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<\/p>\nBristol Live sat down for an exclusive interview with Bristol City legend and new Under-21s head coach Louis Carey<\/p>\n
17:00, 19 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
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Bristol City’s record appearance-maker Louis Carey is now the Young Robins’ head coach(Image: Rogan\/ Bristol City and Getty Images)<\/p>\n
“I never wanted to get any job or didn’t want to get any job because I played here,” Louis Carey tells Bristol Live<\/a>, midway through an interview conducted in the mouth of the tunnel in Ashton Gate’s Lansdown Stand. “I wanted it on merit.<\/p>\n “I think that’s what’s happened with the feedback, in the end. I’m delighted to be back.”<\/p>\n Bristol City’s record appearance-maker is speaking after his first league game in charge of the Robins’ Under-21s side<\/a>. Nearly 13 years after his last outing in BS3 as a player, Carey has returned to south Bristol<\/a> to help others navigate the pathway he trod as an academy prospect three decades ago.<\/p>\n It is a return that, in the minds of most supporters, has been long overdue<\/a>. Ultimately, in what has proven to be a summer of mass change at Ashton Gate, the appointment of Carey has offered a hint of familiarity at the start of a new era.<\/p>\n “It was a long time ago,” the 49-year-old explains when asked when discussions over a potential return first began. “There was a lot of change at the club, and I met Charlie Boss just after he had come in.<\/p>\n “It was literally just a conversation with him finding out about me, finding out about my thoughts on the club, and saying that there were going to be a lot of things happening. He asked if anything came up, would I be interested?<\/p>\n “The long and short of it is that I believe things always sort of happen organically. For me, it was one of those where, once I had left Southampton and Forest Green, I needed to be at home with the family for a little while, for a year or so. If something happened, it happened. If it didn’t, I wasn’t going to go chasing jobs here, there and everywhere.<\/p>\n “Then James Ellis came in, and I had a conversation with him. Then there was just so much change, so there were a couple of roles, a couple of opportunities that came up, that we spoke about applying for, and interviewing for.”<\/p>\n Bristol City will be hoping new manager Michael Skubala is the man who can lead them up the table and you won’t miss a beat with our free newsletter.<\/p>\n All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Robins, delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n It’s completely free and you can sign up HERE<\/a><\/p>\n The position as head coach of the Young Robins was Carey’s ultimate destination. City’s Under-21s had been without a permanent boss since the departure of Dennis Baraznowski<\/a> in April, with former midfielder Joe Morrell taking interim charge for the final few games of the season.<\/p>\n Baraznowski had arrived alongside Gerhard Struber and left shortly after the Austrian’s sacking<\/a>. Morrell had formed part of his coaching staff before stepping up on a temporary basis, all while Carey had been in and around BS3 as a regular on Robins TV.<\/p>\n Having now traded the Ashton Gate studio for the home dugout and a parking space at the Robins High Performance Centre, the former defender has made a conscious effort to be grateful for the opportunity ahead of him, even if there hasn’t been time for too much excitement so far.<\/p>\n Louis Carey is announced as Bristol City U21 head coach(Image: Rogan\/Bristol City)<\/p>\n “Do you know what? I said to the players beforehand how I feel blessed whenever I turn up at the training ground and work in a beautiful place with a beautiful environment,” he smiles. “You’ve got the woods in the background and these beautiful green pitches that are looked after by the groundsmen.<\/p>\n “Then I feel blessed to be able to work with good footballers and really good staff. Then, I just tried to link it to this game by talking about getting to coach at Ashton Gate, and for those guys to play at Ashton Gate.<\/p>\n “I just want them to try and tap into that at times for themselves; I want to see if they’ve got an appreciation for where they are and if they feel happy and blessed that they’re having these opportunities, rather than just taking it for granted and everything. At times, I’m just trying to tap into that with them.”<\/p>\n Asked if he has – like his players – been able to stop and relish his return to his boyhood club, Carey continues. “At the moment, I think things are so sort of frantic, chaotic and hectic and probably a lot of that’s because of the transfer window.<\/p>\n “We have never got a settled team or group of players to work with, and there are meetings and this and that, so it just feels a little bit chaotic at this minute and time.<\/p>\n “I’d imagine once it settles down, and I have a couple of Sundays off every now and again, there might be a little time to breathe and go, ‘God, yeah.’ Listen, my family have said it’s special and they like it; I just haven’t really had time to sort of think about it yet.<\/p>\n “I’ve more gone along the lines of the appreciation for the opportunity.”<\/p>\n Carey was the fourth coaching appointment made at the Robins High Performance Centre during the off-season after almost the entirety of the first-team staff were altered, following the conclusion of Roy Hodgson’s interim tenure<\/a>.<\/p>\n Michael Skubala was named as the Reds’ new manager, just weeks after he guided Lincoln City to the League One title. The 43-year-old has been joined in the West Country by former Forest Green Rovers and MK Dons boss Ian Burchnall<\/a>, and ex-Arsenal and QPR coach Neil Banfield<\/a>.<\/p>\n (Image: Nick Potts\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n Carey and Skubala’s paths have crossed in the past, and while the pair have never worked under one roof, as they will over the coming years – should all go to plan – their similarities extend beyond their routes to the Robins’ dugout.<\/p>\n “I bumped into Michael a couple of times when he was with England Under-18s, and I was with the Welsh Under-18s, in Croatia and a couple of different places,” he recounts. “Then also when he was taking the Leeds B-Team, and I was taking the Southampton B-Team, with Dave Horseman.<\/p>\n “We sort of bumped into each other a couple of times then, but not since he’s been at Lincoln. This has been the first time since.<\/p>\n “It’s interesting because a lot of his beliefs and philosophies sort of mirror mine. It’s nice that we can drip-feed some of the manager’s way, some of my way, and some of the academy way into the Under-21s.<\/p>\n “There will have been loads of experiences, from playing and working under loads of different managers alongside your football beliefs and what you like and love watching,” Carey continues when asked where his philosophy comes from.<\/p>\n “Then, on top of that, going away, working at Southampton, where it was a certain model coming through the system with the academy, and a certain model in the first team. All these little bits mould your football philosophy and everything. That’s the stage I’m at now.”<\/p>\n Carey takes charge of the final step of an academy pathway that has found itself in an interesting position in recent seasons.<\/p>\n The Robins’ youth system has been famed for producing players like Joe Bryan, Bobby Reid, Lloyd Kelly, Alex Scott, Tommy Conway, Antoine Semenyo and Sam Bell in recent memory<\/a>. Since the likes of Conway, Bell and Scott emerged, however, progress has been slightly more stunted.<\/p>\n Leo Pecover, Olly Thomas, Elijah Morrison and Ephraim Yeboah all featured in first-team fixtures last term, but were unable to hold down regular roles under both Struber and Hodgson. Other than Bell and Cam Pring, none of City’s ‘own’ have been included in Skubala’s first two competitive squads<\/a> as Reds manager.<\/p>\n With a relatively young Under-21s group at his disposal, Carey and his staff’s ultimate goal is to strengthen that pathway, an improvement that could help City as much off the field as it could on it.<\/p>\n Elijah Morrison of Bristol City and Lisav Eissat of Bristol City arrive ahead of the Pre Season match between Plymouth Argyle and Bristol City at Home Park, Plymouth on 1 August 2026 (Photo: Phil Mingo\/PPAUK)<\/p>\n “Our job is to help transition the players into some kind of first-team football somewhere,” the former defender explains. “What loan at what level? Who knows?<\/p>\n “Let’s use Marley [Thelwell] as an example. It might be that Marley stays with us until Christmas, so he’s under the manager’s eyes, yet he’s still getting game time with us. It might be that a loan comes in January, or it might be that something happens [sooner].<\/p>\n “What the hierarchy wants with each player, we’ll pretty much get told – we’ll have a little say in it, or an opinion on it – but that’s up to recruitment and everything. They’ll have plans for what they want for each player, but the important thing for us is that they hit numbers that sort of mirror first-team game numbers, and then, when they go and play at a Football League level, it’s not too much stress and strain on their body.<\/p>\n “I think in the past, we’ve probably had a lot of injuries when lads have gone out on loan, so it’s trying to mirror our game model to what a first-team match might look like.”<\/p>\n But what does success look like at a point where the standard of Championship football is as good as it has been in recent memory?<\/p>\n “To get as many players through the system and either playing for our first team, adding value to our football club or having a football career while ultimately, hopefully, becoming a better person,” Carey replies, simply.<\/p>\n “There’s a little connection there of those four; whatever one it is, I think that’s success. Ultimately, though, the big success would be players playing in our first team or players being of value to the football club.”<\/p>\n Talk of long-term goals may be a little premature after what was the Young Robins’ first Professional Development League game of the campaign, an entertaining draw with Wigan Athletic.<\/p>\n An Excellent Ikpeama brace had given Carey’s side a two-goal lead shortly after the half-hour mark, but strikes from Elijah Igiehon and Henry Miller either side of the break pulled the visitors level. While City came closest to a winner, they were reduced to ten and the points were shared when Ruebin Sheppard was shown a second yellow card.<\/p>\n It was an afternoon where the likes of Rhys Knight, Billy O’Neill, Ikpeama and Taine Anderson showed their quality<\/a>, but more importantly, an outing that provided some valuable learning for those still in the early stages of their Reds education.<\/p>\n “I think whether it’s Under-18s, first-team, or Under-21s football, no two halves are the same, are they?” Carey grins. “It’s then about trying to educate boys about how you come out for the start of the game, or how you come out for the second half with a real focus or intent of what might happen, i.e. dealing with long balls and so on and so on.<\/p>\n “At times today, we struggled when dealing with their sort of direct play and their deep runs in behind us; however, on the flip side of that, when we did bring the ball to the floor, and we played, I thought we’d play some brilliant football.<\/p>\n “At times in the first half, we could have run away with the game. Then, again, the pressure that you then put on the players, or the demands that you then put on the players, is, ‘You’ve got to score, boys.’ If we want to put you in front of the manager, or we want to put you in front of places to go on loan, you’ve got to start adding goals.<\/p>\n Join Bristol City Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n Bristol City Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n Through the app, we\u2019ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. 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