Lee Johnson was getting stick from a section of the fans at Ashton Gate and has now left the club if anyone was going to accuse fans of forcing him out of a club it would have been him.
However in the matches I have seen I don't remember him ever giving his all for the team whilst he was on the pitch, plus his departure from the club was done with dignity and no recriminations somewhat the opposite to the way Maynard left the club.
Much as I agree that Maynard is the better footballer of the two I know whom has shown more class and dignity in their leaving of the club.
A month or so ago I was talking to another fan at Ashton Gate about Nicky Maynard saying how sorry I was that it looked like he was going to be leaving the club and how much we would miss him the lady and I chatted for a short time then she went off to where ever she was sitting back to her friends and family just after she left the fan sat next to me finally stopped laughing long enough to tell me that I had been talking to Nicky Maynards mother, she was extreemely polite and down to earth and never once said that she or her family had been abused by other fans.
I have no problem with players leaving the club it happens all the time not just to us but all clubs after all almost everytime we sign a player he's come from another club either paid for or on a free and I don't endorse insults to the family of any player regardless of what is going on between a club and player, my problem here is the first statement made by Nicky Maynard when he left was he wanted to stay but had been pushed out by the fans now this was such an obvious lie that I don't know if I can believe anything else he now says it just sounds like he is trying to justify his sticking two fingers up at the club and its fans.
When you compare this with the Lee Johnson situation now here you had a player who was getting stick on a fairly regular basis for sections of the crowd, in the main because of who his father was, who has also left the club but has so far never attacked the fans who did to some extent try and drive him out of the club with an almost nonstop barrage of abuse, he left in as dignified way as he could and I for one wish him more success wherever he goes next.
Johnson and Maynard
posted on 12/2/12
I can see why your reg name is Keef Millen.......talks as much rubbish as the teams and decisions he put out.
GJ should have been given more time......one sign of trouble and some of the moron fans caused a fuss......
Of course we are in a much better position now...not
Oh and we have a replacement for LJ......Killkenny signed by??????? Millen....yeah cheers then!!!
posted on 13/2/12
At least Kilkenny tries to move the ball forward and make opportunities in the opposing half.
All LJ used to do, was pass the ball backwards and put a team-mate in trouble.
posted on 13/2/12
We have needed to strengthen in defence since BoomBoom went - everyone was obsessed with Lee Johnson when all along it was the defence that needed fixing - and still does.
I dispair I really do.
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Well said R&W, I also cited that the defence was the real issue a number of years back. Yet, the haters remained obsessed with LJ which was simply not a major concern for me as he and Marv had a nice little partnership in the middle and one that formed an integral part of a few decent seasons for us. The fact that LJ has kept his dignity and managed to find a club in a good division away from his dad has, yet again, proven all these people wrong about him. It will be interesting to see what R/p has to say about it, as he was adamant that LJ would join his father. Then again, its not the first time poor old R/p has been wrong .
I have said it before that I hope I never see a decent hard working player treated in such a way by our fans such as the ever cretinous Keef M on here! LJ has faults but he wasn't a Baird, Dinning or Hunt!
In any event, he has gone now and im sure he will enjoy plying his trade at Ibrox, Parkhead and Tynecastle for a few years.
I'm sure McInnes will sort things out, but its certainly going to be tough if don't recruit a decent centre half. The fact that people now believe Liam Fontaine is actually a good player at this level just shows the lack of quality central defenders we have at the club. I hope we get someone in soon.
posted on 13/2/12
I am intriqued Red Side, which one you are?
Fat Gary, Little Lee or Uncle Pete?
posted on 13/2/12
Redprintt has posted in reply to a similar post of mine on the 'other' site. He basically says that its unfair to pick on the defence, when the midfield is cr@p and the strikers aren't scoring.
He has a point, but the rot was in the defence much earlier than the other areas in my opinion.
Some people argue that the midfield is at fault for either giving the ball away or failing to protect the back 4. Whilst that is true on occasions, I firmly believe that a team should be built on its defence. To me this is as clear as day.
It is possible for a hoofball team playing route 1 to completely bypass the midfield and use a target man or a set piece to win games. We can't deal with that - and we haven't been able to since just before GJ left. It seems to be overlooked by successive managers so maybe its me who is wrong, but it seems so CLEAR!
Delboy is in the market for a defender - let's hope Caulker gets fed up with the prem and fancies another runout with us - very soon.
posted on 13/2/12
Having watched the goals we conceded at Hull, it was very evident that the defence aren't competing for the ball!
It's easy to score, if nobody tackles you, or jumps with you, for a header!
posted on 13/2/12
GJ was a good manager IMO, don't care what anyone else says...he was not given enough time and some fans lost their patence to quickly.
Two big mistakes he made again IMO.
1. was to buy Adebola.........it changed our style of play, from good football to pointless longball rubbish, especially when Adebola's weekness was Heading a ball.
2. In GJ's final season, instead of sticking to his principles he tried to please the fans by bringing in loan players, which is something he never did before......but this was the season when we had the major virus in the squad.
I agree with Redside, Mav & LJ played well in the middle, Marv with the tackles and LJ spraying passes around keeping the play constantly moving.
We also had wingers with McIndoe and Sproule.
Lets be honest Boom Boom was dreadful at the back apart from in the air, but we had Orr, Carey, Fontaine.
I think with a bit of tweaking, this could have been a really good side. Caulker, Adomah,Cisse
would have been a great additions. (Maybe even Maynard would have stayed.
What I see now is a disjointed team not playing for each other....A far cry from what we had.
What is frustrating is we can do it against the likes of Southampton & West Ham but fall apart with most of the rest..
posted on 14/2/12
Have said for some time now that we should have tried to sign Hobbs but I think all concentration at the time was to try and get Caulker back here on loan, whereas if we could have got Hobbs and Caulker on loan we would have had just about the best pair of centre backs in the championship and almost a match for most premiership pairings.
The problem seems to be leadership at the back whenever Carey isn't on the field none of the defenders really step up Fontaine managed it for a few games but then went back to being the same sort of player he was before, Nyatanga is another who plays well with a dominant partner but isn't the leader we need and neither Fonts or Nya are particularly good when moved from left to right side of defence.
So far this has been a curates egg of a season mostly bad with some good bits - The good points to come from the season so far for me are
1) Skuse has shown that he is the natural replacement for Orr at right fullback.
2) Cisse playing has shown how much we missed him when he was being left out of the squad.
3) Bolaise looks like he could develop into as good a player as Albert
4) We now have a manager who knows what he wants something we lost when GJ left, GJ lost direction towards the end but he could easily have got it back again - remember SAF was on the verge of being sacked from Man Utd and was only saved by a goal away at Forest in the cup, to be honest onefor is right GJ's problems started when he signed Adebola but he compounded it by signing Hartley he just wasn't the player he had been and couldn't get the team playing the way they had before plus they didn't get on, it's all too simplistic to say it was because he played in the same position as Jnr. Hartley expected the team to revolve arround him the problem was he wasn't good enough anymore to play that role.
Yes we are not scoring enough goals but how much of that is because our attacking players are having to start from deep because they are always tracking back to try and help the defence often with disasterous consequences as most forwards can't tackle.
posted on 15/2/12
firmly believe that a team should be built on its defence.
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I am also R&W, for me, its the first rule of football because if you dont concede you cant lose. Also, having a solid defence gives the midfield confidence to push on more and this is something that is clearly effecting our game. However, Im hoping the arrival of McManus will rectify that and he can organise the rabble at the back.
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In GJ's final season, instead of sticking to his principles he tried to please the fans by bringing in loan players, which is something he never did before......but this was the season when we had the major virus in the squad.
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Spot on Onefor, i hope McInnes doesnt do the same. Im sure he wont. I believe given time he will turn it around and attract some quality players too.
posted on 15/2/12
I am intriqued Red Side, which one you are?
Fat Gary, Little Lee or Uncle Pete?
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Very clever, that must have taken you a number of days to dream up?