Former Sunderland boss delivers verdict on start to season and reveals interesting Man City summer job
Lee Johnson has delivered his verdict on Sunderland’s stellar start to the campaign
Former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson says he is delighted to see his former club starting the Championship campaign in such stellar form, though has warned that it will be harder to maintain their performances over the winter months.
Johnson appeared on the BBC's 72+ podcast to discuss last weekend's Championship fixtures and delivered his verdict on what has been a very impressive start for head coach Régis Le Bris and his team. He said it was 'inevitable' that the club would eventually get to the Premier League.
"I'm delighted to see them doing well," Johnson said.
"I do feel a part of that journey - obviously I'm not staking a claim to them being at the top of the Championship but it's a great club. Wants to be in the Premier League, should be in the Premier League, needs to be in the Premier League. It will get there, naturally the size of the place will end up shifting it towards there. It's a young squad that has had a fantastic squad, which you often see with young squads. I think the challenge will be in the winter months to be able to sustain that performance level but they look they've got agility and an identity, a real playing style which is good. A lot of those lads have been together since the League One days, which is good. The thing about Sunderland is that when you get momentum it's really, really powerful. If you get a negative shift of momentum, that can be difficult to get over because it's such a passionate place. While it's all going well, it's a really powerful beast."
Johnson confirmed his desire to return to management this season, but said he was prepared to be patient and wait for the right opening after his brief spell at Fleetwood last season.
He also revealed that he had been working with the City Group over the summer months, coaching a group of players who would go out on loan for the current campaign. That included former Sunderland loanee Callum Doyle, who would eventually go on to join Norwich City.
"It was a brilliant gig, I really enjoyed it," he said.
"It was players like [Liam] Delap but not just Manchester City players, it was player from right across the [City] group. You had Koki Saito for example, who has gone on loan to QPR. It was an eclectic mix of high-quality talent, and coaching on the pitch next to Pep which is always good. I enjoyed it but it was only ever a short-term gig. It's not an easy position for them as they don't know what their future is. I worked with Callum Doyle, for example, who was there for a couple of weeks before he went to have a look around Norwich. He comes back for a week, has a look at a couple of other clubs, then he ended going on the first-team tour. Your job is to try and keep things consistent, keep them from getting injured while preparing them for the rigours of pre-season and the season. And keep their mental state positive, enthusiastic for the season ahead,"