BRISTOL CITY BLOG: Pace of Progress Bears Testimony to Steve Cotterill's Methods..

BRISTOL CITY BLOG: Pace of progress bears testimony to Steve Cotterill's methods.
By a_stockhausen



For a proper appreciation of the speed at which Steve Cotterill has wrought fundamental change in Bristol City’s fortunes since becoming manager, it is necessary to uphold League One rivals MK Dons as a yardstick by which to measure progress at Ashton Gate.

When Paul Ince vacated his post as first team boss at Stadium MK in 2010, he was succeeded by his unheralded 30-year-old assistant, Karl Robinson. The youngest recipient of a coveted UEFA A coaching License, the Liverpudlian also became the youngest ever manager of a Football League club.

MK’s record during his time at the club has been nothing short of remarkable, the Buckinghamshire outfit first winning promotion from League Two and then twice reaching the play-offs in four seasons spent in the higher division.

Renowned for playing the beautiful game in the ‘right way’, Robinson’s team has rightly attained a reputation for expansive, free-flowing, attacking football. Plaudits for the Dons peaked in the immediate aftermath of their spectacular 4-0 demolition of Manchester United in a Capital One Cup tie earlier this season.

That City managed to beat the United-slayers 3-2 in a thrilling top-of-the-table encounter last Saturday is a measure of Cotterill’s achievement in transforming the fortunes of a club that feared relegation to the Football League basement less than 12 months ago.

Now in his fifth season at the helm, Robinson has had more than four years in which to forge an identity for MK, shaping a squad and introducing a way of playing that is now instantly recognisable to all those who follow the English game closely. Consider that Cotterill has managed something similar in just NINE MONTHS, and the magnitude of the job he has done for his new employers becomes apparent.

During the dark days of last winter, when City were rooted to the foot of the table and wondering where the next win was coming from, it was inconceivable that the Robins could shed their tag as strugglers and reinvent themselves as promotion contenders any time soon.

Yet events at Ashton Gate last weekend suggested City have already gone a long way toward closing the gap on MK Dons. In a surprisingly short space of time, Cotterill has, in large part through his astute wheeling and dealing in the market place, forged a squad capable of challenging for promotion. Not only that, he has also established a recognisable method of playing, nurtured an indomitable team spirit, instilled an uncompromising work ethic and set in motion the process of forging a new identity for a club that contrived to lose its way after reaching the Championship play-off final in 2008.

Of course, there is a significant difference in the financial resources available to the two managers. Obliged to sell his best players from time to time, Robinson has become dependent upon loan signings and been encouraged to fast-track young players from the club’s Academy set-up.

He alluded to City’s spending power when meeting the media at the post-match press conference on Saturday. But he also paid tribute to the manner in which the home side approached the game, applauding their commitment to attacking football and entertainment.

From a City point of view, the really encouraging factor is that there is still so much room for improvement within a team that comprises seven new signings and is still finding its feet. True, MK Dons looked after the ball better and boasted 59 per cent of possession, but this City side has scope to close that particular gap in the weeks and months to come.

At times, there was a frenetic urgency about City’s play that manifested itself in a tendency to give the ball away soon after they had successfully over-turned possession. This is something Cotterill and his staff will no doubt address on the training ground in a quest to instil the kind of composure that will help the team protect two-goal leads rather than throw them away, as they have done in the previous two outings.

That City are still unbeaten after 10 League games this season and sit at the top of the table, five points clear of their nearest rivals, is testament to the work Cotterill has done and continues to do on behalf of the owner, Steve Lansdown, and the Ashton Gate board of directors.

But one thing is for sure, City’s manager is not in the business of self-congratulation and his focus will be on effecting further improvements rather than sitting back to admire his handiwork. The moment any of his players lapse into complacency will be the moment they are reminded of his sharp tongue. As Cotterill himself correctly pointed out during Saturday’s post match press conference, no prizes are handed out for being top of the league after 10 games.

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