Bristol City can reach the Premier League - Big Jon Lansdown decision can be the reason why | OneFootball

Bristol City have been one of the Championship's most competitive side this season

Bristol City have continued their flying form from last season into the 2025/26 campaign to establish themselves as promotion contenders.

Often famed for their Championship mediocrity over the past decade, recent times have seen the Robins buck that trend with a number of positive steps that have positioned them higher up the table.

Ashton Gate has updated infrastructure and facilities, bringing it into the modern age as a ground that can support promotion charges in the second-tier.

Last season saw Bristol City record their first Championship play-off finish in 17 years, which marked an incredible achievement for Liam Manning’s side, who hadn’t spent as much money in the transfer market when compared to the other sides within the top six.

Although they were well beaten by Sheffield United in the play-offs, it marked a real signal of improvement, and that with some small tweaks, the Robins could consistently fight for the top six with a view to eventually achieving promotion to the Premier League.

All those hopes and dreams were thrown up in the air however, when Manning decided to fill the vacant manager position at Norwich City, which could’ve signalled doom for City’s progression and potentially ruined the momentum they had built.

The Lansdown family had a big decision to make, with the fate of the Robins’ future on the line.

Jon Lansdown’s Bristol City decision could result in promotion to the Premier League

Chairman Jon Lansdown is the son of owner Steve and had a huge choice to make when Manning departed for Norwich City.

It was crucial that the Robins selected the correct profile for the job, someone who could pick up where Manning left off and guide the side towards promotion.

Gerhard Struber was selected as that man, a coach who had most recently been in charge of Bundesliga outfit 1. FC Köln.

The Austrian’s only previous managerial experience in English football came with Barnsley, where he spent just under a year in the Oakwell dugout, which didn’t lead to Bristol City supporters gaining too high hopes over what their new boss was capable of.

Struber got to work quietly and has instead done his talking on the pitch, to great effect thus far.

Bristol City sit fourth in the Championship standings after 12 matches, just two points behind Middlesbrough in second and look like real candidates to fight for automatic promotion across 46 matches.

The Robins have looked assured and competent on the pitch, showing no signs of a team that are still in their first season under a new manager and have only been defeated twice in their last nine matches.

Struber’s side have been particularly potent in attack, scoring 20 goals after 12 matches, which is a total bettered by just league leaders Coventry City.

There is now a real sense at Ashton Gate that the Robins are a more competitive team than the side that finished in the play-offs last term and have what it takes to get even closer to promotion this season.

With the teams relegated from the Premier League failing to look threatening thus far, there is an opportunity for one of the Championship’s regular outfits to pull off a shock promotion to the Premier League.

Bristol City look like they will be right in that mix and could see Struber’s first campaign in charge end with another opportunity to progress into the top-flight.

Bristol City must continue taking their season game by game

What benefited Bristol City last season was a lack of attention on their steady progress, which led to less external pressure during the latter stages of the season.

This ultimately proved crucial for the Robins in achieving a top-six finish, and they must try and replicate that situation this term.

Whilst the likes of Coventry City and Middlesbrough grab the headlines for their flying start, Struber and Co. will be perfectly happy to go slightly under the radar and just keep picking up points, game by game.

This will allow the City squad to stay focussed on the task at hand, without feeling too much pressure about a possible promotion to the Premier League. If they can achieve this, it will only be beneficial to their dreams of reaching the top-flight.