Lee Johnson has never had a year like 2024. The Oldham Athletic manager was just 31 years old, and breaks from football had been fleeting so far. “I've become very institutionalized,” he says. Sky Sports. “It's been a difficult time in that regard.”
But one year after leaving Fleetwood Town, he is ready for his next challenge. “Not bitter, just better.” For a manager who was once tipped for big things, it is worth noting that he is still only 43 years old, younger than three-quarters of managers in the Premier League.
Johnson used his time productively, helping his daughter with her studies but also focusing on his personal development. He's been to Sandhurst to see how the army works, ran webinars for popular trainers and enjoyed an eclectic mix of excursions.
Johnson has built a reputation as an innovator in the coaching arena
“The webinar through LinkedIn was about giving back. Naively, I expected three or four young coaches to be interested. I had over a thousand in my inbox.” But Johnson himself shares this passion for learning and self-improvement.
“I just got back from FC Copenhagen. It was great talking to the sports psychologist there. I went to Nigeria. That was a really interesting experience as well. Just scratching the itch of curiosity, really. Trying to study and learn and develop.”
In Nigeria, a top club sent him to select a group of players for the tournament, coach them and report back on the best prospects. “I enjoyed football and the country. It helped me understand the journey of some African players more.”
Closer to home, he has coached some of Manchester City's fringe players to help them progress, whether that be by securing loan moves or new contracts elsewhere. “That was another great experience, working with high-quality players,” he says.
“She didn't quite know the numbers because Pep (Guardiola) was scoring 10 goals in the next pitch, so I had a bit of a taste of my own medicine!” Which to monitor? “Alex Robertson, who went to Cardiff. He got training spots very quickly.”
Johnson has been coaching at Manchester City and making trips to Denmark and Nigeria
The relationship with City Football Group is long-standing. Brian Marwood, managing director of global football at CFG, even accompanied Johnson when he signed for Arsenal as a teenager. They were interested in his coaching career from the beginning.
“Many moons ago, the LMA put together a training course for young coaches who they thought could potentially become England managers. There were 15 or so people there. I was at Oldham and City were just starting to develop the group model, looking for clubs to partner with.
“So, they let me get behind the scenes at City. I worked with Gwen Byrom, who was a bit of a psychologist and personality analyst.” Did he learn anything as a coach from his interactions at that time? “I remember they were evaluating your alternatives,” he recalls.
“They called it the ‘dynamic manager effect’. It was about how good you were at changing the game. I was top of the list at Bristol City but Neil Warnock was top, so I remember sitting down with him in a reserve game going over his routines.” “That was interesting.”
Johnson did not rule out a role within CFG in the future. “I've had a couple of opportunities. That's something I'd like to do at some point.” This fits with the fact that he still sees himself as an innovative and progressive young coach.
Johnson has over a decade of experience as a manager even though he is only 43 years old
There was a time when Lloyd Kelly, who now plays for Newcastle, helped prepare for his first match using virtual reality headsets before the game. “It helped him visualize where the pressure is coming from when he's on the ball. It helped him stay calm.”
He was among the first coaches in England to use drones in training and remembers the reaction when he had a big screen pitchside at Bristol City. “The next day Liverpool called us to ask where we got it because they wanted one too,” he reveals.
There's clearly a lot to like about his approach. The difficulty is that, unfortunately, by his own admission, his career has “maybe gone down a bit” and the prospect of rebuilding at the bottom of the pyramid to suit his skills presents a challenge for him.
He is proud of the four-and-a-half years he spent at Bristol City, where he developed players, brought in huge sums of money and took the club to the cup semi-finals. “I think Rod Stewart sang the first verse and it's the deepest, isn't it? It scares you when you put too much into it.”
Johnson was a Wembley title winner with Sunderland during his time there
His record at Sunderland stands, winning the title at Wembley and being sacked when they finished third in the table. “It was hard to accept,” he admits. “But there are always those small successes. Players like Ross Stewart, who joined from Ross County, were sold for £9m.”
Johnson even qualified for Europe with Hibernian before things started to go downhill. “However, I know I maximized what we have there.” If there's one regret he has in his coaching career, it's that some won't ignore his three-and-a-half-month spell at Fleetwood last time out.
“If you get sacked by Fleetwood it puts some people off, but I think that's short-term thinking. What it taught me is that you really need to do a deep dive into the club you're joining, find out the dynamics of the team and whether you can have the impact that you can.” You expect it.
“You need a place where you can execute your business characteristics and add value to that organization. With that in mind, I've since been brave enough to turn down some jobs.” But Johnson realizes it's a competitive industry.
“That was a factor in me taking over Fleetwood. I wanted to work. It will be difficult if you are in a list of 200 managers. Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard are in the Championship. You are never sure where you fit in when the big names take your place. Even if Your resume was better.”
Johnson helped take Hibernian to Europe during his time in Scotland
He has considered moving abroad, as his father Gary did when he took a job in Latvia. “I want to be brave. I want to expand my knowledge.” At a local level, he tries to be realistic about where the next opportunity is likely to put him in the football pyramid.
“I think it's somewhere between the bottom half of the Championship and the top six in League Two. My record in the Championship holds up well. In some ways, my methods are better served at a higher level. The challenge down below is to simplify the complexity.”
But Johnson wants to keep innovating. He works with a company that uses technology to allow players to review their communications after a match, and analyze the terminology used on the pitch. “It could really shake things up,” he says.
“I think it can really speed up the process for young players and help bring in foreign signings.” Still learning? “This spell has enabled me to think and refine. I want to start rebuilding my career. The more experiences I gain, the better I will become.”
