Lee Johnson hot favourite to be our next manager

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

Oh yeah - Clough and Clough at Derby - ignore me!

How about the Dalglish's at Newcastle, or the Redknapp's at AFCB?

[Bris Red]

34 minutes ago, SODS_LAW said:

Id be happy with that!

Why? Whats he achieved in management FFS.

[BCFC Jordan]

Market taken off of Skybet or am I missing it?

[SODS_LAW]

6 minutes ago, BCFC Jordan said:

Market taken off of Skybet or am I missing it?

I can't see it anymore 

[cidercity1987]

The club announces Johnson as manager just as OTIB goes down for the day, avoiding the inevitable forum backlash.

[BCFC Jordan]

7 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

The club announces Johnson as manager just as OTIB goes down for the day, avoiding the inevitable forum backlash.

 

I think announcing Johnson would be one of the few positive things the club have done since the end of last season. Although it's inevitable some will have it in for him from the beginning, due to them not liking LJ as a player. I thought he was underrated as a player and has shown a lot of potential as a coach. It'd be a big gamble considering our position but it'd be a change from the passiveness that has enveloped the club this season, and for what I've criticised the board on here about.

 

I don't see the logic in sacking SC to hire his assistant, especially when he doesn't hit the ground running. Hopefully Pembo's experience would complement LJ, if it were to happen.

[spudski]

I really don't understand how people can rate managers like they do.

It's all about 'the right fit'.

What works for one manager at some Club doesn't always work at another. It doesn't make them a bad manager though.

The manager has to agree to the Clubs 'ethos' and blueprint.

We are appointing a Coach to work with a Dof, MA and Pemberton.

There may be some changes to that...but that's how it's been explained by the club so far.

When working together and in the same direction it can work wonders...look at what SC did.

Then looked at what SC did when there was a difference of opinion.

Personally I think LJ has worked wonders at his previous clubs. Played attractive football, won games doing so and attracted plaudits within the game.

Seems to have an eye for good players...Korey Smith...and imho...very similar to Eddie Howe in the way he likes to play football.

[Harry]

4 hours ago, cheshire_red said:

Would be a staggering appointment at this moment in time, no where near enough experience yet and no where near enough proof of any real tactical nouse or success in player recruitment (although this probably wouldn't be part of the remit if appointed.

Not just a cheap option but would clarify just where the Board want to go with the direction of the club.

I'm really keen to pick up on the comment around Lee Johnson not having any tactical nous, nor any success at player recruitment.  Certainly not picking you out from the crowd on this though Cheshire Red, as it's probably a view held by many of our fans who don't really know too much about his managerial history to date.

I'll give you all the lo-down.

LJ arrived at Oldham in March 2013 with them looking certain for relegation to League 2.  His 10 games in charge consisted 4 wins, 3 draws 3 losses.  15 points gained in 10 games, which saw them to safety with 2 games spare.  Points per game ratio of 1.5, whereas the same team had only managed 1 point per game in the previous 36.  Whether this was "tactical nous", new manager syndrome, or just plain luck will never be known, but it was a very good start to his career.
I'd say he was helped on his way by his very first signing as a manager, none other than Korey Smith.  So this instantly dispels the myth that he has no recruitment nous, as that's a pretty damn good first signing and one he knew could help his new team to safety.

Season 2013/14 began with LJ losing 18 players from the squad who were out of contract!  He lost crucial players to Oldham in Matt Smith, Jean Mvoto & Jose Baxter.

A huge rebuilding job was required.  Recruitment strategy - a whole bunch of freebies & loans, as there was no cash in the pot to spend.  16 players brought in on permanent deals, plus 13 loans!!  Not a penny spent.  He signed players from England, Scotland, Holland, Latvia, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Non-League, Youth teams.  I'd say that was a pretty rough crash-course in recruitment.  But was it a success?  Well, having lost his best players and brought in a host of freebies, he took Oldham from near relegation the season before, up to a respectable 15th.

Season 2014/15 was another rebuild.  He lost key players again - James Tarkowski, Korey Smith, Jonson Clarke-Harris. Again, not much money available to replace those losses.  10 freebies were brought in, from England, France, Scotland, non league.  2 players cost money - Rhys Murphy & Dom Poleon, totaling around £85k.  Loans again played a part, in particular, Daniel Johnson loaned from Villa (this was prior to his Preston days).
By the time he left in February amongst the Ched Evans nonsense, he had Oldham up to 9th in the table, and winning rave reviews for their style of play.  After he left, they slumped and finished 15th.

His time at Oldham shows that he took a team from the foot of the division, to near the playoffs, on a budget of £85k (received over £1.3m in transfers out), picking up free transfers from 8 different countries and spotting talent such as Korey Smith and Daniel Johnson on the way.  I'd say he demonstrated tactical nous and efficient recruitment acumen during this spell (£1.2m profit on transfer dealings, lifting a team from 21st to 9th).

So, onto Barnsley.
Joined in late February and took charge of 14 games, 5 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses.  1.5 points per game.  Better than the team had performed in the season to date, at 1.28 points per game.  Guided them to 11th - the team was on course for 15th at the previous points ratio. 

His first full season with Barnsley started in summer 2015 when he again faced a huge rebuild of the squad.  It is a common myth that LJ has money to send at Barnsley and should be challenging at the top.  In the summer, he lost 13 players.  From the previous season, the only remaining regulars were Hourihane, Nyatanga, Winnall & Scowen.  That's a massive challenge for any manager.
He was able to bring in 9 players in the summer, 1 for a fee of £150k, 2 for nominal (tribunal) fees.  Again, the squad being bulked up by loans.  So people should in no way suggest LJ has a big budget at Barnsley.  Far from it.  They sold Holgate for £2m, but he's spent no more than £200k.  He also has the youngest squad in the entire football league.
Again, just think of that - it's a huge challenge for any manager to make a success of Barnsley this season - 4 regulars from the previous season, and only £200k to spend!!
Does he have a good eye in the transfer market?  Loans from Man Utd (Pearson, Rothwell, Fletcher), Arsenal (Crowley) & Newcastle (Toney) suggest he's got some pretty decent contacts and a decent eye for talent (Pearson has now gone to Preston for £650k).

He currently has Barnsley in 12th - higher than they were when he took over, and 1 game from Wembley.  He's had virtually nothing to spend and has the youngest team in the land.  I'd say he's doing a pretty good job there.

Just to finish, I also know players who've played under him (including currently at Barnsley), and they say he's bright, articulate, tactically aware, a good man-manager and a real 21st century manager with fresh ideas and a caring demeanor.

Is he right for us at this very moment?  Hard to say, but his first 2 spells as a manager have seen immediate upturn in results when appointed with 10-15 games left.
Whether he is ready for us or not, a lot of posters on here are very blinkered to LJ's abilities as a manager, simply because they didn't like him as a player.  That should matter not.  If he hadn't played here, and you looked at his managerial record (as outlined above), whilst not standing out and shouting at you to get him, you'd say he's someone to keep an eye on as it looks like he's got a good future in a managerial capacity.

My advice to all is, don't be put off by your pre-conceived opinion of LJ as a player.  Judge him as a manager, and if you look at the evidence above, he's worth throwing in the mix.

 

 

[spudski]

Very good post Harry.

[Port Said Red]

w

20 minutes ago, Harry said:

I'm really keen to pick up on the comment around Lee Johnson not having any tactical nous, nor any success at player recruitment.  Certainly not picking you out from the crowd on this though Cheshire Red, as it's probably a view held by many of our fans who don't really know too much about his managerial history to date.

I'll give you all the lo-down.

LJ arrived at Oldham in March 2013 with them looking certain for relegation to League 2.  His 10 games in charge consisted 4 wins, 3 draws 3 losses.  15 points gained in 10 games, which saw them to safety with 2 games spare.  Points per game ratio of 1.5, whereas the same team had only managed 1 point per game in the previous 36.  Whether this was "tactical nous", new manager syndrome, or just plain luck will never be known, but it was a very good start to his career.
I'd say he was helped on his way by his very first signing as a manager, none other than Korey Smith.  So this instantly dispels the myth that he has no recruitment nous, as that's a pretty damn good first signing and one he knew could help his new team to safety.

Season 2013/14 began with LJ losing 18 players from the squad who were out of contract!  He lost crucial players to Oldham in Matt Smith, Jean Mvoto & Jose Baxter.

A huge rebuilding job was required.  Recruitment strategy - a whole bunch of freebies & loans, as there was no cash in the pot to spend.  16 players brought in on permanent deals, plus 13 loans!!  Not a penny spent.  He signed players from England, Scotland, Holland, Latvia, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Non-League, Youth teams.  I'd say that was a pretty rough crash-course in recruitment.  But was it a success?  Well, having lost his best players and brought in a host of freebies, he took Oldham from near relegation the season before, up to a respectable 15th.

Season 2014/15 was another rebuild.  He lost key players again - James Tarkowski, Korey Smith, Jonson Clarke-Harris. Again, not much money available to replace those losses.  10 freebies were brought in, from England, France, Scotland, non league.  2 players cost money - Rhys Murphy & Dom Poleon, totaling around £85k.  Loans again played a part, in particular, Daniel Johnson loaned from Villa (this was prior to his Preston days).
By the time he left in February amongst the Ched Evans nonsense, he had Oldham up to 9th in the table, and winning rave reviews for their style of play.  After he left, they slumped and finished 15th.

His time at Oldham shows that he took a team from the foot of the division, to near the playoffs, on a budget of £85k (received over £1.3m in transfers out), picking up free transfers from 8 different countries and spotting talent such as Korey Smith and Daniel Johnson on the way.  I'd say he demonstrated tactical nous and efficient recruitment acumen during this spell (£1.2m profit on transfer dealings, lifting a team from 21st to 9th).

So, onto Barnsley.
Joined in late February and took charge of 14 games, 5 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses.  1.5 points per game.  Better than the team had performed in the season to date, at 1.28 points per game.  Guided them to 11th - the team was on course for 15th at the previous points ratio. 

His first full season with Barnsley started in summer 2015 when he again faced a huge rebuild of the squad.  It is a common myth that LJ has money to send at Barnsley and should be challenging at the top.  In the summer, he lost 13 players.  From the previous season, the only remaining regulars were Hourihane, Nyatanga, Winnall & Scowen.  That's a massive challenge for any manager.
He was able to bring in 9 players in the summer, 1 for a fee of £150k, 2 for nominal (tribunal) fees.  Again, the squad being bulked up by loans.  So people should in no way suggest LJ has a big budget at Barnsley.  Far from it.  They sold Holgate for £2m, but he's spent no more than £200k.  He also has the youngest squad in the entire football league.
Again, just think of that - it's a huge challenge for any manager to make a success of Barnsley this season - 4 regulars from the previous season, and only £200k to spend!!
Does he have a good eye in the transfer market?  Loans from Man Utd (Pearson, Rothwell, Fletcher), Arsenal (Crowley) & Newcastle (Toney) suggest he's got some pretty decent contacts and a decent eye for talent (Pearson has now gone to Preston for £650k).

He currently has Barnsley in 12th - higher than they were when he took over, and 1 game from Wembley.  He's had virtually nothing to spend and has the youngest team in the land.  I'd say he's doing a pretty good job there.

Just to finish, I also know players who've played under him (including currently at Barnsley), and they say he's bright, articulate, tactically aware, a good man-manager and a real 21st century manager with fresh ideas and a caring demeanor.

Is he right for us at this very moment?  Hard to say, but his first 2 spells as a manager have seen immediate upturn in results when appointed with 10-15 games left.
Whether he is ready for us or not, a lot of posters on here are very blinkered to LJ's abilities as a manager, simply because they didn't like him as a player.  That should matter not.  If he hadn't played here, and you looked at his managerial record (as outlined above), whilst not standing out and shouting at you to get him, you'd say he's someone to keep an eye on as it looks like he's got a good future in a managerial capacity.

My advice to all is, don't be put off by your pre-conceived opinion of LJ as a player.  Judge him as a manager, and if you look at the evidence above, he's worth throwing in the mix.

 

 

wow, possibly onevof the best researched posts I have ever read. Are you his agent or his dad?

[twodogs]

what port said red said saves me time on google! so which is it? agent or relative?

[Shtanley]

@Harry Sick post mate. A lot of names/things I wasn't aware of. Certainly someone who I wouldn't mind taking over. Unluck most I liked him as a player, would always try to get stuck in despite his physical lackings and if fit all season we probably could've gone up. 

[And Its Smith]

Well done @Harryfor that post.  As some will know, I work in Oldham and so keep a close eye on them.  The loss of players and constant rebuilds that you mention is accurate.  Also it should be noted that when he was doing this the style of play from Oldham was always easy on the eye.   He was loved by the fans before the whole Ched Evans debacle, when I believe he was backed into a corner and probably regrets a few things that happened.  I am sure they would love him back now as it seems certain they will go down.  Having seen his work there and more recently at Barnsley I am convinced he will go onto great things as a manager.  I just hope it is with us and I would welcome his appointment now. 

[And Its Smith]

27 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

w

wow, possibly onevof the best researched posts I have ever read. Are you his agent or his dad?

 

24 minutes ago, twodogs said:

what port said red said saves me time on google! so which is it? agent or relative?

Don't know if these are tongue in cheek or plain disrespectful.  I am sure it's the former.  Harry is a football enthusiast and has an incredible knowledge of the game.  For once, due to my links to Oldham (the town, not the club) , I can vouch that his post is extremely accurate.  

[havanatopia]

Very good post Harry.

I was never an anti LJ on the pitch; on the contrary. 

As for management; he keeps adding positively to his CV and as i have previously said and untimated i think on balance he would keep us up but he would settle into a lower mid table sort of mediocrity; i only say that because i think its too early for him to come here but of course thats a catch 22; when his profile rises as i am sure it will we may have a lot less chance of luring him. I still believe we need a much more experienced man. 

[BS4 on Tour...]

5 hours ago, Davefevs said:

How about the Dalglish's at Newcastle, or the Redknapp's at AFCB?

Both incorrect Dave.

I know Newcastle have made some desperate appointments as manager but do you really think Paul Dalglish was in charge at some point to follow in the footsteps of his pops Ken?!

And when did Jamie R manage Bournemouth?!

I reckon you read my post wrong!!

[spudski]

2 hours ago, havanatopia said:

Very good post Harry.

I was never an anti LJ on the pitch; on the contrary. 

As for management; he keeps adding positively to his CV and as i have previously said and untimated i think on balance he would keep us up but he would settle into a lower mid table sort of mediocrity; i only say that because i think its too early for him to come here but of course thats a catch 22; when his profile rises as i am sure it will we may have a lot less chance of luring him. I still believe we need a much more experienced man. 

In the big picture of things...surely his next move in management would be to a struggling unfashionable Championship side?

I think we fit the ticket perfectly ;-)

[Son of Fred]

8 hours ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

...and the Bonds at Bournemouth, there's loads of em! 

Bonnet de douche Rodney!!

Brooke,and Basildon.??????

[havanatopia]

53 minutes ago, spudski said:

In the big picture of things...surely his next move in management would be to a struggling unfashionable Championship side?

I think we fit the ticket perfectly ;-)

I agree from his viewpoint just not ours... But it is still too soon for him. 

[P'head Red]

Market suspended by all except Betfair (odds of 1/100 for LJ) and bet victor (4/6)

[BigAl&Toby]

6 hours ago, Harry said:

I'm really keen to pick up on the comment around Lee Johnson not having any tactical nous, nor any success at player recruitment.  Certainly not picking you out from the crowd on this though Cheshire Red, as it's probably a view held by many of our fans who don't really know too much about his managerial history to date.

I'll give you all the lo-down.

LJ arrived at Oldham in March 2013 with them looking certain for relegation to League 2.  His 10 games in charge consisted 4 wins, 3 draws 3 losses.  15 points gained in 10 games, which saw them to safety with 2 games spare.  Points per game ratio of 1.5, whereas the same team had only managed 1 point per game in the previous 36.  Whether this was "tactical nous", new manager syndrome, or just plain luck will never be known, but it was a very good start to his career.
I'd say he was helped on his way by his very first signing as a manager, none other than Korey Smith.  So this instantly dispels the myth that he has no recruitment nous, as that's a pretty damn good first signing and one he knew could help his new team to safety.

Season 2013/14 began with LJ losing 18 players from the squad who were out of contract!  He lost crucial players to Oldham in Matt Smith, Jean Mvoto & Jose Baxter.

A huge rebuilding job was required.  Recruitment strategy - a whole bunch of freebies & loans, as there was no cash in the pot to spend.  16 players brought in on permanent deals, plus 13 loans!!  Not a penny spent.  He signed players from England, Scotland, Holland, Latvia, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Non-League, Youth teams.  I'd say that was a pretty rough crash-course in recruitment.  But was it a success?  Well, having lost his best players and brought in a host of freebies, he took Oldham from near relegation the season before, up to a respectable 15th.

Season 2014/15 was another rebuild.  He lost key players again - James Tarkowski, Korey Smith, Jonson Clarke-Harris. Again, not much money available to replace those losses.  10 freebies were brought in, from England, France, Scotland, non league.  2 players cost money - Rhys Murphy & Dom Poleon, totaling around £85k.  Loans again played a part, in particular, Daniel Johnson loaned from Villa (this was prior to his Preston days).
By the time he left in February amongst the Ched Evans nonsense, he had Oldham up to 9th in the table, and winning rave reviews for their style of play.  After he left, they slumped and finished 15th.

His time at Oldham shows that he took a team from the foot of the division, to near the playoffs, on a budget of £85k (received over £1.3m in transfers out), picking up free transfers from 8 different countries and spotting talent such as Korey Smith and Daniel Johnson on the way.  I'd say he demonstrated tactical nous and efficient recruitment acumen during this spell (£1.2m profit on transfer dealings, lifting a team from 21st to 9th).

So, onto Barnsley.
Joined in late February and took charge of 14 games, 5 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses.  1.5 points per game.  Better than the team had performed in the season to date, at 1.28 points per game.  Guided them to 11th - the team was on course for 15th at the previous points ratio. 

His first full season with Barnsley started in summer 2015 when he again faced a huge rebuild of the squad.  It is a common myth that LJ has money to send at Barnsley and should be challenging at the top.  In the summer, he lost 13 players.  From the previous season, the only remaining regulars were Hourihane, Nyatanga, Winnall & Scowen.  That's a massive challenge for any manager.
He was able to bring in 9 players in the summer, 1 for a fee of £150k, 2 for nominal (tribunal) fees.  Again, the squad being bulked up by loans.  So people should in no way suggest LJ has a big budget at Barnsley.  Far from it.  They sold Holgate for £2m, but he's spent no more than £200k.  He also has the youngest squad in the entire football league.
Again, just think of that - it's a huge challenge for any manager to make a success of Barnsley this season - 4 regulars from the previous season, and only £200k to spend!!
Does he have a good eye in the transfer market?  Loans from Man Utd (Pearson, Rothwell, Fletcher), Arsenal (Crowley) & Newcastle (Toney) suggest he's got some pretty decent contacts and a decent eye for talent (Pearson has now gone to Preston for £650k).

He currently has Barnsley in 12th - higher than they were when he took over, and 1 game from Wembley.  He's had virtually nothing to spend and has the youngest team in the land.  I'd say he's doing a pretty good job there.

Just to finish, I also know players who've played under him (including currently at Barnsley), and they say he's bright, articulate, tactically aware, a good man-manager and a real 21st century manager with fresh ideas and a caring demeanor.

Is he right for us at this very moment?  Hard to say, but his first 2 spells as a manager have seen immediate upturn in results when appointed with 10-15 games left.
Whether he is ready for us or not, a lot of posters on here are very blinkered to LJ's abilities as a manager, simply because they didn't like him as a player.  That should matter not.  If he hadn't played here, and you looked at his managerial record (as outlined above), whilst not standing out and shouting at you to get him, you'd say he's someone to keep an eye on as it looks like he's got a good future in a managerial capacity.

My advice to all is, don't be put off by your pre-conceived opinion of LJ as a player.  Judge him as a manager, and if you look at the evidence above, he's worth throwing in the mix.

 

 

Excellent post. Good to read after so many pages of nonsense.

i rated LJ as a footballing footballer. Based on that and Harry's post I'd have him back tomorrow. 

[Port Said Red]

6 hours ago, RedDave said:

 

Don't know if these are tongue in cheek or plain disrespectful.  I am sure it's the former.  Harry is a football enthusiast and has an incredible knowledge of the game.  For once, due to my links to Oldham (the town, not the club) , I can vouch that his post is extremely accurate.  

No disrespect meant at all in my case, I am a fan of Lee's as previous posts would show, I didn't know this much detail about his career, and my comment was meant to suggest that Harry's knowledge was so good it he came across as someone who is close to him. 

[BobBobSuperBob]

Having a good read at Barnsleys forums it looks like they have very 'mixed' views on LJ at best

Many quite happy to see him come to us to save the cost of getting rid of him

Interesting comments about negative style of play this season and LJ stating he has no control over recruitment. !!!

[cityloyal473]

If we appoint Johnson as manager, Lansdown best wear a helmet and body armour to the Q&A at Notts. 

[LoyalRed]

Would prefer Johnson & Johnson over just Johnson 

[Snufflelufagus]

8 hours ago, cidercity1987 said:

The club announces Johnson as manager just as OTIB goes down for the day, avoiding the inevitable forum backlash.

Tom are you in cahoots with the Bristol City board !

[robinreliant]

Is he still hot favourite

[wallaceboy]

Lee Johnson's barmy army.

[wallaceboy]

Lee Johnson's barmy army.

[havanatopia]

9 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Having a good read at Barnsleys forums it looks like they have very 'mixed' views on LJ at best

Many quite happy to see him come to us to save the cost of getting rid of him

Interesting comments about negative style of play this season and LJ stating he has no control over recruitment. !!!

Well, as Head Coach here, he might have the same issues then with Ashton pulling the strings... who knows. deflated if he comes, no disrespect to the guy, but was hoping for a lot more; We sack Steve Cotterill and appoint Lee Johnson.... duhhhhhhhh.