Early-doors clash suits Johnson

Lee Johnson.

RUSSELL Slade was his choice as last season’s top manager in Sky Bet League One, but tomorrow Lee Johnson is aiming to get one over on a club whose poverty pleas he doesn’t buy.

Johnson has come across Slade’s Leyton Orient three times as a manager — and has drawn 1-1 on each occasion.

While asserting his own club’s role as underdogs tomorrow, Athletic’s boss says that it may be a little early for the extra weight of money brought to Brisbane Road by new owner Francesco Becchetti to take effect fully.

And the timing of the fixture may end up being to Athletic’s advantage, Johnson (pictured) argues.

“He (Slade) did a great job and I voted for him as manager of the year,” he said, of the LMA award claimed jointly by Wolves boss Kenny Jackett and Slade, whose Orient side finished the season in third place and missed out on going up due to a play-off final defeat to Rotherham on penalties.

“They do pay quite well to their players, certainly those they see as their best 14 or 15. But I do think he did very well. It would have been nice for the club and for Russell Slade to have gone up.

“But I am quite pleased Rotherham went up in the end — another big team with financial clout.

“There is a changing dynamic at Orient. They have the new owner who has come in and spent big and the psychological effect on the players already there is not always ideal.

exciting

“To have someone come in on five or six times the wage you are on, when you did so well last year, sometimes has an effect. I’m not saying it will, as I’m sure they believe they have a high calibre of player coming in.

“It is an exciting time for their club. They will now be chucking finances behind them and in one sense it is a good time for us to catch them, nice and early.”