In All Fairness - So Far, So Good and THEN..?

How changed Bristol City has appeared since the departure of John Pemberton and Des Taylor

Andy Stockhausen discusses how things have improved at BS3 since the sacking of the assistant head coach and the chief scout

Andy Stockhausen

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Jamie McAllister
It is fair to say a majority of fans reacted with a sense of incredulity when news first broke that the Championship club had summarily sacked assistant head coach John Pemberton.

Announced barely an hour ahead of kick-off in a potentially crucial Championship fixture against Norwich City at Ashton Gate, the decision was greeted with widespread dismay and shock by those who pay at the turnstiles.

Surely, they argued, those responsible for the day-to-day running of the club could not countenance parting company with such an experienced football man at a time when the club was battling relegation.

After all, it was Pemberton who was widely credited with having put the Robins back on track following the dismissal of Steve Cotterill as manager in January 2016. The Lancastrian took the decision to revert to a flat back four, promoted Bristolians Joe Bryan, Bobby Reid and Wes Burns to the starting line-up and helped affect an upturn in fortunes before ever Lee Johnson arrived to take up the post of head coach in early February.

Not surprisingly, there were dark mutterings of betrayal and there was no shortage of commentators prepared to speculate that Pemberton had been metaphorically stabbed in the back by the new regime.

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Bristol City Manager Lee Johnson and Assistant Manager John Pemberton
Disapproval at seeing so much Championship knowhow heading through the exit was compounded by a feeling that Johnson, having presided over a dreadful sequence of results, including an ignominious club record eight straight league defeats, should be the one to lose his job. Many had anticipated the young head coach being given his marching orders and being replaced, albeit on a temporary basis, by the wily Pemberton while a new long-term replacement was sought.

Those who argued in favour of such an outcome were clearly misreading the runes. No sooner had Pemberton departed, than Johnson’s position, and that of assistant Dean Holden, were immediately strengthened.

It soon became clear that, far from contemplating a change at the top, majority shareholder Steve Lansdown was adhering to his erstwhile policy of staunch support for the head coach. In the event, the dire portents predicted by some among the fan-base have, so far at least, failed to materialise.

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Jamie McAllister and Dean Holden
Having demonstrated spirit aplenty to twice come from behind and draw 2-2 with play-off contenders Norwich, City staged potentially season-changing back-to-back victories over fellow strugglers Wigan and promotion-chasing Huddersfield, in the process scoring five goals without reply.

And there are other off-pitch indicators that point to a sea-change in attitude and mood following a management reshuffle that also saw chief scout Des Taylor depart Ashton Gate.

The togetherness that proved instrumental in helping City come from behind to claim a point against Norwich was again apparent on the long coach journey to Wigan.

A source informed me that the mood on board was much-improved, Johnson and new assistant Jamie McAllister sitting together while the players relaxed and enjoyed the ambience. I was reliably informed that this represented a departure from previous journeys, when the mood would sometimes be fraught.

A member of staff who shall remain unnamed also informed me that the mood on the training ground was much-improved. Johnson, Holden and McAllister were singing from the same hymnbook and confusion had been replaced, almost overnight, by understanding and clarity of purpose.

In possession of this information, I made a point of studying the body language of staff and players alike before, during and after the games against Wigan and Huddersfield. While occupying my press box perch at the DW Stadium, I was struck by the encouragement and support offered to their team-mates by City’s substitutes as they warmed up on the touchline. I had not witnessed this in recent weeks and, again, it suggested a strong team spirit and a renewed sense of togetherness.

Understandably, it will take more than a four-match unbeaten run and a short-term change in mood to convince those who doubt Johnson that they have got it wrong. But for now, all the available evidence suggests Lansdown and his board of directors might just have backed the right man.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-changed-bristol-city-appeared-13305

 

.....and then ~ Brentford, Preston, Wolves, QPR, Blackburn, Barnsley and Brighton our April matches then we can make a fair judgement.

 

I think Stockhausen is alright, he makes a few mistakes but don't we all and the last line of his report read..

' But for now, all the available evidence suggests Lansdown and his board of directors might just have backed the right man.'

I would of thought that makes all of you 'Johnson Luvvies' very happy and old Stockhausen a popular kind of guy..