Lee Johnson has never had a year like 2024 before. Oldham Athletic manager at just 31, the breaks from football had been fleeting until now. “You become so institutionalised,” he tells Sky Sports. “It has been a difficult time in that respect.”
But one year after leaving Fleetwood Town, he is ready for the next challenge. “Not bitter, just better.” And for a coach once tipped for big things, it is worth noting that he is still only 43, younger than three quarters of the managers in the Premier League.
Johnson has used his time productively, helping his daughter with her studies but also focused on his own development. He went to Sandhurst to see how the military operate, has led webinars for grassroots coaches and enjoyed an eclectic mix of excursions.
Johnson built a reputation as an innovator on the training ground
“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.” But Johnson himself shares that eagerness for learning 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 major club sent him to select the pick of the players from a tournament, coach them and report back on the best prospects. “I enjoyed the football and the country. It helped me to understand the journey of some African players a bit more.”
Closer to home, he has coached some of the fringe players at Manchester City to aid their progression, whether that is securing loan moves 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 keep an eye on? “Alex Robertson, who has gone to Cardiff. He picks up coaching points so quickly.”
Johnson has been coaching at Man City and making trips to Denmark and Nigeria
The relationship with the City Football Group is longstanding. Brian Marwood, the managing director of global football at CFG, even chaperoned Johnson when he signed for Arsenal as a teenager. They took an interest in his coaching career from the start.
“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 sort of let me behind the curtain at City. I worked with a Gwen Byrom, who was a sort of psychologist and personality profiler.” Did he learn anything as a coach from his interactions back then? “I remember they rated your substitutions,” he recalls.
“They called it ‘dynamic coach’s impact’. It was about how good you are at changing the game. I was right up the list at Bristol City but Neil Warnock was top so I remember sitting with him at a reserve game going through his processes. That was interesting.”
Johnson has not ruled out taking a role within CFG in the future. “There have been a couple of opportunities. It is something I would love to do at some point.” And that 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 despite being only 43
There was the time that he helped Lloyd Kelly, now playing for Newcastle, to prepare for his debut by using virtual-reality headsets before the game. “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 first coaches in England to use drones in training and remembers the reaction when he had a big screen by the pitch at Bristol City. “The next day Liverpool rang to ask where we had got it from because they wanted one too,” he reveals.
Clearly, there is a lot to like about his approach. The difficulty is that, unfortunately, by his own admission, his career has “probably hit a little bit of a dip” and the prospect of rebuilding further down the pyramid than suits his skills presents a challenge for him.
He is proud of his four-and-a-half years at Bristol City, developing players, bringing in vast sums and taking the club 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 during his time in charge there
His record at Sunderland stands up, winning a trophy at Wembley and sacked when third in the table. “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 qualified for Europe with Hibernian before things began to fall away. “Still, I know I maximised what we had there.” If there is a regret in his coaching career it is that some will not look past his brief three-and-a-half months at Fleetwood last time out.
“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 need a place where you can really implement the qualities of your work and add value to that organisation. With that in mind, I have been brave enough since then to turn down some jobs.” But Johnson understands that it is a competitive industry.
“That was a factor in taking Fleetwood. I wanted to work. It is difficult if you are on a list of 200 managers. Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard are in the Championship. You are never sure where you fit when big names can supersede you even if your CV is better.”
Johnson helped take Hibernian into Europe during his time in Scotland
He has considered going abroad, as his father Gary did when taking the Latvia job. “I want to be brave. I want to expand my knowledge.” Domestically, he is trying to be realistic about where the next opportunity is likely to land him in the football 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.”
But Johnson wants to keep innovating. He is working with a company that is using technology to allow players to review their communications after the game, 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.” Still learning? “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.”