The reason

[RedNight]

I've seen quite a few posters post in disbelief at how quickly fans have turned. 

The problem is, these people hammering Johnson (and I don't mean the ones who are frustrated at form), the ones calling him a clueless clown and questioning his position, are the ones who ferociously went for his kneck last year, with personal attacks. 

And no matter how good Johnson does now, that will always leave a sour taste in their mouths. 

Im sure others can sense smugness in post, that can finally go back to thrashing Johnsons tactics, team selections, substitutions. People are literally buzzing off it! 

These people judgments are so clouded, because of their hate towards Johnson, that they have no perspective. They simply don't recognise how we have progressed and what a damn good season we've had. 

They just saw four months ago we were 2nd, now we're 7th, and that Johnson has supposedly ****** it, without considering all the other variables thst have probably contributed to our turn in form. 

Ofcourse no one will admit to having a sour taste in their mouths regarding last year and being proved wrong. But it's true. 

Lookijg forward to all the rubbish reactions to this, probably those with an agenda against Johnson. 

Anyway, 6 games to go, 1 point off six, fully in the hunt. I'll be backing the club and all those involved till the final day ! You reds! 

[Lrrr]

To be honest I feel it goes further with a lot, seems a lot of the people who don't like Johnson as a manager also didn't like him as a player and still hold that against him. Last season and now once or twice in our recent run I've seen people include something along the lines of 'hopeless as a player and a manager'. What does Lee's career as a player have to do with his ability as a manager, seems people use it as something extra in an attempt to make their point valid instead making themselves out to be a right whopper. 

[Dr Balls]

What worries me about Johnson as a manager is that despite talking the talk, every season he has had a fairly long calamitous run of results, for which he appears to have no understanding or solution, until seemingly fluking a turnaround. Yes the margins in football can be tight, but good managers don't keep having these runs year after year. And until they stop, he & we won't be truly successful.

[fRed]

Runs in the family.

[Guest]

and then there are those who believe he has some clue what he`s doing; and think the players and management are actually trying to get the club promoted this season. The last transfer window proves how much we are going for it, bringing in players who I`ve never even heard of and LJ bringing out the same old same old...we go again next time, we need the fans support, it wasn`t me it was them....blah de blah.

Players who played and beat Man Utd and gave Man City a run for there money are dropped/benched and newbies are played, which must surely upset the apple cart. No-one apart from some fans believe or care if we go up this season, everything is just too cosy as we are for now.

[swanker]

8 hours ago, RedNight said:

Anyway, 6 games to go, 1 point off six, fully in the hunt. I'll be backing the club and all those involved till the final day ! You reds! 

I don’t care who manager and I don’t think Johnson has done a bad job.  What I don’t like is the way we’ve thrown in the towel. Since Christmas we’ve been terrible at times and Monday was as bad as it gets. To think we’re still in with a shout for the playoffs is a joke. Millwall are a team who are going for it and we’ll see on Saturday just  who deserves a top six finish. 

At the moment I’m not confident we’ve got it in us to get results against Brum or Hull. 

[View from the Dolman]

1 hour ago, Bri Stool City said:

The last transfer window proves how much we are going for it, bringing in players who I`ve never even heard of

Huddersfield weren't going for it last January then when they signed Collin Quaner for a small fee and a loanee with an ok half-season loan in the Championship. 

Doubt too many Huddersfield fans knew Quaner...

[ScottishRed]

1 hour ago, Bri Stool City said:

and then there are those who believe he has some clue what he`s doing; and think the players and management are actually trying to get the club promoted this season. The last transfer window proves how much we are going for it, bringing in players who I`ve never even heard of and LJ bringing out the same old same old...we go again next time, we need the fans support, it wasn`t me it was them....blah de blah.

Players who played and beat Man Utd and gave Man City a run for there money are dropped/benched and newbies are played, which must surely upset the apple cart. No-one apart from some fans believe or care if we go up this season, everything is just too cosy as we are for now.

"Cosy" is exactly the word.

When the owner allegedly applauded the players off the field on Monday you know all you need to know about the attitude and expectations around the club.

I feel the club, and a lot on here, are comfortable with the way things are and are scared of the PL.

I am afraid that we may be stuck with this for quite some time.

Its a dangerous game to play, we are are not going to get 22k every second week supporting a club that shows no ambition.

[And Its Smith]

1 hour ago, Bri Stool City said:

and then there are those who believe he has some clue what he`s doing; and think the players and management are actually trying to get the club promoted this season. The last transfer window proves how much we are going for it, bringing in players who I`ve never even heard of and LJ bringing out the same old same old...we go again next time, we need the fans support, it wasn`t me it was them....blah de blah.

Players who played and beat Man Utd and gave Man City a run for there money are dropped/benched and newbies are played, which must surely upset the apple cart. No-one apart from some fans believe or care if we go up this season, everything is just too cosy as we are for now.

Should they consult you before signing someone?  Doubt you had heard of O'Dowda, Diedhiou, Pisano or Brownhill either.  

[Robbored]

1 hour ago, Bri Stool City said:

and then there are those who believe he has some clue what he`s doing; and think the players and management are actually trying to get the club promoted this season. The last transfer window proves how much we are going for it, bringing in players who I`ve never even heard of and LJ bringing out the same old same old...we go again next time, we need the fans support, it wasn`t me it was them....blah de blah.

Players who played and beat Man Utd and gave Man City a run for there money are dropped/benched and newbies are played, which must surely upset the apple cart. No-one apart from some fans believe or care if we go up this season, everything is just too cosy as we are for now.

Yet another poster who just doesn't uunderstand what the long term strategy is at AG..

[old_eastender]

Dear me, it seems the only defence of LJs inadequacies is to:

a) Refer to how grateful we should be that we are still in the hunt for the play-offs, conveniently overlooking how poor our league form has been in 2018 compared to first half of the season and how LJs odd selections, poor tactics and woeful use of subs have contributed to that poor run -  From the strong 2nd place we were in at the turn of the year it has been a disaster that we are not at least comfortably in a play-off position. 

b) Refer to all people criticising LJ as not true fans, who are rubbing their hands with glee that it's all gone wrong because they wanted LJ to fail. Utter drivel, true many fans didn't want him appointed in the first place, true many more fans (I'm one of them) wanted him sacked as he presiding over our record breaking losing run last season, true many fans have lost faith in him after this current poor run. False,  I don't believe even the most ardent LJ "haters" (to use the term used by his "lovers"), want City to fail. We all crave success, at the turn of year we all thought we were in with a real chance of  achieving the impossible dream but it's been blown away and LJ is culpable. Yes I know we still have 6 games to go but seriously after the last few inept performances does anyone believe we will scrape into the play-offs, finishing 11th is more likely.

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Yet another poster who just doesn't uunderstand what the long term strategy is at AG..

oh yes I do, its to go forever around in circles, building pillars, and ripping its clients off. Not daring to go for it, i.e being in the best position with a real chance of doing something and.......we sign 3 no-bodies who are really likely to move us forward...not.

We will be for-ever the nearly club, scared of our own shadow.

[Andy082005]

10 hours ago, RedNight said:

I've seen quite a few posters post in disbelief at how quickly fans have turned. 

The problem is, these people hammering Johnson (and I don't mean the ones who are frustrated at form), the ones calling him a clueless clown and questioning his position, are the ones who ferociously went for his kneck last year, with personal attacks. 

And no matter how good Johnson does now, that will always leave a sour taste in their mouths. 

Im sure others can sense smugness in post, that can finally go back to thrashing Johnsons tactics, team selections, substitutions. People are literally buzzing off it! 

These people judgments are so clouded, because of their hate towards Johnson, that they have no perspective. They simply don't recognise how we have progressed and what a damn good season we've had. 

They just saw four months ago we were 2nd, now we're 7th, and that Johnson has supposedly ****** it, without considering all the other variables thst have probably contributed to our turn in form. 

Ofcourse no one will admit to having a sour taste in their mouths regarding last year and being proved wrong. But it's true. 

Lookijg forward to all the rubbish reactions to this, probably those with an agenda against Johnson. 

Anyway, 6 games to go, 1 point off six, fully in the hunt. I'll be backing the club and all those involved till the final day ! You reds! 

Ok, I'll stick my head above the parapet here....as I am sure I am one of the posters you are referring to

I cannot speak for everyone who criticises Johnson on this forum, I can only speak for myself.  Firstly, I have nothing personal against LJ, and contrary to public belief....I am not 'buzzing' because 'I can finally go back to thrashing his tactics and selections'. I will start by giving the guy credit.  It got to December time, we were playing some fantastic stuff and I genuinely thought, as a coach and a set of players, we had started to mature. 

Since then, I am, like everyone, disappointed and frustrated at how this season is panning out.  Yes...we are still 7th, however the run of form we are on, and more importantly...the performances we have been turning in....are alarming to say the least.  If we are brutally honest....its not far off relegation form.  I really thought Johnson and his staff had learnt from mistakes made last season, however the last 3 months is starting to say otherwise

With  regards his selections, tactics and subs....we have every right to criticise them as some of them have been diabolical.  I am  not talking about selections that in hindsight, we think "ahh that may have been a better option".  I'm talking about decisions like...to name a couple....  starting Diony vs Cardiff, which completely changed the way we play, and of course deciding to start Walsh and Kent against Brentford, when one is clearly not ready for Championship football  and the other is just not 'right' for our style.  I stand by what I said before, I believe a lot of the success he had before Christmas was down to the fact we had so many injuries...and he could not tinker! He tries to get to clever, rotate things about...and it complete upsets the balance of the team and our performances suffer

These runs of bad form he keeps going on concerns me.  It happened at Barnsley, and its now happened twice here.  These are not just a few games where we have a blip, these are runs of form that mirror relegation form. How many times can we say " he will learn from this".  I have often thought as a group of players we have a soft underbelly, and we are weak mentally.  His latest comments about "needing to be loved or they will go under"....I find staggering.  It is his job to prepare his players for when they get on that pitch...both physically and mentally....and if they "need to be loved" as he puts it...then that says to me that they are weak mentally.  None of these players will kick on and make it in the Prem if they are struggling to deal with the pressure they are under now.  

A lot of my current frustrations to be fair revolve around the club, not just Johnson. The way we have thrown the towel in as a club since January is so disappointing.  The January transfer window was shocking, and we really missed an opportunity. At the time many fans questioned our January transfer window....and to be fair, its been proven they had every right to. We were in such a fantastic position and we have all but let it slip. It frustrates me when people talk about it being a tough league and we are competing with bigger clubs with bigger budgets.  That may be true but teams like Preston, Millwall and Sheffield United all have smaller budgets then us...and I actually believe we will finish below all three come the end of the season

Back to the point of LJ.  I  will try to look at it a bit more from yours and others perspective and that is, if you take in to account league position...we have progressed since last year.  For me though, the progress, confidence and momentum built up from before Christmas is all but gone and is a distant memory.....and as we come to the end of the season and build for another season in the Championship, I don't have any confidence that Johnson or these players have learnt from the mistakes made last season, and again this season.  

We are not mentally strong enough to become a top 6 team, and as a coach that is LJ's job to coach the players mentally and I dont think he has the attributes to turn that round.  I really don't see any difference next season.  I know I will get abused with comments like "oh you own a crystal ball do you?" or "do you have the lottery numbers to?".....but I really can see us scrapping at the wrong end of the table again next season

Again, contrary to belief....I don't 'love it' when the wheels come off.  I do not want Johnson to fail.    I can honestly say I would love this to end up as another "Robbored/Gary Johnson" situation....where in years to come people constantly remind me of how wrong I was.  Fingers crossed

 

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, RedDave said:

Should they consult you before signing someone?  Doubt you had heard of O'Dowda, Diedhiou, Pisano or Brownhill either.  

No but how much longer are we signing folk..."for the future"? when exactly will the future arrive?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Andy082005 said:

Ok, I'll stick my head above the parapet here....as I am sure I am one of the posters you are referring to

I cannot speak for everyone who criticises Johnson on this forum, I can only speak for myself.  Firstly, I have nothing personal against LJ, and contrary to public belief....I am not 'buzzing' because 'I can finally go back to thrashing his tactics and selections'. I will start by giving the guy credit.  It got to December time, we were playing some fantastic stuff and I genuinely thought, as a coach and a set of players, we had started to mature. 

Since then, I am, like everyone, disappointed and frustrated at how this season is panning out.  Yes...we are still 7th, however the run of form we are on, and more importantly...the performances we have been turning in....are alarming to say the least.  If we are brutally honest....its not far off relegation form.  I really thought Johnson and his staff had learnt from mistakes made last season, however the last 3 months is starting to say otherwise

With  regards his selections, tactics and subs....we have every right to criticise them as some of them have been diabolical.  I am  not talking about selections that in hindsight, we think "ahh that may have been a better option".  I'm talking about decisions like...to name a couple....  starting Diony vs Cardiff, which completely changed the way we play, and of course deciding to start Walsh and Kent against Brentford, when one is clearly not ready for Championship football  and the other is just not 'right' for our style.  I stand by what I said before, I believe a lot of the success he had before Christmas was down to the fact we had so many injuries...and he could not tinker! He tries to get to clever, rotate things about...and it complete upsets the balance of the team and our performances suffer

These runs of bad form he keeps going on concerns me.  It happened at Barnsley, and its now happened twice here.  These are not just a few games where we have a blip, these are runs of form that mirror relegation form. How many times can we say " he will learn from this".  I have often thought as a group of players we have a soft underbelly, and we are weak mentally.  His latest comments about "needing to be loved or they will go under"....I find staggering.  It is his job to prepare his players for when they get on that pitch...both physically and mentally....and if they "need to be loved" as he puts it...then that says to me that they are weak mentally.  None of these players will kick on and make it in the Prem if they are struggling to deal with the pressure they are under now.  

A lot of my current frustrations to be fair revolve around the club, not just Johnson. The way we have thrown the towel in as a club since January is so disappointing.  The January transfer window was shocking, and we really missed an opportunity. At the time many fans questioned our January transfer window....and to be fair, its been proven they had every right to. We were in such a fantastic position and we have all but let it slip. It frustrates me when people talk about it being a tough league and we are competing with bigger clubs with bigger budgets.  That may be true but teams like Preston, Millwall and Sheffield United all have smaller budgets then us...and I actually believe we will finish below all three come the end of the season

Back to the point of LJ.  I  will try to look at it a bit more from yours and others perspective and that is, if you take in to account league position...we have progressed since last year.  For me though, the progress, confidence and momentum built up from before Christmas is all but gone and is a distant memory.....and as we come to the end of the season and build for another season in the Championship, I don't have any confidence that Johnson or these players have learnt from the mistakes made last season, and again this season.  

We are not mentally strong enough to become a top 6 team, and as a coach that is LJ's job to coach the players mentally and I dont think he has the attributes to turn that round.  I really don't see any difference next season.  I know I will get abused with comments like "oh you own a crystal ball do you?" or "do you have the lottery numbers to?".....but I really can see us scrapping at the wrong end of the table again next season

Again, contrary to belief....I don't 'love it' when the wheels come off.  I do not want Johnson to fail.    I can honestly say I would love this to end up as another "Robbored/Gary Johnson" situation....where in years to come people constantly remind me of how wrong I was.  Fingers crossed

 

 

Need to be loved...that's funny.....they need money and a long contract...nothing else

[Robbored]

58 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

 

b) Refer to all people criticising LJ as not true fans, who are rubbing their hands with glee that it's all gone wrong because they wanted LJ to fail. Utter drivel, true many fans didn't want him appointed in the first place, true many more fans (I'm one of them) wanted him sacked as he presiding over our record breaking losing run last season, true many fans have lost faith in him after this current poor run. False,  I don't believe even the most ardent LJ "haters" (to use the term used by his "lovers"), want City to fail. We all crave success, at the turn of year we all thought we were in with a real chance of  achieving the impossible dream but it's been blown away and LJ is culpable. Yes I know we still have 6 games to go but seriously after the last few inept performances does anyone believe we will scrape into the play-offs, finishing 11th is more likely.

Impatience OE and pointing the finger at LJ who despite a horrendous injury list got us high up in the Championship only for our form to dip subsequently. Even now with 18 points up for grabs City are just one point off the pray-offs. A pretty good season overall even if we miss out on the pray-offs.

If you see LJ as culpable for said dip you must give him huge credit to him for getting up near the top of the Championship in the first place.

The only time LJ has got it completely wrong was against Brentford. He selected a team to counter their way of playing - wrong! 

Leaving Pack on the bench and playing Wright at LB were two very reckless errors. He subbed Wright who got booed off - poor bugger and brought on the left footed Kelly and post match said he'd made the change because he wanted natural left sided player.........

Apart from that I can't remember any other game when he got it so badly wrong so overall I reckon LJ has done a decent job, turning us around from a relegation bound outfit to a promotion candidate in around 18/12. 

 

[Redmycolour]

11 hours ago, RedNight said:

I've seen quite a few posters post in disbelief at how quickly fans have turned. 

The problem is, these people hammering Johnson (and I don't mean the ones who are frustrated at form), the ones calling him a clueless clown and questioning his position, are the ones who ferociously went for his kneck last year, with personal attacks. 

And no matter how good Johnson does now, that will always leave a sour taste in their mouths. 

Im sure others can sense smugness in post, that can finally go back to thrashing Johnsons tactics, team selections, substitutions. People are literally buzzing off it! 

These people judgments are so clouded, because of their hate towards Johnson, that they have no perspective. They simply don't recognise how we have progressed and what a damn good season we've had. 

They just saw four months ago we were 2nd, now we're 7th, and that Johnson has supposedly ****** it, without considering all the other variables thst have probably contributed to our turn in form. 

Ofcourse no one will admit to having a sour taste in their mouths regarding last year and being proved wrong. But it's true. 

Lookijg forward to all the rubbish reactions to this, probably those with an agenda against Johnson. 

Anyway, 6 games to go, 1 point off six, fully in the hunt. I'll be backing the club and all those involved till the final day ! You reds! 

I will back the team 100%. But not JOHNSON, clueless, got a plan A, but not plan B, 

[AshtonGreat]

2 hours ago, Robbored said:

Yet another poster who just doesn't uunderstand what the long term strategy is at AG..

What is the long-term strategy? Does it include playing underwhelming football for half a season? And having a bunch of useless strikers who sit on the bench every week?

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

1 hour ago, old_eastender said:

Dear me, it seems the only defence of LJs inadequacies is to:

a) Refer to how grateful we should be that we are still in the hunt for the play-offs, conveniently overlooking how poor our league form has been in 2018 compared to first half of the season and how LJs odd selections, poor tactics and woeful use of subs have contributed to that poor run -  From the strong 2nd place we were in at the turn of the year it has been a disaster that we are not at least comfortably in a play-off position. 

b) Refer to all people criticising LJ as not true fans, who are rubbing their hands with glee that it's all gone wrong because they wanted LJ to fail. Utter drivel, true many fans didn't want him appointed in the first place, true many more fans (I'm one of them) wanted him sacked as he presiding over our record breaking losing run last season, true many fans have lost faith in him after this current poor run. False,  I don't believe even the most ardent LJ "haters" (to use the term used by his "lovers"), want City to fail. We all crave success, at the turn of year we all thought we were in with a real chance of  achieving the impossible dream but it's been blown away and LJ is culpable. Yes I know we still have 6 games to go but seriously after the last few inept performances does anyone believe we will scrape into the play-offs, finishing 11th is more likely.

Very poor post mate.  We were always going to struggle in the new year with our fixture overload and our injury list.  The fact that we’re still in the hunt for the play-offs is a huge credit to the whole club.  If success was so easy, wouldn’t everyone be successful?

You clearly do have an agenda against Johnson, as do many others on OTIB (but then many fans had an agenda against him as a player).  There are undoubtedly people on this forum who want him to fail, and who must be frustrated that we’re still in the hunt.  As far as i’m concerned, it’s been a fantastic season, and it’s not over yet.

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

24 minutes ago, Redmycolour said:

I will back the team 100%. But not JOHNSON, clueless, got a plan A, but not plan B, 

And yet we’re a point off the play-offs.  Funny old world, eh?

[And Its Smith]

1 hour ago, Bri Stool City said:

No but how much longer are we signing folk..."for the future"? when exactly will the future arrive?

Shall we scrap the youth system then?

People who slag off the signing of Taylor Moore wind me up.  Either not bright enough to understand the signing or purposely pretending not to understand it in order to moan

[old_eastender]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

Impatience OE and pointing the finger at LJ who despite a horrendous injury list got us high up in the Championship only for our form to dip subsequently. Even now with 18 points up for grabs City are just one point off the pray-offs. A pretty good season overall even if we miss out on the pray-offs.

If you see LJ as culpable for said dip you must give him huge credit to him for getting up near the top of the Championship in the first place.

The only time LJ has got it completely wrong was against Brentford. He selected a team to counter their way of playing - wrong! 

Leaving Pack on the bench and playing Wright at LB were two very reckless errors. He subbed Wright who got booed off - poor bugger and brought on the left footed Kelly and post match said he'd made the change because he wanted natural left sided player.........

Apart from that I can't remember any other game when he got it so badly wrong so overall I reckon LJ has done a decent job, turning us around from a relegation bound outfit to a promotion candidate in around 18/12. 

 

You seem to have forgotten Cardiff Away, where he again picked a team to counter them that went horribly wrong. Not to mention Sunderland home, where at his own admission his half-time subs resulted in us blowing our 3-0 lead, Leeds away where he failed to make subs until too late and we blew a 2-0 lead. Bolton away, where instead of simply playing Mags in place of Suspended Baker, he dicked around moving Wright into CB and wasting Korey at RB when we badly needed him in CM... I could go on with more examples but won't.

Yes I do give LJ huge credit for what he achieved up to the New Year in the league, equally I gave him huge discredit for what he has done in the league since! That is a balanced view, not an LJ "hater" view  but also not a "LJ can do almost no wrong" view. 

 

[Gert Mare]

To put the record straight for the glass half full happy clappers:-

Not everyone who moans hates Lee Johnson (It could be any current manager)

There is no “smugness” when what you have seen coming for a long time actually materialises, just a huge amount of frustration and anger, accompanied by annoyance of those who tried rubbishing what you are saying and who insinuate that you know nothing about the game - How would anyone know what experience any poster had? They might be an ex player or an ex coach? They may have been involved in the game for over 40/50 years? Or they might just be a 14 or 15 year old who has never even played the game and just believes any old tripe?

The reason definitely needs some sort of explanation.

I heard many people (mostly fans of another local club) say back in December how the bubble will burst with the cup run....and they were correct.

Every extended break we have come back lethargic and disinterested - why?

Why the sudden inexplicable collapse in form? What has changed? 

Why, when everyone could see that the squad needed strengthening in January did we take gambles.....Diony for example hadn’t scored a single goal this season and we needed goals. The stats glaringly showed loss of form and confidence so why punt with so much at stake?

Why didn’t we get right back cover? BW hasn’t been able to cope back there, we lost games by dragging Korey Smith out of the midfield to play there and there was no guarantee that Pisano was going to make it back firing on all cylinders, so why didn’t we strengthen? Why?

Why did we drop a young lad from our academy who put in a MOM performance and has done really well since coming in and who can only get better? Why?

Why when Lee Johnson went on TV openly discussing our “high press” game and subsequently being found out is unable to change to plan B, plan C or plan D for that matter? Why?

Why go to Cardiff and abandon any sort of game in an attempt to just match their dirty tactics? Why?

Why run down the clock with tika taka football, sometimes dangerously surrendering possession, whilst struggling to get behind defences and registering few shots on target? Why? Possession doesn’t win games, goals win games.

Why the constant Long throws? 

Why the same old “Hit Flint at the back stick” free kicks?

Why drop the only playmakers for inexperienced youngsters? Why?

Why have a young winger on the bench who we paid nearly 2 Million for and never play sit there watching another loaned youngster fail week in week out to deliver anything yet remain benched? 

Why did we never give Engvall a chance?

Why are there no leaders on the pitch when we do so much homework on the DNA side?

Why some of the worst performances ever seen after some of the best? Burton, Barnsley and now Brentford?

Why aren’t the players busting a gut for the playoffs? This isn’t just fans criticism, this is experienced professionals and commentators whose comments on Monday were as embarrassing as the performance we were subjected to?

Why after all of this do the fans get told to shut up and cheer wildly as the players just go through the motions regardless without any fight? Why?

People who criticise do care. Let’s get that straight.

Why is it when players earn more in a couple of weeks that most people earn in a year and then serve up the shite we were delivered on Monday with fans having spent not a small amount of money on a Bank Holiday are we expected to “show a bit of love”? Do me a favour.

I might just do a shit job myself tomorrow and when my boss angrily calls me in to give me a warning I will tell him that I just need to “feel some love”....let’s see how we get on with that one shall we? Perhaps he will send me to Dubai for a few days?

Need to toughen up City, need to roll the sleeves up and dig in. Just 6 games to go and every single one of them is a cup final.

Give the fans a reason to cheer and then those boos will soon disappear.

 

 

[Super]

I don't have a problem with LJ but jeez me really makes some ridiculous decisions at times. Monday was a shambles it was obvious to everyone that we were getting destroyed in the middle of the park and needed an extra body and not 2 up front and yet he never changed it. Worrying.

[Robbored]

2 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

You seem to have forgotten Cardiff Away, where he again picked a team to counter them that went horribly wrong. Not to mention Sunderland home, where at his own admission his half-time subs resulted in us blowing our 3-0 lead, Leeds away where he failed to make subs until too late and we blew a 2-0 lead. Bolton away, where instead of simply playing Mags in place of Suspended Baker, he dicked around moving Wright into CB and wasting Korey at RB when we badly needed him in CM... I could go on with more examples but won't.

Yes I do give LJ huge credit for what he achieved up to the New Year in the league, equally I gave him huge discredit for what he has done in the league since! That is a balanced view, not an LJ "hater" view  but also not a "LJ can do almost no wrong" view. 

 

I had forgotten Cardiff............... Yep, that was another error.

As for Sunderland - that was arrogance on the part of three or four players who thought the game was won and started showboating to cries of 'ole' from the fans and it went tits up...............

Cant blame LJ for the cockiness of some of his players.

Playing Smith at RB was a dodgy decision because his presence in midfield was badly missed but LJ obviously didn't trust Vyner before eventually putting Wright there. He obviously didn't feel he had any other choice.

Once again the lengthy injury list has had a real impact.

[Mr Popodopolous]

21 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

You seem to have forgotten Cardiff Away, where he again picked a team to counter them that went horribly wrong. Not to mention Sunderland home, where at his own admission his half-time subs resulted in us blowing our 3-0 lead, Leeds away where he failed to make subs until too late and we blew a 2-0 lead. Bolton away, where instead of simply playing Mags in place of Suspended Baker, he dicked around moving Wright into CB and wasting Korey at RB when we badly needed him in CM... I could go on with more examples but won't.

Yes I do give LJ huge credit for what he achieved up to the New Year in the league, equally I gave him huge discredit for what he has done in the league since! That is a balanced view, not an LJ "hater" view  but also not a "LJ can do almost no wrong" view. 

 

Cardiff away he picked a team to counter them- and a setup to counter them. Not a terrible idea in itself- but he compounded the gamble by picking the wrong players and the wrong shape to counter them. In short, if he wanted to counter them he should have matched up with a 4-3-3 IMO.

[Major Isewater]

10 hours ago, fRed said:

Runs in the family.

Cowards run in my family .

[Jack Dawe]

10 hours ago, Dr Balls said:

What worries me about Johnson as a manager is that despite talking the talk, every season he has had a fairly long calamitous run of results, for which he appears to have no understanding or solution, until seemingly fluking a turnaround. Yes the margins in football can be tight, but good managers don't keep having these runs year after year. And until they stop, he & we won't be truly successful.

I don't think he "fluked" the turnaround last season. I think he persevered too long with toxic Tomlin, was too indecisive, gave him too many chances, tried too long to make our record signing work/not a flop, thought he had the "emotional intelligence" to manage a gifted tw*t but was forced to concede Tomlin was beyond his abilities, then when he finally gave up on him and used Taylor and team work and togetherness - no one bigger than the team/club and all that - we flourished.

 

[BobBobSuperBob]

Just now, Jack Dawe said:

I don't think he "fluked" the turnaround last season. I think he persevered too long with toxic Tomlin, was too indecisive, gave him too many chances, tried too long to make our record signing work/not a flop, thought he had the "emotional intelligence" to manage a gifted tw*t but was forced to concede Tomlin was beyond his abilities, then when he finally gave up on him and used Taylor and team work and togetherness - no one bigger than the team/club and all that - we flourished.

 

Post Preston Tomlin was a done dish

After the closed doors / no holds barred ’meeting’ betweeen players and staff

Who ousted Tomlin

LJ or the rest of the squad ?

[Mr Popodopolous]

Just now, JonDolman said:

Should be playing 433/4141 more often. We struggle against teams with an extra man in midfield. If we play like we did against fulham every game, then this bad run wouldn't have happened imo

Agreed with that- I think our form would have dipped but perhaps not quite this badly!

Barnsley played a 4-3-3 on Good Friday- and for all our possession, they out muscled us, were physical against us time after time, after time. Play a 4-3-3 and we could have matched them better in this sense, gained a greater foothold- and then our superior quality may well have come to the fore. (No guarantees though- never are for most sides).