Gerhard Struber orders an espresso and scans the food counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should have a mince pie each,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Struber must be tired. It was late when he left Ashton Gate last night after a 2-2 draw with Leicester City that featured a stirring second-half comeback.<\/p>\n
There were post-match conversations with players, staff, the media and the owner to digest, plus the game itself to dissect, as well as another Championship match to think about, against league leaders Coventry City, in less than 72 hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cI drive away with all this information,\u201d Struber says. \u201cAnd when I sit in my car, it\u2019s the first time that I\u2019m alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally, I call home, but it was not possible because it was midnight in Austria. So I get back, and then I reflect on the game. I look at some clips before bed. Sometimes the night is long. It\u2019s two or three in the morning before I go to sleep. This morning it was 02:30.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Strubermincepie-scaled.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\n \u2018I think we should have a mince pie each,\u2019 says Struber (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n
Half-time felt pivotal against Leicester. Trailing 2-0, Bristol City were in trouble.<\/p>\n
I show Struber a message posted on social media early in the second half, when his team had already pulled a goal back.<\/p>\n
\u2018Struber\u2019s put an absolute rocket up them at half-time.\u2019<\/p>\n
Struber smiles and shakes his head. He was \u201csuper angry and disappointed\u201d after the first half, he says, but there were no fireworks in the dressing room. Instead, Struber talks about \u201ca healing process\u201d.<\/p>\n
He did what he always does at half-time: left the players alone for a few minutes while he talked to his analyst. That space, Struber says, is good for everyone. \u201cThe boys have the chance to speak in the dressing room without coaches. They cannot sit and say nothing. They are confronted with themselves and this, I would say, is really healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I come in, go to every player, a small handshake, and I start my speech.\u201d<\/p>\n
A handshake with every player, even when losing 2-0?<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery player,\u201d Struber replies. \u201cI want to look him in the eye, see a commitment. Also, when something goes wrong, or something goes great, we always have the same routines.\u201d<\/p>\n
The motivational messages, tactical tweaks and double substitution worked. Bristol City scored within 60 seconds, equalised seven minutes from time, and came close to a winner.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2251234451-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Emil Riis Jakobsen on the ball as Bristol City battle back from 2-0 down against Leicester (Michael Steele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
But that excellent second-half performance wasn\u2019t the only thing to give Struber food for thought today.<\/p>\n
Four players \u2014 Struber\u2019s \u201cleaders\u201d \u2014 came to see him this morning to discuss the training ground menu. \u201cIt was Jason Knight, Rob Dickie, Adam Randell, and Anis Mehmeti, and they were crystal clear: \u2018Coach, we can\u2019t eat that. It\u2019s not fun\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Struber laughs at their polite indignation.<\/p>\n
Is he a manager who doesn\u2019t like players having tomato ketchup?<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but it\u2019s not only ketchup and mayonnaise. We sometimes have food with tasty sauces and, of course, the players like it, but it\u2019s not always healthy. So we changed it, and the outcome was the players aren\u2019t going to lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
That left Struber with a decision to make. \u201cI could be a little bit stupid and stubborn and say, \u2018No, we go my way\u2019. But when I have bad energy in the end because the players are not eating, it\u2019s a lose-lose.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, firstly, I told them I\u2019m very happy that the boys are so open with me. But, at the same time, they know we have to change a bit, so we met in the middle. In management, you have to compromise sometimes. My chef is happy, my players are happy, and I can also live with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
December 13: Coventry 1-0 Bristol City<\/p>\n
Thursday, December 18, Bristol City centre: The running man and sliding doors<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s 7pm and we\u2019re pounding the streets of Bristol, over cobbles, up and down steps, around the harbourside, and weaving in and out of the Christmas partygoers spilling out of the pubs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not easy with all the games in England to find time to go running every day,\u201d Struber says. \u201cBut today I went running in the morning, then I had a short slot in the afternoon, so I went for 25 minutes, and now we go again.\u201d<\/p>\n Struber is football management\u2019s answer to Forrest Gump.<\/p>\n Running has become a way of life for him ever since he took over as the New York Red Bulls head coach in 2020 and realised that living in a hotel, working long hours, and ordering pizza was a bad combination.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter three weeks, I looked in the mirror and thought: \u2018This is not my expectation of me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Struber started running. And didn\u2019t stop. \u201cEvery day,\u201d he says. \u201cI was so fit that I went running with my boys (the team) in Central Park and I was on the same level as the top players.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Struber has been known to go running three times in one day (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n In Struber\u2019s eyes, the benefits are far-reaching. \u201cWhen I run, I always get good ideas. I think, \u2018Tomorrow in this speech, I want to go a little bit in this way\u2019, or, \u2018I have to speak to that player\u2019. But also, my condition is so important for my work energy and how I am in front of my players \u2014 this influences them.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked to elaborate, Struber says: \u201cI think players look at you. They watch you. You are always a bit of a role model. Actually, I would say the whole club is always looking a little bit at the manager: how he\u2019s dealing with things, what he\u2019s saying, how he acts. And this is always the way when you\u2019re a leader. It was the same in the Allianz group.\u201d<\/p>\n Allianz is a big part of Struber\u2019s backstory. After retiring as a professional footballer, he spent eight years working for the German insurer, managing a team of salespeople. He was highly regarded, loved his job, and had no plans to leave. But football and fate intervened.<\/p>\n Christoph Freund, his former team-mate and now the sporting director at Bayern Munich, met him for lunch one afternoon. \u201cI said to Christoph, \u2018Hey, Kuchl, my village team, is playing \u2014 should we go?\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Kuchl, playing in Austria\u2019s fourth tier at the time, lost the match, but Struber got a tap on the shoulder afterwards. \u201cI know the head of sport and he said, \u2018Gerhard, please, we are last in the table. Can you help us? Only for four games\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018I have no time\u2019. But then I thought, \u2018No, for four games, come on\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Struber smiles. \u201cWe won three and drew one. I thought: \u2018Well, what is this?!\u2019 I felt I made an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Four games turned into the end of the season. The end of the season turned into the start of another. Kuchl kept improving and Struber, coaching three times a week in between working for Allianz, was hooked. \u201cOnly in sports can you create emotion like that \u2014 it triggered me completely,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n But the real sliding-doors moment came later, in 2013, when Kuchl played a friendly against Red Bull Salzburg. With Ralf Rangnick, Salzburg\u2019s sporting director, looking on from the stands, Kuchl went toe-to-toe with the best team in Austria, pressing them relentlessly. \u201cIt was 0-0 at half-time. We played really good,\u201d Struber says.<\/p>\n Rangnick asked for a meeting afterwards and ended up offering Struber a job as Salzburg\u2019s under-15 coach. \u201cHe said, \u2018You would get a three-year contract\u2019 \u2014 and this was a really good contract.\u201d<\/p>\n Struber was torn. \u201cI had a top job at Allianz. I asked my wife: \u2018What should I do?\u2019. She said: \u2018What would you do if you only had one year to live?\u2019. Then it\u2019s 100 per cent I go to football. So I jumped back in.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019ll never forget when I had to tell my boss at Allianz. He invested so much in me. I can see the tears in his eyes, but also in my eyes. I would say deep in his soul he felt, \u2018That\u2019s good for you\u2019. But many other people thought, \u2018Is he crazy? Does he have no responsibility for his family going to the world of football?\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n I think he\u2019s crazy for running three times in one day.<\/p>\n \u201cSixteen kilometres,\u201d Struber says as we get back to where we started.<\/p>\n Saturday, December 20, Ashton Gate: Blue jeans day<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNot good news,\u201d Struber says as he opens his office door at the training ground. \u201cRadek Vitek had a bad knee injury yesterday in training. He needs surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n On loan from Manchester United, Vitek is Bristol City\u2019s first-choice goalkeeper. His absence feels like a huge blow, especially the timing. Second-placed Middlesbrough are visiting today, the busy festive schedule is coming into view, and Struber already has lots of injuries.<\/p>\n How many players are out?<\/p>\n \u201cLook behind you,\u201d Struber says, pointing to a whiteboard with passport-sized photos of every player in the squad.<\/p>\n The eight injured players are grouped together.<\/p>\n Struber shrugs. \u201cThis is football and you have to deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Bristol City\u2019s injury list grew as the fixture schedule became more challenging (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n It\u2019s 12:45, two and a quarter hours before kick-off. Struber has been at the training ground since 08:30. The players arrived much later, initially for a set-piece meeting. Struber attaches a lot of importance to throw-ins, in particular how to recycle the ball through rotations, and finds it strange that some coaches are more preoccupied with goal kicks, bearing in mind there are so many more throw-ins in a match.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the same when we speak about on-ball moments for a player,\u201d he adds. \u201cHow long do you think is the average time that players are on the ball in the Premier League?\u201d<\/p>\n I guess two minutes. \u201cIt\u2019s only one minute,\u201d Struber replies. \u201cAnd then you have 89 minutes without the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Having glanced at the tactics board, I notice Bristol City are set up in a 4-3-2-1 formation.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we have Christmas, and we play with the Christmas tree,\u201d Struber says, smiling. \u201cThe system is a little bit different, but I think this could work on a really good level today.\u201d<\/p>\n Struber looks at his watch \u2014 we need to leave for the stadium. The players travel by coach from the training ground, but Struber drives his car for the 10-minute journey.<\/p>\n With all the planning over, I wonder how he\u2019s feeling. \u201cExcited,\u201d he replies. \u201cThis is a big chance to send a statement. But it\u2019s not always about sending a statement outside; it\u2019s also for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a beautiful December day, so much so that Struber puts his sunglasses on in the car. He\u2019s also wearing blue jeans and white trainers, which is an unusual look for a manager on a matchday in England.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that!\u201d Struber says, laughing. \u201cI got many messages about my jeans after the Southampton game, which was the first time I\u2019d worn them here. The fans gave me great appreciation for that. It\u2019s normal to coach a team in Austria or Germany wearing this. But not here.<\/p>\n \u201cI think every coach must have his own way. Sometimes I see Championship coaches go to matches like they\u2019re getting married, in a suit, but that\u2019s not me. I feel good with jeans, I feel good with sneakers. I remember when I did it at Barnsley and one fan said, \u2018You look like you came from the pub to the stadium!\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \n \u2018I got many messages about my jeans after the Southampton game,\u2019 says Struber (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n As we pull into Ashton Gate, some supporters spot Struber. His biggest fan, however, is wearing a high-vis jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cGerhard!\u201d says a steward, offering a handshake as Struber winds down the window.<\/p>\n \u201cHello. How are you?\u201d Struber asks.<\/p>\n \u201cGerhard, you\u2019re my best friend after that little scrap against Millwall,\u201d the steward says. \u201cYou have gone so much higher in my estimations. You have a good day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Struber says, smiling and not quite knowing what else to say in response to the mention of a mass brawl that took place at the end of the Millwall game a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n Struber parks and grabs his bag. \u201cI hope we can celebrate today,\u201d he says. \u201cBut you know this will not be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n Three hours later: Bristol City 2-0 Middlesbrough Sunday, December 28, Bristol City\u2019s training ground: Have bag will travel\u2026 far away from Salzburg<\/strong><\/p>\n A half-opened suitcase rests next to Struber\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n \u201cI always live out of that,\u201d he says, laughing. \u201cWe travel a lot. We came from West Brom. We go to London today to play Millwall tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Struber also went to Austria earlier in the week to see his family, returning to Bristol on Christmas Day for a training session 24 hours before the Boxing Day game at West Brom.<\/p>\n The festive schedule is relentless \u2014 four fixtures in 10 days \u2014 meaning there is little opportunity to spend time with those close to him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a really big family and Christmas is the only chance that everyone, including my parents and my parents-in-law, sit at the table together,\u201d Struber says. \u201cIt has a big value in my family, so this year was not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Struber largely lived out of a suitcase over the busy Christmas period (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n Lisa, Struber\u2019s wife, and their two children, Simona, 24, and Bastian, 16, live in Salzburg. It\u2019s tough being apart \u2014 Struber misses the little things, like being able to drive his son to football, or having breakfast as a family.<\/p>\n But moving everyone over from Austria makes little sense. \u201cMy wife is working there. My son is in school in Salzburg, and my daughter is working in an elementary school, like a teacher,\u201d he explains. \u201cI could bring them out and after three months, maybe without the results we want, the club say, \u2018Gerhard, please search for a new club\u2019. My family know that the football world of a head coach is not romantic.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s natural to think that life was perfect for them all when Struber was managing Red Bull Salzburg during the 2023-24 season, but nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n \u201cI came back from America and thought, \u2018Well, now I can work at home, be together with my kids, and have a Champions League club in front of my house\u2019. But this, in the end, was really difficult,\u201d says Struber, who lost his job in April 2024, with Salzburg joint top of the table but out of form.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you now that I would always \u2014 and especially for my family \u2014 work a big distance away from my home city because of how people were bringing, without boundaries, criticism to me or to my kids. That was so bad in Salzburg. My kids can do nothing about it \u2014 their father is a football coach \u2014 but they got so much s*** on social media about me.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Struber says there have been times in management when he has felt worse for his children after a defeat than he does for himself, \u201cbecause I know what questions they have to answer when I lose\u201d.<\/p>\n Financially, the job is rewarding. But clearly, there are huge sacrifices, too. I wonder whether Struber\u2019s children ever asked their father if he could go back to doing something different to allow him to spend more time with them.<\/p>\n \u201cNever,\u201d he replies. \u201cSimona and Bastian know what the job means for me. At the same time, I would say we have really high-quality time when we come together. Maybe when you do things every day, you don\u2019t have the same appreciation that we have for that.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the solution is that my family visit me here, and I nearly always find a slot in the international break to go home. It\u2019s normal in our Struber family world.\u201d<\/p>\n December 29: Millwall 2-1 Bristol City Thursday, January 8, The Orchard Inn, Bristol: Cider, flying, and promotion<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn Bristol, it\u2019s like a religion,\u201d Struber says.<\/p>\n Standing by the bar at The Orchard Inn, Struber is talking about cider \u2014 a drink that is a staple diet of West Country life and deeply embedded in the fan culture at Bristol City, too.<\/p>\n \n Struber partakes in the Bristol \u2018religion\u2019\u2026 cider (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n \u2018Drink Up Thy Zider\u2019, by Adge Cutler & The Wurzels, is played at Ashton Gate after every victory, and \u2018Gerhard Struber\u2019s Cider Army\u2019 is a regular chant from the stands.<\/p>\n None of that, however, helps either of us to know where to start with choosing one of the 17 different varieties of cider listed on the blackboard in a backstreet pub that first opened its doors in 1834.<\/p>\n \u201cSome stories have happened here,\u201d Struber says, looking around.<\/p>\n Struber goes on to tell a surprising one about himself, but not before a local has talked us into sampling what he\u2019s drinking.<\/p>\n \u201cGive it a try, it\u2019s fizzy,\u201d the man says, holding up a full glass.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Natch, a dry, strong cider.<\/p>\n Struber takes a sip and shakes his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t like it?\u201d asks the man, laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Absolutely not!\u201d Struber says.<\/p>\n \n A local tries to get Struber to try a pint of Natch (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n In the end, we both order a pint of Ember \u2013 spiced cider with blackberry \u2013 and take a seat.<\/p>\n Some football managers make little connection with the area where they work, but Struber\u2019s relationship with Bristol goes well beyond travelling between his apartment and the training ground.<\/p>\n This pub, close to the marina but hidden away and probably unknown to a lot of Bristolians, is familiar territory for him following a stroll with a colleague in pre-season.<\/p>\n \u201cI like the city,\u201d Struber says. \u201cTo run on the harbourside, I feel the history with the big ship, the SS Great Britain. And, of course, I feel that there are many people in the city who love football, who love Bristol City.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the stadium, they sing \u2018Struber\u2019s Cider Army\u2019. When you hear that, it gives you the feedback: \u2018Hey, they like me, they appreciate the football we play\u2019. But I\u2019m not a dreamer. When you work in this world, you have to accept the rules. I know we have to win. When you lose too much, you can smile the whole day, no one will applaud. Everyone will say, \u2018Please go back to Austria\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Struber has already built a strong relationship with Bristol (Stuart James\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n As Struber takes a sip of cider and puts down his glass, he drops something unexpected into the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure this is possible time-wise, but I would like to get my private pilot licence,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Seeing the shocked expression on my face, Struber explains how he has been fascinated by planes ever since he flew for the first time as a 16-year-old player with Salzburg. Many years later, when he was Salzburg\u2019s manager, he spent some time in the cockpit and loved the experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI dream a little bit about it, so I want to start \u2014 maybe in Bristol,\u201d he adds. \u201cNext to my stressful job here, maybe it\u2019s something where I can come in touch with completely different people, different topics, and I like that.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, I\u2019m at the beginning of the process, in a pilot pool. It\u2019s the medical appointment, and then it\u2019s a case of how much I can do online from the theory, and of course, then you have to do the practical \u2014 I have to fly.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, his priority is getting Bristol City\u2019s promotion push off the ground, and Struber sounds super motivated on that front. They are currently 10th, but only two points outside the play-offs.<\/p>\n With the New Year in mind, Struber plans to hold a \u201ckick-off event\u201d away from the club to \u201cchange the promotion culture\u201d among players and staff.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can see that performance is on a good level, but results\u2026 not stable enough to be in the best spots in the league \u2014 that\u2019s my feeling,\u201d he says. \u201cSo we have to do everything in our hands to bring out the best from the players. I want us to go training every day and speak about promotion, and of course, our actions must reflect this, too. Average is not enough. We have to think bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n It seems that Struber\u2019s glass is half full in Bristol in more ways than one. I point to his cider, which doesn\u2019t seem to be going down.<\/p>\n Struber looks at his watch and the daylight outside. \u201cI think it\u2019s maybe not the right time for it,\u201d he says, laughing.<\/p>\n January 10: Bristol City 5-1 Watford (FA Cup)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is it really like to be a football manager? How do you escape the pressure? What impact…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":699293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[7907,8002,381,18228,748,9030,393,97,4884,121847,12902,21139,26537,210590,101,10031,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-699292","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-austria","9":"tag-barnsley","10":"tag-bristol","11":"tag-bristol-city","12":"tag-britain","13":"tag-championship","14":"tag-england","15":"tag-fa-cup","16":"tag-great-britain","17":"tag-league-cup","18":"tag-league-one","19":"tag-league-two","20":"tag-national-league","21":"tag-new-york-red-bulls","22":"tag-premier-league","23":"tag-soccer","24":"tag-uk","25":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115903342136314791","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=699292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/699293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=699292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=699292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=699292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Struberunning-scaled.jpeg\")
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December 26: West Brom 1-2 Bristol City<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Struberoffice-scaled.jpeg\")
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January 1: Bristol City 5-0 Portsmouth
January 4: Bristol City 0-2 Preston<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/StruberOrchardInn-scaled.jpeg\")
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