It's Saturday and as always this old geezer is as excited as he was when his dad first took him to Oakwell aged 5. RIP young Roy. 55 years ago. I feel really positive and upbeat about our innovative open and honest young manager and his skilful hungry and talented group of players. I am totally behind what Patrick Cryne and Ben Mansford are trying to do with the club. I am impressed by the fresh thinking marketing initiatives the club are attempting and I am delighted that the majority of our fans are showing the patience required in supporting this new team. There is no "catch" to this thread and whilst it is clear that the sentiment herein will be slammed and slated by the anti happy clapper army it doesn't really matter. It doesn't really matter at all because the apparent apathy which seems to exist amongst a number of people on here is countered by the faith that I (and thousand of others) have in the desire to see the club realise its potential WITH Lee Johnson at the helm. If we lose today and lose having played really badly I will still feel as excited about going to Donny next week. Since I've been supporting the club I've never seen a more open communication line twixt club and fans. The management team are making real efforts to drag us into the 21st century and I certainly feel that the club is proving that it is integral to our community. In my opinion I see a connection that will get stronger if we adopt the right attitude as fans. I certainly see a group of players who are keen and very hungry to achieve. I see hard working young lads on that pitch who want to do their best for the fans. I see a group of footballers who actually care. It won't all happen in ultra quick time. We will lose games. It's how we as fans deal with those defeats. Dealing with loss in adversity and bouncing back postively is key. As we hopefully march forward together (forgive the dirty Leeds reference) we really do need to be unified. McClaren has recently said that NUFC are unified from the board to the bootroom. Knock him and them if you want but that's the attitude. We should extend that to the terraces. From the board room to the boot room to the terraces. I'm a dreamer. I'm an optimist. That will never change and it certainly gives me a tingle when I take my seat on Saturday afternoon. Lee........if you are reading this.....continue doing what you believe in. Stay positive and innovative. Continue trying to find the formula and continue with the purposeful passing game you are trying to instil into the players. Learn from your mistakes and don't get drawn by any stinging criticism. Rise above it. I believe. Lordy Lordy I believe. Praise be I believe. I believe in the red. Like a red Phoenix rising from the ashes. I believe. Jesus I believe. Red tide rising. Cmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahn. COME ON U REDS!
I like your positivity and that is what match days should be all about. Perhaps I' m not as optimistic as you, but I'm desperate for our young manager to succeed as I've been with all our managers. Here's hoping for a great victory and performance. you Reds
Lovely. That's filled my face with a big grin and filled my head with even more positivity. Win. Lose or draw.
The part of your post that has rung a bell for me is the part about communicating with the fans. I have read much this week, but I have said nothing. It is fair to say that most of the stuff I have read has been very negative towards the manager. Posters do not like the formation, they do not like tippy-tappy football and they want to be entertained. They do not know in detail how this can be achieved, after all, they are football fans and not football professionals, but they think that it is all the fault of the current manager. It isn't by the way. But, if they pay their money, they have a right to have their say. The problem that I have, though, is that LJ is going out of his way to try to explain things to the fans. He is undoubtedly a better communicator than any of our previous managers, and if you read/listen to what he has to say, and you attempt to understand it, his message is one that I have a lot of sympathy for. The problem is that many posters are combing through LJ's messages looking for something to use in order to hold him up to ridicule, something to take out of context and undermine him. If it was me, with my notoriously thin skin, I would have shut up shop by now and would have cut down on explanations. Not LJ, he keeps trying to educate and inform, even though he probably knows by now that it is going to be used against him. I like him. He is intelligent. I hope that my patience and belief in him will eventually be rewarded. But even it takes longer to get the club back facing in the right direction than I had hoped, sacking yet another manager can only be a wrong, yet another mistake by a board who should by now know better.
I agree with you. However I'm undecided as to whether I think he should zip it. My gut tells me that he should but his belief and passion will be telling him that he's on a journey. It will also be telling him that communication is good; that openness can bring him closer to the fans and that honesty is a good thing. It will also be telling him that he should be taking the fans with him and therefore, he should try and explain what he's doing. He's not one to hide. I think he's a tad naive and he hasn't really understood the strong cynicism which pervades. I don't think he's stubborn and he truly seems to have the clubs interests at heart. In the real world logic dictates that to educate you need to inform. Unfortunately 21st century football is not the real world. It's a world without logic.
Ps I hope he has thicker skin than your "notoriously thin skin" otherwise he will suffer as a consequence of his desire for open comms
