Lee Johnson delivers Sunderland and Bristol City promotion hope verdict amid 'crazy' fan claim

Former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has delivered his verdict on the Black Cats’ promotion hopes, as well as those of another one of his old club’s Bristol City.

Regis Le Bris takes his side to Ashton Gate on Good Friday knowing that a place in next month’s Championship play-offs is already assured. For their part, the Robins are also hoping earn a shot at making it to Wembley, and are currently fifth in the table, 12 points adrift of this weekend’s visitors.

But Johnson has warned that despite their lower league standing, City’s support could make them a fearsome opponent for just about anybody in the second tier over the coming weeks.

What has Lee Johnson said about Sunderland and Bristol City’s play-off hopes?

Johnson has spent time with both Sunderland and Bristol City, having managed the Black Cats between December 2020 and January 2022, and previously leading the Robins for a four-year period between 2016 and 2020. The 43-year-old also spent time on the books at City during his own playing career.

Speaking on talkSPORT's Hawksbee and Baker show, he said: "They're both great clubs, very close to my heart for different reasons. I think Bristol City is a really interesting one in terms of the fans. The fans will be crazy up for this and could potentially see them through, obviously having played there as well.

"Sunderland has got that slightly higher level of expectation if you like within the fanbase, but they're up there and it's great to see previous clubs doing well. A lot of players within that have obviously come through the academy as well doing well so again, you look on those moments with great pride and it's great to see."

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What did Lee Johnson have to say about his role with Lommel SK?

At the time of writing, Johnson is currently working as interim head coach of Belgian outfit Lommel SK, having arrived at the club in early March. Reflecting on his time in mainland Europe, as well as the prospect of him extending his stay beyond his caretaker brief, he said: "I think everything's open. At the moment, like you said the contract is just an interim one until the end of May and then we'll go from there. Really, the focus has literally been full focus on the job.

"You're trying to implement a lot of things in a short period of time so the cognitive load for the players and obviously me learning about the individuals, about the team has taken full focus. As things start to settle down over the next couple of weeks I'm sure we'll have those chats and work out what's the best thing to do."

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