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Poll: how would you feel about LJ leaving?


Fordy62

If Johnson left tomorrow, what would be your overriding emotion?  

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Interesting talking about the squad quality. Do people really think it’s ‘stellar’ or ‘fantastic’ ? 

I’d say it’s above average for the league as a whole, and whilst it’s the best squad we’ve had, I’d say there are at least six teams with overall more quality in them or at least have that quality where it matters. So IMO to finish top six would still be punching above our weight based on our personnel right now.

Mind you, add a quality goal scorer into the mix and we’re on another level to what we are now and I think you’d be saying we actually do have a top six squad for the first time. 

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6 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

Not disagreeing about our mentality not being overly attacking as it were, but no formation is inherently negative.

4-6-0 at Fulham the season they went up, no real striker, but it wasn't a negative set up.

 

Talked about this on another thread.

Go back a couple of years and we were too attacking at home and the result was a lot of narrow defeats.

LJ has tried to address this and it has worked in terms of the results, however he has probably overcorrected it a bit.

From late January onwards they had Mitrovic didn't they? Their form was already kicking on but he took them to another level.

Agree, no formation is inherently negative and agreed that he has possibly overshot in this area.

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2 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

I am interested to know who people think we are supporting? 
Some of the comments on this thread and across the forum lately, give the impression that we are one of the teams that is trying to get back to the heady heights we are used to. 
We aren’t, we are building a club and a team to try to achieve something that is rare in our history.

There are bound to be periods where people lose confidence in that slow build, but the lack of patience to me is worrying because of the past tendencies to throw the baby out with the bath water.

 

Interesting point.

I don't want to see LJ going anywhere; and hope that he gets us to where we want to be sooner rather than later.

There is a level of frustration though. We have seen many teams come from nowhere and get to the P.L. before us.

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of us saying goodbye to top flight football. It has been a very slow recovery (for a whole host of reasons, I know).

Some of the teams who have got to the P.L. from starting positions below us :

Cardiff, Swansea, Brighton, Reading, Watford, Wigan, Burnley, Barnsley, Blackpool, Fulham, Huddesfield, Bolton, Bradford

 

It must be our turn soon ?

 

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3 hours ago, aa_bcfc said:

Previously  I was not LJ’s biggest fan but I suppose I’ve been converted and as long as we continue to show decent signs of progress as a club I’ll stick with what we have. 
 

Genuine question - our home form has largely been predictable and boring since, perhaps (if I had to pick a date) Bobby left. 

Ignoring the league position, because it's not Premier League or bust for me - what progress have we witnessed in style and entertainment at home?

Too few shots on target and too few 90 minute performances have happened for what seems like a year - the stats someone put up about the number of 2 + goal wins in the last 2 seasons only adds weight to this?

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1 minute ago, Dullmoan Tone said:

Genuine question - our home form has largely been predictable and boring since, perhaps (if I had to pick a date) Bobby left. 

Ignoring the league position, because it's not Premier League or bust for me - what progress have we witnessed in style and entertainment at home?

Too few shots on target and too few 90 minute performances have happened for what seems like a year - the stats someone put up about the number of 2 + goal wins in the last 2 seasons only adds weight to this?

I think you have confirmed my feeling that people would be happy with our position if we had a better home record than away record, it was certainly the case last season anyway. This season although it has improved a bit points wise, we are still 13th on home form and 5th on away form, I think there would be less worries on here if it was the other way around. 

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11 minutes ago, The Gasbuster said:

Interesting point.

I don't want to see LJ going anywhere; and hope that he gets us to where we want to be sooner rather than later.

There is a level of frustration though. We have seen many teams come from nowhere and get to the P.L. before us.

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of us saying goodbye to top flight football. It has been a very slow recovery (for a whole host of reasons, I know).

Some of the teams who have got to the P.L. from starting positions below us :

Cardiff, Swansea, Brighton, Reading, Watford, Wigan, Burnley, Barnsley, Blackpool, Fulham, Huddesfield, Bolton, Bradford

 

It must be our turn soon ?

 

Ones in bold I'll respond to. We had a headstart on many! Not saying that these are the sole reasons but definitely factors.

Remember we are or have been catching up to a number of these sides infrastructure wise.

  1. Cardiff- New ground- lots of investment- revenue streams, less restrictive FFP. Notably saw that Cardiff Council helped them with the construction cost- nice to have a supportive local council though glad we've done it our way!
  2. Swansea- Total different philosophy to a lot of lower Leagues at that time. Latter era Jackett, onto Martinez who really got it going, Sousa and then Rodgers to top it. Also new ground- Revenue streams.
  3. Brighton- New ground and a timely promotion in 2010/11- their attendances alone went up somewhere between 2-3 times overnight, plus of course new corporate facilities- another who overtook us off the pitch overnight.
  4. Reading- New ground, less restrictive FFP. See revenue streams.
  5. Watford- They've been a bit of a yoyo club for a while. Most recently, their very handy arrangement with Udinese and Granada gave them a significant head start.
  6. Wigan- New ground, revenue streams, less restrictive FFP.
  7. Fulham- Al Fayed. Money was no object. Location helped with corporate hospitality etc too?
  8. Bolton- New ground. Revenue streams plus additional attendances off the back of it again! They were a bit of a yoyo side in the 1990s too.

Not saying it's the sole reasons but these all clearly played a part. No two cases are identical though!

Others seemed to hit upon a formula or at the right time. Or got momentum- in Huddersfield's case yes, possibly more corporate revenue than us but this was barely decisive- more important was Wagner's knowledge of the German market, a few relatively affordable gems.

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12 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Dean Smith had never won a promotion before last season when he got Villa to the Premier League. Daniel Farke won the league with Norwich last season with only two promotions to his name in semi-pro German football. From last season's successful managers only Chris Wilder has multiple promotions to his name and three of those four were at Conference, League Two and League One level respectively. Had never done it from the Championship; he is proving to be an exceptional manager though imo and Sheff U are very lucky to have him.

LJ knows what promotion looks like from his playing days, he knows what a Championship play-off final looks like too, so it's not like he has no relevant experience at this level. And as I've demonstrated above, having experience at winning promotion as a manager from the Championship is not a required attribute given the number of managers without that experience that win promotion.

Yes, he has a stellar squad, which he has played a significant part in assembling but by historic standards he's also managing in an extremely tough, competitive league that is awash with money that has filtered down from the Premier League.

I doubt SL is looking at replacing LJ, not even on his mind. He has a manager that has improved our league position with each season he has been here. He's developed players including homegrown talent and sold them for tens of millions. He's beaten more Premier League teams than any City manager since....??? Semi-final of a major domestic cup competition, fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 20 odd years. 

The managerial team in the dugout are doing very well, improving, and are desperate to win promotion. They are aligned with the vision and aims of the owner, and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. 

All very reasonable arguments. A really good counterpoint.

I remain unconvinced by him...but recognise that that amounts to nothing in the scheme of things. The bit I wholeheartedly agree with is that he is, in truth, going nowhere. He enjoys a relationship with the owner unlike many/most managers.

And so, as a supporter of the club I have to hope that my scepticism proves unfounded.

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7 minutes ago, The Gasbuster said:

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of us saying goodbye to top flight football. It has been a very slow recovery (for a whole host of reasons, I know).

Some of the teams who have got to the P.L. from starting positions below us :

Cardiff, Swansea, Brighton, Reading, Watford, Wigan, Burnley, Barnsley, Blackpool, Fulham, Huddesfield, Bolton, Bradford

It must be our turn soon ?

I believe there have been 49 clubs that have played in the Premier League, so we'd be the 50th if we won promotion this season; or PNE, for example.

Said it many times before but IMO we are the biggest club in English football never to have played in the Premier League and you're right that comes with a fair amount of frustration when you consider the likes of Blackpool, Fulham and Bournemouth have done it and usually from the fourth tier.

That's the SL way though. He's been pretty conservative but after 17 years of him being in charge we are finally seeing all the building blocks being put into place and if we get promoted we will be ready for it and as a result hopefully stay up for a number of years. There is a sweet spot though, and it needs to happen within the next few years otherwise the next set of clubs with redeveloped grounds (i.e. Brentford) will be on the up and the Premier League will likely become even more of a closed shop. 

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10 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

I think you have confirmed my feeling that people would be happy with our position if we had a better home record than away record, it was certainly the case last season anyway. This season although it has improved a bit points wise, we are still 13th on home form and 5th on away form, I think there would be less worries on here if it was the other way around. 

Relatively counterattack minded setup will do that- suits away sides very well, in theory- home sides? Not so much.

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Just now, Mr Popodopolous said:

Relatively counterattack minded setup will do that- suits away sides very well, in theory- home sides? Not so much.

Which is often an answer to playing well drilled sides when you are lacking an exceptional creative spark. Even West Brom are only 7th on home form compared to top on away form.

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2 hours ago, deadredfred said:

The facts are we’ve improved our league position every year under his management. 

As a club, we’re doing everything right off the pitch and we’ll do well to remind ourselves the fortunate position we’re in and how quickly things are improving for the better in almost every facet. This is also getting us noticed and building the reputation of both the club and LJ. 

I personally don’t really warm to LJ as a personality. Far too David Brent at times and I too would prefer to see a settled system and starting 11, regardless of our opponents (ala Liverpool). I can’t help but feels his thirst to tinker and slow reactions to what’s happening on the pitch in front of him is often of his own undoing. It’s a simple game. Can’t help but feel his ambition and energy to eek out the 1%’s here and there with drones and an afternoon in A&E would be better spent drilling our midfield > striker relationships and outlets. 

I think our squad is fantastic. We’re a 15 goal a season (Afobe) striker away from perfection for me. Depth and quality everywhere. The credit to building this current side (whilst losing our best performers each summer) has to go in part to LJ. 

However, I can’t help but feel a Hughton type would squeeze an extra 10-20% out of our current squad and see us as genuine play-off contenders. The infrastructure is there to support it. 

Overall I think LJ is doing a good job, thanks in the most part to the backing he has received. If we continue with the year on year improvement, then he’ll stay and I’m good with that. It’ll only be a matter of time before promotion. 

If we start going backwards or when the improvement stops, I still can’t see SL pulling the trigger. LJ is here for the long haul and the only thing I can see him moving for is a premiership side. That said, I can’t see him risking the comfort he has with us to go to a relegation or even lower half side. Any team above that just wouldn’t risk going with a championship manager whos best record to date is an 8th place finish.

 

Mark Ashton has come in for his share of criticism along similar lines (many fans seem not to trust a man who wears a suite and talk a foreign language i.e. business/sales speak)) and although Im sure they would want to be universally liked, SL's primary concern is that he doesn't pay them to be liked - he pays them to be successful.

Although many don't like to admit it on here, it is difficult to argue that both have been successful. MA on the business side of the club has been spectacularly so with player sales and purchases. Similarly LJ has been able to improve our finishing position year on year and despite losing allegedly irreplaceable players over the last 2 summers. Crucially they are both doing this while working within the clubs long term financial plans, which will see us far better placed going forward than many other clubs, as evidenced by the financial shenanigans at Derby and Wednesday.

I do think the major problem for LJ is that the majority of fans see the team at Ashton Gate, and I can understand that watching our home performances over the last 18 months or so, many must watch in disbelief thinking it must be another team out on the pitch and not the one sitting at the top end of the table! 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, City oz said:

LJ has progressed the club over the past 2/3 years. Most like you are demanding it seems a top 2 spot in the league every week. Ok Saturday performance could of been better. In regards to promotion I still think the club needs one more season in this league either you like it or not and who ever the manager is. We all want the Prem football at Ashton Gate but give LJ some credit and be positive and see where we sit by end of December 

I agree that the whole club has made progress in the last three (to five) years. Maybe we do need another season in the Championship to build a squad capable of keeping Premiership football if we get there. But it just seems to me and many others around me in S22, that we are not making any progress in terms of building a fortress at home. We are so negative, playing like an away side trying to hit sides, that come here with a massed defence, on the break. 

Some even believe that winning away and drawing at home is good enough. Any side that gets promotion to Prem with a home record like ours for the past two years, will find themselves relegated by December!

I don't demand top two places every week of the season but it is now forty years since we were in the top tier. We are one of only a handful of clubs in the Championship that have never been recipients of the £multi-millions every season in the Prem or Parachute payments. Should Sheffield United, Hull City, Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth, Cardiff City etcetera, have waited yet another season before making the jump up?

Our big problem is that we just do not want it enough. Perhaps we should go back to the Third Division and enjoy being the very big fish in the little pond entertaining the Gas, Forest Green, Walsall because that's where we seem to be happiest as a club. Promotion to the Championship every ten years with the drop in between.

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7 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

I agree that the whole club has made progress in the last three (to five) years. Maybe we do need another season in the Championship to build a squad capable of keeping Premiership football if we get there. But it just seems to me and many others around me in S22, that we are not making any progress in terms of building a fortress at home. We are so negative, playing like an away side trying to hit sides, that come here with a massed defence, on the break

Some even believe that winning away and drawing at home is good enough. Any side that gets promotion to Prem with a home record like ours for the past two years, will find themselves relegated by December!

I don't demand top two places every week of the season but it is now forty years since we were in the top tier. We are one of only a handful of clubs in the Championship that have never been recipients of the £multi-millions every season in the Prem or Parachute payments. Should Sheffield United, Hull City, Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth, Cardiff City etcetera, have waited yet another season before making the jump up?

Our big problem is that we just do not want it enough. Perhaps we should go back to the Third Division and enjoy being the very big fish in the little pond entertaining the Gas, Forest Green, Walsall because that's where we seem to be happiest as a club. Promotion to the Championship every ten years with the drop in between.

Interested in your tactical setup?

Sheffield United are currently unbeaten on the road, but not so much at home. Depends on the side in some ways but generally I agree. Another good example, Crystal Palace had a markedly better away than home record last season.

Agree there is never a "right" or optimium time,  yet OTOH worth looking at each of those clubs in depth- no magic bullet, no single pattern.

Can't agree at all- was this summer not ambitious? I'll qualify that with perhaps in the past, but now? Can't see it.

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2 hours ago, Red Exile said:

I'm always amazed that LJ's dedicated supporters have such difficulty understanding his critics. So often they seem to believe that anyone thinking beyond the Lee Johnson era must hate the bloke. Truth is that unless something rather extraordinary happens he will be gone in a few years time...and we'll have another manager.

I can only speak for myself. I see City stating that their ambition is to get the Premier league in the near future. I see a manager who not only has never achieved promotion to the Premier League, but has never achieved a promotion of any sort. He's done a good job steadying the ship at a time of massive investment on and off the pitch. Is he going to do any more than that?  

He has - by City's historic standards - a stellar squad. If I was in SL's position I'd be looking, in the near future, to appoint a stellar manager who knows what promotion looks like. I can't imagine that no one at Ashton Gate is thinking the same way.

I accept that, as oft stated, SL would very much like Lee to be the man. But to question whether he is the man isn't the same as loathing him, or to be impatient, or to be wanting to mess with the club's ethos, it is simply to look at the club's stated ambitions and the managerial team in the dug out and question whether the two are aligned. They don't look to be to me.

I don’t wholly agree with your post which is why I haven’t given you a ‘ like ‘ which could be misconstrued however I like your post .

 

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4 hours ago, Leveller said:

Er what?  LJ defends BW against fans’ criticism (which is widespread on OTIB) and you say LJ is blaming BW? That is the most twisted post I have read in months.

Getting a bit bogged down in the levels there! Nowhere do I say LJ is blaming Bailey - I am blaming LJ for the stick Bailey got! 
Poor bugger was playing injured and out on his feet, but still he was picked and then not subbed until the game was gone!
He tried to be the perfect professional!

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5 hours ago, Alessandro said:

Plateaued?! 

I honestly find that view pretty fascinating and IMO anyone who thinks that underestimates what it would have taken to get us to the excellent position we’re currently in and quite how tough it is to get out of this division. 

I think people look at the likes of Sheffield Utd and think, well if they can....but for every Sheff Utd is a Leeds, Forest, Birmingham, Derby, Middlesbrough, Hull, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday....I could go on. 
 

I think it’s far too over simplistic of some to say a new manager with a proven track record would just waltz in and get the job done. 

My point being is that we have plateaued, and if people are happy with being there or thereabouts fine, how long for instance would you be happy with that? indefinitely, if so well good for you. I know there are some on here who are happy to just be in the championship and have no desire to reach the so called promised land, well I'm not one of them, there must come a time when if we are not progressing a different approach (manager) may be needed we have not reached that time yet but if Steve Lansdown feels it's not working I would hope he would be brave and look for another way forward.

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Do we appreciate how often a club does better that season after a change of manager? 27% of the time.

That means for 73% of management changes the club ends the season worse off. Would you like to play roulette or make a business decision where you are  nearly 3 times more likely to fail than to succeed?

If, BIG IF, we won at WBA or got 4 points between now and Saturday evening, i would be amazed if anyone would be able to justify a change of manager by naming a realistic, better alternative to our Lee

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I do sometimes think about the top level flight experience.

As far as I’m aware, none of our coaching staff have played or coached at the highest level. Could that be said about many of our competitors? I honestly don’t know, but as a club we don’t seem to have ever appointed or attracted anyone with that level of experience. Cotts had it. Coppell also, and Wilson, but not many. 
I’m in the “marginal gains” camp at this level of football and often wondered if a more experienced head somewhere in the setup would help.

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