5th April 2021
Interview conducted by Adam Holt
I have recently caught up with ex-Leeds United, Hull City, Sunderland and Darlington player Simon Johnson for a chat about his career - from his biggest achievements to his biggest challenges. We also covered the somewhat hot topic of VAR amongst other topics, enjoy the Q&A!
Clubs: Leeds United (2000 - 2005), Hull City (loan, 2002), Blackpool (loan, 2003 - 2004), Sunderland (loan, 2004), Doncaster Rovers (loan, 2004 - 2005), Barnsley (loan, 2005), Darlington (2005 - 2007), Hereford United (2007 - 2009), Bury FC (2009), Halesowen Town (2009 - 2010), Solihull Moors (2010), Guiseley (2010), Hibernians (2010 - 2012), Hinckley United (2012 - 2013) & Hinckley (2014).
Check out the Q&A below!
Who did you support growing up, and did you have a footballing idol? If so, why?
"I always supported West Brom growing up. I had a flirt with Newcastle United in the (Alan) Shearer, (Faustino) Asprilla, (Les) Ferdinand and (David) Ginola days but the Baggies was where my heart was. Obviously, that’s changed a little bit now with Leeds playing such a pivotal role in my football career."
"The main 2 players I followed were R9 (Ronaldo Nazario) and Gazza (Paul Gascoigne). It was originally Gazza in the younger days when I played centre mid but as I moved up the pitch there’s literally no one better to watch than R9. He done things that defies physics. Outrageous talent."
What would you say is the highlight of your playing career?
"The highlight of my career would have to be beating Arsenal at Highbury 2-3. Leeds were in a relegation battle at the time and I think we needed one win out of the last two games to guarantee premier league status. Everyone outside of Leeds thought we would get steam rolled but we scored 3 incredible goals and battled like it was going out of fashion. I came on as sub in the game but managed to stick one on Dennis Bergkamp."
Who has been your favourite manager to play for throughout your career so far and why?
"I have two favourite managers. Mick McCarthy who I had for a short time at Sunderland and David Hodgson who took me to Darlington. Both for the same reason, their man-to-man management was better than all of the rest. People skills are so important in those kinds of roles and not a lot had that in my playing days."
Just how good was the feeling when you signed your first professional deal with Leeds United?
"Signing my first pro deal was obviously a dream come true. I tell my players at the academy that I could count on one hand how many days I never had a ball at my feet from the age of 6 unless I was poorly. For all that hard work and how much I dedicated my life to football, it was just a surreal moment but one I’ll treasure for the rest of my life."
You had several loan spells whilst at Leeds, such as Hull City and Sunderland. Which loan spell was your favourite?
"My loan moves weren’t something I really agreed with. I see the benefits for some players but in a lot of cases they can be counterproductive. So, without a shadow of a doubt my favour was Sunderland. Their stadium is immense, and it was a real honour to put that jersey on and walk out at the Stadium of Light."
Just how great was the feeling of not only beating Arsenal so late on in the game, but also securing Leeds’s Premier League survival?
"Beating Arsenal with the team they had is just an unforgettable day. It’s not every day you can boast you have beaten a team that consisted of (Thierry) Henry, (Robert) Pires, (Dennis) Bergkamp, (Martin) Keown, (Ashley) Cole, (Ray) Parlour and so on. They were a phenomenal team so to beat them in their own back yard which lost them the league title was quite a big deal. The game still gets shown a lot on sky and I always receive messages when it is on. I must admit, when we went over to the away stand at the end of the game seeing the fans, so ecstatic brought a tear to my eye. It was like one big dream, but I had worked so hard for moments like that."
What were your feelings upon leaving Leeds for Darlington in 2005?
"Moving straight to Darlington from Leeds didn’t put me in the best of mindsets. That’s no disrespect to Darlington, I just felt I was above that level at the time. I found it really difficult to motivate myself. It was on the back of finishing top scorer in the reserve league two seasons on the bounce so I kind of expected something else to be out there for me. I had seen lots of players I’d been competing against in the reserves moving to league one and championship clubs and I’d find it hard to believe that these guys performed better than me over my last two seasons at Leeds. That may sound really bitter but it’s just the reality of what happened."
What would you say was the biggest challenge of your football career?
"The biggest challenge of my career is without doubt having to deal with being released from Leeds. In fact, I never really recovered from that. David O’Leary, Terry Venables, Eddie Gray, Peter Reid all thought I was good enough to be in and around the first team when Leeds were in the Premier League. That was from the age of 16. The least qualified manager, Kevin Blackwell decided I wasn’t in a lower decision. That was a bitter pill to swallow and like I said, I never ever recovered from that unfortunately."
Finally, what are your thoughts on the implementation of VAR in the Premier League?
"I still believe VAR could be useful in our sport. However, I cannot get my head around all the lines they use for offsides. I much preferred the rule, benefit of the doubt to the attacking players. It’s bound to get people’s backs up with it being new, but I think it’s here for the long term, so we all have no option but to get used to it."
I really hope you enjoyed this Q&A, there will be more coming soon!
Clubs: Leeds United (2000 - 2005), Hull City (loan, 2002), Blackpool (loan, 2003 - 2004), Sunderland (loan, 2004), Doncaster Rovers (loan, 2004 - 2005), Barnsley (loan, 2005), Darlington (2005 - 2007), Hereford United (2007 - 2009), Bury FC (2009), Halesowen Town (2009 - 2010), Solihull Moors (2010), Guiseley (2010), Hibernians (2010 - 2012), Hinckley United (2012 - 2013) & Hinckley (2014).
Check out the Q&A below!
Who did you support growing up, and did you have a footballing idol? If so, why?
"I always supported West Brom growing up. I had a flirt with Newcastle United in the (Alan) Shearer, (Faustino) Asprilla, (Les) Ferdinand and (David) Ginola days but the Baggies was where my heart was. Obviously, that’s changed a little bit now with Leeds playing such a pivotal role in my football career."
"The main 2 players I followed were R9 (Ronaldo Nazario) and Gazza (Paul Gascoigne). It was originally Gazza in the younger days when I played centre mid but as I moved up the pitch there’s literally no one better to watch than R9. He done things that defies physics. Outrageous talent."
What would you say is the highlight of your playing career?
"The highlight of my career would have to be beating Arsenal at Highbury 2-3. Leeds were in a relegation battle at the time and I think we needed one win out of the last two games to guarantee premier league status. Everyone outside of Leeds thought we would get steam rolled but we scored 3 incredible goals and battled like it was going out of fashion. I came on as sub in the game but managed to stick one on Dennis Bergkamp."
Who has been your favourite manager to play for throughout your career so far and why?
"I have two favourite managers. Mick McCarthy who I had for a short time at Sunderland and David Hodgson who took me to Darlington. Both for the same reason, their man-to-man management was better than all of the rest. People skills are so important in those kinds of roles and not a lot had that in my playing days."
Just how good was the feeling when you signed your first professional deal with Leeds United?
"Signing my first pro deal was obviously a dream come true. I tell my players at the academy that I could count on one hand how many days I never had a ball at my feet from the age of 6 unless I was poorly. For all that hard work and how much I dedicated my life to football, it was just a surreal moment but one I’ll treasure for the rest of my life."
You had several loan spells whilst at Leeds, such as Hull City and Sunderland. Which loan spell was your favourite?
"My loan moves weren’t something I really agreed with. I see the benefits for some players but in a lot of cases they can be counterproductive. So, without a shadow of a doubt my favour was Sunderland. Their stadium is immense, and it was a real honour to put that jersey on and walk out at the Stadium of Light."
Just how great was the feeling of not only beating Arsenal so late on in the game, but also securing Leeds’s Premier League survival?
"Beating Arsenal with the team they had is just an unforgettable day. It’s not every day you can boast you have beaten a team that consisted of (Thierry) Henry, (Robert) Pires, (Dennis) Bergkamp, (Martin) Keown, (Ashley) Cole, (Ray) Parlour and so on. They were a phenomenal team so to beat them in their own back yard which lost them the league title was quite a big deal. The game still gets shown a lot on sky and I always receive messages when it is on. I must admit, when we went over to the away stand at the end of the game seeing the fans, so ecstatic brought a tear to my eye. It was like one big dream, but I had worked so hard for moments like that."
What were your feelings upon leaving Leeds for Darlington in 2005?
"Moving straight to Darlington from Leeds didn’t put me in the best of mindsets. That’s no disrespect to Darlington, I just felt I was above that level at the time. I found it really difficult to motivate myself. It was on the back of finishing top scorer in the reserve league two seasons on the bounce so I kind of expected something else to be out there for me. I had seen lots of players I’d been competing against in the reserves moving to league one and championship clubs and I’d find it hard to believe that these guys performed better than me over my last two seasons at Leeds. That may sound really bitter but it’s just the reality of what happened."
What would you say was the biggest challenge of your football career?
"The biggest challenge of my career is without doubt having to deal with being released from Leeds. In fact, I never really recovered from that. David O’Leary, Terry Venables, Eddie Gray, Peter Reid all thought I was good enough to be in and around the first team when Leeds were in the Premier League. That was from the age of 16. The least qualified manager, Kevin Blackwell decided I wasn’t in a lower decision. That was a bitter pill to swallow and like I said, I never ever recovered from that unfortunately."
Finally, what are your thoughts on the implementation of VAR in the Premier League?
"I still believe VAR could be useful in our sport. However, I cannot get my head around all the lines they use for offsides. I much preferred the rule, benefit of the doubt to the attacking players. It’s bound to get people’s backs up with it being new, but I think it’s here for the long term, so we all have no option but to get used to it."
I really hope you enjoyed this Q&A, there will be more coming soon!