Belgium move was huge adaptation - Johnson

Former Bristol City boss Lee Johnson says making the move to manage abroad has been a "huge adaptation", but one that he "would recommend to anyone".

The 45-year-old has just led Lommel SK to promotion to the Belgian top flight for the first time in more than two decades.

"People sometimes don't understand how sacrificial it can be to take these opportunities abroad, the impact on family life, it was a huge adaptation," Johnson told BBC Radio Bristol.

"From my experience I have learned so much. If you had said to me I would go to Belgium and learn these points about myself, the culture, a different style of football, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

"I have worked on myself as a coach and a leader and I am super grateful for what I have received back from the coaches and the staff and everyone in the town.

"I would recommend it to anyone, and I think everyone should try it once."

Lommel SK are one of several clubs owned by the City Football Group (CFG), the holding group that acts a parent company of Manchester City. Johnson has been connected to CFG for over 10 years.

His most recent job in the EFL was at Fleetwood Town, before being sacked in December 2023.

In between leaving Fleetwood and joining Lommel in March 2025, Johnson travelled to Nigeria to discover more about African players' journeys to the top level, and to Copenhagen for a piece on team spirit and psychological safety.

Then came his opportunity in Belgium, an offer Johnson found "really easy" to accept, given his affiliation to CFG.

The first task was to avoid relegation from the second division Challenger Pro League, which Johnson did, thanks in part to a victory over table-topping Zulte Waragem in his first game.

Following a season where Johnson said he could see "the passion and the spirit among the fans building" Lommel achieved promotion through the play-offs after finishing fifth in 2025-26.

In doing so, Johnson achieved what Englishmen Steve Bould and Liam Manning before him could not, and guide Lommel into the top flight.

Not that being English ever stopped Johnson from overcoming a severe language barrier, with 16 different nationalities in the squad the day he took over.

"I don't speak any other language fluently, but you don't have to speak the same language for a coach and a player to connect on a football level," Johnson added.

"You can use touch, sight, they can feel believed in by the coach. That is humour, or an arm around somebody.

"A lot of young, talented players had not gone through the pain of losing a lot of games, because they were used to winning as youngsters.

"My experience was to settle them, push them, cajole them, and that definitely helped, but they still needed to execute on the pitch and they did that really well.

"I believed in the squad and they felt the the belief from me, so I had an inkling that it was going to be a successful season."

The Belgian play-off system is a lengthier process than the EFL's.

In Belgium's second tier, the top two sides are promoted to the top flight, while third to sixth go into a two-legged play-off system. The winner from that mini-league then faces the team third bottom of the Pro League for a spot in Belgium's elite.

In all, Lommel had to come through six games to secure promotion. They won five, drawing the final leg of their promotion play-off with Pro League side FCV Dender EH to get across the line.

"It's a huge jump, it is a very strong division," Johnson added.

"For the English public it is the equivalent of getting promoted from the Championship to the Premier League, the quality, the physicality, teams with European experience.

"It is the same from a managerial point of view. Momentum can be so important, the passion from the stand and the players, it gives you a chance. We are going in there to make an impression not just trying to survive."

And Johnson will have time to continue making his own impression on the squad, describing the format of the regular season as a chance to "connect" with his players.

"Players will learn different coaching techniques. Week to week you have fewer games, so you have a proper coaching week," he said.

"In the UK you have Carabao Cup, EFL Trophy, you are travelling so much and it is relentless. It becomes more about recovery than development.

"Here you get a chance to coach, connect, and then perform at the end of the week. I would recommend to coaches, where possible, and then players if they get that opportunity, too."

Next season will undoubtedly provide Johnson his biggest challenge yet.

"The first thing as a coach is you're in the moment because we have to make good decisions to be sustainable in such a top league," he said.

"I want to manage as high as I can for as long as I can. I am at a really good stage of my career. I understand what all elements of management look like.

"My coaching is decent, my leadership and ability to create a culture is improving, but you need everyone at the club to be committed to be successful.

"I'll stay curious, I'll stay humble, and we'll see how far it takes me."