McAllister and Dean Holden as well because it's not enough. There wasn't enough aggression and anger at the end of the game and you've got to have that because we need to come back for Saturday

RB I make that point a because you only made one enforced change, you gave the players the opportunity and they didn't take it

LJ No they didn't and I've just got to pick a team now that we can trust and that's the most important thing that trustworthiness, and trustworthiness to perform exactly what's required

RB Is it a big four days now because you have to pick a team that's going to be strong and bounce back on Saturday

LJ Of course it is. It's a massive four days and they'll be in tomorrow make no mistake and we'll go from there

RB So how do you pick the players up, is it going to take a couple of days to pick the players up from tonight?

LJ Well yes for sure. I've got to pick myself up first that's the first thing and tomorrow we go again we have to go again. The positive is that it's one game down, there's only six games left and we are still outside of the relegation places with Blackburn to play and the four teams around us lost but listen we don't want to be relying on anyone else we want to be man enough to accept that we are masters of our own destiny and we are masters of our own destiny and we can't forget that. We got beat four or five times heavily last year and always bounced back and we have to do that again on Saturday.

RB Yes and come Saturday you need to maintain the belief that the players & the supporters know that you can stay up this season

LJ Yes absolutely. Listen 100% we can stay up of course we can, absolutely we've got like I say decent enough players in there but we've just got to get that toughness, that mental toughness to see something through and if things do go against us we need to be able to go again and keep going again. Tomorrow's always a new day and we will make sure we are the better team come the day against Wolves

RB And just finally to the supporters that made the long journey 400 mile round trip to Preston tonight

LJ Yep we are very appreciative and obviously apologies for the result and we love you and we'll see you on Saturday.

[Smokey]

That interviewer needs to be sacked.

[Nick Wilde]

1 minute ago, smokey live said:

That interviewer needs to be sacked.

Johnson first 

[Xiled]

What really got to me was how he was able to laugh a couple of times during the interview.  There was nothing to laugh about.

I always thought he had a disarming manner but this was completely misplaced.  We were humiliated by Preston after being humiliated by Brentford.

Crying his bl**dy eyes out would have been a better response.

[123456789000]

What a pathetic line of questioning 

[RaspberryRed]

3 minutes ago, Xiled said:

What really got to me was how he was able to laugh a couple of times during the interview.  There was nothing to laugh about.

I always thought he had a disarming manner but this was completely misplaced.  We were humiliated by Preston after being humiliated by Brentford.

Crying his bl**dy eyes out would have been a better response.

Yup that inane laughter really does make me want to punch his smug little face

[Xiled]

It's a bit pedantic but to pick up on a couple of LJ points:

"...in my opinion it wasn't a five nil game..."  I wasn't there but in some people's opinion it could have been a seven or eight nil game.

"I've just got to pick a team now that we can trust"  I'm bored of hearing this.  By his own efforts and the bingo style team selection there is clearly no team that he can trust.  The results have proved this beyond doubt.  If you've lost the trust of your players or you can't trust them, why are you sticking around?

The bottom line is, you don't come back from a season like this.  Regardless of whatever Steve Lansdown, Mark Ashton or Lee Johnson want, it isn't going to happen.  If by some miracle we do survive in the Championship it still won't be sufficient to launch a 17/18 season free of all this poison.  It's dangerous to look back in football.  With Lee Johnson in charge we will be forever looking over our shoulders and waiting for the next winless run.

[petehinton]

I'm really surprised that the 'it wasn't a 5-0 game' comment hasn't been publicised so much. What a truly ******* stupid thing to say.

Not acknowledging the incredible fans who made the 4 hour journey, spent £30 on tickets and the rest of fuel/food/drink etc. Losing 5-0. Singling out one of your players. Running down the tunnel after FT.

And then ******* giggling in an interview after all of that.

Snake.

[Major Isewater]

31 minutes ago, Xiled said:

What really got to me was how he was able to laugh a couple of times during the interview.  There was nothing to laugh about.

I always thought he had a disarming manner but this was completely misplaced.  We were humiliated by Preston after being humiliated by Brentford.

Crying his bl**dy eyes out would have been a better response.

It was a sort of ironic laugh not a ' ha ha " we lost laugh but to be honest  I really don't care what he says anymore.

 

[Major Isewater]

3 minutes ago, petehinton said:

I'm really surprised that the 'it wasn't a 5-0 game' comment hasn't been publicised so much. What a truly ******* stupid thing to say.

Not acknowledging the incredible fans who made the 4 hour journey, spent £30 on tickets and the rest of fuel/food/drink etc. Losing 5-0. Singling out one of your players. Running down the tunnel after FT.

And then ******* giggling in an interview after all of that.

Snake.

He did acknowledge the fans and apologised to them . 

There is enough to hang the guy with without making things up .

[petehinton]

6 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

He did acknowledge the fans and apologised to them . 

There is enough to hang the guy with without making things up .

In an interview, after being asked about them. He ran straight down the tunnel at FT. 

[Olé]

Quite a feat typing that all out, I don't envy you, but thank you. It's just reminded me how bad yesterday was and how low his standards are, given he always makes that excuse about being in part of the game and/or not seeing it coming.

I'm beyond tired of hearing him point this out. Firstly, what kind of positive is it to play well for part of a match you lose 5-0? Secondly, the bits he thinks we play well in, I see as the forebear for worse to come, as the standard is so poor.

Yes we were in the game first half (you are by definition if it's only a 1 goal game and/or you're creating attacks). But the style of play as always was so less fluent, fast, or sustained compared to Preston. It was simple and one dimensional. 

I know it's easy to say, but there's something about the way Johnson describes football, that has always struck me as cumbersome and irritating. It sounds like he thinks literally everything can be a direct instruction or a directive.

I'm sure players, besides sick of the micro-managing, can't think straight and play football for all the various things they have to do / not do. It's why there is so little fluency in our play. Too much individual instruction too little team identity.

Perhaps that's the problem - he's a training pitch coach not a tactician or leader. His goal is to change individual players technique rather than to get them playing to a pattern of play which wins matches, in doing so, now failing at both.

Results are appalling and players are all regressing including the ones he added in January. His emphasis in interviews on small matters, appears to suggest a source to our problems, a lack of proportional focus on bigger matters like tactics.

Has anyone once heard him describe, in a sentence or two, what our pattern of play is? Our style? You hear an awful lot about individual failures (Bobby Reid in safe zone, strikers being too flicky etc). Never once how the team should play.

No surprise that they don't.  

[RaspberryRed]

1 minute ago, petehinton said:

In an interview, after being asked about them. He ran straight down the tunnel at FT. 

Is this true? If so that's incredulous after the sacrifices those 316 made to be served up that shit. There are absolutely no excuses for that

[Gazred]

If he doesn't trust the players, i'm sure the feeling is mutual.

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

1 hour ago, RaspberryRed said:

After every game this season I find myself eager to hear the next lot of nonsense that will tumble from our Head Coaches mouth and have become increasingly frustrated that the radio Bristol post match interviews were not available. So things have become that sad that I decided to record last nights so that I could fully digest the next raft of excuses or throwing people under the bus as he has become so fond of. Loads of people have referenced the interview and its content so here it is for you to fully digest

RB So Lee how do you account for that spell early in the second half when all those goals went in

LJ Well it's devastating isn't it. I'm frustrated, angry because in the first half I thought we played some excellent football. I thought we was the better side and was unlucky to come in one nil down. But it's just those moments we need to be tougher, whether it be balls coming into the box, finishing, 50-50 tackles and that's what we've said in there (Dressing Room) because let's be honest in that 20 minute spell in the second half we capitulated. Even the subs that came on. Magnusson came on and spent half of the time on the floor and he's got to be tougher, stronger and nobody can really say they had a good game particularly in the second half but (inane laughter) it is so frustrating because we wasn't that bad in the first half. Like I said we did have opportunities, we did have good ground, played some good football and players on their game and then conceded another poor goal where our 2 centre forwards have tried to flick it again on the halfway line and we spoke about that from the Brentford game we was too flicky wanting to secure the ball but sometimes they play their own game, that's what you get they're both talented, they've both got that ability but we don't need that we need to be secure, we need to set, get the ball wide and we did that a number of times and the second half it's just so frustrating because in my opinion it wasn't a five nil game but we've got beat five nil and like I say there were three or four really poor defensive errors and that's cost us.

RB Yes in the second half was it in the mind because it seemed like that every time Preston attacked they were going to score

LJ Yes I think it is in the mind I think that's the biggest thing with this group, we go one nil up and we are all right but if we go one nil down we panic for five minutes then we are all right but if we go two nil down (and we haven't done that a lot this year) then the mindset needs to be stronger

RB Up until tonight you haven't had a three goal defeat so does that make it worse the fact you lost by so many goals tonight

LJ Um listen it hurts I'm not going to deny it to anybody, I love this football club and I'm desperate to keep everybody in the Championship and the players (more inane laughter) know that because we have really thrown the riot act at them and not just myself but also Jamie McAllister and Dean Holden as well because it's not enough. There wasn't enough aggression and anger at the end of the game and you've got to have that because we need to come back for Saturday

RB I make that point a because you only made one enforced change, you gave the players the opportunity and they didn't take it

LJ No they didn't and I've just got to pick a team now that we can trust and that's the most important thing that trustworthiness, and trustworthiness to perform exactly what's required

RB Is it a big four days now because you have to pick a team that's going to be strong and bounce back on Saturday

LJ Of course it is. It's a massive four days and they'll be in tomorrow make no mistake and we'll go from there

RB So how do you pick the players up, is it going to take a couple of days to pick the players up from tonight?

LJ Well yes for sure. I've got to pick myself up first that's the first thing and tomorrow we go again we have to go again. The positive is that it's one game down, there's only six games left and we are still outside of the relegation places with Blackburn to play and the four teams around us lost but listen we don't want to be relying on anyone else we want to be man enough to accept that we are masters of our own destiny and we are masters of our own destiny and we can't forget that. We got beat four or five times heavily last year and always bounced back and we have to do that again on Saturday.

RB Yes and come Saturday you need to maintain the belief that the players & the supporters know that you can stay up this season

LJ Yes absolutely. Listen 100% we can stay up of course we can, absolutely we've got like I say decent enough players in there but we've just got to get that toughness, that mental toughness to see something through and if things do go against us we need to be able to go again and keep going again. Tomorrow's always a new day and we will make sure we are the better team come the day against Wolves

RB And just finally to the supporters that made the long journey 400 mile round trip to Preston tonight

LJ Yep we are very appreciative and obviously apologies for the result and we love you and we'll see you on Saturday.

What a load of insipid scrotum washings.

[RaspberryRed]

@Olé 

Dude. It's my pleasure I can only apologise if it bought back further bad memories from last night.

Also as someone who contributes so much to this forum with your incisive, honest pre and mainly post match assessments then it's my pleasure to return the favour in some small way. To be honest it wasn't that much of an endeavour as I use assistive technology so I literally took it straight from the dictaphone to the PC and it did the rest for me 

[BobBobSuperBob]

6 minutes ago, Olé said:

Has anyone once heard him describe, in a sentence or two, what our pattern of play is? Our style? You hear an awful lot about individual failures (Bobby Reid in safe zone, strikers being too flicky etc). Never once how the team should play.

No surprise that they don't.  

Closest I've heard was when he talked about wanting

'Eleven busy little bees buzzing around , good on the ball'

Which means pretty much bpnaff all like most his soundbites

You , IMHO have been very observant in what happens - quite what his philosophies are I'm really not sure , and I'm not sure he does anymore

[Xiled]

12 minutes ago, Olé said:

Has anyone once heard him describe, in a sentence or two, what our pattern of play is? Our style? You hear an awful lot about individual failures (Bobby Reid in safe zone, strikers being too flicky etc). Never once how the team should play.  

Absolutely key to one of LJ's major failings that has become painfully clear.  I don't think we have to see a rigid 4-4-2 or 3-5-1 or whatever but we should be able to see a system.  There has been so much discussion on here about what formation we are playing only for it to change at the next match.  If we can't see it from the stands then the team haven't got it.

Constantly swapping players and formations has not worked.  We have rarely looked fluid (save Huddersfield at home) and rarely looked like we will actually build an attack.  It seems to happy by chance rather than by interplay.  Likewise our defending is often last ditch and we've put far too much pressure on a back 3, 4 or 5.

[nick jones of hereford]

I was one of the 312 attending (pay on the day).

Johnson was correct in his comment to effect that we were still in the match and it wasn't a 5 nil one...... but that was only the case in the period until the second goal. We then collapsed & the players demonstrated that they weren't playing for the manager. As the goals reigned in, I had a feeling it could be 6, 7 or 8. We were that bad.

i recall going to Blackpool on 1st October 2011 when it was a similar match. We could count outselves slightly unfortunate to go behind, but as the match wore on, it appeared that the players weren't trying. No doubt they were, but they'd lost confidence in the instructions that manager Keith Millen had given them.

That was Millen's last game, a humiliating 0-5 defeat was the final straw and he was sacked.

Back to last night.... the nature of the defeat was the greatest concern. It was a team that  played half the match competing - but transformed to a disorganised rabble that lacked any confidence. 

I don't see how we can avoid relegation unless there is a change in leadership (Head Coach). Yes we are out of the relegation zone as Blackburn lost last night, but they're home to us on Easter Monday and I don't see us getting anything there. 

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, petehinton said:

In an interview, after being asked about them. He ran straight down the tunnel at FT. 

Excuse me , I thought you were referring to his Radio Bristol interview .

[dereks no1]

What a pathetic interview! He should of asked why he didnt change the team up like he said he would after saturdays game, why players like matty taylor werent used or havent been used, why the tactics were off and  where adam matthews is. 

[chinapig]

4 hours ago, Olé said:

Quite a feat typing that all out, I don't envy you, but thank you. It's just reminded me how bad yesterday was and how low his standards are, given he always makes that excuse about being in part of the game and/or not seeing it coming.

I'm beyond tired of hearing him point this out. Firstly, what kind of positive is it to play well for part of a match you lose 5-0? Secondly, the bits he thinks we play well in, I see as the forebear for worse to come, as the standard is so poor.

Yes we were in the game first half (you are by definition if it's only a 1 goal game and/or you're creating attacks). But the style of play as always was so less fluent, fast, or sustained compared to Preston. It was simple and one dimensional. 

I know it's easy to say, but there's something about the way Johnson describes football, that has always struck me as cumbersome and irritating. It sounds like he thinks literally everything can be a direct instruction or a directive.

I'm sure players, besides sick of the micro-managing, can't think straight and play football for all the various things they have to do / not do. It's why there is so little fluency in our play. Too much individual instruction too little team identity.

Perhaps that's the problem - he's a training pitch coach not a tactician or leader. His goal is to change individual players technique rather than to get them playing to a pattern of play which wins matches, in doing so, now failing at both.

Results are appalling and players are all regressing including the ones he added in January. His emphasis in interviews on small matters, appears to suggest a source to our problems, a lack of proportional focus on bigger matters like tactics.

Has anyone once heard him describe, in a sentence or two, what our pattern of play is? Our style? You hear an awful lot about individual failures (Bobby Reid in safe zone, strikers being too flicky etc). Never once how the team should play.

No surprise that they don't.  

Anybody who has followed BCFC for long enough will be familiar with talk of a lack of mental toughness. For me it's been a feature of many of our teams over the years.

This is a cozy club in a non-football city where there are no real consquences for failure and players can have a very nice life for little effort. You can try what tactics you want but if the culture is a bit 'Meh' it won't make a lot of difference.

Most managers seem to struggle when players decide to down tools - ask Ranieri, even Mourinho at Chelsea - and if they confront players they are called bullies. LJ certainly doesn't have the experience or skills to handle it

The last relegation team had more than a few players who didn't give a toss. I fear history may be repeating itself, or at the very least we have a bunch of what are these days called 'snowflakes'. Nice cars though.