Massively out of left-field decisions rarely work out. The boards decision after his first season to stick with Johnnie Jackson was right up there with Man Utd thinking 80 million quid was a fair price for Anthony, or Rachel Reeves thinking chopping the winter fuel allowance was a winner of an idea. When the world, his brother and his pet dog Brian tells you it's a ridiculous notion (not to mention a fat northener who runs the Alex), usually you'd be wise to take heed. Sometimes though when it comes to bonkers ideas, (as the Communards once reminded us) it ain't necessarily so.
Whether it was a reluctance to admit I was wrong or something less sinister I'm not sure, but to tell the truth even the second seasons tenth place finish didn't impress me much (that's a Shania Twain reference, no more I promise). Sure it was an improvement I felt, but improving on a dog's arse of a season was always going to be very doable. Particularly once Craig Cope had wound down the window of his Range Rover on transfer deadline day and we'd moved on some of the deadwood (some of which Johnnie had brought to the club in truth), I thought we might have done a bit better than tenth. For much of the season it looked like we would, but anyways it WAS a huge step forward. At that point many of the "Jackson Outers" held their hands up and admitted the fella had proven them completely wrong, me amongst them.
Last season was a mile better. Not just the fact that we climbed to fifth, but I felt that if we'd kept key players fit (Miles Hippolite and Joe Lewis being the obvious examples), we could actually have won it. To tell the truth though I'd rather finish fifth & win at Wembley than I would win the league, maybe that's just me. Johnnie and this team though have me one of the best days of my life at Wembley, I'll never forget it.
I then had this rather funky theory that Johnnie actually might be a better manager in League One than he was in League Two. His ultra conservative no risk football would suit us well I told everyone, particularly as we'd be backs to the wall in every game, under the cosh from minute one. Obviously as I told everyone, some of the squad wouldn't be able to make the step up. I had doubts (sorry Les) about Matty Stevens, I felt big Ryan Johnson might be a cover option rather than a starter, wondered whether Jake Reeves could cope with the increased physical demands.
What has been the most absolutely remarkable thing to me so far isn't that I've been wrong about pretty much everything (I'm used to that) it's the fact that the one thing I was right about (Johnnie being a better League One manager) has actually been achieved in totally the opposite way to which I predicted. Given that, I can't even take credit for getting that one right. It's like taking credit for fluking the black into the opposite pocket you were aiming at, that's not my style.
The opposite of what I predicted has of course been our playing style. Gone are the perpetual "long diags" and for reasons beyond my comprehension given we're playing against better opposition, we've now decided that we're playing through the thirds. We are doing it superbly well too, with broadly the same players that we had before. Where it's come from God only knows, but it is an absolute joy to watch.
Our performance on Saturday was the best I've seen us play since Oxford at home under Robbo. It might in truth have been even better than that, I thought we were absolutely incredible. The fact that performance came after a brutal work out against what looks to me like the best team in the league four days earlier speaks volumes for the players and the management. The players are doing great, but Johnnie, Skivvers, DR & Bayzo are doing an incredible job, literally off the scale.
Which brings me to the downside of this blog post. QPR shipped SEVEN goals against Coventry on Saturday. Now Coventry are flying under Frank Lampard and maybe currently the best team in the Championship, but seven goals conceded? I am 1000% certain that if Queens Park Rangers football club was managed by Johnnie Jackson and his team, NOBODY would score seven against them. I don't care if they draw Arsenal away in the FA Cup, they ain't shipping seven goals in a month of Sundays.
West Ham shipped five against a very good Chelsea team. Once again though it's the MANNER of the defeat. No Johnnie Jackson team downs tools and rolls over like they did. It just doesn't happen, it'll never happen.
And therein lies our problem going forward. Bigger clubs than us in bigger leagues than us need proper football managers. Johnnie Jackson has become a proper football manager. I've a hunch that before too long we are going to be hoping that Craig Cope is as good at recruiting managers as he is footballers.
For now though we should just enjoy the ride. The results are great, the football is fantastic and the games are an absolute thrill fest. Man Utd were totally wrong about Anthony, Rachel Reeves was mad to mess about with the Winter fuel allowance, our board though made an inspired decision as it turned out. God only knows how they arrived at it, but arrive at it they did and they deserve a huge amount of credit too.
Sometimes out of left-field decisions DO work out. That's what happened here, and fair play to Johnnie and his management team for making it so 👏
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