Lee Johnson



He will give you your best times in the past 5 years but also your worst too. Out of the options he's probably your best choice. He pretty much took Barnsley up before he left them for us.
 
Yes. He kept us up in the premier league...

So was I. That Black Sunday in September, 2013 when Short backed the players over his manager was one of my saddest days in nearly sixty years supporting SAFC. I have rarely felt more invigorated than when Paolo, with his crazy enthusiasm and loyal backroom team was here for that dozen matches. I really felt with Paolo that we could be on the brink of something. That we might have to swallow a relegation in order for him to rid the club of the lazy core but that given time he'd have had us top-half PL playing exciting, swashbuckling football.
The Cowleys aren't Paolo Di Canio but I believe they would have brought excitement and success to SAFC and its supporters. That's why I've been arguing their case and that's why I'm very disappointed. But not as disappointed as on that Black Sunday. We had Paolo; I never thought we'd actually get get the Cowleys.
 
Utterly utterly uninspiring.
Does anybody think this manager can take us into the Premier league?
It's not just about getting out of L1, it's setting the foundations of long term success at the highest level because that is what should be demanded of this club.
 
So was I. That Black Sunday in September, 2013 when Short backed the players over his manager was one of my saddest days in nearly sixty years supporting SAFC. I have rarely felt more invigorated than when Paolo, with his crazy enthusiasm and loyal backroom team was here for that dozen matches. I really felt with Paolo that we could be on the brink of something. That we might have to swallow a relegation in order for him to rid the club of the lazy core but that given time he'd have had us top-half PL playing exciting, swashbuckling football.
The Cowleys aren't Paolo Di Canio but I believe they would have brought excitement and success to SAFC and its supporters. That's why I've been arguing their case and that's why I'm very disappointed. But not as disappointed as on that Black Sunday. We had Paolo; I never thought we'd actually get get the Cowleys.
For me the Cowleys are just the wrong fit, completely wrong fit. They might end up getting a team challenging for promotion to the premier league or something but just not for us.
 
You know exactly why fans will be depressed by this appointment. He has never got in the play offs. He has a poor win record. He was sacked by Bristol City because he was backed financially but still failed to get in the play offs.

My question is do the club know the views of the fans? Do they care that this appointment will be so badly received?

For me it signals the end. As I keep mentioning I have had a season ticket since 1990. I went away to matches the last time we were in the 3rd Division. I have backed the club with 3 season tickets each of the 3 demoralizing seasons in League One. But Johnson's appointment would be the end for me. Assuming we don't go up with him I wont renew. I just cant put eith the mediocrity and failure of this regime. It is actually no fun at all supporting Sunderland. And this appointment wpuld epitomise thr failure of Donald's tenure - our eorst period in 141 years.

You keep criticising him for not reaching the playoffs but Jack Ross has reached the playoffs.

He took over Oldham in 22nd and kept them up. In his first full season he finished 15th, and then had them in 9th the next season when he left for Barnsley. Oldham fell back down to 15th after his appointment and continued fighting relegation for the next three seasons before finally succumbing.

Is this a less impressive job than him taking over a team in 5th and finishing 6th just because he'd have a play-off on his record?

He spent just under a year at Barnsley where they were 16th when he arrived. They went backwards and were struggling, yes. He spent a lot of time working with and developing young players during that time. By the time he left them, they were 11th with six straight wins and a JPT final. He signed Alfie Mawson on a free transfer after being discarded by Brentford, who went on to become a £15m player who was called up for England. Again, year on year improvement and an impressive record for developing younger players.

Would it be better if he took over a team top of the table and finished 2nd just because he'd have a promotion under his belt?

Then he went to Bristol City who were 22nd and heading back to League One when he took over. They subsequently finished 17th, 11th , 8th and 12th in his next four seasons. Last season was the only year they went backwards. He also took them to the brink of a major cup final, which would have been their first since 1900 if I remember rightly. He knocked Mourinho out and gave Guardiola a scare, both of whom speak very highly of him.

I know some Barnsley and Bristol City fans have been critical of him on here, but it sounds like sour grapes from Barnsley and most football fans seem to get tired of the managers these days if they hang around long enough. Even Arsene Wenger wasn't immune to that.
 
He will give you your best times in the past 5 years but also your worst too. Out of the options he's probably your best choice. He pretty much took Barnsley up before he left them for us.


If you count being eight points off the play-offs - and 17 off automatic promotion - as 'pretty much [taking] Barnsley up', then you are quite right.
 
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You keep criticising him for not reaching the playoffs but Jack Ross has reached the playoffs.

He took over Oldham in 22nd and kept them up. In his first full season he finished 15th, and then had them in 9th the next season when he left for Barnsley. Oldham fell back down to 15th after his appointment and continued fighting relegation for the next three seasons before finally succumbing.

Is this a less impressive job than him taking over a team in 5th and finishing 6th just because he'd have a play-off on his record?

He spent just under a year at Barnsley where they were 16th when he arrived. They went backwards and were struggling, yes. He spent a lot of time working with and developing young players during that time. By the time he left them, they were 11th with six straight wins and a JPT final. He signed Alfie Mawson on a free transfer after being discarded by Brentford, who went on to become a £15m player who was called up for England. Again, year on year improvement and an impressive record for developing younger players.

Would it be better if he took over a team top of the table and finished 2nd just because he'd have a promotion under his belt?

Then he went to Bristol City who were 22nd and heading back to League One when he took over. They subsequently finished 17th, 11th , 8th and 12th in his next four seasons. Last season was the only year they went backwards. He also took them to the brink of a major cup final, which would have been their first since 1900 if I remember rightly. He knocked Mourinho out and gave Guardiola a scare, both of whom speak very highly of him.

I know some Barnsley and Bristol City fans have been critical of him on here, but it sounds like sour grapes from Barnsley and most football fans seem to get tired of the managers these days if they hang around long enough. Even Arsene Wenger wasn't immune to that.

Its weird how suddenly you have switched from loving Phil Parkinson to loving Lee Johnson
 
Having just read up on his managerial career so far, I think he is even less impressive an appointment than Parkinson.

This absolutely smacks of a Donald appointment, which means that takeover is utter fantasy. Fully expect us to apply for that financial grant now.

This is a fairly mental take mate :D we've just appointed a guy who came within a whisker of getting Bristol City to the playoffs after they were almost relegated under his predecessor and he kept them up. Who was it you thought would seriously come down to L1?

And we should be applying for that grant, we're entitled to it.

I think sometimes our fans get so caught up in what happened with Keane that we forget how extremely lucky we were to get him, and how often that type of appointment goes wrong.
 

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