Liam Manning: 'Football is about people, special Bristol City season has created many memories'

Bristol Live sat down with Liam Manning at the Robins High Performance Centre to review Bristol City’s season after the Reds’ play-off defeat to Sheffield UnitedLiam Manning guided Bristol City to their first top six finish in 17 years(Image: EFL)

“We’ve spoken a lot this year, and it might link back to some of my personal stuff, about where football sits and what it’s about in life. It’s very much about memories, it’s very much about people. It’s been a very special season, I think, for creating lots of memories for lots of people.”

10 months ago, Liam Manning and his Bristol City squad jetted out to Portugal for what was the 39-year-old’s first pre-season training camp as the Robins boss. The City head coach and his staff had arrived at Ashton Gate eight months prior and guided the Reds to an 11th-place finish in their first campaign in charge, before beginning to put their stamp on the squad over the course of the off-season.

A busy transfer window saw expectations rise among supporters. Though senior players such as Andi Weimann and Matty James departed BS3, as well as Tommy Conway, the arrival of seven new signings, including Scott Twine, Luke McNally and prospects Fally Mayulu, Yu Hirakawa and Sinclair Armstrong, ensured fans were looking up the Championship table, rather than over their shoulder.

For Manning, however, the goal was simple.

“I’ll probably get battered for it, but you do go into it trying to beat what we did last year, move forward, progress and get better,” the Reds head coach told Bristol Live in his office at the High Performance Centre this week. “I think you have an idea that you’ve got a good group, an honest group and a hard-working group.

“We’ve got a bit of quality, and we’ve added some decent options in the summer with a little bit of depth. But until you get into it, you don’t know. You don’t know what the opposition’s teams are like because they’ll be different to what they were last season.

“I didn’t project too far ahead, to be honest,” Manning continued. “I think if you set an expectation, you can set yourself up to get frustrated if you don’t meet it. I just genuinely put all my energy into the culture that we have, the work that the lads need and trying to make everything better.”

City’s pre-season culminated in a draw with Willem II at Ashton Gate, and a week later, they got their league campaign up and running against Hull City. A second-half goal from Mayulu looked to have ensured the Reds would get off to the perfect start, only for the reality of Championship football to slap those in the away end across the face when Oscar Estupinan converted from the penalty spot in injury time after a rash challenge from Joe Williams.

Anyone who made the trip to the MKM Stadium and had forgotten the chaos that England’s second tier could throw up at any moment over the summer, didn’t need to be reminded of it come the full-time whistle. However, those whose first match of the season came a week later, when Millwall made the trip to Ashton Gate, were treated to something even more ridiculous.

“It was madness, madness,” Manning simply grinned when asked about the 4-3 over the Lions. “It’s probably a great one for the fans because we finished off winning, but I think when we’re 2-0 up at half-time, I’d have just snapped your hand off just to have a really drab, terrible second half and a 2-0 win.

“But the purist in me, the football fan sitting here now, having won the game, can probably enjoy it and the memories it probably created and started that day.

“I remember the fans being top because even when we went 3-2 down, they stuck with us and I think that was a real sign of some of the relationships and connections that started to form between the playing squad, staff and the fans.”

As the players made their way off the field, on that mid-August afternoon, almost everyone inside Ashton Gate remained in their seats, applauding both Manning and his squad for their efforts and the entertainment they had delivered, something which has only become a more common occurrence as the season has gone on.

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The next weeks were challenging, however. The Robins won just one of their next seven games, drawing on four separate occasions to head into the October international break sitting 16th in the table after a 1-1 draw with Severnside rivals Cardiff. Though the mood around supporters at that stage was one of frustration, football very quickly took a back seat.

During the international break, City confirmed that Manning would be taking a leave of absence following the tragic passing of his baby son, Theo. In the days and weeks after the announcement, the footballing world came together to support the Reds’ head coach and his family.

England’s Under-21 side wore black armbands in their win over Azerbaijan at Ashton Gate while under the management of Chris Hogg, City’s playing squad and staff gathered around the away end after their win over Middlesbrough to hold up a banner that read ‘Fly high Theo.’

Bristol City players after the full-time whistle at Middlesbrough(Image: EFL)

Three days later, Hogg took charge of City’s 2-2 draw with Stoke City before Manning returned to the Reds’ touchline for their draw with Leeds United, having missed just two matches. Ahead of kick-off, in BS3, the home crowd came together to pay tribute to the head coach’s late son with a display that spanned the entirety of the Dolman and South Stands, something the 39-year-old will never forget.

“Leeds is a moment that will live with me forever, wherever my career goes and whatever happens,” Manning said. “Just as a person, the way the fans were, and I met Section 82 not long after it and what they went through in terms of raising money to create such a special bit, like I said, it’s hugely difficult what I went through to live it in the public eye, but I’m very fortunate in terms of being able to share Theo’s name.

“It was an extremely tough day, but it’s definitely one that I couldn’t have sat upstairs and watched. For me, I had to be out there and in it. A huge thank you still, the fans were incredible that day.

“I’d like to think it wasn’t just because of that, that the fans got behind us,” the head coach continued. “Naturally, there was a level of empathy around people of the situation that I was in and what I went through, but I like to think it was probably the work on the pitch and what the players delivered.

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“Of course, it brought people closer together, it may have enhanced relationships, the culture, how you treat people and maybe a little bit more perspective and patience on the situation. I’d like to think it was more the lads and the work that they put in game after game, the performances they showed and just the commitment we showed the club and the shirt.

“That should be a given, but it isn’t always everywhere you go. I think it’s one thing I understand the importance of and one that I think’s just grown over the course of the season.”

Having done well to hold the eventual champions Leeds to a 0-0 draw, the next few weeks followed a similarly inconsistent pattern to the opening stages of the campaign. Impressive wins over the likes of Preston North End, Norwich City, and Plymouth Argyle were interspersed by defeats to Burnley, Watford, Portsmouth and Sheffield United.

Though there were signs that this team were capable of competing at the top end of the table, such indications were not visible often enough.

There was perhaps no clearer example of City’s predicament than their defeat to West Brom at The Hawthorns in what was the final game before Christmas. As Manning’s Reds were picked apart in the 2-0 defeat, the travelling support could be heard chanting ’12th place again ole, ole,’ throughout the second half as their side ensured they’d be spending Christmas Day right in the middle of the Championship, eight points away from the top six.

Liam Manning and Bristol City were well-beaten by West Brom at The Hawthorns(Image: Nigel French/PA Wire)

After the full-time whistle, the head coach was adamant his side were still heading in the right direction, a statement which many fans were quick to disagree with at the time. While it hadn’t yet shown on the pitch, Manning had seen the signs on the training ground of what was to come.

“I think we sometimes lose perspective of how hard this division is,” the 39-year-old confessed. “No one’s got any given right to win a game of football.

“We go away to West Brom, who are a big club, big budgets, strong side, experienced players and naturally, if you have a slightly off day, you’re going to be slightly up against it, which we obviously were that day. I think the biggest bit for me that I kind of felt around then was the progress in the group from how they bounced game to game. The toughness and the resilience was definitely there.

“I know early on, we’d drawn quite a few and the lads were kind of talking around: ‘We should be higher, we should be doing this because we’ve played well but not got the points,’ and I remember having a chat around the leadership group around: ‘Don’t have expectations. We shouldn’t be anywhere. We are where we are, we shouldn’t have any expectations, and you need to be like that going into a game. Don’t have an expectation of winning, losing or drawing, have a real focus on living in the present and doing what’s required game by game.’

“We obviously worked hard at kind of spinning that across the whole of the season, and that really helped the group. Off the back of that West Brom game, knowing this group, and I get to see them every day, I know culturally what they’re like.

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“I think it was a real clear indicator that they’re a top group of lads that would bounce from game to game.”

And bounce they did. The Reds won three of their four matches over the festive period and found a sense of rhythm that continued into the second half of the campaign. Of course, there was the odd disappointing result here or there, such as defeats to both Coventry City and Swansea, but Manning’s side lost just two of their opening nine league matches of 2025.

Then came two matches that, at the time, felt like must-wins if City harboured genuine aspirations of a top six finish. In truth, no one could have predicted just how important they would prove to be.

First, George Earthy carved out his own bit of Bristol City history as he scored his first and second goals in red and white to see the Robins come from behind to beat Middlesbrough under the Ashton Gate lights, before Manning’s side ended a nine-game losing run away from home with a 2-0 win over Millwall less than two weeks later.

Zak Vyner had popped up with a rare goal to set the Reds on their way to all three points, but it was Harry Cornick who stole the headlines as he tapped in late on to wrap up the win. The scenes that followed were a demonstration of the togetherness of this current squad as those on the field and substitutes alike raced down The Den’s touchline to pile on the attacker.

Harry Cornick scored his first Bristol City goal of the season against Millwall(Image: John Walton/PA Wire)

“The Corns one was a special one at Millwall,” Manning grinned. “There was the potential of him going, and credit to him, the way he’s trained has been phenomenal.

“I can’t speak highly enough of him, I love him to bits, he’s a top pro, a top person and a great guy. That goal kind of showed how it, with how delighted everybody was for him.

“It’s not the goal, it’s the person that scores it. That’s why everyone is so happy.”

The win in South London was followed by back-to-back draws with Hull City and Sheffield United, as well as a home win over Norwich City to send the Reds into the March international break seventh, level on points with West Brom and the play-off places.

Although Manning’s side found themselves in a brilliant position, fans, pundits, and journalists alike were quick to point to the challenging nature of their run-in, which saw them face all of Burnley, Watford, West Brom, Sunderland and Leeds United in their final eight games. Many felt the weeks after the break would see City drift away from the top six race in an all-too-familiar fashion, but the head coach and his staff’s view was rather different.

“It kind of crept up on us a little bit, really,” Manning replied when asked when he really started to believe in his team’s play-off chances. “The first half of the season, we kind of chipped away, but we didn’t really put huge runs of results together. We drew a lot, which kept us ticking over and won the odd game.

Bristol City boss Liam Manning celebrates at Ashton Gate(Image: Steven Paston/PA Wire)

“Christmas put us in a good spot. The games against Plymouth, Luton, Portsmouth, that kind of kicked us a little bit and then after the international break, we had Watford, West Brom and Sunderland. You kind of knew, if you did okay in those games, you’d have half a chance, really.

“It was kind of that point when we put a decent run together that week, and all of a sudden, you’re like, we might actually have a chance here.”

Goals from Ross McCrorie and Nahki Wells proved to be enough to bypass Watford at Ashton Gate to set up what most viewed to be the season-defining meeting with West Brom. Tony Mowbray’s side had spent the entirety of the season up until that point in close proximity to the top six and were just three points adrift of the Reds heading into that Tuesday night in South Bristol.

After a cagey first 45 minutes, the night sprang into life as Wells cracked a long-range shot past Josh Griffiths in the Albion net with just 10 minutes of the second half played. Just as the belief began to spread around the home crowd, Alex Mowatt pulled the Baggies level following a mix-up between Cam Pring and Max O’Leary.

What followed was a spell of dominance from the away side. Time after time, they broke forward and asked questions of O’Leary and his defence, only for momentum to shift once more when Jayson Molumby was shown a straight red card for a foul on Williams with just stoppage time to play.

Ashton Gate rallied and as the clock ticked over into the sixth and final minute of injury time, Rob Dickie picked out Haydon Roberts in the Albion penalty area and he somehow squeezed a left-footed effort into the back of the net to send BS3 into pandemonium. In a season full of stand-out moments, that may have been the pick of the bunch.

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“West Brom for me was a really special one this season,” Manning smiled. “You only have to see how the staff celebrated it. We’re quite boring and calm most of the time, but I think we’ve been on the other end of so many of those this season, but that was one to go for us.

“With the importance of the game, the pressure because everyone knew that those teams were around us and if you don’t win it, it suddenly becomes a lot closer. That one was a really important special win.

“The game’s very much about that,” he continued. “Whether it be Haydon celebrating that goal, or whether it be the moment on the pitch after Preston.

“We’ve spoken a lot this year, and it might link back to some of my personal stuff, about where football sits and what it’s about in life. It’s very much about memories, it’s very much about people, and it’s the same when people come to games, right?

“We’ve been fortunate to have a fantastic support home and away. Some of those road trips, dads and sons, mums and sons, families together, going on those trips are creating memories, so even on a bad day, like West Brom away, you’re still creating a memory of sharing in that emotion and frustration together, which is a key thing.

Bristol City fans at Ashton Gate ahead of their play-off semi-final(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach Plc)

“It’s probably the bit I miss out on with my son at the minute because I can’t take him to football when I’m working a game. It’s been a very special season, I think, for creating lots of memories for lots of people.”

Ultimately, the Reds’ good run of form either side of the March international break ensured that Manning, his staff, the players and fans knew that a win over Preston on the final day of the season would end City’s 17-year absence from the play-offs. Of course, the Robins didn’t do things the easy way.

After going 2-0 down early in the second half, a McCrorie brace ensured the points were shared in a 2-2 draw and with Blackburn dropping points against Sheffield United minutes later, the celebrations could truly begin in BS3. Thousands of fans flooded onto the Ashton Gate turf, and after they were cleared, Manning was able to create one of those all-important memories with his son Isaac when the pair celebrated in front of Section 82 as they completed their lap of honour.

Despite the disappointing end to the season in the play-offs, where the Robins suffered a record 6-0 aggregate defeat to Sheffield United, City fans could be heard chanting their head coach’s name long after the full-time whistle in both the home leg at Ashton Gate and the away at Bramall Lane.

It may have taken him a bit longer than some, but the Robins’ faithful have well and truly taken to their head coach, and it is a feeling that is certainly reciprocated.

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“I’m privileged and I’ll never take that for granted in terms of the appreciation,” Manning responded when asked about the reception he received at Bramall Lane on Monday evening. “I’m hugely appreciative of the fans giving the lads everything.

“I thought they were phenomenal last night, turning out in those numbers, getting behind us, singing right until the end and supporting us right until the end, given everyone knew what a difficult challenge it was last night and even the game itself, the 90 minutes last night, how difficult it was.

“To show that support, the fans get it. I think they understand how much we’re punching, how well the lads have done this season and I think they’re probably just appreciating the fact that we’ve kind of re-ignited a bit of hope and excitement in turning up and watching football.”

What follows now is a much-needed break and one that the head coach is rightly relishing after what he has labelled the hardest year of his personal life, but the most rewarding of his professional career. For a little while, attention will turn away from on the pitch matters as Manning, the players and staff all rest, recharge and reflect on what has been a rollercoaster of a campaign.

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However, for the head coach, who is someone who self-admittedly “always wants more,” the challenge of what next season holds is already obvious.

“The group have done terrifically well. I’m so proud of what they’ve done and the efforts they’ve made, and I’m really proud of how the club have come together to create a really good season,” the City boss reflected. “But, going into next season, you have to make it better.

“That’s the challenge, you have to be able to improve it and move it forward in what is only going to be a harder division next season than what we faced this year.

“I think it’s a different pressure that the lads have felt that will only help them if they reflect on it properly,” he continued. “It will definitely stand them in good stead going forward.

“Then it’s about how do you progress the squad? How do you make it better? How do you keep the core that you need to? And ultimately, how do you move it forward?”

For now, however, everyone involved at Ashton Gate can take a step back and reflect on what has been the most memorable campaign in some supporters’ lifetimes.

Regardless of the end result, Manning, his staff and players have carved out their bit of City history.

Liam Manning: ‘Football is about people, special Bristol City season has created many memories’

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