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.
29. Niclas Eliasson
The Swedish winger joined from IFK Norrkoping in 2017, and played two-and-a-half seasons, scoring seven goals in 96 games. Eliasson now plays in Greece for AEK Aethens. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images
30. Cauley Woodrow
Woodrow joined on loan from Fulham in 2017 and made 15 appearances, scoring tow goals. He returned to Fulham and joined Barnsley where he played for five seasons, and is now at Luton Town. | Getty Images Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
31. Jonathan Leko
Leko joined City on loan in 2017 and was highly-rated at West Brom. Leko made 11 appearances but didn’t score a goal. He left West Brom for Birmingham in 2020 and left them in January for MK Dons. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
32. Luke Steele
Goalkeeper Steele joined Bristol City in 2017 from Greek side Panathinaikos and made 10 appearances for the club. It’s all change for Steele, now 38, who is now a forward for non-league side Deeping Rangers. | Getty Images Photo: Dean Mouhtaraopulous/Getty Images