‘A great fit’: Bristol City take Liam Manning from Oxford as head coach

Bristol City has announced that Liam Manning will be their new head coach until June 2027. After firing Nigel Pearson, the club has decided to take on a new perspective.

Manning has an interesting background having worked at Belgian team Lommel, which is owned by the City Football Group, the same group that controls Manchester City. His appointment represents a change in the way things are done. His debut match will be against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

At Oxford United, the 38-year-old coach has made a positive impression, guiding the team to secure second place in League One this season. He took over in March when the team was at risk of being relegated. Before that, he had already proven his worth as a coach by leading MK Dons to the League One playoffs in the 2021-2022 season.

Manning started coaching at Ipswich when he was 21 years old and later became the head coach for West Ham's Under-23s team. The leaders at Bristol City recognized Manning as the best option to establish an attacking style of play throughout the club for both the academy and the first team.

The current position of Bristol City in the second tier is eleventh. The triumph over the last-placed Sheffield Wednesday was achieved under the leadership of Curtis Fleming, who was once Pearson's assistant. Fleming parted ways with the team on Tuesday, and now Manning has taken over. Manning will be assisted by Chris Hogg, who used to work with him during his stint with Oxford.

According to the Bristol City chairman, Jon Lansdown, the team should be in the running for the playoffs this year. He praised Liam for being a perfect match for the club and the style of gameplay they aspire to. Jon commended Liam for having a meticulous coaching approach that enhances players' abilities to perform at their best.

According to Manning, he's thrilled at the chance he's been given and is eagerly anticipating the future. The vision and goals of the club seem perfectly aligned with his own aspirations and he sees this opportunity as a great fit for him.