Bradley Johnson

Bradley Paul Johnson (born 28 April 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Championship club Blackburn Rovers.

Bradley Johnson

Johnson playing for Norwich City in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Bradley Paul Johnson[1]
Date of birth	(1987-04-28) 28 April 1987[2]
Place of birth	Hackney, London, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Playing position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Blackburn Rovers
Number	4
Youth career
1997–2002	Arsenal
2003–2004	Cambridge United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2004	Waltham Forest	6	(0)
2004–2005	Cambridge United	1	(0)
2005–2008	Northampton Town	53	(8)
2005–2006	→ Gravesend & Northfleet (loan)	24	(5)
2006	→ Stevenage Borough (loan)	4	(0)
2008–2011	Leeds United	119	(16)
2008–2009	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	10	(5)
2011–2015	Norwich City	142	(22)
2015–2019	Derby County	141	(14)
2019–	Blackburn Rovers	34	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:27, 28 July 2020 (UTC)

Early life

Born in Hackney, Greater London,[2] Johnson was a keen motorcyclist as a child.[3] Johnson's grandfather was originally from the United States.[4] He started his career at his boyhood team Arsenal but was released by the club when he was 15 years old.[5][6]

Club career

Early career

After leaving Arsenal, he made six appearances for Waltham Forest F.C., in the Ryman Division 1 North. He then joined the youth ranks at Cambridge United and after breaking into the first team he then moved to league club Northampton Town, where he signed on 16 May 2005. During his time at the club he was sent out on loan twice, playing for Gravesend & Northfleet and Stevenage Borough. Following the appointment of Stuart Gray as Northampton manager, Johnson featured in practically every single starting eleven that he named and he signed a new two-year contract extension.

Johnson began to attract attention from a host of Championship sides, including Coventry City, Colchester United and Queens Park Rangers, but was in talks to sign for Leicester City, after discussing terms at the Walkers Stadium on 2 January 2008.[7] However, the player returned to the Sixfields Stadium, having failed to reach an agreement with the club.

Leeds United

Johnson playing for Leeds United in 2011

Two days later, Leeds United confirmed reports that they had been given permission from Northampton to speak to Johnson, regarding a contract.[8] He went on to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal for £250,000 after undergoing a medical at the club's Thorp Arch training ground on 8 January 2008.[9][10]

Johnson made his first appearance for Leeds on 14 January 2008 in their league fixture against Crewe Alexandra at the Alexandra Stadium.[11] He scored his first goal for the club at Elland Road in a fixture against Bournemouth on 8 March.[12] Johnson played for Leeds in the League 1 playoff final against Doncaster Rovers at Wembley, but was on the losing side as Leeds lost 1–0.

After struggling to get a first team place under manager Gary McAllister due to the emergence of Fabian Delph, Johnson joined League One rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until 3 January 2009.[13] Johnson scored twice on his debut during the 3–2 victory over Leicester City.[14] Johnson scored four goals in 10 matches on loan at Brighton before returning to his parent club Leeds United, now with a new manager, Simon Grayson. Johnson found himself back in the first team picture as Leeds reached the playoff semi-finals against Millwall.[15]

In November 2010, Johnson turned down the offer of a new three-year deal at Leeds United.[16] Manager Simon Grayson initially confirmed Johnson had rejected a new contract but said that contract negotiations with Johnson would still be ongoing despite his refusal of the first contract offer.[17] On 18 November, Johnson was transfer listed by Leeds after rejecting a final contract offer.[18] Johnson was linked with Premiership clubs Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City.[19]

On 13 January 2011, despite Johnson being on the transfer list, manager Simon Grayson said that he would not be able to sell Johnson unless a replacement had been brought in beforehand.[20] On 18 January, Johnson scored his sixth goal of the season in an FA Cup Third Round Replay against Arsenal at Elland Road,[21] a goal which later won Leeds' goal of the season award.[22]

Norwich City

Despite ongoing negotiations with Leeds, Johnson was unable to agree a new contract and on 1 July 2011 signed a three-year deal with Norwich City.[23] He was handed squad number 4, which was vacated by Matthew Gill when he was released by the club.[24] Johnson made his Norwich debut in the club's first home match of the Premier League season.[25] Johnson scored his first Norwich goal against Bolton Wanderers on 17 September 2011 at the Reebok Stadium with a "classy header".[26]

Johnson's second season with Norwich was successful as he managed to play regularly for the club. Johnson caught the headlines against Everton for his repeated tangles with midfielder Marouane Fellaini, most notably for cutting Fellaini's leg open with a kick.[27] Norwich finished the season in 11th place, and Johnson's performances in guaranteeing both survival and a mid-table finish led to him being picked 3rd for the Player of the Season, voted by the fans.

During the 2013–14 season, Johnson had a widely praised performance against Tottenham on 23 February, where he was awarded Barclays Man of the Match.[28] He assisted the only goal of the match with a cutting ball to Robert Snodgrass, and almost scored when his free-kick thundered against the crossbar and onto the line.

He scored his first goal of the 2014–15 Championship season on 16 August against Watford at home. It was to be one of his most successful seasons with the club: He was made vice-captain behind Russell Martin and appeared in 44 of the 46 league matches (including one appearance as a substitute). He scored fifteen goals, making him the second highest scorer behind Cameron Jerome, and was voted the fans' Player of the Year. His last two goals for Norwich came in the final match of the regular Championship season as Norwich beat Fulham 4–2 to set-up a play-off semi-final with local rivals Ipswich Town. Johnson also played in the team which beat Middlesbrough 2–0 to win the play-off final and earn promotion to the Premier League.

With Norwich now in the Premier League, Johnson played in the opening match of the 2015–16 season, a 3–1 defeat to Crystal Palace, but failed to start the next three league matches. However, he did captain the side to a 2–1 win over Rotherham United in the Capital One Cup. His last match for the club was an appearance as a 70th-minute substitute in a 3–0 defeat to Southampton on 30 August.

Derby County

Johnson signed for Derby County for a club record £6 million on transfer deadline day on 1 September 2015. On 26 September 2015, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over Milton Keynes Dons.[29] On 26 November 2016, Johnson scored against his former club Norwich City – Derby won the match 1–0.

Blackburn Rovers

Johnson signed for Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer on 5 July 2019 after being released by Derby County.[30]

International career

Johnson was linked with a call-up to the United States men's national soccer team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup but this never materialised.[31]

Personal life

Johnson has American heritage. He has two younger brothers who, as of 2015, are footballers registered with the Norwich City academy.[3]

Career statistics

As of 22 July 2020.[32]

Season	Club	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		FL Trophy		Play-offs		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
2004–05	Cambridge United	League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	–	1	0
Cambridge United Total			1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2005–06	Northampton Town	League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	–	–	4	0
2006–07		League One	27	5	0	0	1	0	0	0	–	–	28	5
2007–08		League One	23	3	3	1	2	1	1	0	–	–	29	5
Northampton Town Total			53	8	3	1	3	1	2	0	0	0	61	10
2005–06	Gravesend & Northfleet (loan)	Conference	25	5	0	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	25	5
2006–07	Stevenage Borough (loan)	Conference	4	0	0	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	4	0
2007–08	Leeds United	League One	21	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	24	3
2008–09		League One	15	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	2	0	20	1
2009–10		League One	36	7	4	0	3	0	4	0	–	–	47	7
2010–11		Championship	45	5	2	1	2	0	–	–	–	–	49	6
Leeds United Total			117	16	6	1	7	0	5	0	5	0	140	17
2008–09	Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	League One	10	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	–	10	5
2011–12	Norwich City	Premier League	28	2	1	0	0	0	–	–	–	–	29	2
2012–13		Premier League	37	1	2	0	1	0	–	–	–	–	40	1
2013–14		Premier League	31	3	1	0	3	0	–	–	–	–	35	3
2014–15		Championship	44	15	1	0	0	0	–	–	3	0	48	15
2015–16		Premier League	4	0	—		1	0	—		—		5	0
Norwich City Total			144	21	5	0	5	0	0	0	3	0	157	21
2015–16	Derby County	Championship	31	5	1	0	—		—		—		32	6
2016–17		Championship	33	3	3	0	2	0	—		—		38	3
2017–18		Championship	35	4	0	0	0	0	—		—		35	4
2018–19		Championship	31	2	0	0	3	0	—		—		34	2
Derby County total			130	14	4	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	139	15
2019–20	Blackburn Rovers	Championship	34	3	1	0	—		—		—		35	3
Career Total			518	72	19	2	20	1	7	0	8	0	572	75

Honours

Leeds United

• Football League One runner-up: 2009–10[33]

Norwich City

• Football League Championship play-offs: 2015[34]

Individual

• Leeds United Player of the Year: 2010–11
• Leeds United Goal of the Season: 2010–11[22]
• Norwich City Player of the Year: 2014–15

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Derby County" (PDF). English Football League. p. 14. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 221. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
3. "Norwich City". Eastern Daily Press.
4. "Bradley Johnson not eligible to play for USA". SBI. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
5. "Brad on Promotion and Inspiration". 7 October 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
6. "Exclusive – Johnson: I'll dump Arsenal out of the Cup despite being a fan". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
7. "Leicester target back at Cobblers". BBC Sport. 4 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
8. "Talking To Brad". Leeds United A.F.C. 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
9. "Brad Signs Up". Leeds United A.F.C. 8 January 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
10. "Johnson completes switch to Leeds". BBC Sport. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
11. "Crewe Alexandra v Leeds United Match Report". Leeds United A.F.C. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
12. "Cherries Picked". Leeds United A.F.C. 8 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
13. "Johnson to Join on Loan until January". Seagulls World. 27 October 2008. Archived from the original on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
14. "Brighton 3–2 Leicester". BBC Football. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
15. "Leeds United 1 Millwall 1: Match report". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 May 2009.
16. "Rangers line up bid for Leeds midfielder Brad". Mirror Football. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
17. "Leeds United: Simon Grayson warns Bradley Johnson". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
18. "Midfielder Transfer Listed". 18 November 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
19. "Leeds United keen on O'Brien deal – Bates". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
20. "Leeds United: I just can't let Johnson go – Grayson". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
21. "A Goal Never to be Forgotten!". 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
22. "Max Scoops up the Gongs". 2 May 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
23. "Official: Norwich City sign Bradley Johnson on three-year deal". Goal.com. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
24. "Bradley Johnson". Soccerbase. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
25. "Norwich 1–1 Stoke". BBC. 21 August 2011.
26. "Bolton 1–2 Norwich". BBC Sport. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
27. "Referees do not protect Marouane Fellaini, says angry Everton manager David Moyes". The Daily Telegraph. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
28. "Great team effort!!! Chuffed to bits with being awarded this..." Twitter. 23 February 2014. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
29. "MK Dons 1–3 Derby". BBC Sport. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
30. "Bradley Johnson: Blackburn Rovers sign Derby County midfielder on free transfer". BBC Sport. 5 July 2019.
31. "Leeds' Johnson has American dream". BBC. 23 October 2009.
32. Bradley Johnson at Soccerbase
33. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 37, 220–221. ISBN 978-0-7553-6107-6.
34. Shepka, Phil (25 May 2015). "Middlesbrough 0–2 Norwich City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 December 2018.

External links

• Bradley Johnson at Soccerbase