BATTLE ROYALE
All set for an edge-of-the-seat season Robins manager Johnson predicts race for the Premier League will be closest yet
who started really badly last year but were excellent for the rest of the season.
“Then you’ve got your old stalwarts like your Villas and your Derbys, who have those traditional qualities due to the wages that they pay and the resources that they’ve got.
“And then you have the likes of us and Sheffield United, who competed very well last season.
“That’s without talking the three teams that came down from the Premier League.
“I think it will be very, very close.”
The landing of Stoke, Darren Moore’s West Bromwich Albion and Swansea will have been cushioned by the extraordinary sums earned by all three in their relegation season. All three will trouser a parachute payment of £40m to help them adapt to life in the second tier, even after making almost £100m each in the top flight last season. With that kind of cash, it’s little wonder that clubs like Bristol City face an uphill task to compete financially. “It really does distort the landscape,” said Johnson. “It’s so hard to articulate that to supporters.
“We have a benefactor, a majority shareholder in Steve Lansdown and the Lansdown family, who do absolutely great – not just for football but for sport all around the place.
“They shouldn’t be asked to keep forking out the amounts that they have over the years, but it’s more and more difficult to compete and to hold on to players.
“You’re rich pickings – you’re always at the mercy of parachute payment clubs or Premier League clubs.”
Derby are one of those clubs eyeing promotion.
And Johnson believes new boss Frank Lampard will cope just fine in his first season in management.
“Frank has dealt with pressure throughout his career,” he said.
“I don’t think he’ll feel the pressure, I think he’ll just feel the pressure of wanting to do well in his first job.”
One thing’s for sure – it won’t be dull.