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The OTIB derby - Sunderland vs Lincoln match day thread


Fordy62

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23 minutes ago, Fordy62 said:

Maybe it’s the red wine talking and I know we’ve done this argument to death a million times, but I love you lot and I’ll never tire of this LJ debate. OTIB is genuinely the best fiver’s entertainment you can get. ❤️

Amen!?

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Probably won't happen but when City's next accounts emerge & they've shipped another £40m & net debt is upward of £125m, should SL pull the plug on the folly we've become I wonder how people's attitudes might change toward the manager whose Carousel of Crap acquisitions sought to incur much of that debt?

If Mr ' WeGoAgain' served to ensure 'WeWontGoAgain'?

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16 hours ago, Selred said:

Also there was better players than LJ, but you need workmanlike players to allow others like Noble to shine.

But GoN, Tomlin & all the others who occupied the naughty step might dispute 'LJ' believed that statement to be true.

"....could have played in The Premier..." , he sure as hell didn't respond positively to their ridicule.

It also begs the question as to why he was beloved of signing midfielders in his own likeness? Signing after signing,  all 3rd rate runarounds, crab-like, impotent in attack. And on the rare occasion he did acquire talent far superior to that he himself possessed, why did he appear to stifle it?

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16 hours ago, Fordy62 said:

Maybe it’s the red wine talking and I know we’ve done this argument to death a million times, but I love you lot and I’ll never tire of this LJ debate. OTIB is genuinely the best fiver’s entertainment you can get. ❤️

You mean the cinema sweets?

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15 minutes ago, BTRFTG said:

But GoN, Tomlin & all the others who occupied the naughty step might dispute 'LJ' believed that statement to be true.

"....could have played in The Premier..." , he sure as hell didn't respond positively to their ridicule.

It also begs the question as to why he was beloved of signing midfielders in his own likeness? Signing after signing,  all 3rd rate runarounds, crab-like, impotent in attack. And on the rare occasion he did acquire talent far superior to that he himself possessed, why did he appear to stifle it?

The thing is Tomlin has been the same at Cardiff, so unfair there. GoN could be argued too, never really impressed and injuries had a big toll. 

Our style of play absolutely did stifle any exciting attacking football (aside from when we had Reid up top).

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18 hours ago, ROKERITE said:

But not as ridiculous as appointing him in the first place. Unfortunately the three attractive, prospective managers who were available when our owners inexplicably gave Johnson the job are all employed elsewhere now.

Chin up. He won't be with you as long as he was with us.

Ipswich are getting Mark Ashton. That's a far bigger problem.

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19 minutes ago, BTRFTG said:

But GoN, Tomlin & all the others who occupied the naughty step might dispute 'LJ' believed that statement to be true.

"....could have played in The Premier..." , he sure as hell didn't respond positively to their ridicule.

It also begs the question as to why he was beloved of signing midfielders in his own likeness? Signing after signing,  all 3rd rate runarounds, crab-like, impotent in attack. And on the rare occasion he did acquire talent far superior to that he himself possessed, why did he appear to stifle it?

Pretty brutal summary, but hard to argue with any of that.

I think the only real ‘legacy’ that LJ has left at this club is a team in his image ...... generally small in stature, workmanlike, unspectacular, lightweight, easily bullied and totally lacking in creativity.  It seems his sides just couldn’t accomodate a creative player, even when we had them.  

How we managed to regress so far after the exciting squad created under Cotts is pretty incredible really and amazes me why some people still staunchly defend him.

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On 22/05/2021 at 19:32, cityloyal473 said:

I'll ask again: what success?  If he was that "successful" why did he get sacked. Should have been given the freedom of the city for these achievements. 

 

Is he a success at Sunderland for getting them to the play offs?

Success isn't a final definition. You can succeed and fail at different points in a tenure. Cotts was successful and was still sacked? In another example, Claudio Ranieri was obviously successful and sacked the following season.

He succeeded in saving is from Relegation. He succeeded in establishing us as a Championship club. He failed at reaching the playoffs. So yes, he did have some success.

No one is saying he was the most successful manager we've ever had and your "freedom of the city" comment is just silly as again, not a single person has suggested that.

However, in 30 years of supporting City he's only the second manager to maintain our Championship status for a period of time, the other being his father. He deserves more respect than he gets from some, that's all.

Is he a success at Sunderland? Well he's got a high win percentage and at the point he took over I think I remember they didn't look good for a play off place. Sunderland probably expect promotion, but several managers that have come before have failed at that, so it's not a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately in football, there's another team on the pitch trying to beat you. So far I'd say he's had a good start but again, in typical LJ fashion, can't quite get them over the line.

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On 22/05/2021 at 22:53, ukneil said:

But don't you have to go out of your way to hear or read this "same old bullshit"?  Sunderland are not front page headlines on any website bar their own. So when you or anybody else says they get ticked off by his Johnsonisms, or make a comment such as 'there we go, he said it, "we go again"', why not just ignore his interview, or the bit in the match report that covers post-match comments from the managers if it really winds you up that much?

Having said all that I did have a bit of a smirk when I saw the result, but more because Sunderland were knocked out by a club that are tiny by comparison, no disrespect intended. Certainly don't care what their manager has to say about the matter.  

To summarise my long winded post, ignore the things or people that irritate you and spend more time on the things or people you enjoy.  Spread positivity, be happy ??  I took my own advice on Mr Trump. Now I have way more time to look at cars and porn ?

To be fair, it popped up on my Twitter either because it was retweeted or liked by someone I follow. Especially if you follow lower league sports pages or journalists you will see things like this without specifically looking for it

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On 23/05/2021 at 11:34, Robbored said:

I imagine that LJ did his badges on the back of his playing career - which as I’ve already said was down entirely to his father.

Virtually everyone knows that LJ got into the team thru nepotism and in the place of better players. I asked  GJ about it and he replied that “he’s a good player”........that to me confirmed that he was blinded by family loyalty. Not one City fan I know ever rated LJ as a good player.

His playing career wasn't down "entirely to his father" I mean for starters to be a professional footballer, particalularly one you are saying wasn't very good, he probably had to work harder at his trade every day than most people work in their lifetime.

He wasn't a world beater but he was a solid professional. He wasn't Richard Foster levels of shit, he was more Cole Skuse-esque. Did the basics that most fans dont appreciate without doing anything too fancy. We had better players in our team mind you, I'm not denying that at all.

As someone else said, you don't play 40 games in a Championship Play Off Final side if you're crap and purely because your dads the manager. Do you think we'd have had the unbelievable team spirit that year if half the team thought our manager's son was the shittest player and didn't deserve his place? That sort of thing tears dressing rooms apart.

On 23/05/2021 at 11:45, Robbored said:

Your memory of LJ as a player is very different to mine and that of pretty much every other City that I know.

There were many games when had I not seen his name on the team sheet known that he was actually playing. He was anonymous  In many games.

Coming from the poster who couldn't remember the last time Baker played a full 90 minutes, just days after he completed his 7th or 8th successive 90 minutes, this statement doesn't say much.

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Having read numerous posts asking why all the venom and vitriol aimed at Johnson, may I put my tuppence worth in.

Johnson was as divisive as a player as he was as a manager. His presence divided opinion more than any person I've ever known in their time at the club. Whether you were in the Johnson in or, Johnson out camp.

What I believe has happened during those debates/arguments, is a hardening of attitudes either for or against the man. With people bigging up his successes, yet not taking into account the amazing backing he had from A, his father during a very modest playing career and B, from Lansdown in supporting him during his managerial career. Equally, people while trying to argue those points got more frustrated that in their eyes, the supporters of Johnson couldn't see the wood for the trees. Ultimately the personal insults, which were evident during his playing career were brought to the fore. Resulting in excessive personal abuse, born I believe out of frustration.

Personally I never rated him as a player, far too slow, couldn't tackle or head the ball.  Or as manager, too choppy changy and seemed vindictive. I feel he was lucky to have eaked out a good living with minimal ability. I don't hate him, just feel he's been a very lucky boy and I'm glad that period of his tenure is behind us.

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2 minutes ago, Rich said:

Having read numerous posts asking why all the venom and vitriol aimed at Johnson, may I put my tuppence worth in.

Johnson was as divisive as a player as he was as a manager. His presence divided opinion more than any person I've ever known in their time at the club. Whether you were in the Johnson in or, Johnson out camp.

What I believe has happened during those debates/arguments, is a hardening of attitudes either for or against the man. With people bigging up his successes, yet not taking into account the amazing backing he had from A, his father during a very modest playing career and B, from Lansdown in supporting him during his managerial career. Equally, people while trying to argue those points got more frustrated that in their eyes, the supporters of Johnson couldn't see the wood for the trees. Ultimately the personal insults, which were evident during his playing career were brought to the fore. Resulting in excessive personal abuse, born I believe out of frustration.

Personally I never rated him as a player, far too slow, couldn't tackle or head the ball.  Or as manager, too choppy changy and seemed vindictive. I feel he was lucky to have eaked out a good living with minimal ability. I don't hate him, just feel he's been a very lucky boy and I'm glad that period of his tenure is behind us.

I agree, the only thing I would say is I do really dislike him. Or rather the state he left 'our' club in. You could argue he left the Club in a worse state than when he came in. Which, after spending and wasting £Millions, after signing around 70 players and after having been given more time, money and facilities than any manager in our history, isn't great. 

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5 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

I agree, the only thing I would say is I do really dislike him. Or rather the state he left 'our' club in. You could argue he left the Club in a worse state than when he came in. Which, after spending and wasting £Millions, after signing around 70 players and after having been given more time, money and facilities than any manager in our history, isn't great. 

Ah but, I was using diplomacy.

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1 hour ago, MarcusX said:

His playing career wasn't down "entirely to his father"

I quite liked him as a player - but the fact remains that of the 400 matches he started around 300 of them were for Yeovil and City at times when his Dad was the manager. 

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23 hours ago, ROKERITE said:

But not as ridiculous as appointing him in the first place. Unfortunately the three attractive, prospective managers who were available when our owners inexplicably gave Johnson the job are all employed elsewhere now.

We feel your pain Rokerite. City specialize in Play off failure and ridiculous managerial appointments

Lee Johnson is not known as streaky for nothing!! 

Lee Johnson is well marketed by himself and others, however has never achieved anything except a League Cup semi final, despite throwing multi millions of Steve Lansdown's money down the toilet. Much of that money was spent on players he hardly played or played out of position. Many others were awful buys, of which his best mate Mark Ashton (Now about to Eff up Ipswich) can take some responsibility

What you would have noticed by now is his need to pick players and play them out of position in some way to fulfill his need to be seen as some kind of football genius. To be fair turning Bobby Reid from a mediocre midfielder to a 10m forward was a stroke of genius/luck but the utter nonsense of his team selections lead directly to the urban legend that LJ has a tombola and uses it for team selection. Without studying Sunderlands line ups since Christmas I will predict you will know exactly what I mean?

Mt overall comment is this. Sunderland needed a manager with a track record of getting clubs on a budget promoted throughout the league all the way up to a Championship ply off final..............

To spell it out, Sunderland FC employed the wrong Johnson!

 

 

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On 24/05/2021 at 16:57, Red Exile said:

I quite liked him as a player - but the fact remains that of the 400 matches he started around 300 of them were for Yeovil and City at times when his Dad was the manager. 

From his playing stats I make it well over 400 for his dad from 472 in all competitions.

 

A look at his playing career.

Was an apprentice, according to his wiki, at Arsenal (though years ago when this was claimed, I could find no mention of him in the Arsenal archives, whereas I did find David Noble who Johnson claims to have been at Arsenal with at the same time as), wiki says that following a feud with a coach, he left Arsenal (wonder what that feud was about) for Brentford where he didn't get a game and then to Brighton where, as his wiki page says, failed to get into the squad.

So his dad signed him for Yeovil, where he played almost 200 games, mostly at non league and lower league level. My only recollection of Johnson at Yeovil was a televised game where following a ball being kicked out of play by an opposition player to allow treatment for a Yeovil injury, Johnson, in an attempt to pass back to their keeper who was stood outside of his penalty area, managed to send it sailing over the keepers head into the open goal, an "accident" (unless he really was that rubbish) which prompted his dad to order the Yeovil players to allow the opposition to walk the ball into their net to level it up.

Got an unexpected transfer to Hearts, where he made 5 appearances, 2 as substitute, was not selected at all towards the end of his 9 month stay there, before being signed by his dad again at Bristol City, and was involved in an incident in his first game at Huddersfield (I was there) where the opposition manager Peter Jackson was sent to the stands after grabbing Johnson around the neck (makes you wonder what could have happened to provoke a normally reasonable person to do such a thing). Was more or less guaranteed a place in the starting line up at Bristol City until his dad was sacked following an incident at half time at Plymouth (makes you wonder what could have happened for a football manager to be provoked into attacking one of his own players).

Subsequently, under Keith Millen, he made the starting line up for less than a third of the games.

Perhaps this was just a case of one manager "not fancying" Johnson, although it had happened before, at Brentford, Brighton and Hearts, nevertheless with one year of his Bristol City contract left, Johnson was 29 years old and theoretically, with all that Championship experience behind him, a solid acquisition for another Championship team.

Which Championship teams wanted him? None, so he was loaned out to Chesterfield, where he was selected 13 times for a team that was relegated from League One. Not being "fancied" by the manager at Chesterfield, Johnson then managed to get a transfer to Kilmarnock,where he made 23 appearances, even playing in the Scottish cup final, until eventually his starts became more sporadic and his contract was mutually terminated in January 2013 when just 31 years old. There aren't many footballers that have their contracts mutually terminated, and there aren't many footballers that retire at that age...........

So it would be a fact to say that of the several managers which Johnson was available for, it was only his dad that "fancied him".

That's all fact and in my opinion that's because he was a shockingly ineffective footballer - couldn't tackle, no pace, no inventiveness, rarely scored - from what I saw of him in the Championship.

I would suggest that even those who don't think he was shocking would have to agree that there is no way that Johnson would have played anywhere near the number of Championship games as he did if his manager hadn't been manager, thus the resentment and ill feeling towards Lee Johnson.

 

On to the managerial career.

Began with less than impressive spells as manager of Oldham (a club which he said he loved) and Barnsley (a club which he said he loved) in league 1. While at Oldham made an enemy of Paddy Kenny, who has made less than positive comments about Johnson in his autobiography and rejoiced in Sunderland's recent play off defeat, referring to Johnson as a "weapon" (makes you wonder what could have happened to make Kenny so angry - well this one is public knowledge, as Kenny's autobiography refers to, the classy [cowardly] public humiliation inflicted by Johnson on Kenny during a game).

Was surprisingly appointed manager at Bristol City (a club where he was paid millions as a player and manager but most importantly, for some fans [love the naivety], said he "loved") in the Championship, whereupon Steve Lansdown showered the gobshite with the sort of funds which the amazingly successful but ultimately and unfairly (my opinion) sacked predecessor Steve Cotterill could only have dreamed about. Said he would need 5 transfer windows (clever move) and despite 2 record breaking losing streaks was given 8, with the funds still rolling into his transfer pot. 

Managerial career at Bristol City characterized by scattergun signings of players (not blamable on Ashton because right at the start Johnson categorically said he he had right of veto), embarrassing Davis Brentisms, wankerish antics such as measuring the grass (at Sunderland, again I was there), bullying of certain players, and constant and cowardly blame shifting.

All the while wearing a constant smug self assured smirk.

 

To say I can't take to him would be an under statement.

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2 minutes ago, NickJ said:

From his playing stats I make it well over 400 for his dad from 472 in all competitions.

 

A look at his playing career.

Was an apprentice, according to his wiki, at Arsenal (though years ago when this was claimed, I could find no mention of him in the Arsenal archives, whereas I did find David Noble who Johnson claims to have been at Arsenal with at the same time as), wiki says that following a feud with a coach, he left Arsenal (wonder what that feud was about) for Brentford where he didn't get a game and then to Brighton where, as his wiki page says, failed to get into the squad.

So his dad signed him for Yeovil, where he played almost 200 games, mostly at non league and lower league level. My only recollection of Johnson at Yeovil was a televised game where following a ball being kicked out of play by an opposition player to allow treatment for a Yeovil injury, Johnson, in an attempt to pass back to their keeper who was stood outside of his penalty area, managed to send it sailing over the keepers head into the open goal, an "accident" (unless he really was that rubbish) which prompted his dad to order the Yeovil players to allow the opposition to walk the ball into their net to level it up.

Got an unexpected transfer to Hearts, where he made 5 appearances, 2 as substitute, was not selected at all towards the end of his 9 month stay there, before being signed by his dad again at Bristol City, and was involved in an incident in his first game at Huddersfield (I was there) where the opposition manager Peter Jackson was sent to the stands after grabbing Johnson around the neck (makes you wonder what could have happened to provoke a normally reasonable person to do such a thing). Was more or less guaranteed a place in the starting line up at Bristol City until his dad was sacked following an incident at half time at Plymouth (makes you wonder what could have happened for a football manager to be provoked into attacking one of his own players).

Subsequently, under Keith Millen, he made the starting line up for less than a third of the games.

Perhaps this was just a case of one manager "not fancying" Johnson, although it had happened before, at Brentford, Brighton and Hearts, nevertheless with one year of his Bristol City contract left, Johnson was 29 years old and theoretically, with all that Championship experience behind him, a solid acquisition for another Championship team.

Which Championship teams wanted him? None, so he was loaned out to Chesterfield, where he was selected 13 times for a team that was relegated from League One. Not being "fancied" by the manager at Chesterfield, Johnson then managed to get a transfer to Kilmarnock,where he made 23 appearances, even playing in the Scottish cup final, until eventually his starts became more sporadic and his contract was mutually terminated in January 2013 when just 31 years old. There aren't many footballers that have their contracts mutually terminated, and there aren't many footballers that retire at that age...........

So it would be a fact to say that of the several managers which Johnson was available for, it was only his dad that "fancied him".

That's all fact and in my opinion that's because he was a shockingly ineffective footballer - couldn't tackle, no pace, no inventiveness, rarely scored - from what I saw of him in the Championship.

I would suggest that even those who don't think he was shocking would have to agree that there is no way that Johnson would have played anywhere near the number of Championship games as he did if his manager hadn't been manager, thus the resentment and ill feeling towards Lee Johnson.

 

On to the managerial career.

Began with less than impressive spells as manager of Oldham (a club which he said he loved) and Barnsley (a club which he said he loved) in league 1. While at Oldham made an enemy of Paddy Kenny, who has made less than positive comments about Johnson in his autobiography and rejoiced in Sunderland's recent play off defeat, referring to Johnson as a "weapon" (makes you wonder what could have happened to make Kenny so angry - well this one is public knowledge, as Kenny's autobiography refers to, the classy [cowardly] public humiliation inflicted by Johnson on Kenny during a game).

Was surprisingly appointed manager at Bristol City (a club where he was paid millions as a player and manager but most importantly, for some fans [love the naivety], said he "loved") in the Championship, whereupon Steve Lansdown showered the gobshite with the sort of funds which the amazingly successful but ultimately and unfairly (my opinion) sacked predecessor Steve Cotterill could only have dreamed about. Said he would need 5 transfer windows (clever move) and despite 2 record breaking losing streaks was given 8, with the funds still rolling into his transfer pot. 

Managerial career at Bristol City characterized by scattergun signings of players (not blamable on Ashton because right at the start Johnson categorically said he he had right of veto), embarrassing Davis Brentisms, wankerish antics such as measuring the grass (at Sunderland, again I was there), bullying of certain players, and constant and cowardly blame shifting.

All the while wearing a constant smug self assured smirk.

 

To say I can't take to him would be an under statement.

Not one for mincing your words then ?

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6 hours ago, NickJ said:

From his playing stats I make it well over 400 for his dad from 472 in all competitions.

 

A look at his playing career.

Was an apprentice, according to his wiki, at Arsenal (though years ago when this was claimed, I could find no mention of him in the Arsenal archives, whereas I did find David Noble who Johnson claims to have been at Arsenal with at the same time as), wiki says that following a feud with a coach, he left Arsenal (wonder what that feud was about) for Brentford where he didn't get a game and then to Brighton where, as his wiki page says, failed to get into the squad.

So his dad signed him for Yeovil, where he played almost 200 games, mostly at non league and lower league level. My only recollection of Johnson at Yeovil was a televised game where following a ball being kicked out of play by an opposition player to allow treatment for a Yeovil injury, Johnson, in an attempt to pass back to their keeper who was stood outside of his penalty area, managed to send it sailing over the keepers head into the open goal, an "accident" (unless he really was that rubbish) which prompted his dad to order the Yeovil players to allow the opposition to walk the ball into their net to level it up.

Got an unexpected transfer to Hearts, where he made 5 appearances, 2 as substitute, was not selected at all towards the end of his 9 month stay there, before being signed by his dad again at Bristol City, and was involved in an incident in his first game at Huddersfield (I was there) where the opposition manager Peter Jackson was sent to the stands after grabbing Johnson around the neck (makes you wonder what could have happened to provoke a normally reasonable person to do such a thing). Was more or less guaranteed a place in the starting line up at Bristol City until his dad was sacked following an incident at half time at Plymouth (makes you wonder what could have happened for a football manager to be provoked into attacking one of his own players).

Subsequently, under Keith Millen, he made the starting line up for less than a third of the games.

Perhaps this was just a case of one manager "not fancying" Johnson, although it had happened before, at Brentford, Brighton and Hearts, nevertheless with one year of his Bristol City contract left, Johnson was 29 years old and theoretically, with all that Championship experience behind him, a solid acquisition for another Championship team.

Which Championship teams wanted him? None, so he was loaned out to Chesterfield, where he was selected 13 times for a team that was relegated from League One. Not being "fancied" by the manager at Chesterfield, Johnson then managed to get a transfer to Kilmarnock,where he made 23 appearances, even playing in the Scottish cup final, until eventually his starts became more sporadic and his contract was mutually terminated in January 2013 when just 31 years old. There aren't many footballers that have their contracts mutually terminated, and there aren't many footballers that retire at that age...........

So it would be a fact to say that of the several managers which Johnson was available for, it was only his dad that "fancied him".

That's all fact and in my opinion that's because he was a shockingly ineffective footballer - couldn't tackle, no pace, no inventiveness, rarely scored - from what I saw of him in the Championship.

I would suggest that even those who don't think he was shocking would have to agree that there is no way that Johnson would have played anywhere near the number of Championship games as he did if his manager hadn't been manager, thus the resentment and ill feeling towards Lee Johnson.

 

On to the managerial career.

Began with less than impressive spells as manager of Oldham (a club which he said he loved) and Barnsley (a club which he said he loved) in league 1. While at Oldham made an enemy of Paddy Kenny, who has made less than positive comments about Johnson in his autobiography and rejoiced in Sunderland's recent play off defeat, referring to Johnson as a "weapon" (makes you wonder what could have happened to make Kenny so angry - well this one is public knowledge, as Kenny's autobiography refers to, the classy [cowardly] public humiliation inflicted by Johnson on Kenny during a game).

Was surprisingly appointed manager at Bristol City (a club where he was paid millions as a player and manager but most importantly, for some fans [love the naivety], said he "loved") in the Championship, whereupon Steve Lansdown showered the gobshite with the sort of funds which the amazingly successful but ultimately and unfairly (my opinion) sacked predecessor Steve Cotterill could only have dreamed about. Said he would need 5 transfer windows (clever move) and despite 2 record breaking losing streaks was given 8, with the funds still rolling into his transfer pot. 

Managerial career at Bristol City characterized by scattergun signings of players (not blamable on Ashton because right at the start Johnson categorically said he he had right of veto), embarrassing Davis Brentisms, wankerish antics such as measuring the grass (at Sunderland, again I was there), bullying of certain players, and constant and cowardly blame shifting.

All the while wearing a constant smug self assured smirk.

 

To say I can't take to him would be an under statement.

According to the man himself he left Arsenal Youth ( whatever that means) for Watford Youth.

Guess who was coaching at Watford part-time?

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7 hours ago, NickJ said:

From his playing stats I make it well over 400 for his dad from 472 in all competitions.

I was looking at matches he started, in other words was first choice, but you are right.

Shortly after GJ was sacked I was sat in the quiet carriage on a train from London to Bristol. About the only other people in it were two City first team regulars who were having a very audible conversation about matters at Ashton Gate. They were discussing LJ's prospects now that his Dad was gone, speculating that he'd never play for the club again. They were wrong, but they knew his days were numbered.

On a rare occasion I was in the Director's box at Ashton Gate I expressed surprise to one of the directors that Paul Hartley wasn't in the starting line-up, and LJ was. I recall I was loudly contemptuous of LJ's capabilities compared to Hartley. It was suggested that I keep my voice down as the extended Johnson family were in the room, as they were.

Much as I loved the GJ years, and think him a very effective lower league manager, a whiff of nepotism has long lingered at Ashton Gate, which only briefly cleared under Cotts. It's to be hoped that we are returning to a more professional and ruthless approach.

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8 hours ago, NickJ said:

From his playing stats I make it well over 400 for his dad from 472 in all competitions.

 

A look at his playing career.

Was an apprentice, according to his wiki, at Arsenal (though years ago when this was claimed, I could find no mention of him in the Arsenal archives, whereas I did find David Noble who Johnson claims to have been at Arsenal with at the same time as), wiki says that following a feud with a coach, he left Arsenal (wonder what that feud was about) for Brentford where he didn't get a game and then to Brighton where, as his wiki page says, failed to get into the squad.

So his dad signed him for Yeovil, where he played almost 200 games, mostly at non league and lower league level. My only recollection of Johnson at Yeovil was a televised game where following a ball being kicked out of play by an opposition player to allow treatment for a Yeovil injury, Johnson, in an attempt to pass back to their keeper who was stood outside of his penalty area, managed to send it sailing over the keepers head into the open goal, an "accident" (unless he really was that rubbish) which prompted his dad to order the Yeovil players to allow the opposition to walk the ball into their net to level it up.

Got an unexpected transfer to Hearts, where he made 5 appearances, 2 as substitute, was not selected at all towards the end of his 9 month stay there, before being signed by his dad again at Bristol City, and was involved in an incident in his first game at Huddersfield (I was there) where the opposition manager Peter Jackson was sent to the stands after grabbing Johnson around the neck (makes you wonder what could have happened to provoke a normally reasonable person to do such a thing). Was more or less guaranteed a place in the starting line up at Bristol City until his dad was sacked following an incident at half time at Plymouth (makes you wonder what could have happened for a football manager to be provoked into attacking one of his own players).

Subsequently, under Keith Millen, he made the starting line up for less than a third of the games.

Perhaps this was just a case of one manager "not fancying" Johnson, although it had happened before, at Brentford, Brighton and Hearts, nevertheless with one year of his Bristol City contract left, Johnson was 29 years old and theoretically, with all that Championship experience behind him, a solid acquisition for another Championship team.

Which Championship teams wanted him? None, so he was loaned out to Chesterfield, where he was selected 13 times for a team that was relegated from League One. Not being "fancied" by the manager at Chesterfield, Johnson then managed to get a transfer to Kilmarnock,where he made 23 appearances, even playing in the Scottish cup final, until eventually his starts became more sporadic and his contract was mutually terminated in January 2013 when just 31 years old. There aren't many footballers that have their contracts mutually terminated, and there aren't many footballers that retire at that age...........

So it would be a fact to say that of the several managers which Johnson was available for, it was only his dad that "fancied him".

That's all fact and in my opinion that's because he was a shockingly ineffective footballer - couldn't tackle, no pace, no inventiveness, rarely scored - from what I saw of him in the Championship.

I would suggest that even those who don't think he was shocking would have to agree that there is no way that Johnson would have played anywhere near the number of Championship games as he did if his manager hadn't been manager, thus the resentment and ill feeling towards Lee Johnson.

 

On to the managerial career.

Began with less than impressive spells as manager of Oldham (a club which he said he loved) and Barnsley (a club which he said he loved) in league 1. While at Oldham made an enemy of Paddy Kenny, who has made less than positive comments about Johnson in his autobiography and rejoiced in Sunderland's recent play off defeat, referring to Johnson as a "weapon" (makes you wonder what could have happened to make Kenny so angry - well this one is public knowledge, as Kenny's autobiography refers to, the classy [cowardly] public humiliation inflicted by Johnson on Kenny during a game).

Was surprisingly appointed manager at Bristol City (a club where he was paid millions as a player and manager but most importantly, for some fans [love the naivety], said he "loved") in the Championship, whereupon Steve Lansdown showered the gobshite with the sort of funds which the amazingly successful but ultimately and unfairly (my opinion) sacked predecessor Steve Cotterill could only have dreamed about. Said he would need 5 transfer windows (clever move) and despite 2 record breaking losing streaks was given 8, with the funds still rolling into his transfer pot. 

Managerial career at Bristol City characterized by scattergun signings of players (not blamable on Ashton because right at the start Johnson categorically said he he had right of veto), embarrassing Davis Brentisms, wankerish antics such as measuring the grass (at Sunderland, again I was there), bullying of certain players, and constant and cowardly blame shifting.

All the while wearing a constant smug self assured smirk.

 

To say I can't take to him would be an under statement.

Christ. You’re like me on steroids!

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1 hour ago, Red Exile said:

...a whiff of nepotism has long lingered at Ashton Gate

Add in the scouting angle and the 'Johnson & Johnson' stench at AG wasn't from their Glade or Air Wick products, rather the bucolic odours emanating wholly from Yeovil and Cheltenham environs, for that was as far as their 'network' extended.

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9 hours ago, NickJ said:

Which Championship teams wanted him? None, so he was loaned out to Chesterfield, where he was selected 13 times for a team that was relegated from League One.

Selective memory here. He went to Derby on a month long loan, they wanted to extend it but City refused.

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28 minutes ago, Selred said:

Selective memory here. He went to Derby on a month long loan, they wanted to extend it but City refused.

For the not so selective conspiracists he went from Yeovil to Hearts where you could count his appearances on the fingers of one hand and still have spare. Played there under two managers, the latter of which sought to use him but once in the six months prior to getting rid. But who was the manager who took him north of the border & how does he tie into the Johnson dynasty? Well, he's the bloke who scored the finest goal I've seen scored at AG, who worked closely with GJ in Watford's coaching set-up but who had one or two 'skeletons' in his cupboard. Skeletons that, once made public, brought about his downfall. 

Coincidence or favour? I guess we'll never know?

 

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