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New boss plans style with substance
Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS
Date online: 19 March 2013
NEW manager Lee Johnson wants his Athletic team to entertain the crowd with vibrant, attacking football — starting with tonight’s hugely-important home game against Hartlepool.
Johnson (31) took charge of his first training session yesterday morning and was later revealed to the media as the club’s new boss.
The immediate focus for the Football League’s youngest manager is to gain three points at Boundary Park, to lift the club out of the bottom four.
Having watched several games in recent weeks, Johnson — who has already selected his line-up — believes he knows what it takes to achieve victory.
“I want us to be defensively sound and organised,” he told the Chronicle. “But at the same time, let’s whip up the crowd.
“I was at the Bournemouth game and nothing did that for the first half-hour.
“The successful teams I have been in, we have played at a high tempo with a pressing game. Getting the crowd going makes the players better; there’s a knock-on effect.”
Johnson says improving the players’ fitness, sharpness and methodology is vital. He has been given free rein to bring in players on loan to improve the squad. That process began with Korey Smith’s arrival from Norwich last week. He will also build a new coaching team and has a handful of names in mind to be his assistant.
“I would like to bring in someone with experience and who has been there and done it, to lean on,” said Johnson.
“But I want a good coach who will spend a lot of time with the young players. We have to make sure we are making a conscious effort to improve these players at a dramatic rate, because young players improve very quickly.”
For now he will be helped by Cliff Byrne, Paul Gerrard and Tony Philliskirk.
Johnson, who left Kilmarnock earlier this year, turned down seven playing offers to take up the manger’s job with Athletic. He says he will play now only in the reserves.
The former Yeovil and Bristol City player hopes his top-flight ambitions can now be achieved in a new chapter of his career.
Comments
Risk or not for Corney, but this lad sounds alright I'm actually looking forward to tonights game, to see the side, formation and tatics Johnson employs. Goodluck for tonight Lee and here's hoping for 3 points. Come On Oldham....
Dare I say it but can it work? Looking at Lee Johnson's background he certainly ticks a lot of the coaching boxes and has spent a great deal of personal time and expense preparing for such an appointment as this. Let us ALL get behind him after all it is NOT his fault SC and co made him manager. Wrong as I think it is, he at deserves our backing until such time as he he proves not to be capable of the job. Let us all KEEP THE FAITH even if at times we question why!!
A brilliant 'out of the box' bit of thinking from SC and the board on signing a new generation of Manager, what a refreshing approach this is and a great new dawn has arisen on OAFC its time to embrace it , the fickle hillybilly fans of the club are clueless ,they still live in the meat pie sausage roll days of perennial humdrum failure , i for one will give the new man 100% support , if Latics go down it will have nothing to do with the new man, its to do with the 36 previous games. Hail LJ.
Walking Down Sheepfoot Lane to see Lee Johnsons aces !!!
What a lovely ring to it !!!
Well, good luck, Lee, you sound as though you have some fresh ideas in mind and, on the quiet, I believe that you would like a squad that plays 'total football', as indicated by your "mis-match" on the field quote. If your tactic is to confuse the opposition, then make sure your players are on the same wavelength as yourself.
Hope we get three points tonight, Latics have taken a risk, and as a fan, you will get my support.
Totally agree. the most important thing is we get behind the team and give the new manager the same support. I was a little unsure/surprised by the appointment but it has been made and we all have to start somewhere. So good luck Lee. Keep us in this division and lets progress.
He comes across very well and to have watched our team of big heads who think they're better than they are, then presented Corney with a dossier of said under achievers strengths and weaknesses is quite something. Not looked forward to a league game as much for ages as I expect to see 100% improvement in application, passion and effort tonight. C'mon Latics.
good luck lee, you will need it and we are due some.i suspect if it goes wrong SC will get it first so youll be ok.
Good Luck tonight Lee. I am looking forward to this game with bated breath.....Its a shame that you say you will only play in the reserve team....Whats betting you turn out for the first team before long......just to show the players what you are made of and what you expect from them ...Come on Oldham & Keep the Faith
If all else fails, get your boots on and lead from the front!!
simon corney should never get grief darth. regardless if we go down or not. if he walks were doomed as football club. nobody i repeat nobody will come in to save the day.
a supporters trust that has no funds why bother. simon corney is a clever man who has oldham athletic and its suppoters interests at heart. he deserves our thanks not grief. if i was him i would have pulled the plug ages ago. some of the venim towards the men is a disgrace
The decision has been made, right or wrong only time will tell. It's now time to get behind Lee and the lads and make the level of noise that everybody heard at Everton. We all know this can be like a 12th man!
It's a good start to watch before being given the job. No doubt the players will respond for next few matches as they did for TP.
Comment regarding youth development appears to put TP position in some doubt!
He has said all the right things and clearly prepared himself so all we can do is back him wholeheartedly!
Come on you blues
Lets all get behind him..... Att: 3,269.. Says it all. Until the club gets 5000 a game they will never have the finance to be successful, and that is only half full.
Have Your Say
First of all good luck Lee ! Its a gamble of course with someone so young and unproven but we need you to succeed. Given our current plight and having lost Dean Furman (for the right reasons) I would have hoped that the cup money could have brought in a top notch striker if only for 10 games, perhaps a premiership reserve. Instead we brought in a relative unknown who didnt even get a game ! Seems a wasted opportunity to me. Best of luck tonight Lee, we're behind you
By longtimefan @ 19/03/2013 12:30:42