Good times are here again at Ashton Gate.
It’s only seven games into the 2017-2018 Championship season but Bristol City have made a great start. Two wins, four draws and a solitary defeat have the Robins lying in 12th place, just two points behind the playoff places.
It’s a far cry to where the club was only four months ago, when it finished last season only three points above the relegation trapdoor. But there is an air of positivity and stability around Bristol City right now. Manager Lee Johnson, one of the youngest in the Football League, has installed greater steel and determination in his side.
The 36-year old made minimal changes during the off-season. Only seven new players were signed, for a combined outlay of £7,100,000, to bolster his squad while two more joined on loan. Unity has been important. Johnson has his core of key players – goalkeeper Frank Fielding, defenders Joe Bryan, Bailey Wright, Nathan Baker and the delightfully named Eros Pisano, midfielders Korey Smith, Josh Brownhill, Jamie Paterson and Bobby Reid, as well as Senegalese forward Famara Diedhiou.
The goals of Reid, who has banged in five in seven league appearances, have been crucial so far. Diedhiou has contributed two, while defender Aden Flint has bagged two in just two games. Most importantly Johnson has managed to keep his best players from being snapped up by their rivals during the transfer window.
Starting off with a 3-1 win over Barnsley on opening day, the Robins have proved tough to beat. Birmingham City have caused their only loss, and on Tuesday they were unlucky to gain only a point in the 3-3 draw with Wolves. In the EFL Cup City have already accounted for Plymouth Argyle and Watford.
Johnson can take a lot of the credit. The head coach, who made more than 190 appearances for Bristol City in a six-year spell for 2006 to 2012, has got his team firing. Johnson only hung up his boots four years ago and retains a close perspective on the demands and expectations of modern day footballers.
Robins captain Wright describes Johnson as a manager who is not only easy to get along with, but as one who is open to new ideas and strategies.
“Every manager you come across has their own look on things and their own approach,” he says.
“I find I’m always having conversations with the gaffer, which is nice to have that kind of relationship. It wasn’t that long ago that he hung the boots up and stopped playing. He still remembers freshly what it was like to be a player. Some managers you can have can be quite a bit older and it’s been longer and they’ve got a different look on it and a different approach.
“We’re certainly very modern in how we do things. Very ahead of the game in one-percenters and little things we can add to our match analysis like using video meetings and stats. He’s definitely approachable but at the same time if he needs to put the foot down he does.”
It’s a long, hard season with many twists and turns ahead. But Bristol City have already shown they will be no pushovers this campaign.
Nearly a decade ago they were denied a place in the Premier League when they lost to Hull City in the play-off final. That 2007-2008 team was managed by Gary Johnson. Nine years on and it is his son Lee now at the helm. With a Johnson in charge again at Ashton Gate, hopes are high that they can push on further.
