Johnson’s Bristol City turnaround has shown his managerial brilliance

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One year ago, Bristol City were sitting 20th in the Championship in severe danger of facing the drop, but now their fortunes are quite different.

Lee Johnson’s Bristol City turnaround has been quite the piece of managerial brilliance when you compare the current situation that the team is in compared to exactly one year ago.

This season, the Robins have enjoyed a terrific run in the EFL Cup, losing to Manchester City in a hotly contested semi-final while knocking out four Premier League opponents along the way in the form of Watford, Stoke City, Crystal Palace and holders Manchester United.

Going into this weekend’s set of fixtures, Johnson’s men are sitting nicely in sixth place, vying for a chance to make the play-offs in their bid to win promotion to the Premier League.

Compare this to the club 12 months ago and they are almost unrecognisable.

The previous campaign saw Bristol City finish in 17th place in the Championship, their efforts glossed over by a terrific run in which saw them win six of their last 10 fixtures.

For a long period, however, Johnson’s Robins sat between 18th and 22nd place and looked in grave danger of slipping down into England’s third tier.

At 36, Johnson is one of the youngest managers in the Football League, but with over 260 games experience managing in League One and the Championship, the former Yeovil Town star, the Bristol City boss is no novice.

Midfielder Bobby Reid has stepped up tremendously, adding goals to his game out of nowhere with a tally of 14 so far this season, while Aden Flint and Joe Bryan have put in many admirable performances at the back.

Robins midfielder Josh Brownhill, who played under Johnson previously at Barnsley, spoke of his admiration for his manager in an interview with Sky Sports, explaining how much the young City boss has improved him as a player during his time at Ashton Gate and Oakwell.

“He improved me massively in the short time we were both there,” Brownhill said, “That was the main reason why I came to Bristol City because of how he’d developed me, and I think he’s improved a lot as a manager in the time he’s been here.

“He’s changed a lot since the Barnsley days and he’s still young and hungry to improve, as everyone is, but you can tell with the detail he goes into in every game. Last year there were some ups and downs but he had the backing of the players and staff, and up high. He’s proved why, because he’s a great manager.”

Should Bristol City manage to achieve promotion this season, it would surely cement Johnson’s status as one of Britain’s brightest young managerial prospects.

His efforts against the two Manchester giants will have no doubt captured the attention of the rest of the nation. All Johnson can do now, however, is focus on his side’s tricky upcoming game against Leeds United away at Elland Road this Sunday.