Lee Johnson has by no means had a yr like 2024 earlier than. Oldham Athletic supervisor at simply 31, the breaks from soccer had been fleeting till now. “You become so institutionalised,” he tells Sky Sports activities. “It has been a difficult time in that respect.”
However one yr after leaving Fleetwood City, he’s prepared for the subsequent problem. “Not bitter, just better.” And for a coach as soon as tipped for large issues, it’s price noting that he’s nonetheless solely 43, youthful than three quarters of the managers within the Premier League.
Johnson has used his time productively, serving to his daughter along with her research but additionally centered on his personal growth. He went to Sandhurst to see how the army function, has led webinars for grassroots coaches and loved an eclectic mixture of excursions.
“The webinar thing through LinkedIn was about giving something back. Naively, I expected three or four young coaches to be interested. I had over a thousand in my inbox.” However Johnson himself shares that eagerness for studying and self-improvement.
“I have just come back from FC Copenhagen. Talking to the sports psychologist out there was fascinating. I went out to Nigeria. That was a really interesting experience as well. Just scratching the itch of curiosity, really. Trying to study and learn and evolve.”
In Nigeria, a serious membership despatched him to pick the decide of the gamers from a event, coach them and report again on one of the best prospects. “I enjoyed the football and the country. It helped me to understand the journey of some African players a bit more.”
Nearer to residence, he has coached a number of the fringe gamers at Manchester Metropolis to assist their development, whether or not that’s securing mortgage strikes or new contracts elsewhere. “That was another brilliant experience, working with high-quality players,” he says.
“You never quite knew the numbers because Pep [Guardiola] would whip 10 away for the pitch next door so I had a little bit of a taste of my own medicine!” Any to regulate? “Alex Robertson, who has gone to Cardiff. He picks up coaching points so quickly.”
Johnson has been teaching at Man Metropolis and making journeys to Denmark and Nigeria
The connection with the Metropolis Soccer Group is longstanding. Brian Marwood, the managing director of worldwide soccer at CFG, even chaperoned Johnson when he signed for Arsenal as a young person. They took an curiosity in his teaching profession from the beginning.
“Many moons ago, the LMA put on a course for young coaches who they thought could potentially end up as England manager. There were 15 or so of us. I was at Oldham and City were just starting to develop the group model, looking for clubs to partner with.
“So, they type of let me backstage at Metropolis. I labored with a Gwen Byrom, who was a type of psychologist and character profiler.” Did he learn anything as a coach from his interactions back then? “I keep in mind they rated your substitutions,” he recalls.
“They known as it ‘dynamic coach’s affect’. It was about how good you’re at altering the sport. I used to be proper up the listing at Bristol Metropolis however Neil Warnock was prime so I keep in mind sitting with him at a reserve sport going by his processes. That was attention-grabbing.”
Johnson has not ruled out taking a role within CFG in the future. “There have been a few alternatives. It’s one thing I’d like to do sooner or later.” And that fits with the fact that he still sees himself as an innovative and progressive young coach.
Johnson has over a decade of expertise as a supervisor regardless of being solely 43
There was the time that he helped Lloyd Kelly, now enjoying for Newcastle, to arrange for his debut by utilizing virtual-reality headsets earlier than the sport. “It helped him to visualise where the pressure would come from when on the ball. It helped him to stay calm.”
He was among the many first coaches in England to make use of drones in coaching and remembers the response when he had an enormous display screen by the pitch at Bristol Metropolis. “The next day Liverpool rang to ask where we had got it from because they wanted one too,” he reveals.
Clearly, there’s a lot to love about his strategy. The problem is that, sadly, by his personal admission, his profession has “probably hit a little bit of a dip” and the prospect of rebuilding additional down the pyramid than fits his abilities presents a problem for him.
He’s happy with his four-and-a-half years at Bristol Metropolis, creating gamers, bringing in huge sums and taking the membership to a cup semi-final. “I think it was Rod Stewart who sang the first cut is the deepest, wasn’t it? It does scar you when you put so much into it.”
Johnson was a Wembley winner with Sunderland throughout his time in cost there
His file at Sunderland stands up, profitable a trophy at Wembley and sacked when third within the desk. “That was difficult to take,” he admits. “But there are always those little successes. Players like Ross Stewart, signed from Ross County, sold for £9m.”
Johnson even certified for Europe with Hibernian earlier than issues started to fall away. “Still, I know I maximised what we had there.” If there’s a remorse in his teaching profession it’s that some is not going to look previous his temporary three-and-a-half months at Fleetwood final outing.
“If you get sacked by Fleetwood that puts some people off but I think that is short-term thinking. What it taught me is that you really need to do a deep dive into the club you are joining, know the squad dynamic and whether you can have the impact you expect.
“You want a spot the place you’ll be able to actually implement the qualities of your work and add worth to that organisation. With that in thoughts, I’ve been courageous sufficient since then to show down some jobs.” But Johnson understands that it is a competitive industry.
“That was a consider taking Fleetwood. I needed to work. It’s troublesome if you’re on an inventory of 200 managers. Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard are within the Championship. You’re by no means certain the place you match when large names can supersede you even when your CV is healthier.”
Johnson helped take Hibernian into Europe throughout his time in Scotland
He has thought of going overseas, as his father Gary did when taking the Latvia job. “I want to be brave. I want to expand my knowledge.” Domestically, he’s attempting to be real looking about the place the subsequent alternative is more likely to land him within the soccer pyramid.
“I think it is somewhere between the bottom half of the Championship and the top six of League Two. My record in the Championship holds up well. In a way, my methods are better served at a higher level. The challenge lower down is to simplify complexity.”
However Johnson needs to maintain innovating. He’s working with an organization that’s utilizing know-how to permit gamers to assessment their communications after the sport, analysing the terminology used on the pitch. “It could really revolutionise things,” he says.
“I think it could really fast-track young players and help with onboarding foreign signings.” Nonetheless studying? “This spell has just enabled to me reflect and refine. I want to start rebuilding the career. The more experiences you get, the better you become.”
