It's exactly seven years ago to the day since Bristol City appointed former midfielder Lee Johnson as their first-team manager. He had cut his cloth at Oldham Athletic and later Barnsley, and was tasked with keeping the Robins up.
He did just that, and guided them to safety with an 18th-placed finish, but a year later despite the tremendous form of Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham, they had a finish of 17th, and confirmed their place in the Championship in the penultimate game of the season.
Johnson revolutionised City however, and after being allowed to spend a club record fee of £5.3m on Famara Diedhiou, the clubs fortunes improved with an 11th-placed finish. Players from abroad would continue to be recruited, whilst also scouring the lower league for the best young talent around. It was a campaign that was best remembered for reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, famously knocking out Jose Mourinho's Manchester United in front of a sold-out Ashton Gate. It would take eventual winners Manchester City to knock them out, with Pep Guardiola complimentary of Johnson's side.
A season later, Johnson, nearly matched the efforts of his father, who remains the closest to delivering the Premier League club to the West Country. He earned an eighth-place finish in 2018/2019, missing out by just four points to Frank Lampard's Derby County.
Unfortunately that would be the closest that City would get as the following season they finished 12th, and it would turn out to be Johnson's last at the club. He was sacked after suffering a Severnside Derby defeat to Cardiff City in the COVID-19 era, and later replaced by his assistant Dean Holden.
Since then, the club has changed with Nigel Pearson now at the helm, and a lot of the players Johnson brought in are no longer here. Several remain and are an integral part of the first-team picture whilst others are just hanging on. Here we take a look at those who came and went during Johnson's tenure in charge of City.
13. Tammy Abraham
Loaned to City from Chelsea, and had a successful scoring spell. He won the Champions League with Chelsea and is now managed by Jose Mourinho, winning the Conference League last season with Roma. | Getty Images Photo: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images
14. Taylor Moore
He’s still at the club but is on loan at Shrewsbury and his contract will expire this summer. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
15. Jamie Paterson
Joined City from Nottingham Forest in 2016 and spent five seasons at the Gate, making 157 appearances. Paterson remained Swansea player after a move to Coventry fell through. | Getty Images Photo: Alex Burstow/Getty Images
16. Gustav Engvall
Engvall joined from IFK Goteborg in 2016 after 16 goals in 64 games, but at City he failed to score in four outings. The Swedish forward now plays in Norway for Sarpsborg 08, on loan from Belgian club Meechlen. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: Bruno Fahy/AFP via Getty Images