Bristol City have considered a move for Oxford United’s Liam Manning to fill their vacant head coach spot, according to Bristol Live.
The Robins are currently without a first team head coach following the sacking of Nigel Pearson last Sunday. Pearson had been at the helm since 2021, and achieved a respectable 32% win rate during his time at Ashton Gate.
However, prior to his sacking, Pearson would see his side lose five out of seven games, with a 2-0 loss to Cardiff being the final nail in the coffin. With a fairly strong squad, the Robins will now be looking to make up for lost time and making the right appointment will prove pivotal to their season.
One of the front-runners to take command of the dugout is Oxford’s Liam Manning, who has done a stellar job thus far. The U’s currently sit in 2nd place in League One, surpassing all pre-season expectations. Although from a statistical point of view Manning is doing an incredible job, he has also got a very attractive style of play which has no doubt caught the eye.
This style has led to Oxford’s rise up the table, and his exploits have clearly not gone unnoticed, with a number of clubs monitoring his current situation.
Bristol City’s Technical Director, Brian Tinnion, stated earlier in the week that ,“We need to be us, we’re clear now in how we want to play, how we want to be – we’re a front foot team, we want to be aggressive, we want to play forward.”
Manning fits that bill perfectly , with his side the second top scorers in the third tier. His style of play certainly fits the requirements and it would come to no surprise to see the 38-year-old taking charge of a Championship club soon.
With yet another international break coming up in the coming weeks, we may see Bristol City make an approach for Manning. That being said, there are certainly some bumps in the road due to being under contract at Oxford.
Manning is not the only name who has appeared in the headlines this week to replace Pearson, with both Frank Lampard and John Eustace being linked with the job. Lampard would very much be an appointment where he has to prove his credentials as a manager once again, whereas Eustace would certainly come to prove a point following his harsh sacking by Birmingham City.
Recruiting the right head coach will be vital for the future of the Robins and it is hard to look past Manning for what they’re after.
Writer’s View
To say that Liam Manning has done an incredible job at Oxford is an understatement. In the eight months that he has been with the club, he has turned them from relegation battlers to genuine promotion contenders. Bristol City fans should certainly get excited if they are to complete a swoop, with Manning one of the best up-and-coming managers in the EFL currently.
As for Oxford fans, they’ll be hoping that the club are doing everything they can to retain Manning’s services, as they could slip without his leadership.
