Sky Sports pundit hails 'massively exciting' Bristol City arrival as Robins eye top-six repeat
Bristol City have appointed Gerhard Struber as their new manager
Bristol City have this week announced Gerhard Struber as their new head coach on a three-year deal, just two weeks after Liam Manning departed to take over at fellow Championship club Norwich City.
Struber was announced on June 19 as the man to take over at the beaten play-off semi-finalists, and will hope to continue the progress made at the club under Manning. A great run of form in the spring meant the Robins finished in the second-tier top six for the first time in 17 years, and a comprehensive 6-0 defeat on aggregate against Sheffield United did not take away from an otherwise successful season for Manning’s side.
Struber, 48, most recently managed at German side Koln, taking the club to within touching distance of promotion from the 2. Bundesliga last season before a shock sacking in May with just two games to play. He has also managed at Barnsley, New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg.
A Sky Sports pundit has spoken out about the appointment, and about what he feels Bristol City must do in order to target a return to the play-off places.
Sky Sports pundit gives view
Speaking with Football League World, Sky Sports’ Lee Hendrie said that Robins fans have good reason to be optimistic with the appointment, and that successful times could be ahead if they utilise the transfer market to improve their squad.
Hendrie said: "Gerhard Struber wants Bristol City to dominate games in the Championship with his style of play at Ashton Gate. It's exciting times for them.
"I think they needed someone who was very similar to Liam Manning to come in and fit the bill and play that style and method of football, and he does that, there's no doubt about that. It is massively exciting times.
"I would say that for Bristol City, after going so close, they may need that little bit of elevation to go and bring players in to strengthen the squad they have and kick on this season."
Struber will know what it takes to manage in the Championship after a previous 11-month stint with Barnsley in 2019-20. The Austrian arrived at Oakwell with the club rock-bottom of the table in November 2019, but led his side to safety on the final day in dramatic fashion with a stoppage-time winner at promotion-chasing Brentford.
The Robins can challenge for the top six again next season under Struber, but, as expressed by Hendrie, they may need to strengthen in the transfer market in order to do so.
Last season’s was a relatively weak play-off race in comparison with previous years, with both Bristol City and Coventry City stealing a march on the top six in the spring to usurp faltering clubs such as West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough. Promoted Sunderland lost five successive games to see out the regular season ahead of the play-offs.
But it can be argued that the Robins just needed to get their foot in the door and experience what it was to be a play-off club once again, before sustaining a more regular challenge moving forward.
They spent around £10m on signings such as Scott Twine and Sinclair Armstrong last summer, and will be looking for similar transfer activity this time around in their hope to give Struber the best possible squad to challenge.
The Robins brought in their first new signing under the Austrian when it was announced on Friday that defensive midfielder Adam Randell had been signed from relegated Plymouth Argyle for an undisclosed fee.