'I have a point to prove': Lee Johnson insists he's ready to return to the dugout as the former Bristol and Sunderland boss reflects on his tumultuous recent spells and talks his work with the next generation of coaches

Lee Johnson is sat at his home on the outskirts of Bristol talking about an episode that pretty much sums up his life in football. When he was driving a removal van back down south after being sacked at Hibernian, he got the call to go and take over at Fleetwood Town.

The 42-year-old had barely had room to breathe since leaving his post in Edinburgh but, as he says, football can be a drug. He wanted to get straight back into management and so diverted his vehicle bound for Lancashire.

A meagre 111 days later, he was back to Bristol after being let go just 22 games into his tenure. After a couple of bruising jobs – at least from the outside looking in – Johnson is finally taking some downtime after a hectic decade. And he is at a crossroads.

‘I’m really hungry to get back, that's for sure,’ he tells Mail Sport. ‘And I have a point to prove. I really do believe in what I can do and the value I can add. But football is a bit like, “Who’s hot? Who’s not?”. I hope people look at the broader decade I’ve had rather than the last year.’

Doing this interview is not a come-and-get-me plea. Nor is it a session of catharsis after a tough 12 months. Johnson is not here to make excuses and admits he has made mistakes. But during an honest morning in his company, it is evident a progressive hire sits across the coffee table.

‘I was driving back down here from Edinburgh after getting sacked at Hibs but got the call to go to Fleetwood,’ he says. ‘I turned up for a chat and to meet everyone in a Hertz van… not the sexiest entrance!

‘I looked at their squad and thought, “If we can get him going… if we can get more from him…”. But I lasted 111 days. It was not the right match. A lovely club with good people, a small club – which was different – but a lot of good people.’

Two former Scotland internationals, Dunfermline-born Scott Brown and Dundee-born Charlie Adam, tried at the coastal club with limited success. Brown was sacked and Adam could not guide Fleetwood to safety, with them ultimately relegated to League Two.

Johnson was probably always destined to struggle at the club which, in terms of its playing squad, had a lot of square pegs in round holes. Before that, the son of veteran boss Gary was fighting an uphill battle against the Hibs fanbase.

It all started with a defeat in a Europa Conference League qualifier. Regardless of the fact the Edinburgh club thrashed Inter Club D'Escaldes in the second leg to qualify, fans had turned sour after that loss amid the altitude of the Andorran club.

He had gestured to the fans to ‘calm down’ after that away leg – many missed the context he said he was referring to, which was sticking up for a player after stereotypical abuse from the away end – and the relationship was never really repaired.

‘After you get sacked, you have a grieving period,’ he says. ‘There’s no doubt, you’re human. When you put everything into something, it’s hard. It’s instant and often unexpected. It’s tough. It hurts. You shed a few tears.

‘But you know it’s football, you don’t enter this world with blinkers on, you know exactly what’s going to go on. Like relationships – it’s nice to be courted as well when somebody wants you. And appreciate the work that you’ve done. Football is in my blood, I’ve been in it all my life.’

Johnson won his first gig in management aged just 31 in a baptism of fire at Oldham and, after doing well there, was bought by Barnsley. His career continued in an upward trajectory at Bristol City but four decent years ended in Covid.

Next up was Sunderland where Johnson won the EFL Trophy – the Black Cats’ first Wembley triumph in more than half a century – but he was let go there, too. ‘I wouldn’t change my experience at Sunderland for the world,’ he says.

‘My regret was that I didn’t get to see through what would have been a promotion-winning team, but I was delighted when Alex Neil did achieve that. I love Sunderland, the fans, their songs, training ground. Everyone in the building was Sunderland through and through.’

So, what is next for Johnson? From the outside, it is fair to say he has had a challenging year and has taken a few knocks but, delve deeper, and there is still a very good manager waiting for a job. He has had a number of approaches from decent clubs in both England and abroad.

But due to a number of reasons – both in terms of the team not being right or not wanting to relocate overseas as his 16-year-old daughter is taking school exams – the right project has not come up yet.

‘I am not the first sob story in football management,’ adds Johnson, laughing. ‘This has happened all across the leagues. John Eustace getting sacked from Birmingham was harsh. Often, the work you have done goes on to help the next person.

‘In football you have to make every decision like you’ll be at the club for ever but also know you could be gone tomorrow. I want to get back to my fundamentals, which is an innovative coach with a front-footed style of play.

‘I have sometimes got involved with all parts of the club when I can stay in my lane with real value and dynamism. Sometimes you can have 200 applicants for these jobs, you’re in a big pile.’

In his time out of the game – the longest period away he has had since he first kicked a ball in the early 2000s – Johnson has worked hard to give back to the next generation. He put on a coaching clinic with his dad which he described as ‘funny’ with a hint of understatement.

He has enjoyed family time and seeing his 16-year-old daughter through GCSES. At the same time, Johnson posted on LinkedIn offering to help a handful of young coaches with mentoring and was astounded by the replies.

He explains: ‘I got myself in a bit of a tizz as I had over 1,000 people applying in my inbox! I couldn’t let anyone down so I changed tact. The three or four I chose, I went for dinner with them. Then I put two webinars on for the masses. There was a bit of a market in that.

‘I was quite open. What I haven’t been doing this time is chasing the next job. I applied for one – that’s it, I didn’t get it, obviously! There are a lot of opportunities and angles I can take now but there’s many avenues other than management.

‘I have done some advisory work for a family looking to buy a club, just a bit of squad analysis. I have been offered director of football roles in the past and that’s something I’d really enjoy, the strategic side of the game.

‘But there’s no doubt coaching is my passion – it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. The lads, the grass, the wins, the camaraderie… it’s a drug, you can’t describe it. People say, “Why do you do it?!”. But when you win and build something special, that is amazing, you crave it.’