Could Gerhard Struber be the final piece in the puzzle for Bristol City?

National World - LocalTV

Daniel Wales analyses how Bristol City are planning to operate as a club under Gerhard Struber.

Transcript

00:00Now, let's look at Bristol City and in terms of their future

00:04and the direction they're going to go on.

00:06Obviously, if you'd have asked this 12 months ago,

00:08you'd have thought Liam Manning was going to be ready to go again

00:12at the prospect of achieving the playoffs once more

00:14and getting Bristol City closer to the Premier League.

00:18But that hasn't been the case.

00:20Manning obviously recently moving to Norwich City

00:22and then it threw a bit of a spanner in the works.

00:25Obviously, Gerald Struber comes in.

00:27It changes a lot of output, a lot of ideas going forward.

00:33But then you have to look at the positives.

00:35I mean, they've got momentum.

00:36They finished sixth.

00:37Yes, it was with now their former manager,

00:39but their first top six finish in 17 years.

00:42You know, the playoffs didn't quite go to plan,

00:44but, you know, massive, massive momentum there.

00:48And the players are still going to be remembering

00:50the sort of pressing control-based style that they had.

00:54And they maximised limited resources as well.

00:58You know, the likes of 24 players against Sheffield United's 33

01:03in that playoff game obviously didn't quite go to plan in the end.

01:06But a nice tight-knit group.

01:09Obviously, managerial transition will be vital in maintaining the momentum

01:13towards that promotion push.

01:15And then squad strength and academy, you know,

01:17they've got key performers, Jason Knight,

01:19Emmis Mometti as well.

01:22These are top players who could really get them close to that promotion.

01:25So, in terms of the future,

01:26we're going to go to our Bristol correspondent, Dan.

01:29Dan, in terms of Bristol City, the Championship hopes,

01:32where are they and what's it looking like in terms of the future

01:36and where they're going to go as a club?

01:38Well, Charles, I think if you'd asked me that question

01:41probably even about two or three weeks ago,

01:43it would have been a completely different answer

01:45because, of course, they had no permanent manager

01:47or head coach in at that point,

01:48given the fact that Liam Manning had departed for Norwich City.

01:51But now things are different.

01:53They've got Gerhard Struber in from FC Köln

01:55and things look a lot more rosy.

01:57Now, that's not to say everything will go brilliantly well

02:00when the season kicks off in August at Ashton Gate.

02:03But it certainly makes the club just look a lot more streamlined

02:06and a lot more aligned in terms of their direction.

02:09But I think, to be honest, though,

02:11bringing in Gerhard Struber has just alleviated this direction

02:14and ambition they have as a club.

02:17Certainly in his press conference with John Lansdowne,

02:21the chairman of the club,

02:23they seem to talk about obviously wanting to promote youth at the club

02:27and streamline that pathway through from the academy

02:29through to the first team

02:31and become, if anything, quite a sustainable club

02:33in terms of promoting their academy talent

02:35and giving them a chance at first-team level football.

02:38But also they want to be a club that's ambitious

02:40in the transfer market as well

02:42and push on up the championship table

02:44because, of course, last season

02:46they did qualify for the championship playoffs

02:48under Liam Manning.

02:49They got to the semi-final stage

02:51and, of course, then were knocked out

02:52by Sheffield United 6-0 in aggregate.

02:54It was a bit of a hammering overall,

02:56but the red card in the first leg

02:57certainly didn't help them at all.

02:59Realistically, after that point,

03:01they had little to no chance.

03:03But that experience that will have given them

03:06will have been invaluable for a lot of the squad

03:09at Ashtongate and just in terms of knowing

03:12exactly what they need to do next season

03:14and how they need to be better next season.

03:16The only worry is, of course,

03:17Liam Manning got a lot out of

03:19what some would argue was a middling championship squad.

03:23Yes, they could add to it this summer,

03:24but certainly the core of it wasn't,

03:26let's say, promotion-worthy.

03:29They would have certainly struggled an awful lot,

03:31I think, if they had got up via the playoffs.

03:34That's not to say, though,

03:35that the recruitment this summer

03:36won't turn things around

03:37or at least improve their squad depth

03:39and indeed their squad quality too.

03:42And Gerhard Struber certainly seems like a manager

03:43who knows what he wants.

03:45In his interviews,

03:46he's made clear that he has a direction

03:49and an aim for Bristol City this season

03:52and he knows what the club expect of him.

03:55And I think that just that clear vision as well

03:58will just help people at Ashtongate

04:00and supporters certainly appreciate that

04:03this is going to be a club

04:04that's going to be pushing

04:05perhaps even above their weight

04:07in the upcoming championship season.

04:10Certainly there'll be clubs with bigger funds

04:12in the recruitment sector,

04:15but certainly not a club perhaps

04:16who will drive and try so hard to succeed

04:19as Bristol City.

04:21So lots to be excited about in that regard.

04:23So I think in terms of ambition,

04:25they want to be sustainable as a club

04:26in terms of creating this pathway

04:28for youth to come through

04:29and to give them a chance in the first team.

04:31But also, they want promotion.

04:33They want to get to the Premier League

04:34and that's a really invaluable thing

04:37to have as a club,

04:38that determination

04:39and that drive for success as a club.

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