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BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Struber 'a realist not a dreamer'
New Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber has high expectation but says he is "not a dreamer".The Austrian has signed a three-year contract to become the Robins' head coach, replacing Liam Manning, who joined Norwich earlier this led City to the Championship play-offs last season where they lost 6-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals to Sheffield United."I am not a dreamer, I am a realistic man, but of course my goals are very high," said Struber. "We have the right energy, a good plan, and we will work very hard, but also you need a bit of luck and momentum. But we are ready for the next step."Bristol is the largest city in England yet to host Premier League football and, despite them reaching the play-offs, Struber knows the challenge that is ahead of said: "I can feel the Premier League is very near but last season shows us how hard it is to get promoted - we should not be thinking about what is to come but work hard. "To speak about what could come is for other people, not me or my staff."The 48-year-old arrives at Ashton Gate with a reputation for playing a style of high pressing, intense football while developing young players and integrating them into the first team."The style of play helps a lot, the last few years the club has grown in a good direction and the style of play they have created is a good fit with me and this can be a very good match," he told BBC Radio Bristol."This is a mission for myself to bring and integrate young players into the first team but at the same time they have to deliver - it's not a romantic plan, they have to do it in the right way."At the same time we want to create results and this is where I have experience in integrating young players and the goal is to bring the group further - we are very ambitious to do it in the right way."With strong investment in the club's academy, Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown says any new head coach had to fit in with their policy of developing players and how they recruit them."We have the same process of recruiting managers as we do with players - you'll be thinking who could be next in line because you never know what might happen," he said."Gerhard was right towards the top of that list with his stats, knowledge and how he fits with the squad."The academy is an important part of the club, we're not shy about wanting to develop players as well as have success on the pitch - you can see from his different jobs it's a passion for Gerhard as well." 'When England called I jumped' The former Barnsley and New York Red Bulls head coach was sacked from his previous job at Cologne in May despite having the club second in the German second tier, and they went on to clinch the title and promotion back to the has been out of work for just under two months and was not planning an immediate return to the technical area before this opportunity arose."At the time it was painful," he said. "Vut as a head coach things happen and it surprised me but you have to accept it - when I left Cologne I wanted a break but when England is calling and Bristol City are calling you have good conversations and so I jumped. "I have a great chance with this team to make the next step."The new boss will welcome back players for pre-season on Wednesday, 25 June and is relishing the chance to return to English football after saving Barnsley from relegation to League One in 2020."In English football you can smell a special atmosphere in every stadium and there is a special quality in the Championship - it is the best second level in the world," he said. "The tactics and coaching is a very high level so it's a big demand for me, my coaching staff and players to achieve our goals."
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Next Bristol City Manager Odds & Betting: Wellens & Edwards on Robins Radar
Bristol City are on the hunt for a new manager after Liam Manning left the club to become the new boss of Norwich City in the last week, with the 39-year-old signing a four year contract at Carrow Road. Manning had taken over at Ashton Gate in November 2023 and guided the Robins into this season's Championship play-offs, finishing sixth in the regular season before a disappointing 6-0 aggregate loss to Sheffield United in the semi-finals. Advertisement Norwich were willing to pay the Robins a sum to secure Mannings services after their own 13th-placed finish last season, but Bristol fans will be wondering where that leaves them ahead of the 2025/26 season starting in August. The City board will be eager to secure a new manager as soon as possible with pre-season preparations set to get underway later this month, so we've taken a look at the leading contenders on betting sites to take over the mantle at Ashton Gate. Next Bristol City Manager Odds Ex-Premier League Bosses in The Race Former Luton Town manager Rob Edwards is the current joint-favourite to take over at Ashton Gate, with the 42-year-old having been sacked in January after a run of defeats in the Championship. Advertisement Though the Hatters ended up getting relegated, Edwards' reputation is still solid having guided Luton to an unlikely promotion to the Premier League in 2023 and he's currently a coach in demand with bookmakers making him the favourite in the next Middlesbrough manager odds betting. Edwards would likely be more favoured than Richie Wellens, who is also currently 1/1 on football betting sites to take the Bristol job. Wellens took Leyton Orient to the League 1 play-off final this season, though the defeat to Charlton coupled with the loss of several key players could mean that he looks to depart Brisbane Road. Ex-Aston Villa and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is next on the list at odds of 5/1, with the former Liverpool midfielder having left Saudi side Al-Ettifaq in January. Advertisement Gerrard won the Scottish title with Rangers in 2021, but has seen little success since then and left Villa when they were near the relegation zone in October 2022. The Englishman is among four former Premier League bosses who are supposedly in the running, with ex-Wolves manager Gary O'Neil at 20/1 and former Leicester and Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper offered at 16/1. Lower League Managers Ready to Step up? Several managers from teams and divisions below Bristol City are in the running for the Ashton Gate hotseat, led by Wellens. Former Notts County and Swansea City boss Luke Williams has been touted at 8/1, though his name has appeared infrequently in local press and he has been out of work since leaving the Swans in February. Advertisement Stockport manager Dave Challinor is another 8/1 candidate as it stands, with the 49-year-old leading his side to the League One play-offs last season, having taken them from non-league football in three seasons. Within the Championship, John Mousinho is another name that has popped up, with the 39-year-old Englishman offered at 12/1 on some betting apps having attracted interest after managing to keep Portsmouth in the division after their promotion the season beforehand. Outside bets It is seen as unlikely that either O'Neil or Cooper join the Robins, with the latter having expressed an interest in working abroad and O'Neil out of work since leaving Wolves in December. Advertisement Marti Cifuentes and Ruben Selles are the two bosses with Championship experience who are seen as outside shouts for the job, with the former priced at 16/1 and Selles at 20/1. Cifuentes is currently on gardening leave after guiding QPR to 15th last season, and while he was supposedly on the shortlist to take over as West From manager, former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason has now taken over at the Hawthorns. As for Selles, he presumably did not instil much confidence in prospective suitors when he was sacked by Hull having almost fallen to relegation. That leaves one other candidate at 20/1 – former Norwich caretaker boss Jack Wilshere. The ex-England and Arsenal midfielder took charge of the Canaries for the final matches of the season but left the club after being informed that he wasn't being considered for the full-time job, and despite plenty of time as an assistant, it may be seen as too much of a jump to give someone so inexperienced a top role at this stage in his career. Responsible gambling When having a bet, it's vital to practice responsible gambling. Advertisement When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, betting apps, or any other gambling medium. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It's particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. Advertisement You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having: We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Bath and Bristol's simmering rivalry sets up Premiership semi-final to savour
A long-awaited replacement for The Rec is creeping ever nearer with encouraging noises suggesting that Bath may perhaps finally be able to look forward to a new home in the coming years. The project has long been stalled by the labyrinthine planning process, wranglings over the charitable status of the land and somewhat understandable complaints from a number of NIMBYs in the quaint Georgian city — yet down the road in Bristol there would appear to be a quite vocal backer of the new venue. Yes, it would seem that Mr P Lam of Ashton Gate is no fan of the facilities currently on offer next to Pulteney Bridge. 'I think for the Bristol fans, the really good thing is they realise what a bargain they have at Ashton Gate and what they can pay for season tickets and the stadium and facilities,' Bristol head coach Pat Lam said, spotting a rather wretched forecast as he prepares to take the Bears to The Rec for Friday night's Premiership semi-final. 'I think it is more to do with the price and the facilities. Even my wife was keen to go and when I went to look at the tickets I said: 'Love, you don't want to get drenched in that rain. I love you and I know you support me, but I don't need you to get drenched there.' 'The prices they are putting up there are huge and, at the end of the day, if people are going to pay it, they are going to pay it. It is going to be a sell-out and fair play, that helps Bath and their income, but ultimately for us it is about what happens on the field. We know that despite a lot of Bristol fans not going, they are still right behind us as a team and are still rooting for us.' Perhaps Lam can be engaged as a stakeholder to ensure the new stadium is up to his standards. Yet the Bristol boss has most certainly been vocal in the week-or-so since a semi-final to savour was set up. The former Samoa international has been a one-man marketing team for this fixture, stoking the fires of a rivalry that has long burned between two cities mere miles apart but divided, to some extent, by class and culture. These clubs have been going at it on the pitch for 137 years and yet a certain sense of rancour still remains – though perhaps more so in one direction. 'Motivation is a big one,' Lam emphasised this week. 'The boys get up for his game pretty easily because of our fans and the Bristolians within this team drive that. You had Joe Joyce previously and a new breed coming through with [George] Kloska, [James] Dun, [Will] Capon and then you have Ellis Genge. As a foreigner coming into Bristol, you become part of the group and you quickly learn the importance of what we represent. The motivation takes care of itself and it is the easiest game for me as a coach.' Where Lam has pulled the pin on a few vocal grenades, counterpart Johann van Graan has remained very much in his bunker, refusing to be drawn even on some of the more incendiary remarks about Bath's heavy spending made by the Bristol boss last weekend. It is true to the character of a South African who can be all business, while the normally effusive lock Charlie Ewels seemingly took on a place as a ventriloquist's dummy when he produced Van Graan's trademark 'trust the process' catchphrase while sat alongside him to look ahead to the semi-final this week. The Premiership season began on a Friday night at The Rec, with Bath announcing their place as title favourites with a demolition job on last year's champions. There has been little since that win over Northampton to convince others of their candidacy, Van Graan and his squad seeming to have every base covered as they continue to chase a treble. Even without Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill, Jaco Coetzee and others the semi-final side has a fearsome look; having proved themselves in knockout rugby with Premiership Rugby Cup and Challenge Cup successes, the goal now is to make them mere minor trinkets by ending a nearly 30-year wait for a top-flight title. The great entertainers Bristol are sure to score but a side for which the sublime and ridiculous are equally intrinsic will give their hosts plenty of opportunities. One might ordinarily anticipate a tighter affair at Welford Road but Leicester and Sale's 44-34 thriller at the same venue a month ago showed the manner in which each is capable of de-constructing even staunch defences. There are, however, certain similarities in the fashioning of the two squads, with set-piece strength complementing nicely balanced backlines. No fly half in the country has been better than George Ford since the end of the Six Nations – his Lions omission is therefore very harsh – while Handre Pollard is the archetypal big-game performer, though focus may also fall on the two No 12s, with the well-rounded Joe Woodward and Rekeiti Ma'asi-White among the finds of the Premiership campaign. If there are comparisons to be drawn between the two playing squads, Sale's meticulous building over several seasons under Alex Sanderson contrasts rather dramatically with Leicester's continuing coaching upheaval. Michael Cheika has barely a week left in a job that always looked likely to be short-term, though the standards that he has set have ensured on-field stability amidst the continuing off-field chaos. The impending retirements of Dan Cole and Ben Youngs, and departures of Pollard and Julian Montoya, give more of the feel of an end of an era but there is little time for overdue sentiment. 'Finishing has nothing to do with it," Cheika said. "Being part of a team means what happens to the team is for everybody and not for any one individual. I certainly don't feel like that. When you are in a team, playing in a competition like this, and you are the leader as a coach, your ambition and hunger is to get to the top. The only interest for me is for this team to be successful."
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Pat Lam tells wife to stay away from Bath semi-final and avoid ‘drenching'
Pat Lam, Bristol Bears' director of rugby, has taken aim at the expensive ticket prices and facilities at rivals Bath, telling his wife not to attend the Premiership play-off semi-final in case she gets 'drenched' in the Rec's uncovered stands. Ahead of the teams's first meeting in the play-offs, Bristol had to return a portion of their tickets in a dedicated away section at the Rec, which ranged from £60 to more than £100. By contrast, the cheapest season ticket at Ashton Gate starts at £275 for adults and £80 for juniors, and Lam believes Bath's 'huge' ticket prices put off many Bristol supporters from making the short trip up the A4. He even instructed his wife to remain in Bristol, with rain forecast for Friday night's semi-final. 'I think for the Bristol fans, the really good thing is they realise what a bargain they have at Ashton Gate and what they can pay for season tickets and the stadium and facilities,' Lam said. 'I think it is more to do with the price and the facilities. Even my wife was keen to go and when I went to look at the tickets I said: 'Love, you don't want to get drenched in that rain. I love you and I know you support me, but I don't need you to get drenched there.' 'The prices they are putting up there are huge and, at the end of the day, if people are going to pay it, they are going to pay it. It is going to be a sell-out and fair play, that helps Bath and their income, but ultimately for us it is about what happens on the field. We know that despite a lot of Bristol fans not going, they are still right behind us as a team and are still rooting for us.' Bath will start the match as heavy favourites having finished the regular season top of the league, having already won the Premiership Cup and Challenge Cup this season. Bristol, however, completed a league double over Johann van Graan's side this season and have won 11 of their last 14 encounters, which Lam attributes to the local pride in his side. 'Motivation is a big one,' Lam said. 'The boys get up for his game pretty easily because of our fans and the Bristolians within this team drive that. You had Joe Joyce previously and a new breed coming through with Kloska, Dun, Capon and then you have Ellis Genge. As a foreigner coming into Bristol, you become part of the group and you quickly learn the importance of what we represent. The motivation takes care of itself and it is the easiest game for me as a coach.' Bristol's last play-off experience ended in an agonising 43-36 defeat by Harlequins in 2021, but Lam told his players not to go into their shells and says that they will stay true to themselves no matter what. 'PSG, 5-0 in the Champions League final,' Lam said. 'Wow, that's someone staying true. People's perception of our style is not always accurate. I want the guys to be fearless, back your skills, trust yourself, trust your mates and don't be afraid. That to me is what finals rugby is about. I hate losing, but we don't fear losing by going out to try and win. If we do that then we can hold our heads up high.'
Irish Examiner
04-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Ireland's Jason Knight 'relaxed' about prospect of Premier League football
Jason Knight has already been on holiday. The midfielder will squeeze in another once this week's international window closes and yet football could well force itself back into the conversation again before the English club season returns. Still only 24, the Dubliner played 150 times for Derby County before moving to Bristol City two years ago. Already captain at Ashton Gate, he could hardly have done more during a season just gone that produced 51 appearances, three goals, as many assists and ten yellow cards. Named player of the year by his club, his teammates and by the supporters, he opted for humility when describing the campaign merely as a 'progression', but Ireland assistant John O'Shea got it right when suggesting that other clubs must be taking notice. The man himself is playing it cool. 'I've had a good season, I'm enjoying myself at Bristol, but you are right: I want to be ambitious. I want to play in the top division, but I'm relaxed. If it's now or in the future, that will be. I've just got to keep performing well to get to that point.' One of the few Championship players in the Ireland squad this week due to Heimir Hallgrimsson's decision to rest players subject to that league's heavy workload, Knight has already played 279 games of senior football between the club and international games. It's nearly six years since his first run with Derby. John Egan spoke on the 'Second Captains' podcast recently about his regret at having played through the pain barrier to the extent he did, and of the consequences arising from that. Knight played in every game for his club last season, from mid-August through to mid-May. This is the job. It does beg the question as to how much football is too much football in an era where more and more is being asked of professional players. And there may be no league more brutal in its incessant demands than the twice-a-week every week second tier in England. Knocks and niggles are par for the course in that sort of environment but if there is a line that shouldn't be crossed when it comes to playing through injury then what might Knight's be? 'If the leg isn't off, I suppose.' A vocal presence on the field and in the dressing-room, he was one among that batch of youngsters promoted to senior international football in one go, or close enough, by Stephen Kenny and he has long since gone about stepping up to a type of leadership role with Ireland. Hallgrimsson has already spoken about the benefit that he can reap from this wholesale injection of youth, and Knight agrees that there is a sense of training wheels having been relegated to the shed ahead of a new World Cup qualifying campaign in the autumn. 'There's probably eight, nine, ten of us that have come in at the same time and now we have 20-plus caps [each] so that is only going to be the to the benefit of the team and the country. The performances have to back that up as well, and the results. 'That's what we are going to have to try and do coming in to September.'
