Oldham Athletic manager Lee Johnson is aiming for a positive reaction from his players in tomorrow’s final League One game of the season at Leyton Orient.
Latics’ manager was forced to take a look at the attitude of his squad players after they suffered midweek defeat to Shrewsbury Town.
And Johnson now wants to see his players step up to the plate to compete for first-team football.
“I am critical for the right reasons, not because I don’t like the players. If I see standards fall short, I want to help them,” he said.
“There were some home truths after the defeat at Shrewsbury and you could say I dropped in a hand grenade. We will see who can handle it or which players go under.
“Do they have the mental strength and how do they react? Do they get aggressive, more technical, run more, stop running, give up, moan and sulk?
“All these things I need to know about players who I have not seen regularly in first-team scenarios.”
Oldham have endured a packed schedule of football in the past two months, and Johnson admitted it may have taken its toll on his players.
“It has been a rollercoaster season and a very intense period since I came here. It was bound to catch up with us at some stage,” he said.
“I was just disappointed the ones with the fresh legs didn’t produce the energy which was required on the day.
“I told them they fell short which they knew because they are honest players.”
Image courtesy of Sky News, via YouTube, with thanks
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
