Maddison, Johnson and how to win over fans, old or new.
Maddison, Johnson and how to win over fans, old or new.
Players’ relationships with fans, whether tense or tender, have come closely into focus again with the experiences of Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison and Brennan Johnson this week. Maddison is on a good run, making peace with former critics. Johnson remains in a stand-off with his own fans. Their stories are different but come back to one thing: ignore the noise and focus on performing.
Maddison seems on a tour of his old clubs. He started the season at Leicester City: “Amazing feeling being back,” he posted afterwards. “Thankyou for the reception from those who clapped my name…Leicester is and always will be special to me.” Last night Maddison was at Coventry City: “Home is where the heart is. I’m so proud and privileged to be a Coventry City academy graduate. Was a super special feeling to play in this city again with all my friends and family there (most wanting me to lose!).”
Just as he had with Leicester, Maddison wished Coventry “good luck for the rest of the season and beyond”, adding. He donned a Coventry shirt and walked around the CBS arena pitch at full-time of Spurs’ fortuitous 2-1 Carabao Cup win, and was warmly applauded. His subsequent “forever grateful” post on X was heartfelt and generated further outpouring of love and respect for him from Coventry fans.
He’s taken plenty of stick from Coventry fans for leaving them in 2016. Some Coventry fans resented the loss of “one of their own”, his slightly flash lifestyle (car etc), but Maddison acknowledges he has matured, the process helped by fatherhood. He appreciates now the importance of Coventry as a city, a club and academy. It’s a timely reminder of the importance of EFL clubs in nurturing talent for the elite. The pyramid matters.
As Maddison enjoyed his rapprochement with Coventry fans, Johnson blanked those in the away section of the CBS Arena. The winger’s been targeted for criticism since moving for £47.5m from Nottingham Forest last year. Johnson’s not delivered consistently, runs the argument of some. He has six goals in 39 appearances (all comps) after 29 in 108 at Forest.