Lee Johnson (footballer)

Playing career

Born in Newmarket, Suffolk, Johnson started his career as a youth player with Arsenal, but left the club aged 17 after falling out with one of the club's coaches. He joined Watford, whose youth system was run by his father Gary. He did not make a first team appearance for the club. He went on to have a spell with Brighton, scoring in his only appearance for the club against Cardiff in the Football League Trophy, before a non-contract spell with Brentford during the final months of the 2000–01 season, during which he failed to receive a call into the squad. He subsequently joined Conference side Yeovil Town in July 2001. Managed by his father Gary, Yeovil achieved two promotions, reaching the Football League Second Division. In this time, Johnson won the player of the year award three times in a row.

Johnson joined Scottish Premier League club Hearts on 11 January 2006 for £50,000, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract. His debut came in a 4–1 victory over their Edinburgh derby rivals Hibernian. Less than two months after Johnson joined Hearts, the man who signed him, Graham Rix, was sacked. After that Johnson had only made one substitute appearance for the club.

In August 2006, Johnson left Hearts to re-join his father, Gary, at Bristol City. On 12 August 2006, Huddersfield Town manager Peter Jackson was sent to the stands after grabbing Johnson around the throat in a touchline incident 10 minutes from full-time. Johnson was part of the City team that won promotion to the Football League Championship in the 2006–07 season.

In the 2007–08 season Johnson enjoyed his best season for Bristol City as they pushed for promotion to the English Premier League. Johnson was a key figure in the team during their run to the play-off final, a game in which his side lost 1–0 to Hull City and missed out on promotion.

On 1 January 2010, Johnson joined fellow Championship side Derby County on an initial one month's loan. He played his first game for Derby the next day in an FA Cup game at Millwall, which ended 1–1. Johnson returned to the Bristol City squad after the month's loan at Derby County came to an end. Derby wanted to retain Johnson until the end of the 2009–10 season, but Bristol City would not agree to his extension because they wanted to be able to recall Johnson at 24 hours notice. Derby did not want a short term loan deal so their interest ended. Lee went on loan to Chesterfield in August 2011. Johnson ended a five and a half-year stint at Ashton Gate on 31 January 2012, having had his contract terminated after a mutual agreement.

On 10 February 2012, Johnson signed a two-and-half-year deal with Scottish side Kilmarnock. On 18 March, he played in the 2012 Scottish League Cup Final which Kilmarnock won after beating Celtic 1–0, setting up the winning goal. As at Bristol City, he ended his time at the club long before the end of the contract, leaving Kilmarnock in January 2013.

Johnson was eligible to play for the Gibraltar national football team due to the birthplace of his grandmother. In September 2014, the Gibraltar Football Association contacted him to see if he was interested in playing for the national team in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. He considered the offer, but declined, as "I don't really want to be running after the world champions when we've [Oldham] got a game on Saturday."

Oldham Athletic

Johnson was appointed manager of League One side Oldham Athletic on 18 March 2013 on a two – year contract, at the age of 31. This made him the youngest manager in the Football League and meant that he would manage in the same league as his father Gary who was the manager of Yeovil Town. His first game in charge was a 3–0 victory against Hartlepool United on 19 March, which lifted Oldham out of the relegation zone. He led the club to safety from relegation in the 2012–13, with notable vital wins in the run – in to the end of the season against Bury and automatic promotion chasing Yeovil Town who were then managed by his father.

2013–14 season

In the pre-season of the 2013–14 season, Johnson vowed to make changes to the squad and thus changing the way in which his team went out to play football, fan favourite Robbie Simpson headed the list of players that were released. And fast, energetic players such as James Dayton and Sidney Schmeltz were amongst the players to be signed, including making Korey Smith loan into a permanent deal, with Johnson also making the player captain.

Oldham started the season as the manager intended, playing fast, high tempo and expansive football, winning 4–3 away at Stevenage in a thriller of a game. This theme continued throughout the season, with Oldham playing high quality football, receiving many plaudits from opposition managers and pundits alike. However, the Latics acquired the knack of being admirable losers and not getting the results they felt that they sometimes deserved.

In January, various changes were made, notably losing the services of James Tarkowksi to Brentford for an undisclosed fee. But, signing players that would go on to make a large impact to Oldham's second half of the season, most notably the loan deal of Gary Harkins from St. Mirren, who would go on to a catalyst for the form shown by the Latics in the second half of the season.

After various excellent performances throughout the first half of the season, and with the vast majority of the fans on his side and supporting the way his side were playing, Johnson was rewarded with a new three – year contract, extending his contract till the Summer of 2018. Johnson stated that "I love the club, the new contract extension makes me feel valued by the owner and the board. I know I will get it right and that I will be given time to do that, at what is a fantastic club".

In the second half of the season, the Latics not only produced the same excellent performances that had gone unrewarded at times in the first half of the season, but they were also getting the results to match, ending the season on a 10 match unbeaten run. Finishing 15th in League One, two points off the top–half of the table, the best finish for the side since the end of the 2008–09 season under John Sheridan

After again working well despite limited finance available to him, Johnson had his side in the top ten of the division in the 2014–15 campaign which led to his name being linked with other clubs.

Barnsley

On 25 February 2015, Johnson was appointed as the head coach of Barnsley leaving Oldham in 9th place in League One.

Bristol City

On 6 February 2016, Johnson was appointed manager of Championship club Bristol City on a three-and-a-half-year deal, after a compensation fee was agreed. Under Johnson's management the Robins went on to win 7 of their final 16 games in the Championship, eventually finishing a comfortable 12 points ahead of relegation. However, despite the loan signing of 26 goal striker Tammy Abraham, Bristol City still were in the relegation dogfight until the penultimate match of the next season , eventually finishing 3 points above the relegation zone .

However, Lee Johnson kept his job ahead of the 2017-18 season, signing right-back Eros Pisano and Senegal striker Famara Diedhiou, for a Bristol City record transfer fee of £5.3 million .

Managerial statistics

Personal life

He is the son of football manager Gary Johnson and has played for him at Yeovil and Bristol City. At the time of his appointment as Oldham manager three members of his family were chief scouts at football clubs. Soon after he was appointed Oldham manager, father and son managed opposing sides when Oldham played Yeovil in April 2013. The match ended 1–0 to Oldham and was reported to be the first instance of this since Bill Dodgin, Sr. and Bill Dodgin, Jr. managed Bristol Rovers and Fulham respectively in the early 1970s.