00:00Now Bristol City are without a manager still after Liam Manning's departure to Championship rivals Norwich City.
00:07Now it was a move that not many saw coming, obviously reaching the playoffs for the first time in over 10 years.
00:14An incredible feat for him to go to Bristol City and achieve that.
00:18He had a young squad, a young side ready and fearless, loads of energy throughout that entire Bristol City camp.
00:24It was a long campaign. He obviously touched on that at the back end of the season,
00:28saying how hard it was, how tough and draining mentally it was on him.
00:33But the move to Norwich City was sort of out of nowhere, really.
00:36They made a move for him and he's gone.
00:39And Bristol City, now it leaves them in a managerless position.
00:43A position that, you know, if they had gone into the new season with Liam Manning,
00:47then it may be thought so positively about it and about the current situation.
00:51But yeah, it's certainly left a big hole to fill at Bristol City.
00:55Obviously, you know, Ashton Gate now need to go forward.
01:00All the players need to regroup and go again for the new campaign.
01:04And a new manager is certainly now the top of the priority list.
01:08Our Bristol City correspondent, Daniel Wales.
01:11Dan, just give us a bit of a rundown on the situation.
01:14Liam Manning said he was very ambitious, so he has gone to Norwich.
01:17Maybe more investment there or something that's certainly swayed his interest.
01:20So what can you tell us about the move and where do Bristol City go now as well?
01:25Obviously, it's not ideal for them, but they now must 100% prioritise a new manager.
01:32Well, for Bristol City, I think the fact that Liam Manning has departed early in the summer
01:36is the best sort of outcome they could have hoped for.
01:39Obviously, they wouldn't have wanted him to leave,
01:41given the rapport he'd built up with the supporters towards the end of last season.
01:45And what he achieved with the club at the end of last season as well,
01:48getting them into the playoffs for the first time in many a year.
01:51But the fact that it's happened early in the summer allows Bristol City the time to bring in someone new.
01:55And also, hopefully for them, it won't affect their summer too much.
02:00If we look now, though, at who could come in to replace Liam Manning.
02:04One of the key candidates is the current FC Cologne boss, Gerhard Struber,
02:09who, of course, was formerly at Barnsley in England.
02:12Then you've got the likes of Rob Edwards, former Luton manager,
02:14who, of course, got them up to the Premier League,
02:17but then also got sacked midway through last season as Luton slumped when they came straight back down
02:21and ultimately ended up back in League One, which is not the best outcome for Luton Town.
02:26But Rob Edwards does have that credibility of having gotten Luton into the Premier League from the Championship.
02:32Of course, you could argue, well, what happened last season is perhaps more fresh,
02:36but he still has some credit in the bank, I think you'd have to imagine.
02:39You could also look at Michael Carrick, the former Middlesbrough manager now,
02:43with him being sacked from Middlesbrough in the last couple of weeks,
02:47which Middlesbrough supporters, I'm not entirely sure what the thought was.
02:50I think the consensus was a bit up and down.
02:53Michael Carrick certainly a lot liked him,
02:54but I think a lot of people were also going perhaps a bit frustrated with him as well.
02:58But he's clearly got ability as a young English manager as well,
03:01and that could go in his favour because, of course, Liam Manning was similar
03:05in the sense that he is a young English manager.
03:07So maybe Bristol City tried to replicate that by bringing in Michael Carrick.
03:11But he's certainly not a favourite.
03:12That remains Gerhard Struber.
03:15So you could also say Rob Edwards as well, a young English manager.
03:18So you could argue that Michael Carrick and Rob Edwards fit the mould of Liam Manning more.
03:23But you've got someone like Gerhard Struber who has been in England,
03:27but also got continental experience as well.
03:30And perhaps that variety and that versatility might stand in his favour.
03:34What is certain, though, and what I made at this point, the point I made at the start,
03:37was that Bristol City need to act fast and get this sorted and wrapped up as quickly as possible.
03:42Because if they don't, well, then it affects your summer business.
03:47Bristol City know that their foundations going into next season are good.
03:51Of course, that they're not helped by Liam Manning departing.
03:53But certainly, having gotten in the playoffs last season with a middling championship squad,
03:59they know they've got the capability to build on that.
04:00And perhaps be pressing that way at the top end of the league again next season.
04:05So whoever comes in, they've got a big job on their hands to make sure the summer goes well or as well as possible.
04:11Bristol City need to make sure that funds are available and that they bring in the players they want to bring in.
04:18But they just need to get this managerial situation sorted as quickly as possible.
04:22Certainly, as I mentioned, the Liam Manning mould that's been left in terms of young English coaches.
04:27Rob Edwards and Michael Carrick would fit that bill quite a lot.
04:31Rob Edwards perhaps a bit more likely given he's got that experience in the south of England.
04:35Michael Carrick might not be ready to come down from the north just yet.
04:39But then you've got Gerhard Struber currently in Cologne.
04:42Will he come in?
04:43That remains to be seen.
04:44That remains to be seen.
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