The Reds have recovered from a woeful opening eight Barclays Premier League matches which brought them just six points and left them in the bottom three. Eight games later they have added a further 16 to their tally and are now within seven points of fourth-placed Manchester City.
"The lads have been working very hard on the training field and trying to put the poor performances behind us and get on a bit of a run," said Johnson.
"It's always difficult for a new manager to come in and put his point across straight away.
"It very rarely just happens in the first two or three games.
"Now we're starting to play the way Roy is asking us to play, and the lads are coping well with it.
"It's very good. A lot of the lads are taking to training and the different regimes.
"We've got some fantastic players, great staff in and around the club, and I'm sure if we can keep playing like we are we'll be there or thereabouts."
Source: PA
Source: PA