Johnson Final Appearance on Radio Bristol for 17/18

[BobBobSuperBob]

8 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Interesting.

Why Bob, should the club push for him to be a CB when he already looks comfortable, even at times accomplished, at LB?

He's going to have to beef up considerably - no doubt he will - but also get far more aggressive in his play to succeed in the Championship at CB imo.

Fair point / question Nogs

My answer (If I was Head Coach) would be

a) that the signs of class / ability and his strengths / build / athleticism he has  Will suit him more in future as a Centre Half  than a LB

b) Generally I’d suggest if you have a talent - he’s likely to benefit / contribute / influence more as a Centre Half than a Left Back

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by BobBobSuperBob

[Wolf Island]

43 minutes ago, havanatopia said:

Openly blaming 'a number of players' , 'already gone on holiday' , 'summer of recruitment will be very exciting'  , 'bound to be recruitment on and off the pitch' .

Not convinced anymore myself.

All just hot air and media spin. Results are what matter and they have been appalling. As I have said on other threads and mostly get slated by the happy clapper brigade - LJ is a good times manager and when results and confidence start to go he has nothing in his character to bring it back. Add to that his reluctance to have strong and senior voices in the dressing room, and a very hit and miss recruitment policy and I genuinely believe we could be relegated next year unless he goes. Worrying times to be a City fan. 

[DaveInSA]

3 minutes ago, Ser Davos Ciderworth said:

All just hot air and media spin. Results are what matter and they have been appalling. As I have said on other threads and mostly get slated by the happy clapper brigade - LJ is a good times manager and when results and confidence start to go he has nothing in his character to bring it back. Add to that his reluctance to have strong and senior voices in the dressing room, and a very hit and miss recruitment policy and I genuinely believe we could be relegated next year unless he goes. Worrying times to be a City fan. 

Exactly this.

Runs from the top. Lansdown wants a yes man in the job. It therefore follows that your coach also wants yes men in the team.

[havanatopia]

23 minutes ago, DaveInSA said:

Exactly this.

Runs from the top. Lansdown wants a yes man in the job. It therefore follows that your coach also wants yes men in the team.

Although he says in that interview he wants leaders; he is all the over place frankly and to coin a phrase from Monty Python 'he makes it up as he goes along'.

Edited May 6, 2018 by havanatopia

[Pickle Rick]

Skims through thread....

BIG YAWN

Edited May 6, 2018 by Captain Hindsight

[BS4 on Tour...]

52 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

LJ also mentioned the need to recruit leaders, ‘some steel’ and communicators.

 

Gary O’Neil?

[Red Exile]

Just now, havanatopia said:

Although he says in that interview he wants leaders; he is all over place frankly and to coin a phrase from Monty Python 'he makes it up as he goes along'.

I think you're right...I'd go further and suggest that the whole 'project' thing is made up as it goes along...and its apologists try to find some logic in it as it takes every twist and turn. I don't think Lansdown has any more idea what he's doing than Johnson. 

[Nogbad the Bad]

4 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Fair point / question Nogs

My answer (If I was Head Coach) would be

a) that the signs of class / ability and his strengths / build / athleticism he has  Will suit him more in future as a Centre Half  than a LB

b) Generally I’d suggest if you have a talent - he’s likely to benefit / contribute / influence more as a Centre Half than a Left Back

 

Fair enough Bob.

If we sell Bryan though would you give Kelly the first opportunity to replace him at LB - where he's looked promising - or would you sign a new left back?

He's not going to start at CB presumably, so the other option is he toughens up out on loan with, presumably, the proviso they play him at CB.

The problem there for me would be he looks like he may well be ready to play LB for us and we'd have the added benefit of being able to use the Bryan/Reid etc. money more productively elsewhere.

 

[RobintheRed Red]

Biggest bullshitting manual manipulator weve ever had but unfortunately unsackable

[Major Isewater]

He mentioned ' trimming ' the squad.

So we are going to run with less first teamers and have more Development players coming in to cover perhaps .

 

[BobBobSuperBob]

15 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Fair enough Bob.

If we sell Bryan though would you give Kelly the first opportunity to replace him at LB - where he's looked promising - or would you sign a new left back?

He's not going to start at CB presumably, so the other option is he toughens up out on loan with, presumably, the proviso they play him at CB.

The problem there for me would be he looks like he may well be ready to play LB for us and we'd have the added benefit of being able to use the Bryan/Reid etc. money more productively elsewhere.

 

On today’s showing I’d use him as a left back but look to develop him at CH for periods when opportunities arise and Carabao Cup etc - LB more forgiving and more likely to get away with mistakes whilst learning , there , than CH  IMHO

We could yet find out he’s not suited to Centre Half but if he sharpens up / gets wiser I think he has the potential to be a Class left sided Rio Ferdinand type Centre Half - if that happened , as  a left sided Centre Half - what would he be worth !!!!!!

If he is a quick learner and wises up to the demands of Championship Football I Think he’s got enough about him , and there some signs that he could be a first pick centre half before the end of next season)

(I know that sounds crazy after today but my genuine belief)

 

Think he’d be perfect on LHS of 3 centre halves if we were tempted to play that way 

Young , talented but understandably not too street wise at Championship Levels (Two experienced heads in Sharpe and Clarke bossed him totally) and a bit of a reality check from some on here thinking we can play Vyner and Kelly as Centre Backs next season (We’d be relegated by March) 

Ive said in last couple of weeks that to rely even on Kelly as a first pick centre half next season would be crazy and unfair upon Kelly himself

A year of gradual integration for me

Vyner has done well at Plymouth but had a dodgy game yesterday by all accounts and is behind Kelly in perceived talent and progression atm

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by BobBobSuperBob

[RidgeRed]

33 minutes ago, Red Exile said:

I heard that - made me laugh out loud - has he only just noticed that we've been missing all three? Feeble interview from a much diminished figure...all bluff and bluster. He knows he won't lose his job...but he also surely knows that he hasn't had a clue how to replicate our early season form, and that most of the people in the stands can see that. I feel sorry for the bloke...but not as sorry as I feel for our club right now, best opportunity in years thrown away. You have to wonder what goes through SL's head in trusting the whole 'project' to such a wet-behind-the-ears rookie, unfathomable...

Totally agree Red Ex bar the bit about wet behind the ears. Five years as a Head Coach/Manager. For me he just hasn't got what it takes to get beyond a middling, muddling level. Too much coaching theory.

[havanatopia]

3 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

He mentioned ' trimming ' the squad.

So we are going to run with less first teamers and have more Development players coming in to cover perhaps .

 

I must have missed that bit; did he for real? Wow. So he brings in 30+ players and now he is ready to trim his own fat. I have heard it all now.

Your second point sounds ominously like a plan for League 1.

[BobBobSuperBob]

6 minutes ago, havanatopia said:

I must have missed that bit; did he for real? Wow. So he brings in 30+ players and now he is ready to trim his own fat. I have heard it all now.

Your second point sounds ominously like a plan for League 1.

He also said , with a giggle, how ‘exciting’ it was going to be ‘keeping the best of what we have and adding to it’

 

‘keeping the best of what we have’

How that equates to potentially losing Reid / Flint / Bryan etc is quite beyond me btw

Maybe He means keeping Engvall Eliasson and Walsh 

More and more he reminds me of someone playing Football Manager on a PC 

Edited May 6, 2018 by BobBobSuperBob

[swanker]

1 hour ago, ZiderMeUp said:

What is more beneficial today, the result, or giving a young player minutes against a good side in what is basically a friendly. Yes he made mistakes, but the coaching staff can now see areas of weakness in his game they can work on with him. If he takes on board the advice and works on these things to improve, its great for us and him in the long run.

Weakness in his game? That was men against boys out there and Clarke made mince meat of him. It was embarrassing. Judging on that display he ain’t no centre back!

[Phileas Fogg]

7 minutes ago, swanker said:

Weakness in his game? That was men against boys out there and Clarke made mince meat of him. It was embarrassing. Judging on that display he ain’t no centre back!

Annoyed I’ve felt the need to bite but he’s a kid who’s played a handful of first team games. Leon Clarke is a seasoned wily pro.

That’s not the final version of Lloyd Kelly and he’ll learn from today. Anyone can see he’s got things to improve on and also to fill out physically. Give him a break. Anyone who understands the game can see he’s clearly got lots of potential.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Phileas Fogg

[BobBobSuperBob]

2 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Annoyed i’ve felt the need to bite but he’s a kid who’s played a handful of academy games. Leon Clarke is a seasoned wily pro.

That’s not the final version of Lloyd Kelly and he’ll learn from today. Anyone can see he’s got things to improve on and also to fill out physically. Give him a break. Anyone who understands the game can see he’s clearly got lots of potential.

Totally agree

I advocated playing him at CH but in retrospect , with Sharpe and Clarke upmfront for them it maybe wasn’t the ideal opponents

He will have learnt (And some very harsh lessons which were punished) more in 45 mins at CH today 5han he would in 20 games for the academy

[havanatopia]

8 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

He also said , with a giggle, how ‘exciting’ it was going to be ‘keeping the best of what we have and adding to it’

 

‘keeping the best of what we have’

How that equates to potentially losing Reid / Flint / Bryan etc is quite beyond me btw

Maybe He means keeping Engvall Eliasson and Walsh 

More and more he reminds me of someone playing Football Manager on a PC 

Well, there is a growing argument around his overuse of theory, stats and grass lengths. Perhaps he does need to go and see Warnock who will promptly tell him to tell his players to get the f--k stuck in and take no prisoners and put players where they do best. I guess that is way too simple for LJ.

I did hear the giggle bit !!

[Tin Soldier]

LK is one (and very few) of our hopes for next season IMO. Clarke is a well proven pro.

[Phileas Fogg]

Just now, BobBobSuperBob said:

Totally agree

I advocated playing him at CH but in retrospect , with Sharpe and Clarke upmfront for them it maybe wasn’t the ideal opponents

He will have learnt (And some very harsh lessons which were punished) more in 45 mins at CH today 5han he would in 20 games for the academy

Exactly. He just needs time. He’s clearly got lots of great attributes and within a couple of years will have filled out lots more. Physically and athletically he reminds me a bit of Tyrone Mings.

- Meant ‘first team games’ not ‘academy games’ in my post and have since edited!

[bearded_red]

10 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

More and more he reminds me of someone playing Football Manager on a PC 

Always enjoy reading your posts @BobBobSuperBob but as someone who plays Football Manager on PC I’m offended by any comparison with Lee Johnson!

[chinapig]

1 hour ago, Bri Stool City said:

Can fans not see its same old, same old; "we clear out in summer and go again" "a few tweaks at xmas" "fine lines"  then LJ sends his side kicks out till Easter and when LJ does emerge its around we go again...clear our summer, exciting times etc,etc  NOTHING WILL CHANGE.

The SL plan is set in stone and LJ will be here this time next year, even if we go down next season, as he will then be able to build again "for the future"

The only thing which may wake them up is a 30% drop in ST`s sales or proper demos, neither likely so......WE GO AGAIN......

The plan is certainly set in stone, the key point from SL's point of view being to make the club self sustaining. That's why we will continue to see player turnover if we get acceptable bids.

While I don't think LJ is in immediate danger, a continuation of current form well into next season could well lead to his demise. That's what happened to Millen, to whom SL was equally close.

Part of the point of the structure is that the strategy stays the same regardless of who is head coach. Which may deter the kind of replacement many fans want as well established managers tend to want complete control and are often not much interested in planning beyond the length of their contract.

[havanatopia]

28 minutes ago, bearded_red said:

Always enjoy reading your posts @BobBobSuperBob but as someone who plays Football Manager on PC I’m offended by any comparison with Lee Johnson!

Hey, since you do and if the game allows, would you mind running a simulated season using half of City's development squad as regular first teamers? Major (I think it was Major anyway) was suggesting this was likely to happen next season.. we all would like to look in to the crystal ball and see if we are headed for the drop. Might help a few people decide if a season ticket is for them or not!

Edited May 6, 2018 by havanatopia

[Esmond Million's Bung]

No mention of why he never signed any right back and then tried to wing it all season.

No mention of the unambitious January window.

He was correct in his overall assessment but it would have been nice to hear that the recruitment needed to improve, that playing players out of position because of an unbalanced squad needed to be addressed, that he admits that with his managerial record there is no consistency and that for the past 2 months the players look decidedly pissed off.

The good news is 2 years on he now realises that he has no leaders, I wonder when exactly that epiphany occurred?.

 

[BobBobSuperBob]

5 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Exactly. He just needs time. He’s clearly got lots of great attributes and within a couple of years will have filled out lots more. Physically and athletically he reminds me a bit of Tyrone Mings.

- Meant ‘first team games’ not ‘academy games’ in my post and have since edited!

Good call / comparison mate  

 

My initial view is

potentially wasted , long term, as a ‘sit in’ left back

Not sure he’s got the tools as an attacking LB in JB style

He screams (Potentially) Class Centre Half to me (Just needs experience and to learn the wise bits) 

 

[swanker]

11 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Annoyed I’ve felt the need to bite but he’s a kid who’s played a handful of first team games. Leon Clarke is a seasoned wily pro.

That’s not the final version of Lloyd Kelly and he’ll learn from today. Anyone can see he’s got things to improve on and also to fill out physically. Give him a break. Anyone who understands the game can see he’s clearly got lots of potential.

He’s a big lad for his age but still got knocked around by Clarke. Remember last season. Tammy Abraham v Sol Bamba. Abraham was a similar age against a more physical player than Clarke. Abraham gave him some big time. If you’re a central defender with his build you’ve got to be able to deal with players like Clarke. 

That said I thought he was class second half at full back. Should have kept him on. 

[Red Exile]

12 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Part of the point of the structure is that the strategy stays the same regardless of who is head coach. Which may deter the kind of replacement many fans want as well established managers tend to want complete control and are often not much interested in planning beyond the length of their contract.

A really interesting observation...which made me think of my professional life and the reality that very few people are hired to deliver a project of any significance who are expected to prioritise planning beyond the end of their contract. That bit is done by the people running the show...and doing the hiring. If I was running BCFC I'd be setting goals and objectives and hiring people to deliver them. In which case it's the responsibility of the manager/head coach to deliver stability, promotion, a fight against relegation...but not the long term strategic goals of the club. I think that's where the regime at City are all over the place. Set the goals and get a manager in to deliver them...the bit that's missing is, for me, an understanding of what it is that the club is trying to deliver on the pitch. Apparently today SL was saying that the goal for next season was 'making the top 6 and promotion at the end of the season (quoted on the Evening Post site)...great, but I don't see much evidence that Johnson is a manager capable of delivering the consistency across a season to achieve that...

[Phileas Fogg]

15 minutes ago, swanker said:

He’s a big lad for his age but still got knocked around by Clarke. Remember last season. Tammy Abraham v Sol Bamba. Abraham was a similar age against a more physical player than Clarke. Abraham gave him some big time. If you’re a central defender with his build you’ve got to be able to deal with players like Clarke. 

That said I thought he was class second half at full back. Should have kept him on. 

There’s no way a teenager can compete physically on raw strength with Sol Bamba or Leon Clarke. The difference is that Abraham had learned to use his body better. Kelly clearly hasn’t. It’ll come.

[BobBobSuperBob]

7 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

There’s no way a teenager can compete physically on raw strength with Sol Bamba or Leon Clarke. The difference is that Abraham had learned to use his body better. Kelly clearly hasn’t. It’ll come.

Not sure his strength was the major issue today it was more positioning / decision making 

[Roger Red Hat]

1 hour ago, GasDestroyer said:

The fact Johnson is unsackable is why I wont be getting a ST next season. The senior management of this club are just taking us “punters” as mugs.

If I didn’t perform in my job, I would be sacked! WTF is the difference? SL has been more than patient and £ supportive with Johnson (30 players) yet this mug still stays in his job. We have just thrown away a defo playoff place and most appear happy to finish mid table. How did we fall away so badly?

MA - Where is the ambition? Why accept 2nd best? Do we want to get to the Prem?

Can’t accept this! He will get 12 games start of next season and if a poor start, he will have to get the sack - you assume?

This can’t continue to go on!

For all we know, we could be in a relegation fight all next season!

..Or we may not be.