Lee Johnson's four years at Bristol City and the Robins head coach's greatest achievement The Robins head coach celebrates his four-year anniversary in charge with his team very much in the Championship promotion mix please log in to view this image Since Lee Johnson was entrusted four years ago with the job of succeeding Bristol City’s most successful, and arguably most popular manager, 68 of his Championship contemporaries in the dugout have lost their jobs. As comfortably the league’s longest serving head coach – and seventh overall across the Premier League and EFL – Johnson’s anniversary is not just reason to hail his longevity but it acts as a justification of the project being undertaken at BS3. Of course, Johnson is very much a coach cast in the image of what the Bristol Sport model is: principled, hard-working, dedicated and with an understanding that success takes time. He would not be existing within his role without the patience, backing and support of the Lansdown family, but likewise the very structure he operates within wouldn’t run as smoothly without what he brings to the club. After Johnson wowed Steve Lansdown and new CEO Mark Ashton during his interview process in 2016, upon his appointment the message from the top was clear as the latter said to the club website: “We’ll work together to build this club for sustainable success.” And that’s precisely what has transpired, or at least is in the process of, given there is still work to be done. As we all know, Johnson has incrementally increased the Robins league position over his three completed seasons, and there’s every reason to suggest that can be secured once more in his fourth. This upward trend has been secured against the backdrop, and the understanding from Johnson, that sometimes you have to take a step back, before taking two forwards; whether that be through taking time to coach and develop players or by selling talent. The financial landscape of the EFL has increasingly become more troubled, with clubs overspending on transfers and/or wages, and neglecting infrastructure, to try and make that jump into the milk and honey of the Premier League. But for the smarter clubs, willing to swim against the tide, or having to due to the lack of parachute payments, the concept of player trading and development is absolutely fundamental to achieving targets and keeping heads above water. It may not quite stir the blood or represent the level of instant, raw and bold ambition many fans crave, but slowly but surely it will become a model for others to follow. And that, truth be told, is real ambition – the bravery to do something different. Johnson has bought into this process, even if the frustration must burn within that he only had Bobby Reid, Joe Bryan, Adam Webster, Lloyd Kelly and Josh Brownhill either fleetingly, or before they truly hit their peaks. He can live with it because he has confidence in his own ability to identify and produce replacements. They're increasingly in their number, but there aren't too many coaches in English football comfortable to do that so regularly. Their sales to clubs higher up the food chain, represent tangible evidence of his coaching prowess and ability to enhance young footballers, while the money he has made the club in transfer fees to reinvest or maintain an even financial keel, has surpassed the £50m mark. That alone, both to his admirers and critics, maintains his position at the heart of the Bristol Sport operation, but Johnson is more than just a development coach, because despite being shorn of his most desired individuals each and every season, improvement has still occurred. The best managers, who stand the test of time, are those who are not solely wedded to one style of play or certain types of individuals. They adapt, and roll with the punches, either forcing change or reacting to circumstances. City haven’t been able to properly replicate the exuberance of their attacking play in the 2017/18 campaign – a brick that’s often thrown his way - because Johnson hasn’t possessed the same individuals with the same attributes, so he’s had to switch his game plan accordingly. It would have been easier to look at what happened that season and thought, ‘let’s roll it out again’, but without Reid and Bryan or a fit Korey Smith it wouldn’t have worked, plus teams tend to grow wise to your threat if you only have one string to your bow. In the following campaign, the Robins transformed to become an ostensibly defensive team built around the newly-identified strength of Adam Webster and Tomas Kalas and ability to counter quickly and efficiently. As for 2019/20, injuries have slightly hampered the establishment of a clear, defined identity but Andi Weimann’s pressing and Niclas Eliasson’s wing play are key tenets, while the summer arrivals of Adam Nagy and Han-Noah Massengo offer evidence of where he wants to take this team. Each season has been a different iteration of a Johnson Bristol City team. And each one has had its own characteristics, pros and cons. It’s impossible not to discuss his time in Bristol without addressing the section of the fanbase who will seemingly forever be #johnsonout. There are plenty of valid and fair criticisms – the streaks, the lack of dominance at Ashton Gate plus the various selection decisions that, with the benefit of everyone else’s hindsight, he got wrong. However, this in itself is a badge of honour, because the consistent vitriol directed his way from some corners is all a product of his own work and the standards that are now demanded both on the pitch and in the stands. The glass ceiling he’s apparently incapable of breaking through is the very one he himself constructed and continues to raise, inch by inch. The prospect of Bristol City being a consistent Championship play-off challenging team hadn’t existed this decade until he began to build the idea that it was achievable. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/lee-johnsons-four-years-bristol-3815773
All true and a good report but it must cause a bit of annoyance in his thought patterns that Alan Dicks, his dad and Cotts have all won honours, promotions, they all achieved successes at the levels they were employed and on the budgets they were allowed, so far LJ has 4 years of steady progress but no honours. There is more to come I am sure but he is not on our roll of honour yet, could this be his year?
For a club /s like Bristol City it is probably easier to get an "honour" in Div 1 /2 THAN CHAMPS! although Sunderland like Sheff U are / have found it tough …. getting back up but they suffered from dropping from the prem thro the champs … other clubs BARNSLEY etc pick up something like a cup or promo …. from time to time... bear in mind they could have had Lee's name on as manager!
Mmmm, thoughts anyone? “Since Lee Johnson was entrusted four years ago with the job of succeeding Bristol City’smost successful, and arguably most popular manager”
I will agree that he has done a better job than I originally thought he would but my verdict is out on whether he is our best ever manager that has taken us higher than ever before. Truly I expect nothing less than success, however that is determined in a somewhat topsy-turvy Championship season, and by that I mean the play-offs as a minimum target. Many corporate statements regarding our intentions and targets have been bandied back and forth over Lee's time in charge and this latest attempt to rally the troops and their followers is no different than previous dialogues. If Lee can muster his revised deck of cards to take us to the play-offs then I will be more than happy to sing his praises from the rooftops but he has a little more to prove to get my full backing, and there is no time like this evening to show us the light at the end of the tunnel. Follow that with 3 straight wins and we could enjoy a very pleasant end to this season.
It's probably no surprise to anyone on here that I fully support LJ and think he's done a good job for us. That being said, he has certainly made mistakes along the way (last Friday for example) and I get miserable and angry whenever we lose games, but overall we have been battling at the upper end of the championship for the past 3 seasons and I'm old enough to remember the bleak, miserable year after miserable year of League 1 football, so I'm a 'Happy Clappy' and proud of it. Some people keep pointing out the budget and how much money LJ has been given, but the funding of football in general has changed from the Alan Dicks era. We have spent more money than ever before at Ashton Gate - as have many other clubs in this league, but we've also EARNED more than ever before. Our operating model (along with Brentford's) is the envy of other clubs - whoever would have thought - even 4 years ago - that we would be getting upwards of £10m for any of our players? It has made LJs job even harder when his best players are sold from underneath him every window and he needs to integrate new faces into the dressing room. We are having to compete with the almost infinite funding that is available to newly relegated sides coming down from the Prem with their parachute payments - and pundits expectations that they will go straight back up (which influences potential players and their agents when choosing which side to play for) - whilst all the time still staying within the constraints of FFP. Football is awash with obscene amounts of money, and FFP, whilst the intention may have been honourable, ensures that those former premiership sides will ALWAYS have the advantage over everyone else - even those teams (like ourselves) with a rich owner who is willing to splash the cash. Lee is doing a fine job in my book, and when people point out that he hasn't won anything yet (meaning silverware or promotion), then it's only fair to also point out that he hasn't been relegated or sacked in disgrace either (not a dig at Wiz - or anyone btw) As many people have pointed out, a football manager's tenure at any club hardly ever ends well, and I'm sure that LJ will be no exception, but right now I can't think of anyone else (realistic) that I would rather have at the helm.
60 years ago a programme was 4d today it is 840d that's 210x times more expensive and on reflection quite a good deal? in 1960 the record transfer was around £100k === £21m ! in 1960 an average wage for a player was £20 a week ==== or about £4500 now you can play lots of inter calculations from this! [ in finance it is assumed things double every 5 years] so a programme would be £30 ! or so; ... wages would be £40k+ ; ...but transfers would not meet the same criteria, but £80m is bouncing around the top average and that would fit in with the rise in programme cost!!!! So would agree the basics of B R&W the costs are relative to parts of the past....
I agree, the anti LJ brigade always comment on how much he has spent, and gloss over how much he has recouped in the same period. The next manager will have more, as long as they have us challenging for promotion, SL has generally always backed our managers as best he can in terms of finance.
I agree - and some people state that Cotts wasn't given any money - but he was able to approach Gayle and Gray, both priced around £9-11m? Both players turned us down, but Cotts must have had the money available to have approached them in the first place...
The problem was despite gaining promotion early we didn’t recruit in time for the beginning of the championship season , the question is why? Was it due to Cotts chasing unrealistic targets or others for others not giving him enough money or interfering with transfers that were already arranged, it was reported that happened with Maguire, either way we will never know the truth , in the end Cotts seemed to fall out with SL and that was only ever going to end one way .
It's what I've been saying for a long time now.........All managers make mistakes and hopefully they learn by them. As you've said, the funding argument by the moaners is a nonsense, it's not as if he's gone out and spent 50Mil with no return...in fact I actually think we do good business. I believe we are in a great position and as a club, it's best since the days of AD.....in fact financially, we've never been better.... I'm no different from any other supporter, depressed and disappointed when we lose and will criticise the manager or players if they get it wrong.....But i look at the league and the position we are currently in and realise we have a very good manager and of course owner and that we are progressing in the right direction.. Happy Clapper here too!!!
Cotts was good for us in league one and will be forever grateful for a great season.....but lost the plot in the Championship and not really gone on to do anything special since.............don't think SL trusted him with the funds!!
But but but but he’s spent Zillions and will get more. I’m going to ignore the fact we are probably still 20m in credit he’s spent zillions I tell thee
Of course, it would be LJ's fault that we spent zillions but the brilliance of others that we brought so much money in....
I think Cotts wanted to use the momentum we had and push on quickly, whereas for SL, it was, and still is, a long term plan. SL wants to get the infrastructure in place first. The ground is now done , the training ground is next and then the next phase of building the conference/basket ball arena, hotels etc, will.follow. As long as we improve year on year, for now he’s reasonably happy. Once all that is in place and we are getting the extra revenue then I believe his focus will turn and promotion and staying in the PL will be top priority.
