The City chairman spoke to the squad before the 5-0 victory that lifted Roberto Mancini’s side to third and put further valuable ground between them and Spurs in the race for the top four.
“He spoke to us in the morning of the game and outlined what success would mean to the club and I think that spurred everyone on for the victory against Sunderland,” reckoned Johnson who scored the opening goal.
“The chairman said he was fully backing us and said that everyone was behind us to get that Champions League place.
“He also said how important it was to win a trophy because we hadn’t won one for over thirty years.
It was a really motivational message for us all to push on.
“There have been massive changes at this club over the last couple of years and he is fully behind us in what we are doing.”
England star Johnson couldn’t have been more pleased with his return to action after a seven-week hiatus due to an ankle problem.
“It was a big confident win. We played really well as a team against Sunderland,” he said.
There are seven games left in the league now and we have just got to keep winning
...Adam Johnson
We have not had a major blip this season but just a couple of bad results. You have to play in the moment and we know we have a great chance of winning a trophy this season and cementing a Champions League place.
“Sunderland was my first start since the injury and I felt like I had something to prove, to show ‘I’m still here
“I would rather have played for the last seven weeks but if you look at it another way I will be fresh for the run-in and I want to play a massive part in what we are aiming to do between now and the end of the season.”
