He didn't say that he didn't think promotion was the target. Maybe that is a semantic point but you're doing the same thing, putting a negative spin on a throw away comment. Why get so upset about one line when the rest of the interview is upbeat?
What I said. Plenty of people were negative about our chances. Complaints about recruitment being slow, hangover from the playoff defeat, another season this far down the league table all contributed to a general lack of optimism. Indeed it doesn't, which I often think is a good thing. But there was plenty of negativity on Twitter too and, I assume because I've never been on there, the other forum. Online chatter must be one of the easiest ways for the club to monitor the general mood of the supporter base and, I would imagine, formed the basis of Johnson's comments.
We have languished in the 3rd division for too long... unless you are a diehard, you have drifted away from the club. Personally I am not sure how much more I can take, we keep getting involved in cup games, rather than concentrating on the league. As for the rows between manager, coaching staff and players... I would expect nothing else...we are conceding soft goals and not scoring many. Fingers pointing and kicks up the backside should be the least if it. Then it is Johnston's job to bring them all together.
This is exactly it. Anyone who has played the game to any kind of organised level (and I'm assuming that's quite a large number of us on here) knows that 'heated debates' happen in changing rooms. Especially when things aren't going well. That's a natural way of dealing with the disappointment and letting off steam. We've got no idea what form any such disagreements within the SAFC dressing room took, just vague hints that there has been some kind of unspecified falling out. Those with an anti-Johnson agenda want to frame it as some kind of irredeemable break down between staff and players but it may well be nothing of the sort.
My confidence in the new management and recruitment structure led me to expect being around 5 points clear at the top by Christmas. Until 6 games ago they were looking as if they would exceed that target. Does anyone know how many times Johnson's teams have gone on these bad runs, throughout his career? It's obviously not easy to get promoted with a team that cannot perform consistently, hard enough over 46 games, harder still if you have to cater for significant periods where the team turns to ****e.
Unfortunately fairly often. Was in charge for Bristol City's longest losing streak in their history (8 defeats) And was one off Barnsley's longest losing run (again 8 defeats). Seems like he's a slow learner. Definition of madness to be honest keep doing the same things keep getting the same results.
As most long suffering fans, managers, players acknowledge.... You start winning games, BY NOT LOSING, in other words keeping a clean sheet. Its obvious that we are a soft touch and are giving away easy goals. Crosses are not been stopped and headers are not won in our penalty area. Danny Collins reckons we are zonal marking, its not working! Can we try 3 CBs and 2 wing backs with 2 DMs...it may make us tougher to score against.
I think you'll find apart from about 5 clubs in the country I.e man city, liverpool, Chelsea, every other manager in all 4 divisions goes on bad runs. I've no idea why people keep signalling out Johnson as doing it
Well I’m willing to give him two more games before I join the out brigade, but I would like to know what the in brigade are thinking 4/5 games, 10 games, the whole season, there must be a point where you say f uck this, let us know what it is.
Just been looking at his record with Bristol, seems like starting strong and fading later is a common theme. However it looks like he did better at the club than a fair few before him and those who came after him, including Pearson who's there now and has them near the relegation zone. This is all in the championship apart from one season I think. I believe there was a lot of player turnover while he was there and the club was successful financially while suffering a bit from not having a settled squad. Seems to me like the streaky tag is justified but some of the negativity about him from Bristol's fans isn't. I think the bad streaks were pretty bad, 8 games or so, but he pulled through in the end and hadn't necessarily lost the dressing room or whatever. Might need to weather the storm and improve the squad in January for a strong finish which I believe he's capable of.
To be fair mate, that was said by the impatient lot when we had only signed about 3 players. Since then we signed a glut of players from good sides and if we don't achieve promotion this season LJ will have failed and should pay for his failure by losing his job. Still willing to give him a short while to turn things around but the team are underperforming and time is running out.
I agree if we don't go up then his position has to be reconsidered. I would give him the chance to sort it out though.
Logically, that is what would have been more palatable as most people realised it would take time for the side to gel. Johnson said we would get better as the season went on - we've got worse and it's that that's alarming people.
His habit of going on these streaks is odd and it would be interesting to work out why it happens. It might be nothing more than coincidence. As far as I can tell, it didn't really happen when he was at Oldham. As well as record losing streaks, he also went on long unbeaten runs, which consisted mainly of wins when he was at Bristol City. If we could get all of losses for the season out of the way in November we'd all be quite happy. As well as the streaks, he was being talked about as one of the best managers in the league for the way he beat Man Utd and a couple of other Premier League sides in the League Cup. He used a 442 with two false 9s against Man Utd, so this idea that he's wedded to one system is wrong.
Usually when one of our managers goes on these runs it's the beginning of the end and there are no signs they're going to be able to turn it around, for me Grayson, Moyes, Coleman, Parkinson and many more were like that. I do find it reassuring that Johnson doesn't seem to be one of them, the bad runs hit him hard no doubt but he's got form for figuring out the problem. Currently he's trying different personnel, not really working so he'll probably try something different next and crack it. It's rough for the fans while it's happening, I feel ****ty at the moment, but the more I think about it the more I think we stick with him.
