'We're going for it' - George Tanner on winning ugly, Bristol City extension and play-off aim

George Tanner has played an integral role for Bristol City during their three-match winning run after the October international breakGeorge Tanner has been a regular starter for Bristol City in recent weeks(Image: Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

This summer was a period of change for everyone involved at Bristol City. Fresh off the back of securing a first top six finish in nearly two decades, the Reds lost and appointed a head coach, signed a handful of new players, and named a new CEO, all between two matches against Sheffield United, split by just 89 days.

Before any of that movement in and around BS3, however, two players put pen to paper on new contracts in the West Country. First, Cam Pring agreed to extend his stay with the Reds, and a day later, it was confirmed that George Tanner would remain a City player until the summer of 2028.

The 25-year-old, who joined the ranks at Ashton Gate from Carlisle United in the summer of 2021, had played a crucial role in Liam Manning’s side’s success in the run-up to, and during, the play-off campaign. By the time he made his first appearance after penning his new deal, though, Gerhard Struber had replaced the now-Norwich City boss in the dugout.

Given the way in which these things work, such a change came as a surprise to Tanner, as it did for supporters. But with 12 league games of the Austrian’s tenure now in the rear-view mirror, the defender is enjoying life under his new boss.

“I had my contract agreed towards the end of last season,” Tanner told Bristol Live at the High Performance Centre. “It wasn’t really released in the press until after the season was finished, so I didn’t have any idea about the ins and outs of the manager or anything like that.

“It’s hard to say where he ranks,” the defender continued on Struber. “I’m a fan of all the managers that I’ve worked for. Obviously, we did really well with Liam last year, but the gaffer’s been great. He’s a different kind of personality, which I think is a real strength of his.

“The way he speaks and the way he manages, I think you can almost see it on the pitch with the way the players have been playing,” he added. “He’s very passionate, and I think with our performances, you can almost see that.

“We want to play with passion and aggression.”

In the early stages of Struber’s tenure, that intensity has been clear on several occasions. During their wins over the Blades, Hull City, and Sheffield Wednesday in particular, the Robins’ gegenpressing style has been almost suffocating for the opposition, with players afforded license and freedom to cause organised chaos.

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

While such methods have proven successful, recent weeks have showcased a different face of the Austrian’s side. Against Norwich, Southampton, and Birmingham City since the October international break, City have dug in and ground out three consecutive wins – not through attacking fireworks, but grit and a will to win.

The fact that the slightly different approach has yielded such successful results has ensured that supporters have remained entertained, and for those out on the Ashton Gate pitch, the experience has been just as enjoyable.

“I think we’ve shown this [last] week that we’ve been really good at soaking up pressure, especially playing against teams that are going to have a lot of possession,” Tanner explained. “I do think it’s a real strength of ours that we’re able to sit in a low block and defend our goal.

“I think we’ve been so hard to break down because we’re playing against some really good players, and they haven’t been able to break us down, so I think it’s been a real strong point for us.

“It’s nice not to win in a pretty way,” he grinned. “We’ve definitely played better, but I think it says a lot about the team spirit we’ve got at the minute. We’re not playing well, but we’re all willing to fight and scrap for each other to get the three points. Saturday was a typical performance like that, everyone just grinding out a result, really.

“It doesn’t have to always be pretty. We don’t have to play well, but we’ve got a team that are willing to defend our goal, put bodies on the line, and give everything to get the three points.”

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Back-to-back Ashton Gate wins have helped further lift the mood of supporters, but it has been on their travels where City have, so far, been at their best. Only table-toppers Coventry City have picked up more points away from home in the second tier than Struber’s side this term, with the Reds claiming maximum points from three of their first five outings.

Despite the fact that the season is only a quarter of the way complete, the Robins are just a single win away from matching the four away victories they registered under Manning last year. Their first chance to meet that tally comes against Stoke City this weekend.

Given the Potters’ impressive start under Mark Robins this campaign, it will likely be far from simple for City at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Regardless of that fact, Tanner and his teammates will make the trip up the M5 and M6 with the same mindset they have already taken to Bramall Lane and Carrow Road in recent months.

On the Robins’ record away from BS3, Tanner said, “We’ve shown that we’ve been really good away from home, so we can take loads of confidence from the games we’ve already played.

“We can go to grounds and put in some really good performances; we made a statement win at the start of the season against Sheffield United, and something like that would be nice again on Saturday.

Scott Twine celebrates after scoring Bristol City’s opener at Sheffield United(Image: Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

“To be fair, there has been a shift [away from home],” the 25-year-old continued. “I remember when the gaffer first came in, he said, whether we’re at home or whether we’re away, we want to win every single game.

“So I think it is a bit of a mentality shift, but also, the game plan hasn’t really changed much, whether it’s a home game or an away game. Whenever we play away from home, we’re going for it; we want to win.

“It won’t be easy,” he added on Stoke. “They’ve started really well in the league as well, and we’ve just got to go and play how we’ve played in the last few games away from home. Give it everything, go with loads of energy, and just try to get a result again.”

If they’re able to claim all three points against the Potters, City could end the weekend sitting as high as second in the Championship, ahead of two games against Blackburn Rovers and Watford leading into the November international break.

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While the significance of analysing league tables in October and November can be debated, the early signs suggest Struber and his players are more than capable of competing at the right end of the division once again this year.

Of course, with 34 more games to be played and more than 100 points still up for grabs, nothing is remotely close to being decided. For Tanner and his teammates, however, the goal this term is crystal clear: top six.

“That’s what we’re aiming for and there’s definitely a belief within the squad that we can do it again,” he explained. “I think we’ve got a really strong team this year, and I think you can see that in the performances.

“We’ve not played anybody yet who has been out of our league; we’ve been very strong, I think. The ambition is the same, we want to make the play-offs, we want to be as high up the table as we can.”

‘We’re going for it’ – George Tanner on winning ugly, Bristol City extension and play-off aim

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