Player clearout needed - LJ calls out recruitment [Archive]

andyf5

03-01-2023, 05:52 AM

I think the comments made by our manager are useful and right. He has no fear now. I read it as calling out those in charge of recruitment. "We have made mistakes" he says.
"
To be honest I’m sick to death of the mediocrity.

We need to move players out in January. This is a wonderful club full of potential with a great fanbase, good training base and a brilliant stadium — and it deserves more. We need to make way better decisions all over the place because today showed exactly where we are.
One or two or three good players [in] — five, six, seven, eight, ten outs — it doesn’t matter to me. I’d rather have the quality in the XI and bump up the young players.

I’d rather get rid of ten and sign one that is high quality. We have made mistakes, it’s as simple as that.”

Hibby Kay-Yay

03-01-2023, 06:03 AM

The joy of hindsight

Waxy

03-01-2023, 06:08 AM

If a defender cant even attempt to see out a ball for a goal kick then it’s not the managers fault.
Someone in the stand would have defended that better.

Recruitment needs sacked.

Winston Ingram

03-01-2023, 06:29 AM

He's not wrong.

WestStandWillie

03-01-2023, 06:48 AM

The recruitment teams are a disgrace. If Ron really cares about this club then he’ll remove his incompetent laddie from the recruitment team with immediate effect.

Wouldn’t stop there, bin Ben Kensell. Pops up when doing well but nowhere to be seen when the going gets tough. We deserve better on both fronts.

Alfred E Newman

03-01-2023, 06:51 AM

Good on him for coming out and saying it. He probably knows the axe is coming but he is backing up everything said on here on a daily basis.

SlickShoes

03-01-2023, 06:56 AM

Yep I’m sure none of this is Lee’s fault

bingo70

03-01-2023, 07:04 AM

Interesting he was happy to take credit for being a big part of the recruitment team and signing off on all transfers when he thought they might be good. Now they’re ***** it’s nothing to do with him and all everyone else’s fault?

Gatecrasher

03-01-2023, 07:08 AM

That's along the lines of what a large section of the support have been saying for a loooong time now.

WestStandWillie

03-01-2023, 07:16 AM

Yep I’m sure none of this is Lee’s fault

Don’t think anyone is removing any blame from him. But he’s been handed players like Taveres and Bojang. They’ve not been scouted. One’s been looked up on the internet and the other was found via one of they shirt services which hand out random kits from around the world. There’s absolutely nae chance we’ve had scouts (or Iain Gordon has heard of) watching Rainbow FC

Hibernian Verse

03-01-2023, 07:19 AM

Pretty Boy

03-01-2023, 07:19 AM

I don't think he was passing the buck tbh. He said 'we' repeatedly rather then 'they'.

Ultimately Johnson is the one who will pay with his job, probably today. The man heading the department will be reassigned elsewhere, Kean may well end up with a promotion to 1st team manager, Kensell is going nowhere and the other couple likewise.

That would grate with me as well.

bingo70

03-01-2023, 07:24 AM

Don’t think anyone is removing any blame from him. But he’s been handed players like Taveres and Bojang. They’ve not been scouted. One’s been looked up on the internet and the other was found via one of they shirt services which hand out random kits from around the world. There’s absolutely nae chance we’ve had scouts (or Iain Gordon has heard of) watching Rainbow FC

Tavares was signed based on a recommendation from one of LJ’s contacts in Portugal according to him at the time.

Bojang was a signing LJ has been defending and explaining a lot, it was a bit of a tester so we could dip our toe in what is a very profitable market for other clubs around Europe. It didn’t work out but there was method behind the madness there.

Kenneh was another that Johnson wanted yet couldn’t get on the pitch yesterday.

Rumble de Thump

03-01-2023, 07:29 AM

The head coach is the one person who ultimately gets to decide if we sign a player or not. He also gets to train the players, select the team and set the tactics.

GoalsMcGinley

03-01-2023, 07:34 AM

Tavares was signed based on a recommendation from one of LJ’s contacts in Portugal according to him at the time.

Bojang was a signing LJ has been defending and explaining a lot, it was a bit of a tester so we could dip our toe in what is a very profitable market for other clubs around Europe. It didn’t work out but there was method behind the madness there.

Kenneh was another that Johnson wanted yet couldn’t get on the pitch yesterday.

Lee Johnson has been quoted privately saying the only signing he actually recommended/wanted was McGeady. The others were all being looked at or had signed before he was appointed.

He’s not blameless in our current plight but the players he has been handed to work with are not good enough. The fact that the majority of his time in change a large % of the XI have been players there from previous managers (hecky, Ross etc) tells its own story!!

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ChilliEater

03-01-2023, 07:34 AM

Something dramatic needs to happen now - the mediocre squad line is straight out of the Terry Butcher "How to get relegated" playbook. Either he stays and gets backed with, at least, 2 or 3 quality, experienced signings, or he has to go as he's just destroyed any confidence/trust/team spirit etc that was left. It doesn't matter how "true" we think it is, if someone doesn't get the best out of the players then we're going down. In our good performances this season we've been quite impressive, so even if we're not good enough to challenge for 3rd, we're definitely good enough to stay up, when we play with confidence and purpose. Just don't see how you get confidence and purpose out of a squad that you've just chucked under the bus.

I've been in the give him time camp, based on the good performances, but I'd fire him right now if it was my decision. He just hit the s*** management bulls eye for me.

Willis1875

03-01-2023, 07:40 AM

Wonder if Lee Johnson had a gun to his head back in June when he described Ian Gordon as Very,Very good and that in 5-10 years time he could be one of the best in the business

neil7908

03-01-2023, 07:40 AM

I thought the chat on here was LJ signed off on every player?

I don't disagree with him but it's all sounding very Jose Mourinho - it's everyone's fault but mine.

bingo70

03-01-2023, 07:45 AM

I thought the chat on here was LJ signed off on every player?

I don't disagree with him but it's all sounding very Jose Mourinho - it's everyone's fault but mine.

Wasn’t the chat on here, it’s what he said.

Only true when it suits him though.

Paulie Walnuts

03-01-2023, 07:49 AM

I thought the chat on here was LJ signed off on every player?

I don't disagree with him but it's all sounding very Jose Mourinho - it's everyone's fault but mine.

What does signing off on players look like?

If it’s:

“Here Lee, we’ve got a boy Bojang from Rainbow FC, or his strike partner Cisse from Rainbow FC. That’s your two options as we want them to fit a certain profile, pick what one you’d prefer” then it’s hardly like he’s got much of a say still, is it?

McGruber

03-01-2023, 08:11 AM

What does signing off on players look like?

If it’s:

“Here Lee, we’ve got a boy Bojang from Rainbow FC, or his strike partner Cisse from Rainbow FC. That’s your two options as we want them to fit a certain profile, pick what one you’d prefer” then it’s hardly like he’s got much of a say still, is it?

Then he says, 'no, sorry, neither player is good enough and I won't accept either. If I am to be manager here I need a certain type of player I am happy to bring in. Here is who I want. If you have any other recommendations I'll look at them and decide if they are good enough'
You get the point. This defence of he might have been limited in what he was signing off on - he sets his own limits, or he calls it out... he's man enough/manager enough to call it out.
If he is not, and goes along with it and tows the party line and publicly puts his name to these players/our recruitment process then hell mend him

timewilltell

03-01-2023, 08:13 AM

Heckingbottom has got Sheffield Utd into 2nd in the Championship….Trust me, our players are the problem…

McGruber

03-01-2023, 08:17 AM

Lee Johnson has been quoted privately saying the only signing he actually recommended/wanted was McGeady. The others were all being looked at or had signed before he was appointed.

He’s not blameless in our current plight but the players he has been handed to work with are not good enough. The fact that the majority of his time in change a large % of the XI have been players there from previous managers (hecky, Ross etc) tells its own story!!

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If that was the case - then why didn't he either recommend more of his own players (he incapable of identifying) or else put his foot down on being landed with players. At the very least he could have made it known the club had players coming in that he would be happy to work with

Brightside

03-01-2023, 08:17 AM

LJ told everyone he had final say. Now he’s telling people he only wanted McGeady.

J-C

03-01-2023, 08:17 AM

Doesn't help him when there's rumours of dressing room discontent, training being a bit boring and now we're seeing bizarre teams in big games, has LJ turned into Lennon.

J-C

03-01-2023, 08:19 AM

LJ told everyone he had final say. Now he’s telling people he only wanted McGeady.

Did he not say he's been tracking Tavares for a while? The guys a proper bulls hitter.

McGruber

03-01-2023, 08:19 AM

Many fans did say he was a yes man when he became manager - said everything Ben / Ron and fans wanted to hear.

But now he’s decided to grow a back bone and come out and say what the fans have been saying for months to try keep the fans on side.

Feels like desperation. While he maybe right it’s all about trust and the players will be thinking what a muppet.

The only reason I would want him to stay is to see if he clears out the deadwood of rotten players. Would he have the character to do that.

Other than that I think he’s not the right choice to bring us success or bring the fans together and it’s only going to get worse.

Yeah, that's pretty much it

Pretty Boy

03-01-2023, 08:20 AM

LJ told everyone he had final say. Now he’s telling people he only wanted McGeady.

So he's a yes man, a liar or maybe a bit of both?

What a ****ing mess.

CL0762

03-01-2023, 08:24 AM

If he’s saying about the quality in the XI and bump up the young players then just do it.

If he’s playing certain players to get other clubs interested then it’s absolutely not working.

neil7908

03-01-2023, 08:28 AM

LJ told everyone he had final say. Now he’s telling people he only wanted McGeady.

If that's what he's now saying that's an absolute joke.

Did he not want Boyle and Marshall then?

As others have said, he's been enthusiastically talking up our signings for months now, and in unambiguous language.

He can't come along now and heap all the blame on recruitment (although they of course are a very big part of the problem).

B.H.F.C

03-01-2023, 08:35 AM

Did he not say he's been tracking Tavares for a while? The guys a proper bulls hitter.

He also spoke about us managing to get Kukharevych due to his relationship with the City Group. Unsurprisingly, Kukharevych was playing well at that point.

jeffers

03-01-2023, 08:35 AM

Johnson now doing what I was told he’d do and pretty sure we were warned about by fans of his previous clubs. When it starts to go wrong it’s not his fault, someone else is to blame.

flash

03-01-2023, 08:38 AM

Johnson now doing what I was told he’d do and pretty sure we were warned about by fans of his previous clubs. When it starts to go wrong it’s not his fault, someone else is to blame.

Its all quite strange now because I want him to go whilst agreeing with almost every word he said after the game.
No matter if he stays or goes we will still be watching those imposters on the park next Sunday.

bigwheel

03-01-2023, 08:39 AM

Johnson now doing what I was told he’d do and pretty sure we were warned about by fans of his previous clubs. When it starts to go wrong it’s not his fault, someone else is to blame.

He’s not overtly doing that though . He included himself in his criticism yesterday.

We got humped by our rivals, after an appalling run of results. He has to come out with some sort of crisis call for action . Not sure what else people expect him to say .

Tully

03-01-2023, 08:39 AM

No matter if the manager was pep Guardiola he couldn't get a tune out of our squad, its the players that have been at hibs for far to long ,who are holding hibs back,maybe bite the bullet and pay them of ,but easy option is to sack the manager again

Trinity Hibee

03-01-2023, 08:39 AM

Its all quite strange now because I want him to go whilst agreeing with almost every word he said after the game.
No matter if he stays or goes we will still be watching those imposters on the park next Sunday.

This is the conundrum now. The problem is the players and it will be the same with a new manager. Saying that LJ should at least be able to get more from the squad.

BoomtownHibees

03-01-2023, 08:41 AM

NC1875

03-01-2023, 08:41 AM

Heckingbottom has got Sheffield Utd into 2nd in the Championship….Trust me, our players are the problem…

Yup, Hanlon and Stevenson still starting in a derby in 2023 shows how bad the squad actually is. Joe Newell and Campbell in midfield, we are absolute garbage.

Ozyhibby

03-01-2023, 08:42 AM

Its all quite strange now because I want him to go whilst agreeing with almost every word he said after the game.
No matter if he stays or goes we will still be watching those imposters on the park next Sunday.

It’s easy to agree with what he says, it’s what he does that is unfathomable.
Leaving Magennis on the bench yesterday was a suicide note. He’s the only decent midfielder we have. I think he’s trying to get himself sacked. Wants his pay off and to head back south.

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bigwheel

03-01-2023, 08:42 AM

Its all quite strange now because I want him to go whilst agreeing with almost every word he said after the game.
No matter if he stays or goes we will still be watching those imposters on the park next Sunday.

That’s the real problem we have . The quality of the playing staff is poor . Nowhere near good enough . Recruitment has been a disaster for 2-3 years now . Our only hope is that we bring in quality to improve the squad , and our recent track record doesn’t suggest that will happen .

Allant1981

03-01-2023, 08:45 AM

Johnson now doing what I was told he’d do and pretty sure we were warned about by fans of his previous clubs. When it starts to go wrong it’s not his fault, someone else is to blame.

Except he included himself

scoopyboy

03-01-2023, 08:52 AM

Doesn't help him when there's rumours of dressing room discontent, training being a bit boring and now we're seeing bizarre teams in big games, has LJ turned into Lennon.

This is what I use to determine when a manager is near the end.

It has happened with Lennon, Ross, Maloney and now Johnson.

It's like they are hoping to stumble upon a decent line up.

The end is nigh.

Ozyhibby

03-01-2023, 08:54 AM

https://news.stv.tv/sport/lee-johnson-hopes-for-backing-of-hibs-board-as-he-looks-to-drive-club-forward

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Carheenlea

03-01-2023, 08:54 AM

Its all quite strange now because I want him to go whilst agreeing with almost every word he said after the game.
No matter if he stays or goes we will still be watching those imposters on the park next Sunday.

I’m similar, but I wouldn’t have been all out gunning for him to leave.

Whilst agreeing with everything he has to say though, the fact he’s sort of absolved himself from any blame has actually made me change my mind a bit and would be erring more into the sack camp now. There can’t be any long term success with a manager who refuses to take responsibility for any parts of clubs downturns.

flash

03-01-2023, 08:55 AM

It’s easy to agree with what he says, it’s what he does that is unfathomable.
Leaving Magennis on the bench yesterday was a suicide note. He’s the only decent midfielder we have. I think he’s trying to get himself sacked. Wants his pay off and to head back south.

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If he is i reckon his wish is about to be granted.

H18 SFR

03-01-2023, 09:00 AM

If he is i reckon his wish is about to be granted.

I think RG is going to back him in the transfer window.

Jim44

03-01-2023, 09:00 AM

I’d like to be a fly on the dressing room wall, listening to what the ‘busy fools’ are saying about their boss.

JohnM1875

03-01-2023, 09:01 AM

https://news.stv.tv/sport/lee-johnson-hopes-for-backing-of-hibs-board-as-he-looks-to-drive-club-forward

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Actually don't disagree with most of what he has to say but he's played a big part in making those mistakes.

I now think we're going to give him the rest of the season. No idea if that's the right choice or not.

Vault Boy

03-01-2023, 09:05 AM

Actually don't disagree with most of what he has to say but he's played a big part in making those mistakes.

I now think we're going to give him the rest of the season. No idea if that's the right choice or not.

The quotes in the article are all from the press conference yesterday evening, seems like it’s just being framed as a new update

Heisenberg

03-01-2023, 09:08 AM

I’ve got the fear that he’ll be kept on now and we’ll continue our slide down the league. He’s clueless and so are those above him. Zero faith in anyone at the club to sort this mess out.

Carheenlea

03-01-2023, 09:09 AM

Actually don't disagree with most of what he has to say but he's played a big part in making those mistakes.

I now think we're going to give him the rest of the season. No idea if that's the right choice or not.

I think we’d have heard by now if he was being relieved of his duties.

Maybe his one last chance is the Cup Tie?

jeffers

03-01-2023, 09:10 AM

Except he included himself

All I hard him saying was he needed to to better, the rest was all about the players then the failure to tie up Porteous on a longer term deal. Must have missed the bit where he said he’d got the team selection and tactics totally wrong, playing a guy out of position in his first start for us then hooking him at HT.

Heisenberg

03-01-2023, 09:11 AM

I think we’d have heard by now if he was being relieved of his duties.

Maybe his one last chance is the Cup Tie?

We’ve got two massive league games before then and we would be trusting a manager that doesn’t like the majority of the playing squad (and I guess they don’t much like him) to take charge? It would be a bold strategy.

MrRobot

03-01-2023, 09:12 AM

Johnson now doing what I was told he’d do and pretty sure we were warned about by fans of his previous clubs. When it starts to go wrong it’s not his fault, someone else is to blame.

he isn’t wrong though, the recruitment is quite clearly to blame. we are signing players who aren’t ready to play yet.

signing project players is fine as long as it’s balanced by signing experience too. we haven’t done that.

WhileTheChief..

03-01-2023, 09:17 AM

I’d like to be a fly on the dressing room wall, listening to what the ‘busy fools’ are saying about their boss.

That was a beauty of a line for him to come out with!!!

I mean, he's not wrong, but he's the one that chose to play them all season. I can't imagine there are many players that want him to stay on now.

jeffers

03-01-2023, 09:19 AM

he isn’t wrong though, the recruitment is quite clearly to blame. we are signing players who aren’t ready to play yet.

signing project players is fine as long as it’s balanced by signing experience too. we haven’t done that.

We all know that. But he can’t have it both ways. He was quick to praise all the summer signings and make a big deal of him having the final say. Now it’s been established they are either not ready or will never be good enough suddenly the only player he signed is McGeady. He’s an experienced manager up to him to say the players we are targeting aren’t what I’m looking for, here is a list of the ones I want. Didn’t he claim he’d watched us for a few games before even taking over ? WTF did he learn from doing that ?

S4uzee

03-01-2023, 09:20 AM

This is what I use to determine when a manager is near the end.

It has happened with Lennon, Ross, Maloney and now Johnson.

It's like they are hoping to stumble upon a decent line up.

The end is nigh.

You think the end is nigh? I think he’ll be backed in January. Can’t see him being sacked

truehibernian

03-01-2023, 09:30 AM

That was a beauty of a line for him to come out with!!!

I mean, he's not wrong, but he's the one that chose to play them all season. I can't imagine there are many players that want him to stay on now.

Three or four of the Aberdeen side under Fergie couldn’t stand him but would run through brick walls for him to show him he was wrong about them - you don’t have to like a manager, you have to have professionalism and respect for him (or her). You have to have an inner desire to prove your critics wrong, if you do, the respect for each other grows, maybe not the friendship.

The hugely disconcerting thing is LJ has turned full circle in only a few weeks from saying we are nearly a very good side to wanting 10 out the door who he has generically and publicly called mediocre.

He’s not wrong though, the bulk of this squad have zero inner built strength of character to play first whistle to last as if their career depended on it. They go through the motions, point and gesticulate at others, don’t grasp responsibility, and thus you go from being a team to a tombola of individuals with no guidance and purpose the minute that first whistle blows.

Callum_62

03-01-2023, 09:34 AM

I’m similar, but I wouldn’t have been all out gunning for him to leave.

Whilst agreeing with everything he has to say though, the fact he’s sort of absolved himself from any blame has actually made me change my mind a bit and would be erring more into the sack camp now. There can’t be any long term success with a manager who refuses to take responsibility for any parts of clubs downturns.He literally included himself though

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MrRobot

03-01-2023, 09:35 AM

We all know that. But he can’t have it both ways. He was quick to praise all the summer signings and make a big deal of him having the final say. Now it’s been established they are either not ready or will never be good enough suddenly the only player he signed is McGeady. He’s an experienced manager up to him to say the players we are targeting aren’t what I’m looking for, here is a list of the ones I want. Didn’t he claim he’d watched us for a few games before even taking over ? WTF did he learn from doing that ?

i agree mate, it seems strange to back them and then turn around and say what he has. maybe he thought they’d be ready sooner or maybe he’s on the last throw if the dice

wookie70

03-01-2023, 09:35 AM

He is very clearly including himself in the mess that is recruitment. That mess pre-dates his appointment too so was a problem before LJ. It seems our recruitment may be like the Pay Committees set up for Nurses Pay etc. The Management/Government frame what is allowed so are the ones in control, the committee do what they can within those constraints and then hand in a recommendation to those that pay the bill. LJ is the Trust manager in all this trying to work with what he has and make comments to keep the party line, at least until now. If that is the case I have lots of sympathy for LJ but he still isn't peeing as high as he should with the committee given appendage. His comments are a last throw of the dice and it is hard to see how the "busy fools" will get any better after being called out publicly and how the remarks will not cause disruption and further fracturing of a huge squad. Maybe that is what he wants though so he can make it easier to get players out. As others have said yesterday's selection reeked of Lennon and the after match comments, barring the frequent use of "we", could have been Lennon too. It is hard to see how he can keep his job but perhaps his comments on recruitment will be his finest work at teh club.

Northernhibee

03-01-2023, 09:37 AM

Yep I’m sure none of this is Lee’s fault
From the little we know, I would give him the benefit of the doubt for the majority of recruitment. Since JR left it feels like the recruitment has been similar over two separate managers.

Keith_M

03-01-2023, 09:40 AM

We don’t need Pep, just somebody to play our best players in their best positions would be a start

Looks like a David Gray moment... again.

WhileTheChief..

03-01-2023, 09:41 AM

Nakedmanoncrack

03-01-2023, 09:42 AM

If that's what he's now saying that's an absolute joke.

Did he not want Boyle and Marshall then?

As others have said, he's been enthusiastically talking up our signings for months now, and in unambiguous language.

He can't come along now and heap all the blame on recruitment (although they of course are a very big part of the problem).

All bar the deluded, or filled with blind optimism could see the recruitment strategy is horrendous, and delivering a standard of player well below what is acceptable. But did people really expect the manager to describe it thus? Of course he went along with it until this point where it suits him to be more honest. If fans truly expect the typical managers press conference/interview to reveal true feelings of a club employee they are being naïve beyond belief.

WhileTheChief..

03-01-2023, 09:47 AM

Three or four of the Aberdeen side under Fergie couldn’t stand him but would run through brick walls for him to show him he was wrong about them - you don’t have to like a manager, you have to have professionalism and respect for him (or her). You have to have an inner desire to prove your critics wrong, if you do, the respect for each other grows, maybe not the friendship.

I can't imagine any of our players even listening to LJ, let alone paying any attention to what he's saying.

I picture them staring at the floor in the dressing room or using their phones as he gives his team talks.

Fergie on the other hand, I bet there was silence as soon as he entered the room with everyone sitting up eager to hear him.

LunasBoots

03-01-2023, 09:51 AM

i agree mate, it seems strange to back them and then turn around and say what he has. maybe he thought they’d be ready sooner or maybe he’s on the last throw if the dice

Probably came in thinking all they need is a little motivation only to find what previous managers have had to put up with, sub standard players.

B.H.F.C

03-01-2023, 09:55 AM

Probably came in thinking all they need is a little motivation only to find what previous managers have had to put up with, sub standard players.

That’s another thing on him. He said he’d watched us end of last season, he should have known what he was getting in to. First warning sign was away to Falkirk when, despite watching them at the end of last season, he decided to start the midfield three of JDH, Campbell and Newell. And we all know how that turned out. Against League One Falkirk . At that point we still had a month and a half to address it, but didn’t bother.

neil7908

03-01-2023, 10:05 AM

All bar the deluded, or filled with blind optimism could see the recruitment strategy is horrendous, and delivering a standard of player well below what is acceptable. But did people really expect the manager to describe it thus? Of course he went along with it until this point where it suits him to be more honest. If fans truly expect the typical managers press conference/interview to reveal true feelings of a club employee they are being naïve beyond belief.

He didn't just go along with it though. I understand he can't publicly bad mouth his employer straight after joining.

But some of the comments he made were not just "pleased to have signed so and so and looking forward to working with them". They were hyperbolic in their praise for some of the new players and for Ron's son.

Also - he signed off on them. If he thought they were that poor he should have walked or said something publicly to pressure the board to sack him or back him properly.

truehibernian

03-01-2023, 10:05 AM

I can't imagine any of our players even listening to LJ, let alone paying any attention to what he's saying.

I picture them staring at the floor in the dressing room or using their phones as he gives his team talks.

Fergie on the other hand, I bet there was silence as soon as he entered the room with everyone sitting up eager to hear him.

Admittedly there was also silence in the Aberdeen dressing room because the threat of getting hooked of Archie Knox was always looming if you talked back 😂

WestStandWillie

03-01-2023, 10:06 AM

Lennon to took us to our record points total.

LJ could only ever dream of achieving that. There is no comparison at all between the 2 of them.

Even in Lennon's winless run towards the end, it was never as bad as anything we've seen the last 2 years.

Lennon had good players, not a bunch of ham and eggers who are either bang average, past it or not yet good enough for our reserve team let alone first team.

The Baldmans Comb

03-01-2023, 10:14 AM

Johnson signed off on all the players as that's exactly what he told us but now that the pressure is really on then he is changing his tune.

No one is naive enough to believe that he won't have been leaned on here and there but fundamentally this is his bloated squad but as you would expect from an arrogant little wideboy who thinks Scottish football is beneath him, he is trying to weasel his way out of his responsibility.

Smartie

03-01-2023, 10:25 AM

So he's a yes man, a liar or maybe a bit of both?

What a ****ing mess.

Whatever he is, he talks too much.

Says too much that can be used against him later.

I know Jack Ross used to get criticised for his “safe and guarded” media approach but his mouth got him into a lot less trouble than Johnson.

All of that said, I don’t think you can argue with anything Johnson said yesterday, if you take that in isolation. Whether or not it was wise to say it, I have my doubts.

Ozyhibby

03-01-2023, 10:27 AM

Whatever he is, he talks too much.

Says too much that can be used against him later.

I know Jack Ross used to get criticised for his “safe and guarded” media approach but his mouth got him into a lot less trouble than Johnson.

All of that said, I don’t think you can argue with anything Johnson said yesterday, if you take that in isolation. Whether or not it was wise to say it, I have my doubts.

Jack also got us 3rd in the league and a couple of cup finals.

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Is It On....

03-01-2023, 10:36 AM

Presumably that poor recruitment includes himself? As bad as the squad may be, it is up to him to get the most out of it...and 9 defeats in 11 would imply he isn't.

Northernhibee

03-01-2023, 10:36 AM

I’m glad he’s called it out. Despite a very poor last window from him, since Mathie left it’s been absolutely shambolic IMO.

WhileTheChief..

03-01-2023, 10:38 AM

Admittedly there was also silence in the Aberdeen dressing room because the threat of getting hooked of Archie Knox was always looming if you talked back t😂

We could do with someone similar at ER!

Chip shop Joe

03-01-2023, 10:39 AM

LJ told everyone he had final say. Now he’s telling people he only wanted McGeady.

Exactly the guy is full of s**t. I am still not sure whether he should be sacked or not but there is no coincidence that the only player he signed is the one who has been injured for the majority of time and no one can really have an opinion on. In my opinion he is blatantly lying and for this alone he should be booted but then who do you get in!

bingo70

03-01-2023, 10:41 AM

Paulie Walnuts

03-01-2023, 10:43 AM

He didn't just go along with it though. I understand he can't publicly bad mouth his employer straight after joining.

But some of the comments he made were not just "pleased to have signed so and so and looking forward to working with them". They were hyperbolic in their praise for some of the new players and for Ron's son.

Also - he signed off on them. If he thought they were that poor he should have walked or said something publicly to pressure the board to sack him or back him properly.

I’m not buying the ‘he should have walked’ stuff. Why should he walk? If Hibs decide Ian Gordon is going to make the signings, why should Lee Johnson have to walk away from a contract worth probably north of £1m because of that when it’s not his fault?

zitelli62

03-01-2023, 10:46 AM

When the opposition fans start singing your name it never ends well.
Be is a b********r of the highest order.

Real Emerald

03-01-2023, 10:46 AM

Exactly the guy is full of s**t. I am still not sure whether he should be sacked or not but there is no coincidence that the only player he signed is the one who has been injured for the majority of time and no one can really have an opinion on. In my opinion he is blatantly lying and for this alone he should be booted but then who do you get in!

Maybe lying is a bit strong. I think he has been told who has been signed and to tow the party line and pretend he’s happy with it. He obviously knows the players aren’t good enough and that’s the reason he’s not been playing them.

It’s now past the point of playing comical Ali and admitting they aren’t good enough and he really didn’t have a say on signing them.

I think he needs to share the blame for our performances but I don’t believe these players were his ideas. If they were he should have been sacked by now.

blackpoolhibs

03-01-2023, 11:01 AM

This is the conundrum now. The problem is the players and it will be the same with a new manager. Saying that LJ should at least be able to get more from the squad.

I doubt it, we have a few players like Marshall, Boyle McGennis Nisbet Rocky McGeady and Porteous who if fit would all be playing EVERY week.

4 of them have been injured most of this season, the rest of the squad are pish, pish players who if they all left, we'd struggle to remember their names in 6 months or so, bar the odd legend.

There are way too many players in this squad, who are clearly just not very good, and i would say never will be for most of them if any.

And that is why we are pish.

Cod Boy

03-01-2023, 11:06 AM

silverhibee

03-01-2023, 11:07 AM

TAHibby

03-01-2023, 11:07 AM

Schrodinger's player recruitment involvement

Real Emerald

03-01-2023, 11:11 AM

I think the problem is these managers get told at the interview that they won’t have say on some signings. Because they are out of work they will take the job and hope they can work with what is being brought in and get results which isn’t happening. They then get sacked nice pay off and sign a confidentiality clause to keep quiet about what’s really going on behind the scenes.

I think that is exactly the case and the reason why I think LJ is getting it out there now. I’m glad he’s calling it out as it’s been a major problem for the last few years.

timewilltell

03-01-2023, 11:14 AM

Greenio

03-01-2023, 11:15 AM

Heckingbottom has got Sheffield Utd into 2nd in the Championship….Trust me, our players are the problem…

I always liked Hecky

paddy1875

03-01-2023, 11:19 AM

The 2 halftime changes should’ve been the team that started the game.

Going on about loads of average squad players after starting 2 of them in the biggest game of the season.

He’s working his ticket here. He already knows he’s gone

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silverhibee

03-01-2023, 11:22 AM

Except he included himself

He said at the end of the interview “that I include myself in that” so is he saying he is mediocre along with the squad, he should have had a go at himself to the press, something like “me and the coaching staff need to have a good look at ourselves and sort the mess we are in” but he didn’t have a go at himself, it was at the players and recruitment team and then he threw in the “I include myself in that”, and that was it, he is a chancer slaver wouldn’t turn my back on him type person, he has to go ASAP.

jeffers

03-01-2023, 11:26 AM

Even the McKirdy selection. He’s only started 2 games for us, two of our toughest away fixtures. Both times hooked early. If he thinks he’s worth a chance why not give him a start against Livingston? But no, Johnson throws him into the starting line up in these two games. Makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.

BoomtownHibees

03-01-2023, 11:31 AM

He said at the end of the interview “that I include myself in that” so is he saying he is mediocre along with the squad, he should have had a go at himself to the press, something like “me and the coaching staff need to have a good look at ourselves and sort the mess we are in” but he didn’t have a go at himself, it was at the players and recruitment team and then he threw in the “I include myself in that”, and that was it, he is a chancer slaver wouldn’t turn my back on him type person, he has to go ASAP.

He also said:

“We have a long way to go in this football club to get where we need to be, we are fighting every day, but everyone, and I include myself in that, needs to be way more intelligent in the way that we work, way more professional in the way that we work at this football club, slicker and make better decisions all throughout the football club”

SHODAN

03-01-2023, 11:36 AM

Kinda like this ****housery from Johnson, if you're going to go out then do it all guns blazing.

...Unless deliberately picking a **** line up in the derby is true.

Lago

03-01-2023, 11:46 AM

I'm not sure binning the manager will achieve at this time, I've just watched the goals from yesterday and frankly the 3rd summed it up for me, 2 stalwart players, Stevenson and Hanlon couldn't run, in fact 1 just gave up and jogged.

silverhibee

03-01-2023, 11:47 AM

He also said:

“We have a long way to go in this football club to get where we need to be, we are fighting every day, but everyone, and I include myself in that, needs to be way more intelligent in the way that we work, way more professional in the way that we work at this football club, slicker and make better decisions all throughout the football club”

Okay never heard that but I did say yesterday that he seems to No what the problems are but is doing nothing about them, he had a summer window to get his own players in which he said were his signings but now wants rid of them because they are mediocre, he has had about 6 months to install his type of football but nothing has changed, at least with Maloney you could see over the few months he was here that he was trying to change how we played, we might not have the players to do it but he was slowly implementing something for the squad to work on, with LJ there has been nothing nada zilch to suggest he will turn things around, he needs to go.

Torto7

03-01-2023, 12:26 PM

So he only wanted Mcgeady? Who was it that thought paying 500k for his assistants laddie was a good use of resources then? The boys a slaver. Im sick of his patter now.

LewysGot2

03-01-2023, 12:36 PM

So he only wanted Mcgeady? Who was it that thought paying 500k for his assistants laddie was a good use of resources then? The boys a slaver. Im sick of his patter now.

No way we spent 500k on a 16 year old :wink:

sleeping giant

03-01-2023, 12:41 PM

So he only wanted Mcgeady? Who was it that thought paying 500k for his assistants laddie was a good use of resources then? The boys a slaver. Im sick of his patter now.

500k lol.
This figure gets higher and higher the worse our results get.

high bee

03-01-2023, 12:42 PM

I remember him saying he was learning about the standard and quality of our league when we’d played a few competitive games and we had signed loads of players. I was concerned then about how he could approve any signings without an adequate knowledge of the game up here.

I’m not particularly keen for him to stay but given the thought of who we may end up replacing him with, we’d probably be starting all over again with a punt on someone rather than taking a proven manager for our league. On that basis I’d rather give him a chance to clear out the squad, bring in a few quality players and run a smaller, better quality squad. Let’s see if he actually has learned.

Zambernardi1875

03-01-2023, 12:47 PM

He’s a regional sales rep who has somehow become a football manager.

chippy

03-01-2023, 12:58 PM

LJ told everyone he had final say. Now he’s telling people he only wanted McGeady.

His comments are designed to lay blame elsewhere - doubtless much of it justified. But it sounds like he’s on the way out and preparing his next job interview

Callum_62

03-01-2023, 01:07 PM

Where is he saying he only wanted mcgeady btw?

Jair I know he said he was "on his list" to keeps tabs on previous role and because of a quirk in his contract we got him on the cheap

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MrRobot

03-01-2023, 01:20 PM

Cammy

03-01-2023, 01:58 PM

Did he not say he's been tracking Tavares for a while? The guys a proper bulls hitter.

Yeah, and he was surprised we were able to get him. He was definitely in on that transfer.

Heisenberg

03-01-2023, 02:03 PM

Yeah, and he was surprised we were able to get him. He was definitely in on that transfer.

He’s been in on a whole load of them.

madhatter

03-01-2023, 02:07 PM

He’s been in on a whole load of them.

I think we can give him some leeway on this if he deserved leeway on going out the night before a derby.

If many apply the "he deserves a life" stuff to having a drink I'd also apply "he's just a normal bloke, saying what the bosses want to hear in his new job".

He needs to be honest now though. We've had too many managers covering up for the defects of the players and recruitment etc. It has to end.

Mutu

03-01-2023, 02:54 PM

This thread is peak pub slavering ***** about what they've heard re: Johnson, and I absolutely love it.

RossScott1991

03-01-2023, 03:27 PM

Jason Kerr and Shaun Rooney are the sort of defenders we should have looked at when at St J

Both 25 and 26 years old. A right back that would get in and attack crosses he’s only at fleetwood and one id look at. Kerr on other hand will be on good money at Wigan and one we’d need to really need them to get relegated and hope for a clearout by them off wage bill should he leave

Allant1981

03-01-2023, 03:34 PM

ericd7

03-01-2023, 03:36 PM

Scotty Leither

03-01-2023, 03:49 PM

To be fair right back with Cadden there is probably one of the few positions we actually look good in.

I thought Cadden looked better further forward and actually beat his man on occasion. I think Rooney would be a significant upgrade on Fish and McClelland, experienced player, knows the league and can handle the physical side of the game here.

All the above points probably rules him out for our recruitment team, though.

04Sauzee

03-01-2023, 03:57 PM