Lee Johnson (merged)

[Guest DR DICKNOSE]

Well it seems normal service is resumed..

Lee johnson is getting slated again after our first home game of the season..

agree he messed up for the goal today,and looked sloppy at times

but did anyone not notice our downturn in form towards the end of last season when LJ was absent?

to be honest today he didnt look match fit,especially in the last 20 mins when i reckon he should have been subbed.

but come on 2 games is too early to start on the chap!!!

[DavidNoble]

Well it seems normal service is resumed..

Lee johnson is getting slated again after our first home game of the season..

agree he messed up for the goal today,and looked sloppy at times

but did anyone not notice our downturn in form towards the end of last season when LJ was absent?

to be honest today he didnt look match fit,especially in the last 20 mins when i reckon he should have been subbed.

but come on 2 games is too early to start on the chap!!!

I think he is good and his fellow pros think he is good and i can remember steve coppell saying he was interested in him.

I personally think he is good but can do the odd annoying, irritating pass and then suddenly everyone hates him. But now without him we would definitely be quite stuck.

[BCAGFC]

LJ isn't a bad player but he isn't good/strong enough for a 442 formation.

If we played 433 (not like last season when it always turned into a 451) with 2 holding players and LJ as the creator then I would play him but in a 442 we possibly have better options/need to get someone in.

BCAGFC

[Izza]

I see this as a bit like the Maynard situation regarding views on how well he played.

Maynards job is to score goals, which today he did. Many would say job done, others would say he didn't do much else ( not my view )

Johnsons job is to control midfield and be generally solid defensively, which was done apart from one mistake ( yes it was a big one ) and his second half suffered for it.

If an attaker misses an obvious chance it's mentioned but he still gets another chance.

If a player makes a mistake which gifts a goal he is hammered as he doesn't get another chance.

It appears an attakers job is far easier than any other player for these reasons.

I wouldn't be too hard on Lee Johnson but would like to see the silly errors erradicated.

[mozo]

Good player, but too quiet today, plus one howler leading up to their goal.

I thought Skuse was the pick of the central pairing, which I didn't expect to happen.

[Nibor]

He was crap today. Performances last season aren't really relevant for anyone.

[mozo]

That doesn't mean he won't be outstanding against Coventry.

[BITW]

He was crap today. Performances last season aren't really relevant for anyone.

To be fair I though he was OK in general up until his howler for their goal. I think that really shook his confidence and he was poor for the rest of the game.

Also anyone notice seconds before the fial whistle we had brooker and maynard in the box and instead of crossing first time he tried to take on the defender. Easy to criticise from a distance but that bugged me.

[Guest DR DICKNOSE]

He was crap today. Performances last season aren't really relevant for anyone.

agree with you on the performances last season bit,ive always been a critic of LJ but i do believe that when hes on his game he creates some good situations for us going forward,

he just has to stamp out these stupid errors that always seem to lead to us conceding a goal.

at the end of the day he aint going to be replaced so we just have to live with it!!!!!

[Nibor]

Thing is, I'm not a Lee Johnson detractor of habit.

He does a valuable job spreading the ball from defense and his set pieces are very important.

But today he offered nothing in open play really and against the backdrop of Carle being sold that stands out.

We need another quality central midfielder to challenge him.

[Red Zeppelin]

Firstly I think Elliot gives Johnson more license to roam going forward. As good as Skuse was today, and I thought he put in a really good shift, he isn't as dominant as Elliot at his peak, and perhaps Johnson has to compensate slightly defensively. But I also believe LJ has been putting in more tackles (in the Blackpool game certainly) and concentrating harder on retaining possession than last season (apart from today).

I also agree that his best position is in a 4-5-1 where we have a player specifically ahead of him for creativity e.g. Noble to lessen the burden.

It's a shame that his poor mistake cost us today. His confidence and game completely went after that, and I would imagine that will carry through to the next 2-3 games which will turn up the heat on his back even further.

[tin]

Enough said.

I get sick of these folk saying 'look at how we fared without him' in the last ten games of last season. But maybe, just maybe, that had more to do with League One players struggling to deal with the pressure at the top of the Championship than LJ's absense.

Today summed him up for exactly what he is. An absolute liability of the highest kind.

Yes, we should've taken numerous chances to forge a lead before and after Maynard's goal but you can't legislate for LJ's error at any level of football let alone the sharp end of the Championship.

Will action be taken? Will his place be under question or scruntuny?

Of course it won't. I've never seen such an assured player of his place. :noexpression:

[Ron]

It's posts like this that made me register rather than browse. Because something really needs to be said.

I do wonder whether all these people shouting and screaming at LJ after Paul Green scored earlier were doing the same about Nick Carle when he gave away a penalty in the, at the time, most crucial game of last season? Neither player gave a goal away, simply a gilt-edged chance, the only difference being in Johnson's case it was converted. Besides the mistake he had a decent game although faded in the second half, possibly as a side-effect of the uproar after Derby scored?

[Guest DR DICKNOSE]

I'm not a LJ fan but at the end of the day theres no point getting too worked up over it,

as long as GJ is in charge he will always be in the starting 11

who are we to knock our greatest manager of the last 30 years?

everyone seems to knock LJ when he makes a mistake but he does do good things as well!!

if marvin had played today we probably would have won the game&no one would be moaning..

keep the faith its 2 games in!!!

[collier]

It's posts like this that made me register rather than browse. Because something really needs to be said.

I do wonder whether all these people shouting and screaming at LJ after Paul Green scored earlier were doing the same about Nick Carle when he gave away a penalty in the, at the time, most crucial game of last season? Neither player gave a goal away, simply a gilt-edged chance, the only difference being in Johnson's case it was converted. Besides the mistake he had a decent game although faded in the second half, possibly as a side-effect of the uproar after Derby scored?

I don't get your point here mate. Carle last season was making a tackle trying to win the ball. Ok he mistimed it and gave away a pen instead. LJ today was actually in possession of the ball. Now instead of doing what most players would do at 1-0 up and lash the ball in any direction out of our box, I'm afraid LJ decided to overplay and make a pass. This resulted in us dropping 2 points. Why cant people just accept that LJ messed up big time and just move on. Everybody has their opinion but why are you trying to defend what he did today?? he cost us points end of. don't make up some half baked exscuse about something that happened last season just admit it and move on.

Imo LJ tries to hard to do his midfield job where ever he is on the pitch, by all means play little 1-2s and flicks and hollywood passes in the middle of the park but just don't ever do it in your own box please!!!

[Guest Parfitt]

Lee johnson is a quality player and derserves his place in the starting 11. Yeah he made one mistake which cost us a goal but look what he did last season and today in the 1st half. Just becasue he made one mistake does not mean he is a liablility!!

[Ron]

I don't get your point here mate. Carle last season was making a tackle trying to win the ball. Ok he mistimed it and gave away a pen instead. LJ today was actually in possession of the ball. Now instead of doing what most players would do at 1-0 up and lash the ball in any direction out of our box, I'm afraid LJ decided to overplay and make a pass. This resulted in us dropping 2 points. Why cant people just accept that LJ messed up big time and just move on. Everybody has their opinion but why are you trying to defend what he did today?? he cost us points end of. don't make up some half baked exscuse about something that happened last season just admit it and move on.

I'm not trying to excuse Lee Johnson, I'm trying to understand why he can't be treated the same as another player simply and obviously because of his relations. Both Johnson and Carle were trying to work with the ball in their own area, Carle swung and missed at it and Johnson produced a poor clearance - both gave a great chance to the opposition, there is no defending either, and that is the point. Carle's rear end must be very sore from the amount of love he's received over the summer, whereas one mistake from Johnson in an otherwise good performance and down comes the guillotine. Again.

[si_aston]

Tin's obviously been on the apples but that doesn't mean he wasn't poor today.

I remember one lovely little touch to keep the play moving to the right in the first half but other than that it was a performance riddled with errors. If we've genuine ambitions of the playoffs, let alone automatic promotion, I don't think we can put up with such errors. The shot should have been saved, but it shouldn't have been a shot in the first place. Clearly I'm not a Championship footballer but the point has been made elsewhere that if he'd hoofed the ball out then Green wouldn't have been given a present.

Yes it's harsh to pick a player out for a single mistake which cost us a goal, and I recognise how fickle football is as much as the next man, but it wasn't just that single mistake today. If it isn't dropping deep and playing it 20 yards then it's a mistake more often than not I'm afraid.

[WTFiGO!?!]

he cost us points end of. don't make up some half baked exscuse about something that happened last season just admit it and move on.

Not like me to get involved in this sort of thing but Derby were well worthy of their point second half. end ##### of.

[Guest Parfitt]

I'm not trying to excuse Lee Johnson, I'm trying to understand why he can't be treated the same as another player simply and obviously because of his relations. Both Johnson and Carle were trying to work with the ball in their own area, Carle swung and missed at it and Johnson produced a poor clearance - both gave a great chance to the opposition, there is no defending either, and that is the point. Carle's rear end must be very sore from the amount of love he's received over the summer, whereas one mistake from Johnson in an otherwise good performance and down comes the guillotine. Again.

Completely agree with you here, also Johnson has made it into the team on merit not because he is our manager's son!

[Guest Parfitt]

LJ in the first half was sublime, passing, tackling and looking a great player. Best I have seen him in ages

Second half he was totally effing useless, not slightly, but by some margin. Liability, gave the ball away all ther time.

Take your choice. Williams was also pathetic in the second half, totally inept.

Personally, for his own sanity, LJ should move on, go to a club where his father is not present, better for him, better for everyone. He is a good player, no doubt, but as long as he is the bosses son, it will cloud our, his and the boss's judgement.

I don't think he should move on becasue that would be a huge dent in our midfield. He is argubally out best midfielder and he would be missed alot if he moved on.

[WTFiGO!?!]

LJ in the first half was sublime, passing, tackling and looking a great player. Best I have seen him in ages

Second half he was totally effing useless, not slightly, but by some margin. Liability, gave the ball away all ther time.

Take your choice. Williams was also pathetic in the second half, totally inept.

Personally, for his own sanity, LJ should move on, go to a club where his father is not present, better for him, better for everyone. He is a good player, no doubt, but as long as he is the bosses son, it will cloud our, his and the boss's judgement.

Mcalister? mcCombe? most likely Adebola I s'pose..... (How the bugger did Sproul get off so lightly...???)

Best signing would be this two left footed lad 'Scapegoat' on a free transfer from Rochdale on a 10 year deal..... to keep the cynics appeased..

I SWEAR TO ##### GOD

does my nut

[Red Zeppelin]

Drives me insane that people still bring nepotism into the equation - he left his own son out of the £60 million play-off final for goodness sake!

Yes he gave the ball away today, but Weale admits he should have saved it, and all of our players were giving it away at that point in the game.

The bottom line is we win, lose and draw together. We should all be backing LJ even more than before now, because a) he didn't give the ball away intentionally and b) he is playing in our shirt. Certain 'supporters' should stop trying to make him fail and instead aim to get the best out of him for the team.

[windmillhillred]

Some of the comments on here are so depressing, yet so utterly predictable. Johnson made an awful mistake, and he had a very, very poor second half. He should, for example, have got a cross in right at the end, and there were a number of misplaced passes. But he was bloody brilliant in the first half, as was Skuse, as was Williams.

The fact is that some 'fans' want him to fail. The nepotism stuff is absolute bullshit, particularly given the fact that he couldn't actually break back into the starting eleven at the tail end of the season on his return from injury. But, it seems, everyone wants a scapegoat and Johnson fits the bill. My particular favourite was the groans and abuse from the Dolman when Johnson got the ball in no space and disgracefully failed to beat four men.

Johnson's error clearly affected his game in the second half. Is that a good thing? Of course not, but it'a understandable, particularly given some of the rubbish he has to put up with. He's a quality player who contributes so much to our side.

[Guest SuperCityFan]

Would have to Agree....lee Johnson is an immense player, look at how we missed him at the end of lasst season !!!!

[bcfc_4_life]

We seriously need to bring in another midfielder, Johnson had a shocker yesterday and it wasn't only that he was backing out of tackles all over the pitch which would be ok normally but he did it in the box just let a derby player through and they shot over, also i'd say we need to sign competition for left back to push mcallister as he has noone whos pushing him for his place. Competition can only be good but johnson and mcallister have none and we really need to strengthen in these areas as well as a new CB on loan or permanent transfer now we've lost ribs and boom boom

[QuedgeRed]

Criticism deserved after the performance yesterday.

Does this warrant him being singled out?

The team did not play well 2nd half, but it WAS his mistake that led to their goal and 2 points being dropped.

In discussions about his performance yesterday, any talk of previous perfomances is irrelevant really.

[Guest red23]

I think LJ is a good player..but not good enough to be our sole creative midfielder (Bar possibly Noble although he's never played in CM anymore it seems). I'm more than happy for him to play regularly (especially if he could eradicate the errors) but i think we need an alternative creative CM, not least for cover for LJ.

I thought LJ was very poor yesterday...apart from the mistake that led to the goal, there were a few misplaced passes, where he took his man on rather than crossed in the last minute but what annoyed me most is the amount of times he was out of position from Caroll's drop kicks which left the ball to bounce to our CB which didnt help as we lost McCombe. I know LJ isn't tall (!) but he wins a suprising amount of headers and should have been back in CM to stop the ball bouncing.

Anyway, yesterday was a one off and I'm sure he'll be working his ar53 off in training this week to prepare for Coventry next week.

Also, i know McCallister is questioned alot, but did anyone else think he was very good yesterday?!

[Tunley Legend]

I can accept Lee Johnson making a mistake or three. Every player does that (example - Maynard missing an open goal last week). I can even take bouts of sloppy passing (although not the whole of the second half like yesterday) as long as his overall game was beneficial to the team. What I simply do not accept, and I don't care what the "he can do no wrong" crew think or say, is the pulling out of numerous tackles every week. It is just not on - totally unacceptable.

Yesterday, he pulled out of a tackle on the edge of our box and, with more composure, Derby should have scored from the situation. Had that been Wilson, Williams, Noble or any other squad player who pulled out there would be uproar on here but because it is LJ he is excused as tackling is apparently "not part of his game". There was another situation where he gave a three kick away twenty five yards from goal because he decided it would be better to handle the ball rather than go into a tackle and Weale had to make a decent save from Commons. So yesterday, due to one mistake (happens to everybody) and two situations where his bottle went (should happen to nobody) Johnson could easily have cost us three goals. It might be unpalatable to read but it did happen.

When I pay my £750 for two season tickets the one thing I want to see is total commitment from all. That should be a 100% given. Whether I feel a player has the ability or not is just a matter of opinion and, of course, I accept that GJ knows infinitely more about that than me. I cannot fault Johnson's "workrate or grass coverage" as some have stated on other threads but I do not accept that because he is weak in the tackle that he should actually pull out of them altogether. That is plain wrong. Even just getting some kind of foot in the tackle, even if you don't win it, can be the difference between a player having the ball in the perfect position to get a shot away or not (as per the Derby chance yesterday).

So, who are the people with the blinkered opinions just because of LJ's relationship with the manager? Is it the likes of me who are merely stating an honest opinion or is it people who fail to recognise he has any faults in his game whatsoever? I do take the point, though, that things are unlikely to change and it is pointless getting too worked up about it. Which is a shame because a quality centre midfield creative player (or Williams in the centre and a quality right winger) together with a dominant centre half would see us, if we remain relatively injury free, as near play off certainties in my opinion.

[SimplyRed]

I've never been a big Lee Johnson fan, and have criticised him in the past.

Having said that, I thought he had a decent game yesterday and, though his sloppy pass gifted them their goal, he did well enough to earn his bread. He wasn't a 'liabilty' as others have stated and contributed more, as a whole, than Williams.

My biggest criticism of him is that sometimes he tries to be too clever or too assured. Instead of giving a nice, crisp pass, he tends to flick at it casually rather than concentrating on its accuracy and pace. That sort of pass sometimes comes off, making it look sublime, and other times it goes badly wrong and looks poor.

At the moment, I think he deserves his place, as I thought Williams was a bit anonymous yesterday.

[we8gas]

I think it all goes back to last season when LJ was playing poor and never got subbed. Today, he was poor, sloppy passes and gave away the lead in a game we should of sneaked a win. He played a few hospital balls expecting players to get on the end of when he was even to scared to go up for challenges or even put his foot in for a hard tackle.

Soon as Marv is fit the midfield should be Elliot and Skuse without a shadow of a doubt.

[Guest red23]

I think it all goes back to last season when LJ was playing poor and never got subbed. Today, he was poor, sloppy passes and gave away the lead in a game we should of sneaked a win. He played a few hospital balls expecting players to get on the end of when he was even to scared to go up for challenges or even put his foot in for a hard tackle.

Soon as Marv is fit the midfield should be Elliot and Skuse without a shadow of a doubt.

Elliot and Skuse in midfield together

Playing 2 defensive/holding midfielders is not the way to go. We all moan about LJ's lack of creativity but with that partnership creativity would go out the window!

[Betelgeuse]

I thought he did ok until his mistake for their goal then his head dropped big time. From then on nothing he did seemed to go right. I would love to see an Elliott - Skuse centre mid

[Betelgeuse]

Elliot and Skuse in midfield together

Playing 2 defensive/holding midfielders is not the way to go. We all moan about LJ's lack of creativity but with that partnership creativity would go out the window!

I'd describe Elliott as a box to box midfielder personally. Both he and skuse have a great work ethic and are strong in the challenge and Elliott is capible of scoring 6-8 goals a season.

[Guest red23]

I'd describe Elliott as a box to box midfielder personally. Both he and skuse have a great work ethic and are strong in the challenge and Elliott is capible of scoring 6-8 goals a season.

Hmmm...Skuse got forward well on a number of occasions yesterday..including getting behind the defence on a number of occasions. However, IMO neither of them are the type of player that have the level of creativity we require, where as Williams looks like e could once he gets a few more games under his belt.

As i said i think Skuse and Elliot are great competition but shouldnt be in a team together unless the formation was changed to suit (4,2,3,1)

[SimplyRed]

Criticism deserved after the performance yesterday.

Does this warrant him being singled out?

The team did not play well 2nd half, but it WAS his mistake that led to their goal and 2 points being dropped.

In discussions about his performance yesterday, any talk of previous perfomances is irrelevant really.

That's a little unfair, isn't it?

You're saying that Johnson cost us 2 points because his mistake led to their goal?

So the chances we missed to go in 2 or 3 up in the first half are ignored then? And the numerous chances we had towards the end of the game? Football is a team game, you can't blame one individual for the result.

[QuedgeRed]

That's a little unfair, isn't it?

You're saying that Johnson cost us 2 points because his mistake led to their goal?

So the chances we missed to go in 2 or 3 up in the first half are ignored then? And the numerous chances we had towards the end of the game? Football is a team game, you can't blame one individual for the result.

A little unfair - maybe.

Yes, Johnson's mistake did cost us 2 pts - without it we would have won 1-0

Your quite right, football is a team game and the team played well to create those chances in the first half.

But, no matter what spin you put on it, the mistake that led to their goal was not a team mistake, it was an individual one.

[Guest red4eva]

Here we go again, start of a new season, two games played, 4 points gained and we are on the subject of bashing lee johnson again. Ok we all agree he made a howler for the their goal, and his head dropped after that, but for me today there were worse players on the pitch for me today. Mcindoe most peoples favourite, couldnt beat his man and kept losing possesion, don't see many on here slating him for that, Williams totally faded second half no abuse for him. Yet ANY mistake lee johnson makes on some of you come on to have a go. At the end of the game he looked totally distraught coming off the pitch, no doubt thinking he cost the city 2 points, but hopefully that will spur him on for next weeks game at coventry and maybe one or two more people will come on here and praise him....... Doubt it though because its Lee Johnson!

[Guest red23]

Here we go again, start of a new season, two games played, 4 points gained and we are on the subject of bashing lee johnson again. Ok we all agree he made a howler for the their goal, and his head dropped after that, but for me today there were worse players on the pitch for me today. Mcindoe most peoples favourite, couldnt beat his man and kept losing possesion, don't see many on here slating him for that, Williams totally faded second half no abuse for him. Yet ANY mistake lee johnson makes on some of you come on to have a go. At the end of the game he looked totally distraught coming off the pitch, no doubt thinking he cost the city 2 points, but hopefully that will spur him on for next weeks game at coventry and maybe one or two more people will come on here and praise him....... Doubt it though because its Lee Johnson!

The reason Mcindoe etc etc arean't being criticised as badly is because they didn't make the mistake that cost us 2 points.

As i said above i think LJ is a good player and he wouldnt draw the criticism he gets if he stopped making the little mistakes he makes every game.

[Guest ScottMurray23]

yer ok Lee Johnson Messed Up So What Big Deal Its Only A Game for gods sake,some City Fans take the game way too seriously these days,you all forget its just a game,a sport,so what we all make mistakes,he knows he has made a mistake,he admitted and he apologised for it on TV last night.

but don't forget not all mistakes were because of City Players Yesturday,The Ref was a total nut case and why he was chosen when everyone knows he hates The City Players I dunno what The FA Were Thinking Giving That Nut Job Ref another years contract I will never know.

before we all start putting Players down at the beginning of The Season why not wait till the Season is half way through before we start digging and putting Players down,If Lee Johnson wasn't fit to play he wouldn't have passed the Fitness Test every player is given before every match.

[Guest red23]

yer ok Lee Johnson Messed Up So What Big Deal Its Only A Game for gods sake,some City Fans take the game way too seriously these days,you all forget its just a game,a sport,so what we all make mistakes,he knows he has made a mistake,he admitted and he apologised for it on TV last night.

but don't forget not all mistakes were because of City Players Yesturday,The Ref was a total nut case and why he was chosen when everyone knows he hates The City Players I dunno what The FA Were Thinking Giving That Nut Job Ref another years contract I will never know.

before we all start putting Players down at the beginning of The Season why not wait till the Season is half way through before we start digging and putting Players down,If Lee Johnson wasn't fit to play he wouldn't have passed the Fitness Test every player is given before every match.

Did you watch the game?! Rennie was withdrawn and the prem's youngest ref refereed.

This is a forum where debate happens, and everyone has there opinion on the situation.

[Pooki]

ScottMurray23 obviously wasnt at the game as he'd of seen that the ref was very competent and one of the better refs ive seen down the gate recently ... can see why he has risen so quickly

[Guest ScottMurray23]

Actually I'm a girl and I was watching The Game Yesturday Thanx and some of the decisions The Ref made yesturday were dreadful and even The Players agreed last night on Radio and TV Interviews that some of The Decisions that The Ref made were uncalled for so you were obviously watching the wrong games yesturday.

Scott Murray is a favourite player of mine.

[QuedgeRed]

yer ok Lee Johnson Messed Up So What Big Deal Its Only A Game for gods sake,some City Fans take the game way too seriously these days,you all forget its just a game,a sport,so what we all make mistakes,he knows he has made a mistake,he admitted and he apologised for it on TV last night.

Points dropped now ARE really important. At the end of the season it's points like those lost today that will make the difference and hopefully not at the wrong end of the table.

[Guest ScottMurray23]

it shouldn't matter wether we win or lose or be about points,its about the taking part In something that counts,its still just ONLY A GAME,we should be SUPPORTING OUR TEAM WETHER THEY WIN OR LOSE,

[Guest red23]

it shouldn't matter wether we win or lose or be about points,its about the taking part In something that counts,its still just ONLY A GAME,we should be SUPPORTING OUR TEAM WETHER THEY WIN OR LOSE,

And should we all make daisy chains and sing nice songs too?!

[rockin-robin]

I just want to know where Noble is to be honest. Why is he not even on the bench?

The whole LJ thing is getting a bit daft now because we all know that as long as he is fit, he will play and probably deservedly so. Unfortunately, he is one of the best we have in that position at the moment (bar the certain above named player) because the squad is so thin. On a sidenote, I still think one of the factors in Carle being sold was the fact that GJ would have had to pick Nick Carle in front of LJ and would have given him a selection headache.

LJ does seem to dig his own grave though and does himself no favours by doing silly things like yesterday in his own box. Then again, the whole defence could be blamed because a lot of players had a chance to just clear the ball into row Z.

[Guest ScottMurray23]

its like yesturday a couple of guys walking out of The Atyeo Stand in front of my parents After The Game Finished Yesturday one of the blokes turned to his mate and said

''if we keep playing like this,we won't be in the play offs'' for god sake we've only played two games at the moment and someone's making comments like that come on how pathetic was he.

we were winning yesturday until Derby scored so that bloke obviously didn't see that Goal from City take place.

we need to stop slating and stop putting players down because its things like that that make top players think twice about signing contracts or even walk out of The Team Grounds.

[rockin-robin]

it shouldn't matter wether we win or lose or be about points,its about the taking part In something that counts,its still just ONLY A GAME,we should be SUPPORTING OUR TEAM WETHER THEY WIN OR LOSE,

I think if we want the club to move forward then it is most certainly is about the winning or losing and the 3 points.

[Guest redrebel]

The reason Mcindoe etc etc arean't being criticised as badly is because they didn't make the mistake that cost us 2 points.

As i said above i think LJ is a good player and he wouldnt draw the criticism he gets if he stopped making the little mistakes he makes every game.

The reason McIndoe isn't being criticised is whether he plays good or bad he is totally committed in every sense and in spite of his small stature TACKLES his heart out.The reason many are sick of Lee Johnson is he bottles out of tackles and when the going gets tough he dissapears.Also he impacts the team in that whoever plays in midfield with him has to do the tackling for two players.This leads to fans saying Skuse faded in the second half, which is unfair on Skuse who has to do Johnson's tackling aswell.It reminds me of the days of Matt Hewlett, who never tackled and left his partner to do his shift on this aswell, often Rob Edwards.

[rockin-robin]

its like yesturday a couple of guys walking out of The Atyeo Stand in front of my parents After The Game Finished Yesturday one of the blokes turned to his mate and said

''if we keep playing like this,we won't be in the play offs'' for god sake we've only played two games at the moment and someone's making comments like that come on how pathetic was he.

we were winning yesturday until Derby scored so that bloke obviously didn't see that Goal from City take place.

we need to stop slating and stop putting players down because its things like that that make top players think twice about signing contracts or even walk out of The Team Grounds.

I see where your coming from but Derby were there for the taking and we buggered it up. Things like that will cost us whatever end of the table we find ourselves.

[Guest ScottMurray23]

Winning Or Losing Shouldn't Matter,This Is Not What Sport Is About,Its About The Taking Part and Being Apart Of A Team,If The Players And The Management At City Don't Feel Confident Going Into The Premier League League At The Moment Until They Have A Good Enough Team and Confidence To Go Up Then We Should All Be Supporting Them And Respecting Their Decision On That

[Alex_BCFC]

Winning Or Losing Shouldn't Matter,This Is Not What Sport Is About,Its About The Taking Part and Being Apart Of A Team,If The Players And The Management At City Don't Feel Confident Going Into The Premier League League At The Moment Until They Have A Good Enough Team and Confidence To Go Up Then We Should All Be Supporting Them And Respecting Their Decision On That

Sport is about winning. That attitude is what means England rarely do well in any major tournaments- we need the Australia mentality.

[QuedgeRed]

it shouldn't matter wether we win or lose or be about points,its about the taking part In something that counts,its still just ONLY A GAME,we should be SUPPORTING OUR TEAM WETHER THEY WIN OR LOSE,

I've got a brilliant idea - why don't we play 46 friendlies a season. That would be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

[rockin-robin]

Winning Or Losing Shouldn't Matter,This Is Not What Sport Is About,Its About The Taking Part and Being Apart Of A Team,If The Players And The Management At City Don't Feel Confident Going Into The Premier League League At The Moment Until They Have A Good Enough Team and Confidence To Go Up Then We Should All Be Supporting Them And Respecting Their Decision On That

In many ways you are correct, and this definetely applies in amateur sport. However, these are professional footballers who are paid a lot of money, to at the end of the day, WIN a football match.

The same applies in business. If you lost your company money, would you expect people to turn around and say well "at least you tried".

[Guest red23]

Winning Or Losing Shouldn't Matter,This Is Not What Sport Is About,Its About The Taking Part and Being Apart Of A Team,If The Players And The Management At City Don't Feel Confident Going Into The Premier League League At The Moment Until They Have A Good Enough Team and Confidence To Go Up Then We Should All Be Supporting Them And Respecting Their Decision On That

Me and 13,449 people don't shell out money for out ST to watch the team take part, neither do the members or other spectators pay to see just that.

SL hasn't spent £2.25m on a player or helped GJ assemble a competitive squad just so we can take part.

The whole issue is on LJ, who IMO deserves criticism for his error yesterday (as not even i would make a mistake like that) in the same way others would be criticised in the same way if they'd done that. LJ's position is traditionally the most debated place, due to his curcumstances, where most fans have strong opinions either one way or another.

On the whole i thought it was a very positive performance, bar the dodgy 10 mins at the start of the second half.

[Guest ScottMurray23]

its not about points or winning.

its about supporting your team and your heritage wether they win or wether they lose.

that is what its about supporting your team until the end regardless of how well they do or perform.

if we keep teaching our kids everything is about winning its the wrong thing to do in my eyes.

we should be teaching kids its about the taking part,being part of a team wether we win or lose,supporting Our Team and Where We Come From,In other Words Support Our Heritage regardless wether they win,lose or perform on the pitch or sport

[Guest red23]

its not about points or winning.

its about supporting your team and your heritage wether they win or wether they lose.

that is what its about supporting your team until the end regardless of how well they do or perform.

if we keep teaching our kids everything is about winning its the wrong thing to do in my eyes.

we should be teaching kids its about the taking part,being part of a team wether we win or lose,supporting Our Team and Where We Come From,In other Words Support Our Heritage regardless wether they win,lose or perform on the pitch or sport

Whose stopped supporting the team?!

I'll be there on Sat with another 2000 or so cheering on the lads, much as i was yesterday. I was satisfied with a point yesterday but dissapointed about how we conceded the goal, which is why i came on here to discuss what led to the goal, not to be lectured and told everything is ok because LJ took part and took £5000 home with him

[rockin-robin]

its not about points or winning.

its about supporting your team and your heritage wether they win or wether they lose.

that is what its about supporting your team until the end regardless of how well they do or perform.

if we keep teaching our kids everything is about winning its the wrong thing to do in my eyes.

we should be teaching kids its about the taking part,being part of a team wether we win or lose,supporting Our Team and Where We Come From,In other Words Support Our Heritage regardless wether they win,lose or perform on the pitch or sport

I think that somes up all thats wrong with PROFESSIONAL sport in this country. We are all to happy to lose and hide behind the "its the taking part that counts" theory. If we keep drumming this into our kids then we'll keep losing and the next generation will be Losers as well. You are correct on some levels and the you should be able to take defeat gracefully, but you shouldn't except defeat.

[collier]

its not about points or winning.

its about supporting your team and your heritage wether they win or wether they lose.

that is what its about supporting your team until the end regardless of how well they do or perform.

if we keep teaching our kids everything is about winning its the wrong thing to do in my eyes.

we should be teaching kids its about the taking part,being part of a team wether we win or lose,supporting Our Team and Where We Come From,In other Words Support Our Heritage regardless wether they win,lose or perform on the pitch or sport

so in other words we need to teach our kids its ok to be losers then. I knew there was a reason why we never perform to our full potential in many sports. Thing is we have the potential to win many things but people like you who accept coming second don't exactly help. There is a reason we have a league table and promotion and relegation in case you hadnt noticed. At the end of the day this whole debate and all the replies are all based on every city fans passion for their team and their desire to see our team WIN each week, if not why bother debating anything, we may as well just accept that we turned up and be happy with that.

[Guest kristian444]

My mum works in a school and their so-called 'sports day' involves lots of happy-clappy team games in which no-one wins and no-one loses. The discipline in that place is unbelievable, because the parents don't do anything and it's up to the school. The kids aren't prepared for later life, they always expect to win and if they don't they turn into horrible whinging bar stewards. The worst form of punishment is to be sent to the office, but that involves not doing work and playing on the playstation; and internal exclusions mean you get sent to nursery and can play for a week.

So in my opinion, winning and losing is the way forward. I was never the best at school, in fact I was among the worst, but if anything that's just made me a better person.

My god, two rants in two days. I am getting old!

[Sargent Pepper]

Today summed him up for exactly what he is. An absolute liability of the highest kind.

[Guest igoe4]

Lee Johnson is extremely small!!!!

[kingswood red]

LJ isn't a bad player but he isn't good/strong enough for a 442 formation.

If we played 433 (not like last season when it always turned into a 451) with 2 holding players and LJ as the creator then I would play him but in a 442 we possibly have better options/need to get someone in.

BCAGFC

I have seen women playing who can tackle and head a ball better, he's too lightweight.

Should never have let Carle go without a proper replacement, it isn't Williams.

[Mr Mosquito]

Winning Or Losing Shouldn't Matter,This Is Not What Sport Is About,Its About The Taking Part and Being Apart Of A Team,If The Players And The Management At City Don't Feel Confident Going Into The Premier League League At The Moment Until They Have A Good Enough Team and Confidence To Go Up Then We Should All Be Supporting Them And Respecting Their Decision On That

Your appreciation of the Corinthian sporting spirit is laudable BUT I don't want to see BCFC lose. I want to see the team we are playing lose. I want to delight in watching their supporters drift off 15 minutes before the end after witnessing their team being crushed to our chants of CHEERIO, CHEERIO, CHEERIO.

I thought Lee Johnson played OK yesterday and from the Atyeo stand I didn't see his mis-kicked clearance. However, watching it on TV this morning it did look like a real howler of a clearance and Lee Johnson did look gutted. Now is the time to support Lee Johnson as his free kicks are often superb and he can be a real asset to our side.

[MATT BCFC]

He was terrible yesterday. Gave the ball away loads. At the end of the day hes not good enough for where we want to be if we are serious about going up we need a much better central midfielder to partner Marv, we had one in Carle but thats history now.

LJ just doesnt provide enough in terms of goals, assists and is too inconsistant.

[newboy]

In my mind it's a case of intent. If a footballer intends to do the right thing, but makes a mistake you've got to forgive it - every footballer will slice a shot, overweight a pass occasionally (obviously if it happens a lot then the player's skill level must be questioned)

But if LJ's pass within defence yesterday was an error in judgement then that is unforgivable in my eyes, especially at this level. If he simply intended to clear it, but sliced it - fair enough. If he tried to pass it out when he was unsure of where other players were then that is such a schoolboy error that his level of competence or levels of arrogance *must* be bought into question.

It's basic stuff - any footballer in any position would have been taught (or learnt themselves!) to clear the lines if in any doubt.

So looking at the replay - was it a miskick or lazyness/arrogance/crass stupidity?

[kingswood red]

In my mind it's a case of intent. If a footballer intends to do the right thing, but makes a mistake you've got to forgive it - every footballer will slice a shot, overweight a pass occasionally (obviously if it happens a lot then the player's skill level must be questioned)

But if LJ's pass within defence yesterday was an error in judgement then that is unforgivable in my eyes, especially at this level. If he simply intended to clear it, but sliced it - fair enough. If he tried to pass it out when he was unsure of where other players were then that is such a schoolboy error that his level of competence or levels of arrogance *must* be bought into question.

It's basic stuff - any footballer in any position would have been taught (or learnt themselves!) to clear the lines if in any doubt.

So looking at the replay - was it a miskick or lazyness/arrogance/crass stupidity?

Instead of sitting on the fence why don't you tell us what YOU think it is?

[newboy]

Instead of sitting on the fence why don't you tell us what YOU think it is?

I'm sitting on the fence because I haven't seen the replay. Simple as.

[Ron]

Points dropped now ARE really important. At the end of the season it's points like those lost today that will make the difference and hopefully not at the wrong end of the table.

Yes, they will. And the team's failure to finish Derby off in the first half royally came back to bite us on the arse, as they were the better side throughout the second and fully deserved their equaliser. Johnson made one mistake, unfortunately for him in a dangerous position. It's ok thinking "well in the box you can't afford to make mistakes", but if that were possible people wouldn't have any need to make mistakes anywhere. And the second half was riddled with mistakes all over. And then there's the million dollar question - would you single out another player if they made the same mistake in this same vain?