Lee Johnson sends Sunderland promotion message on talkSPORT
Sunderland are about to reach crunch point in their Championship campaign with the play-offs on the horizon.
The Black Cats have four games remaining in the regular season, with Sunderland having already amassed 76 points in the Championship and a spot in the season-ending play-offs.
Since managing Sunderland, Lee Johnson has gone on to enjoy spells at Hibernian, Fleetwood Town, and his current club, Belgian outfit Lommel SK.
‘Higher level of expectation’ with Sunderland
Speaking on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee and Baker show, Johnson was complimentary to Sunderland’s promotion push and the performance of the team.
The former Black Cats boss has now assessed Sunderland’s chances of success in their quest to reach the Premier League.
“Sunderland has got that slightly higher level of expectation… within the fanbase, but they’re up there and it’s great to see [my] previous clubs doing well,” Johnson said.
“A lot of players within (the team) have obviously come through the academy as well, (and are) doing well. So again, you look on those moments with great pride and it’s great to see.”
With a play-off place in their hands, it is still unknown who the Black Cats will face off against when the semi-finals get underway.
One candidate for Sunderland is fifth-placed Bristol City, who are 12 points behind Sunderland and are in a fight for the final two play-off places with Frank Lampard’s Coventry, West Brom, Middlesbrough, and high-flying Millwall.
Sunderland travel to Ashton Gate on March 17 to face Bristol City in what could be a huge game, with the Opta supercomputer predicting a controversial outcome for Sunderland.
Johnson managed the Robins from 2016 to 2020 and has also played for the club, stating on his former side: “Bristol City are really interesting… in terms of the fans. The fans will be crazy up for (the playoffs) and (I) could potentially see them through, obviously having played there as well.”
The manager also referred to both Sunderland and Bristol as “great clubs”, elaborating that the two sides were “very close to [his] heart for different reasons”.
What is Johnson doing at Lommel SK in Belgium?
It is rare to see English managers abroad, but especially so when the location in question is the second division in Belgium.
Johnson is currently interim head coach at struggling side Lommel SK, and has already steered the club away from a relegation battle with three wins in his first five matches since taking over in March.
| Stat | Amount |
| Wins | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Goals scored per game | 0.8 |
| Goals conceded per game | 0.4 |
Part of the reason Johnson joined Lommel is their ownership from the City Football Group (CFG), who Johnson has helped out since the start of the season, nurturing academy prospects and young talent before getting a management role within the CFG.
Speaking on his time in Belgium, Johnson stated that it was a “beautiful part of the world”, but becoming a manager on such short notice is “a cognitive load… for me, learning about [all] the [players]”.
While Johnson is finishing up his final few weeks as Lommel’s interim manager, the Black Cats will be battling through the playoffs in order to obtain promotion to the Premier League, with the likes of Enzo Le Fee sure to be crucial to Sunderland’s hopes.