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The rising star of Lee Johnson


reddogkev

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I was one who wanted him gone - like RedorDead BCFC, the trigger for me was Cardiff at home. 

No hatred or personal attacks - in fact I posted on other forums how sad I was to see those - I just simply thought he had to go - I seriously thought we were freefalling towards relegation.

However, the signs were there towards the end that we had overcome the problems (whatever they were) and we have managed to build a very decent start to the season - I'm pleasantly surprised and a very happy bunny,

However, as a football fan of many years I reserve the right to be as fickle as can be - if we plummet like we did last season then I will probably call for him to be replaced again - like before - no hatred or personal attacks - and just the same as I would ANY manager presiding over an unacceptably high number of successive defeats - just time to go. 

I'm really enjoying the ride now though and long may it last.

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49 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Thatch35 probably would.. but maybe now that’d be just because he would knows it would add to his infamy.

 

I believe he was last seen climbing the fences on the suspension bridge, screaming about being haunted by the ghost of Little Lee. :)

Oh and has Taxi For Johnson changed his username yet?

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9 hours ago, allyolly said:

Genuinely interested to hear opinions from posters who wanted LJ gone last season. I recall some said they would not renew season tickets etc or even step foot in the ground whilst LJ was our manager. Not saying those opinions weren’t justified at all. 

I was one allyolly so will answer you.

I certainly wanted him gone last season and stand by that, Fulham at home was my breaking point. He was extremely lucky to keep his position IMHO, extremely lucky. What now impresses me is how much he appears to have learnt from his own mistakes. An example, I was mortified when I saw that starting line up last night but the fella knows what he's doing a lot better than I do and had the confidence to do what he thought was right rather than taking the easy option. I'm not sure he would have done that last season. All strength to him but I am not apologising, again, for wanting him out last season because I still think he should have gone, last season, obviously proven wrong now.

Re boycotts, I didn't renew for the first time in eons and only saw 3 of the first 10 games but I can't stay away, 1/2 ST renewed and paid for and I really don't care if I can't get a United ticket either.

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9 hours ago, CrazyInWeston said:

This.

After an 8 game loss last season many many team bosses/chairman's would've sacked the dude. 

And I know many on here called for his head.

Who here would STILL call for his head? Not me.

I called for his head.  I have rarely been so wrong about anything .

Lee Johnson is now proving why so many have seen him as one of England's finest young managers

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5 minutes ago, gow2gooseya said:

I called for his head.  I have rarely been so wrong about anything .

Lee Johnson is now proving why so many have seen him as one of England's finest young managers

Were you wrong in February g2g? I don't think you were. Hindsight is all well and good I guess.

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2 hours ago, Fordy62 said:

i still stand by the fact that he should’ve got the boot last season. We were absolutely desperate for the most part.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Ska Junkie said:

All strength to him but I am not apologising, again, for wanting him out last season because I still think he should have gone, last season, obviously proven wrong now.

 

It's good to see that (on the whole!) there's mature conversation about this and interesting analysis about what's behind the dramatic change in fortunes. Isn't everyone much happier when we're winning :)

I am interested in the comments above though - standing by a position that he should have gone last season. I might be misunderstanding - are you saying that you are standing by your position at the time, which has now changed (which would of course be fair enough and the same as most people!)? Or are you saying that you still think that SL should have sacked him last season? If the latter, surely that doesn't make sense - we didn't get relegated and we're doing great now. If he'd been sacked we wouldn't be in this position. 

Just interested in the views. 

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9 hours ago, CrazyInWeston said:

This.

After an 8 game loss last season many many team bosses/chairman's would've sacked the dude. 

And I know many on here called for his head.

Who here would STILL call for his head? Not me.

I called for his head and given the form we were on I stand by that at the time. But what we didn't predict was that LJ would turn it round, and he really has. Fair play because it takes some big bollocks to keep your head, drag yourself/us out of that and get us where we are now.

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I'm not sure I was wrong at the time. With hindsight it looks a good decision. Rowett was available at the time and may have done as well if he'd been appointed then. I think Derby look to be getting stronger as time goes on and won't be surprised if they finish above us.

All in all, looking at where we are now, I'm glad SL ignored us though. I quite like Lee in some ways, especially now he has stopped slagging off the players, which was what really grated with me.

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3 minutes ago, City Ben said:

 

 

It's good to see that (on the whole!) there's mature conversation about this and interesting analysis about what's behind the dramatic change in fortunes. Isn't everyone much happier when we're winning :)

I am interested in the comments above though - standing by a position that he should have gone last season. I might be misunderstanding - are you saying that you are standing by your position at the time, which has now changed (which would of course be fair enough and the same as most people!)? Or are you saying that you still think that SL should have sacked him last season? If the latter, surely that doesn't make sense - we didn't get relegated and we're doing great now. If he'd been sacked we wouldn't be in this position. 

Just interested in the views. 

Obviously the former Ben. Nobody would have been shocked if he had been removed last season. I wanted him removed or, at least, given help. With the awful results and performances plus what was happening with his dad, I felt he should have been taken out of the firing line. Obviously, that has been proven wrong but I stand by it fella.

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2 minutes ago, City Ben said:

 

 

It's good to see that (on the whole!) there's mature conversation about this and interesting analysis about what's behind the dramatic change in fortunes. Isn't everyone much happier when we're winning :)

I am interested in the comments above though - standing by a position that he should have gone last season. I might be misunderstanding - are you saying that you are standing by your position at the time, which has now changed (which would of course be fair enough and the same as most people!)? Or are you saying that you still think that SL should have sacked him last season? If the latter, surely that doesn't make sense - we didn't get relegated and we're doing great now. If he'd been sacked we wouldn't be in this position. 

Just interested in the views. 

I’m saying that his sacking would have been wholly justified. He didn’t really have a leg to stand on with regards to keeping his job. We were terrible.

Nothing will ever change my mind that SL should have sacked him, but he didn’t. And  in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t. But if I didn’t stand by my thoughts at the time, my opinions would be worth shit. 

I always said I wanted him to do well and hoped he would. But I also said I didn’t think he was the man to take us forwards. Seemingly the Tomlin effect was much greater than I could have imagined and getting rid of him seems to have been a catalyst in us becoming a much better team - something I would have never believed last year. 

The turn around has been remarkable. LJ has done brilliantly this season. I’m afraid to say I still struggle slightly to listen to his interviews - such are the scars from last season - a little bit like how it took me 2 years to eat Chilli con carne after it was my last meal before norovirus - but I accept that this isn’t particularly reasonable on my part!

Good on LJ. I’m really pleased for him. He’s firmly into credit with me - somewhere I didn’t think he ever get near. And long may it continue.

 

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2 hours ago, havanatopia said:

I believe i am on record as saying exactly that.. He should go. Then.. Ok so SL is standing by him. The only way he will turn me and plenty others around is top 6. I think I may have said promotion as well... Maybe I know something that not even I know. Is that an inverted oxymoron or just a bunch of interminable hyperbole? Anyway... Lets enjoy it. Feet firmly on the ground and not going anywhere near a hot air balloon anytime soon.

With such a poor run of 8, it was fair for some to want him gone.

But, it was fair to say at the time that we weren't getting caned. I know some hate the 'beat by no more than one goal' argument but surely that is what saved him? If 'the 8'  had been serious losses, even I would have been calling for his head.

It was a moment when fan was against fan on OTIB (as much as some believe on here, we don't represent the average City fan - it's an internet forum for ffs). As with all forums, the trolls moved in to heighten the emotion and some said and did silly things.

Ultimately, LJ didn't get the boot and we are in a sweet spot at the moment. It remains to be seen if this fine run continues, I hope that it does like any sane City fan, and I hope those who said and did silly things come back to the fold and enjoy what we've got. If they don't, and the form continues, the space left by them (at AG) will be filled by the fly-by-night supporters (along with their transient support) and that will be a tragedy.

carpe diem

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7 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

It is funny how certain posters on here literally fall off the face of the planet when we are doing well :laugh: 

Fair play to those that agreed with me (and many others last season) for 'fronting up'. An extremely grown up discussion going on here, not OTIB like at all! ;)

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38 minutes ago, Fordy62 said:

I’m saying that his sacking would have been wholly justified. He didn’t really have a leg to stand on with regards to keeping his job. We were terrible.

Nothing will ever change my mind that SL should have sacked him, but he didn’t. And  in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t. But if I didn’t stand by my thoughts at the time, my opinions would be worth shit. 

I always said I wanted him to do well and hoped he would. But I also said I didn’t think he was the man to take us forwards. Seemingly the Tomlin effect was much greater than I could have imagined and getting rid of him seems to have been a catalyst in us becoming a much better team - something I would have never believed last year. 

The turn around has been remarkable. LJ has done brilliantly this season. I’m afraid to say I still struggle slightly to listen to his interviews - such are the scars from last season - a little bit like how it took me 2 years to eat Chilli con carne after it was my last meal before norovirus - but I accept that this isn’t particularly reasonable on my part!

Good on LJ. I’m really pleased for him. He’s firmly into credit with me - somewhere I didn’t think he ever get near. And long may it continue.

 

I still can't eat artichokes.

All fair enough, and reading that brings a real smile to my face! Brilliant to hear. In many ways, even this short-lived success feels sweeter thanks to last season's pap. 

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There's lies, damn lies and statistics.

59f9a0e498b51_ScreenShot2017-11-01at12_24_25.png.3520e4cd1048d6c6b57b239a0a78d4d4.png

Johnson has a 42% win ratio.

Rowett, whilst at Birmingham, had a 39.6% win ratio.

I was one of those who wanted LJ fired, not because I didn't like him as a bloke, but because performances were bad.

Football is a results business.

What I'm seeing (and thanks @spudski for your wise words) is that everyone is pulling together at the club.

We don't have superstar players, but what we do have is a superstar squad, who believe in themselves and what they need to do on the field. Now obviously, we don't know what happened behind the scenes last year, but something shook the boat during that poor run and the pressure started to tell.

The leadership has taken a good hard look at themselves, learnt from mistakes and is moving forward. Surely, that is all we can ask for.

I'm moving back to the UK in December - looking for some good times at AG after 15 years overseas. I'll bring my girls too.

I'm not getting carried away - I've seen positive shoots too many times. I just want a level of comfort that we won't get into a relegation scrap, and promotion is a bonus.

COYR.

 

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29 minutes ago, Raging_Robin said:

Fairplay to SL for sticking by his man, when, lets be fair, every man and his dog was calling for his head (myself included).  With the pleasure of hindsight, I can now see what SL was trying to do. In a generation where everything is throw away and replace, SL, LJ and MA have not only been trying to change a squad, they're trying to change an ethos, a work ethic, and a standard of playing throughout the WHOLE club. That is a HUGE task. Huge.  I think we as fans were maybe being a little short-sighted. 

We as a club now have a direction, a way of playing and a direction. I'm not sure why we as fans expect this overnight?  If you want to play for Bristol City now, you must be able to play high pressing attacking football, which includes tracking back. That is now the "Bristol City way".  That is not only the way for the first team, but we have instilled this into our youth teams, right down to the grassroots of this football club. This has also been shown in the buying of players for the development squad. 

We as a club have now got a clear direction and that is exactly what this club needed. We didn't need another 5-minute fix.  

In my opinion, to achieve this in the time frame that he has (with the help of SL, MA AND JM) is an absolutely incredible achievement.  Well done SL for sticking by your beliefs, and please accept my apologies for being sucked into this instant success generation. 

 

 

We're happy to sign players that don't fit the model if we believe them to be talented enough - Eliasson being the obvious example. LJ has said how much they need to coach him to do the defensive stuff. Hopefully without dulling the attacking chops that Johnson saw when he was trying to find a similar player to Anthony Knockhaert.

Knowing how much Pulis likes a defender, he will be delighted if we're trying to instil that discipline into Leko as well.

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10 hours ago, allyolly said:

Genuinely interested to hear opinions from posters who wanted LJ gone last season. I recall some said they would not renew season tickets etc or even step foot in the ground whilst LJ was our manager. Not saying those opinions weren’t justified at all. 

I think my problem with last season was that after being a dogged Lansdown supporter for the first 15 years, I'd reached a point of disillusionment with the constant failure by his own standards .

Id liken it to running a business whereby you bring a new sales director who has a clear remit to achieve something and year after year you fail to not only reach target but also take 1 step forward then maybe 2 back. Also this while other similar sizes businesses seemed to making a better fist of it.

Yes some others are failing as well, but it is dangerous to continually judge yourself by the lower common demonitors.

I have never had a problem with any manger personally and hoped with all my heart that everytime somebody new came in they were a success.

I do get a lityle annoyed by the attitude that it was so obvious that these past 3 months were going to happen and that it was wrong yo criticise or show emotion at any point over the previous 2 seasons. Also slightly irksome that it's obvious Lamdfien knew what he was doing all along. I think he would be the first to admit that his tenure here has not panned out the way he foresaw.

But, as I have posted previously. I could not be more happy for Steve Lansdown if he finally achieved his dream. He deserves it for his dogid perseverance and unwavering passion, which I have never, ever doubted.

 

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I've quite freely admitted that I wanted LJ gone last season but like to think I've also tried to be balanced in my praise of how he has turned it around - much to the apparent annoyance of one or two on here it seems who think it's not ok to change an opinion based upon what's actually happening.  

As I've said before it was LJs platitudes after games and his calling out of individuals and subsequent lack of personal responsibility for what was going wrong that made me so cross and its clear that I wasn't alone. Couple that with him not playing a settled team and you had an apparent perfect storm which I saw no way out of. 

But fair play to him and SL. He seems to have learned and learned quickly and well from his mistakes and he has turned it around fantastically, far far beyond even his biggest supporters thought would happen I would suggest and long may it continue. 

I've kept my season ticket and finances and personal circumstances allowing that would never change even if we were on the Downs, as it's City I support regardless of players and managers and I'd miss the craic with the boys too much. But fair play to those who did. That's their prerogative, and it would be good if people respected that. Let's enjoy these great times we're currently enjoying and hope they continue.  I'll still be extremely happy with a mid table position and anything else is a massive bonus but as always will enjoy the ride! 

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I don't feel the need to justify my feelings last season during our "winter of discontent". Neither will I apologise now.

Having seen so many managers arrive and find it hard to break the mould of a club that has had too many wrong things going on in the background, I saw little difference last season.

However, I could see that the behind the scenes was changing; better recruitment for the Academy, the stadium rebuild, and a change in the way we were recruiting first team players. One or two experienced heads but many more who had real potential to become better players and to take us places.

Thus with a run like we had, I felt a very real sense of frustration, that all these other things were being negated by someone who, in my opinion, was not up to the task. If I had known then, more about the background of a couple or three who were still trying to pull the ship the opposite way to the captain, maybe I would have backed the pilot a bit more.

I seemed to me that we needed a new manager, but I am pleased to admit that LJ has now got things under control. I have a sneaky feeling that Macca has made a big difference but it's LJ's responsibility and so far this season, we are steering a good course. 

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1 hour ago, Fordy62 said:

I’m saying that his sacking would have been wholly justified. He didn’t really have a leg to stand on with regards to keeping his job. We were terrible.

Nothing will ever change my mind that SL should have sacked him, but he didn’t. And  in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t. But if I didn’t stand by my thoughts at the time, my opinions would be worth shit. 

I always said I wanted him to do well and hoped he would. But I also said I didn’t think he was the man to take us forwards. Seemingly the Tomlin effect was much greater than I could have imagined and getting rid of him seems to have been a catalyst in us becoming a much better team - something I would have never believed last year. 

The turn around has been remarkable. LJ has done brilliantly this season. I’m afraid to say I still struggle slightly to listen to his interviews - such are the scars from last season - a little bit like how it took me 2 years to eat Chilli con carne after it was my last meal before norovirus - but I accept that this isn’t particularly reasonable on my part!

Good on LJ. I’m really pleased for him. He’s firmly into credit with me - somewhere I didn’t think he ever get near. And long may it continue.

 

None of us will know what was going on behind the scenes, and whether problems lay with Tomlin, Pemberton or something completely different. SL's advantage was that he could talk to LJ and others, and get their views on what was going wrong and, more importantly, how to fix it.  Remember when John Ward took us into the Championship and then effectively said he didn't know how to fix our poor start (then we ended up with Benny!) I would guess that LJ had a plausible story last year, which made it a more difficult decision for SL whether to twist or stick, when most of us would have chosen to twist

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I thought he would have gone after the Preston dubbing last season which showed signs of some players downing tools. When Rowett was available and we were in that terrible run I would have tried to get him (currently sorting Derby out into a promotion outfit) but obviously glad SL stuck with LJ in the end.

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12 hours ago, reddogkev said:

Plaudits have to be given to Lee for this outstanding start to the season.

When things are going so well, both on and off the pitch, when teams start reaching quarter finals of serious cup competitions, it means the manager is doing a superb job.

Top work Lee, let's hope you can take City onwards and upwards -  firstly to become a feared Championship side, and then push for a spot in the top division.

 

I agree but plaudits have to be given to all of the coaching staff. Yes he deserves credit but so do all the others.

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3 hours ago, Fordy62 said:

I’m saying that his sacking would have been wholly justified. He didn’t really have a leg to stand on with regards to keeping his job. We were terrible.

Nothing will ever change my mind that SL should have sacked him, but he didn’t. And  in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t. But if I didn’t stand by my thoughts at the time, my opinions would be worth shit. 

I always said I wanted him to do well and hoped he would. But I also said I didn’t think he was the man to take us forwards. Seemingly the Tomlin effect was much greater than I could have imagined and getting rid of him seems to have been a catalyst in us becoming a much better team - something I would have never believed last year. 

The turn around has been remarkable. LJ has done brilliantly this season. I’m afraid to say I still struggle slightly to listen to his interviews - such are the scars from last season - a little bit like how it took me 2 years to eat Chilli con carne after it was my last meal before norovirus - but I accept that this isn’t particularly reasonable on my part!

Good on LJ. I’m really pleased for him. He’s firmly into credit with me - somewhere I didn’t think he ever get near. And long may it continue.

 

You’ve only changed your view since I offered you those free shirts. I told you that you could only have them if you converted and joined the Church of the Johnson Lovers ;)

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1 hour ago, robinreliant said:

I agree but plaudits have to be given to all of the coaching staff. Yes he deserves credit but so do all the others.

Seems like the latest backhand way to slightly detract from LJ's achievements. The thread isn't about the coaching staff, it's about Johnson.

Also, Johnson was the one who appointed them so he lives and dies by those appointments.

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6 hours ago, havanatopia said:

I believe i am on record as saying exactly that.. He should go. Then.. Ok so SL is standing by him. The only way he will turn me and plenty others around is top 6. I think I may have said promotion as well... Maybe I know something that not even I know. Is that an inverted oxymoron or just a bunch of interminable hyperbole? Anyway... Lets enjoy it. Feet firmly on the ground and not going anywhere near a hot air balloon anytime soon.

The only way he was gunna turn you around was top 6 or promotion? Seems a little extreme. Considering we've never been into the prem before. 

How about cementing ourselves as a solid championship club first? 

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For me, I sense there are definitely fans waiting for it to go wrong, so they can jump back on LJ. 

The forums and social networks seem a lot quieter now we're doing well, than when we were doing badly. Which is strange.

Definitely a reluctance to like Johnson from quite a few, because they have been proven wrong. Obviously no one will admit to this, but some of the comments above will back this up. 

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