Don’t look now!
Reporter: Matthew Chambers
Date published: 22 December 2014
ATHLETIC’S players won’t be reading any of these words . . . and the fans have been asked to cast aside their grievances on Boxing Day to offer full, unconditional support for the Crewe game.
Devastated manager Lee Johnson held a considered inquest inside Stadium mk after the 7-0 drubbing, in which he asked for issues to be aired.
As he tries to go back to basics following a third straight defeat, Johnson has told his men to ignore newspaper reports and Twitter comments as he tries to protect what is left of their shattered collective confidence.
And he is asking the faithful supporters to get behind their team at SportsDirect.com Park as the squad try to somehow pick themselves up off the canvas.
“I went in there and I needed players to be able to say what they needed to say to me, personally, to get it off their chest,” said the manager, who emerged from the visitors’ dressing room almost an hour after the game had ended to talk at length to the press.
“So if there was anything that needed to be said, they could. And I could come back with an honest answer.
“I gave my opinion, which was very calm and very composed, as I had time to plan and assess what I would say afterwards.
“Sometimes you can be aggressive and get into people.
“But I think we all know, it was never going to be the case.
“Now we have to rebuild our club from the top down. Everyone in the club will be upset.
“Our fans were fantastic, even towards the end — and it brought a tear to my eye, to be honest, the reaction we got.
“My own pride is beaten black and blue, but we are a tough spirit as a club.
“There have been a lot of things gone on in the last couple of weeks and things said and I just said to to the lads, close ranks. Don’t read the papers, don’t read twitter, anything.
“That’s all important, but we are at a low ebb. When it is going well you can be falsely led into thinking you are better than you are, and at a low ebb you can be knocked down to a place where you think you're the world’s worst.
“They are not and there are many clubs who would swap places with us and take our squad.
“We have to really plan for these next two games. They will be tough we and will need everybody.
“I want everybody to come and to show their support.
“In the next game, give everything you can for the team for the 90 minutes. After that, give any reaction you like.
“We haven’t represented ourselves and our fan base over the last two games and that really hurts.”
Athletic appear likely to be missing injured captain Liam Kelly for the remaining festive games at home to Crewe on Boxing Day and at Barnsley on Monday, December 29 (7.45pm kick-off).
He has a grade two hamstring tear and his influence as a leader and competitor is abundantly clear.
“As much as you want your captain back and of course, we have missed him in the last two games, you can’t legislate for the possibility of him being out for six or seven weeks,” Johnson added.
Genseric Kusunga picked up a knock in the second half of the Dons drubbing but stayed on, as Athletic had already used all three substitutions.
One of those men, Joseph Mills (ankle), was taken off at half-time and he will be assessed this week.
