'Maverick' Lee Tomlin has nothing to prove but a challenge lies ahead for the Bristol City player please log in to view this image Lee Johnson insists former Premier League man Lee Tomlin has nothing to prove as he prepares to test himself against top flight Hull City in the EFL Cup on Tuesday. The Bristol City attacking midfielder was signed by AFC Bournemouth in the summer of 2015 after their historic promotion to English football's highest tier. But Tomlin – described as a "maverick" by his boss Johnson - found opportunities limited and, after a successful loan spell at Ashton Gate, dropped back down to the Championship and signed a permanent deal with City this summer. please log in to view this image The former Middlesbrough man has two goals and four assists in 13 matches and will get the chance to pit his wits against a Premier League outfit after making just six appearances for the Cherries. "This is a great stage (the EFL Cup) for him to go out and prove he is Premier League quality. But, really, I don't think he has to prove anything, to anyone," said head coach Johnson ahead of the Hull match. "He has had an unbelievable career from where he has come from. Don't forget he was a player who six or so years ago was playing for Rushden and Diamonds in non-league and about 14 stone. "So he's come down in body weight – and understood what takes to be a professional – and has got a promotion with Peterborough. He's also done well with Middlesbrough. He then got his move into the Premier League. please log in to view this image Johnson, meanwhile, might not have ever questioned Tomlin's ability but he does believe there is a challenge for the 27-year-old to fulfil. "If there is a challenge for Lee Tomlin, it's can he be good player in a bad side?" Johnson said. "What I mean by that is the reaction to the transition. If Lee Tomlin signed for Chelsea then he'd be fine because the players there are world class. If Lee signed for a club similar to Bournemouth, who are finding their feet, then he may be a liability. "What he needs to show is both sides of his game. He will never be a defensive sort of midfielder like Bryan Robson for example, who is going to run around, organise and smash people with tackles. However, he has to do a certain level of that if he wants to play for a lower level team in the Premier League. "Obviously we're pushing as hard as we can to get there. We'd love to be able to do that in his contract – he's got two years after this – and that would be a big challenge for him. There are many elements to his game but he is our player who unlocks the door." please log in to view this image Tomlin now has eight goals in over 30 games for the Robins and, alongside another City teammate, has been labelled as something special by Johnson. "We've got a couple of mavericks like Jamie Paterson and Lee Tomlin – he is probably the biggest one. He's the genius," said the boss. He takes some managing but deep down he's a lovely lad and the players' respect that he is a match winner. "He has attributes that no one else has in the division but he also has weaknesses and flaws. We have to make sure we get the jigsaw right and, in each team, pick a blend that can affect the game in a positive way. "He's a player that plays with no fear or no rules and I'm constantly in a state of love/hate with him." Tomlin was at it again on Saturday with a few tricks and skills in the 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. He also executed the pass that set up Aaron Wilbraham for the winner. Ever the showman, Johnson says his players will never be punished for attempting something out the ordinary. please log in to view this image "We never, ever criticise players for trying something," he said. He added: "I think even Saturday at 0-0 he (Tomlin) tries to one where he flicks it round the side before scooping the ball around the defence just after. "But you won't get any sort of anger or aggression from me on that because I know how important he is to be able to feel free – feel like a kid in the playground if you like. "Just look at the goal on Saturday for example. It was an unbelievable defence splitting ball from him and some people might have thought it was a clearance if you don't know Lee Tomlin, but we know it was obviously a driven free-kick that he spotted. "A lot of players wouldn't have even spotted that."
"He's a player that plays with no fear or no rules and I'm constantly in a state of love/hate with him." Maverick or not he is our own player and we the fans love him, I think he is a diamond along side Tammy..
Agree with all of the above but needs to know when to shut up, to stop getting needlessly booked game after game.
A player worth paying to go and see. Strange that in a country so bereft of players with genuine ability, more of a noise isn't made of Lee Tomlin
On their day you could say the same about JET, Nicky Maynard and many many others. All have/had serious qualities but also have flaws. JET more than most !!
Lee Tomlin is even better than "Jackie" by the end of this season we will all agree, the man is a pure genius!!!
I am already bought into that one. My favourite England player ever was Gazza, and Tomlin reminds me very much of the great Tyneside pudding head. I never thought we would see a player with his craft, skill and imagination playing in a City shirt. No matter how many goals Abraham scores, Tomlin is out on his own regarding player of the season for me (and its only October 26 !)
Who knows what sort of personality he is? - he seems a bit of a hothead and I suspect LJ has his work cut out managing him, taming and shaping his genius - too difficult a task for Bournemouth to do................
George Best was no Franciscan Monk was he ! Its a good challenge for LJ. SAF used to say that one of the best things about his job was working with the genius of Eric Cantona, but as we saw at Palace he could be a real handful too.
