Bristol City give fans reason to be excited as Reds show 'different face' to pass Riis-less test

Bristol Live’s stand-out talking points from Bristol City’s 1-0 Championship win over Birmingham City at Ashton Gate

Dan Carter is the Bristol City reporter at Bristol Live. He joined the title in November 2024 having previously been a football reporter at Breaking Media. Before that, he was a sports journalism student at the University of Gloucestershire where he also covered the Robins whilst on placement. In his role, he wants to keep supporters informed with the latest news in and around Ashton Gate whether that be on matchdays, during transfer windows or everything in between.

Gerhard Struber has enjoyed an impressive start to life as Bristol City head coach(Image: Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Nobody will likely be able to sum up Bristol City’s win over Birmingham City better than Gerhard Struber himself. Having watched his side secure a third straight Championship win on Saturday afternoon, the Reds boss was left “super happy,” but quickly admitted that the previous hour and a half had produced “not always sexy football.”

You would have done well to find anyone of a red and white persuasion, including the head coach himself, who cared about the attractiveness of the performance when referee James Linington put the whistle to his lips to signal full-time. It may not have been sexy, but this was a display full of grit, determination, and desire.

In a game of little quality, the Robins produced the one moment needed to win the game, when, on 42 minutes, Sinclair Armstrong scored his first goal in more than 10 months, and what proved to be the winner.

Having been fed behind the Birmingham backline by a smart Rob Atkinson pass, the 22-year-old pulled ahead of his marker, drove into the left side of the penalty area, and moved his body around the ball. Before James Beadle could get down to his left, Armstrong’s shot had rolled into the bottom corner, and the BS3 crowd were on their feet.

Whereas in previous weeks, a City goal has been followed by a bombardment of attacking football in a bid to further extend the advantage, this time around, it was something to hold on to. While the Robins had their moments, the remainder of the contest was a case of all hands on deck in a bid to keep Chris Davies’ side out.

At the time, things felt far from comfortable with the clock seemingly ticking along in slow motion during the closing exchanges. On reflection, however, the Reds saw things out without ever looking like being pegged back.

Will it be one that features heavily in Birmingham’s next documentary? For a couple of reasons, I doubt it, but for the Reds, it was the perfect end to what has been an excellent week.

With a bit more rest and recovery time before next weekend’s trip to Stoke City, Struber and his players will likely be relishing the chance to put their feet up after a busy few days. Before attention starts to turn to the Potters, though, here are the stand-out talking points from City’s 1-0 win over Birmingham…

Sinclair Armstrong sees Bristol City pass Emil Riis-less test

Wins against Norwich City and Southampton immediately after the October international break meant that for Bristol City, Saturday’s game against Birmingham City didn’t feel quite as big as it may have done had it come off the back of dropped points. Of course, Gerhard Struber, the players, and fans will have wanted another three points, but it certainly didn’t feel like a ‘must-win.’

For one man in particular, however, it felt like a huge afternoon. After two impressive cameos from the bench, Sinclair Armstrong was handed his chance to show that he can be the sort of striker the Robins need, as he made his first Championship start in nearly seven months in the absence of Emil Riis.

The fact that the forward’s final action at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon was taking a selfie in front of Section 82 should be enough alone to demonstrate that the 22-year-old grabbed that chance with both hands. Yes, he scored what proved to be the winner, but his performance was about so much more than just his goal.

In a manner in which we’ve seen Riis do time and time again, the Ireland international held the ball up brilliantly before linking up with his teammates. On more than one occasion, he controlled balls stung into his feet and found one of Anis Mehmeti, Neto Borges, or Ross McCrorie with passes that were far from simple. His outside of the boot effort to Borges in the first half was the pick of the bunch.

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On top of that, he worked hard out of possession, as demonstrated by the fact that it was the forward who headed a free-kick clear from inside the Robins’ penalty area midway through the second half.

But, as Struber has said himself previously, a striker’s job is to score goals, and, in the past, Armstrong hasn’t done that job often enough. Against Blues, however, he took the one chance that fell his way with the aplomb you expect from Mehmeti or Scott Twine as he steadied himself, opened his body, and rolled into the bottom right corner.

“The moment that he has today, you can frame it, and we train exactly that,” Struber said on Armstrong’s goal after the full-time whistle. “We let him run with the pace and with a bigger distance many, many times in the training to our goal and finishing; many, many finishing moments.”

Now, as Struber himself explained post-match, one swallow does not a summer make. It is clear that this has to be the start of a good run of form from Armstrong rather than a flash in the pan, but in the same way his cameo at Norwich City served as a reminder he still had a part to play in this City team as a substitute, the 22-year-old’s display on Saturday showed that – at his best – he can be more than a super sub. When he plays like that, he is a more than able backup for Riis.

Away from the footballing side of things, it was brilliant to see the smile on the Ireland international’s face both after he scored and when he embraced the fans late on. He deserved that moment.

Attack wins you games, defence wins you…

If you look at the scoresheet alone, it will suggest that it was Sinclair Armstrong’s goal that saw Bristol City over the line against Birmingham City. While that is true, to a degree, anyone who watched what unfolded at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon will likely be in agreement that the Robins’ work at the other end of the field was just as, if not more, important in claiming all three points.

Despite having just 28 per cent of possession, the lowest share of the ball the Reds have had in a home game under Gerhard Struber, City defended in a manner which meant that Radek Vitek was able to leave BS3 with a fifth clean sheet of the campaign, having not made a single save over the course of the 90 minutes.

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The Manchester United loanee was involved, as he commanded his penalty area brilliantly, but it was the performances of George Tanner, Rob Dickie, and Rob Atkinson ahead of him that truly stood out.

Whenever Chris Davies’ side swung a ball into the box, it was one of their heads that met it. Whenever Birmingham got a shot away, one of the three defenders threw their body in the way. Whenever it felt like a leveller could be on its way, the backline intervened.

“In the end, we defend our box on a really high level,” Struber said post-match. “I could not remember, in the end, that they had such big chances with all the possession that they had. I can remember one time when they shot across goal and over the crossbar, but not much more.”

So much has, rightly I should add, been made about the Reds’ attacking quality under Struber, but their defensive solidity has perhaps gone under the radar. After 12 games, only Charlton Athletic, Stoke City, Middlesbrough, and Coventry City have conceded fewer goals than the Robins in the second tier, and only the Sky Blues have kept more clean sheets than City’s five.

When, as a side, you’re conceding less than a goal a game, you will – more often than not – have a very, very good chance of claiming at least a point in the majority of matches you play. At the moment, that is the case for the Robins, and with the combination of Vitek, Tanner, Dickie, and Atkinson, you would be surprised if that changes any time soon.

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The fact that Atkinson, in particular, is also able to contribute in an attacking sense with passes like the one he produced to assist Armstrong on Saturday is merely a bonus. It should be noted that Dickie did similar – with the aid of a deflection – against Southampton on Tuesday.

In the pair of ‘Big Robs’ and Tanner, Struber has a backline capable of frustrating opponents and securing points at either end of the field. Not to mention the fact that this current back three is arguably missing its most consistent performer from last term, Zak Vyner, as well as Luke McNally.

The ‘different faces’ of Gerhard Struber’s Bristol City

If the majority of Bristol City supporters were asked to describe Gerhard Struber’s footballing style after his first four months or so in charge at Ashton Gate, I would imagine words and phrases such as gegenpressing, merciless moments, front-foot and transitions would be among those most commonly used.

While all of the above are aspects of ‘Struberball’ – as City fans have affectionately dubbed it – Saturday’s win over Birmingham was further evidence that the Austrian’s footballing philosophy isn’t fixed, as it was defensive grit and determination that instead saw the Robins over the line.

Unlike so many modern managers and head coaches, Struber doesn’t appear to be married to one way of playing or one system; instead, he makes tweaks and changes depending on the occasion and opposition.

Against the Blues, he was happy for his players to drop deeper into what he viewed as a flat back five, a different approach to the one used at Norwich City a week ago, where the wing-backs – on that day Ross McCrorie and Neto Borges – were among the Reds’ most advanced players.

Although all three games the Robins have played since the October international break came to an end have produced the same outcome, three points, City have approached them in vastly different ways. Of course, factors outside of Struber and his players’ control will have played a part in that, such as the momentum of games, but it has by no means been unplanned.

“I am very, very happy that we have maximised everything results-wise,” the head coach told Bristol Live on his side’s results since the international break. “And also, that we showed, in the games, different settings, different faces as to how we can deal with different opponents and with different styles.

“The boys have done it to a really good level, and this is also for me, super good to see how mature this team is to realise that.”

Perhaps one of the criticisms most often levelled at Liam Manning and City last season was the fact that they were too predictable and, at times, one-dimensional. The same cannot be said this term, as demonstrated by the fact that Chris Davies admitted after the full-time whistle on Saturday that he didn’t expect his side to have as much of the ball as they ultimately did.

Having an identity is fine and simply part of modern football, but being able to adapt in that identity to the conditions you find yourselves in is what helps the good teams become great teams. This last week has shown that Struber and his players can adapt, both between games and during them, in a way that can surprise their opposition and maximise their ability to pick up points.

Can Bristol City fans start getting excited?

Perhaps it is because we don’t want to be the ones to tempt fate, or maybe it is because we are all keen not to get caught out when or if things go wrong, but all of us involved in football – whether as journalists, supporters, players or managers – never like to get ahead of ourselves.

Look back through interviews conducted with Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber, Scott Twine, Neto Borges, Emil Riis, and many others, and you will notice that while they’re all open about their ambition to compete for the play-offs places and reach the Premier League, they all tend to follow it with the same caveat: There’s still a long way to go.

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Granted, that is completely fair and correct. Between now and May, there are still 34 Championship matches to play and, in turn, 102 points up for grabs. The fact that the Robins find themselves fourth after 12 games means very little in the grand scheme of things.

However, those 12 matches represent a quarter of the season and, from my perspective, that is a big enough section of the campaign to begin to at least glance at the table. In those 12 games, the Reds have played one of last season’s play-off finalists, two teams that were playing Premier League football last term, a handful of Championship stalwarts, and now, the League One champions.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing, but Struber’s side are in the play-off places, just six points off the top, three clear of seventh, and 13 away from the relegation zone, having lost only twice. It isn’t getting ahead of yourself to suggest that the Reds have enjoyed a very good start and one that I would imagine most fans would have been more than happy had they been offered it before a ball had been kicked – or on the day Liam Manning’s exit was confirmed.

Does City’s current position mean that they’re a shoo-in for the top six? Of course, not, but it has given everyone a reason to be excited for what more could come. This team and its head coach are hungry for more, and with so many key players currently ruled out, there could be another gear or two to hit yet.

I wouldn’t be booking those train tickets to and hotels in and around Wembley just yet, but I think everyone has every right to have a glance at the table and smile over the coming days.

OPINION

Bristol City give fans reason to be excited as Reds show ‘different face’ to pass Riis-less test

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