Why Steve Lansdown has not yet decided to sack Lee Johnson with Bristol City in the relegation zone By a_stockhausen | Posted: March 07, 2017 When his team failed to beat Burton Albion in what Lee Johnson described as a "must-win" game, Bristol City fans anticipated the imminent removal of the head coach from his post. But as the hours following Saturday's goalless stalemate passed without incident and the weekend gave way to Monday without any announcement emanating from Ashton Gate, it became apparent that City's young head coach had dodged another bullet. For those City fans who stayed behind after the final whistle to register their discontent at what they perceive to be a headlong slide towards relegation, it is inconceivable that Johnson should be permitted to lead the Robins into tonight's contest against Norwich at Ashton Gate. Vocal advocates of a change at the top cannot understand why majority shareholder Steve Lansdown has not chosen to act decisively in a quest to turn the tide before it is too late. With just eleven games left to negotiate, they argue time is fast running out for the Robins to arrest a slide that has seen them plummet from fourth to 22nd place in the Championship table in the space of five painful months. Of course, Lansdown has earned a reputation as a patient man in his capacity as hirer and firer in chief at Ashton Gate, and he is not given to knee-jerk reactions in the face of adversity. That said, it is difficult to imagine too many managers or coaches in English football surviving a record of two wins in 22 league outings.Clearly, Lansdown does not subscribe to the perceived wisdom that salvation can only be achieved by a change at the top. Quite why his assessment of the situation should differ so markedly from a majority of those who pay at the turnstiles is cause for conjecture. Since coming out and speaking publicly in support of his head coach on January 23, the man at the top has maintained a dignified silence. Despite rumours to the contrary, there is no discernible evidence that Johnson has "lost" the dressing room. The players are clearly still working hard for him and doing their utmost to remedy an increasingly parlous situation. That unity of purpose and commitment explains, at least in part, Lansdown's continued backing for the status quo. He is also reluctant to call time on a project he invested so much in when he and chief operating officer Mark Ashton identified Johnson as the ideal candidate to manage a more sustainable model, one that had youth development and financial prudence at its very core. To remove the head coach from his position 13 months into the project, will be akin to admitting defeat. Certainly, Lansdown and his board of directors have afforded Johnson staunch backing, but there comes a point when enough is enough. It may be that defeat to Norwich beneath the Ashton Gate floodlights this evening will prove the final straw and persuade those responsible for running the club to resort to the ultimate sanction. A victory will render him safe for now, while a draw would more than likely be enough to secure Johnson another game – at fellow strugglers Wigan on Saturday. Another potentially crucial watershed moment could arrive when City host Huddersfield on March 17 and then immediately embark upon a two-week break for international matches. In the event results continue to fall short of what is required, City remain in the bottom three and Lansdown elects to make a change, a new manager or coach will at least have time to work with the players on the training ground ahead of a return to arms at Brentford on April 1. I suspect we are fast approaching the point at which a change in head coach might prove counter-productive, given how little of the season remains. please log in to view this image Even if Lansdown chose to act after Tuesday's game, it is unlikely he would have a permanent replacement in before Saturday's proverbial "six-pointer" at Wigan. Thereafter, the new man would have just nine games in which to effect the necessary about-turn in fortunes. Without recourse to the transfer market and with no guarantee that he would be able to extract more from the current crop of players, would he necessarily stand a better chance of achieving survival? Some City fans think they know the answer to that question, but until Lansdown is convinced of the need for change, it will continue to be business as usual for Johnson and his players. Read more at http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/why-st...0183071-detail/story.html#BPbfyIMPbh2C9OaJ.99
Mr Lansdown please take note ~ 'We have won 2 out of the last 20 games, losing 11 out of the last 15 and earning just 10 points out of the last 60. I honestly cannot think of any other manager who would stay in his job with statistics that are so bad.' This record from Lee Johnson is pathetic, embarrassing, below par, useless, rubbish, failure, broken promises, unbelievable, bad,not acceptable, weak, relegation fodder, shameful. ....and you still praise and employ this person with a record of defeats for our club... WHY.....?
Kin joke of a club, Manager and especially the owner. LJ must have something serious on Lansdown for this charade to carry on.
'it became apparent that City's young head coach had dodged another bullet.' LJ must've taken some tips from this guy:
from a post in the EP NOT wiz's words he just pasted on here tnx pretty much what I said a few days ago, is he plagurizing?
It seems to me that the days of conspiracy in the boardroom are upon us and when the post mentions discreet silence it probably should have read hiding from the truth.
