Lee Johnson (footballer)

Lee Johnson (footballer)

Lee David Johnson is an English professional football manager and former player. He is currently head coach of League One club Sunderland. Johnson played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Yeovil Town, Heart of Midlothian, Bristol City, Derby County, Chesterfield and Kilmarnock. He made his managerial debut with Oldham Athletic in 2013, took charge of Barnsley between 2015 and 2016, and spent four years as head coach at Bristol City.

About Lee Johnson (footballer) in brief

Summary Lee Johnson (footballer)Lee David Johnson is an English professional football manager and former player. He is currently head coach of League One club Sunderland. Johnson played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Yeovil Town, Heart of Midlothian, Bristol City, Derby County, Chesterfield and Kilmarnock. He made his managerial debut with Oldham Athletic in 2013, took charge of Barnsley between 2015 and 2016, and spent four years as head coach at Bristol City. Johnson was eligible to play for the Gibraltar national football team, due to the birthplace of his grandmother. He was sacked by Sunderland in July 2020, and will be replaced by Gus Poyet at the end of the season. Johnson is the only child of Karen and football coach Gary Johnson. He began his career as a youth player with Arsenal, but left the club aged 17 after a feud with a coach. He then went on to join Watford, whose youth system was run by his father; he did not make a senior appearance for the club prior to his departure in 2000. In 2000, Johnson signed for Brighton and played in the Football League Trophy against Cardiff City. In 2001, he signed for Conference side Yeovill Town, where he won the player of the year award three times consecutively.

In 2003, he joined Hearts, but was sacked six months after signing. In 2006, Johnson joined Bristol City and was part of the side that won promotion to the Championship. In 2007, he was a key figure in their run to the play-off final, which his side lost 1–0 to Hull City, narrowly missing out on promotion. On 1 January 2010, Johnson join fellow Championship side Derby County on an initial month-long loan. He played his first game for Derby the following day, in an FA Cup fixture at Millwall, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Johnson returned to Bristol after this spell came to an end. He left Derby in January 2013, after his contract was mutually terminated. On 18 March 2013, Johnson was appointed manager of Football League One side Oldham. At the age of 31, his appointment made him the youngest manager in the league. In September 2014, the Gibraltar Football Association contacted him regarding interest in playing for the national team in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. Despite considering the offer, he declined, stating, ‘I don’t really want to be running the world champions on a Saturday. I’ve got a game on Saturday’