"Football is brutal" - Pundit makes Liam Manning claim after Bristol City move from Oxford United | OneFootball

Pundit Adrian Clarke believes Liam Manning made the right decision to leave Oxford United for Bristol City.

Manning was appointed as the Robins' new head coach last week, replacing Nigel Pearson, who was controversially sacked after two-and-a-half years at the helm last month.

The 38-year-old picked up a point in his first game in the 0-0 draw with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Saturday, and his side are currently 11th in the Championship table, four points from the play-off places.

Manning had only been in charge of Oxford since March, and his exit angered many U's fans, with the club sitting second in the League One table at the time of his departure.

However, Manning revealed that after discussions with those close to him, he felt it was the right decision to make the move to Ashton Gate.

"It’s been an extremely full on and intense 24 hours," Manning told the Oxford Mail.

"I was informed yesterday of the approach, in the morning and was work at Oxford.

"I was speaking with my wife, who I’ve dragged around the world in the last five or six years.

"I’ve got some good people around me and spoke to a few people in the game, whose opinions I really trust and respect.

"I got that feedback and then informed the club at Oxford of my decision, that I wanted to move on and join Bristol City."

What did Adrian Clarke say?

Clarke backed Manning's decision to leave Oxford for Bristol City, and he urged U's supporters not to be too critical of their former manager.

"I think that any Oxford United supporter that is really going in heavy on Liam Manning just has to understand the nature of the job," Clarke said on the What the EFL?! podcast.

"The nature of a football manager's role is that you've got to keep winning to stay in employment.

"The bottom line is this, if you get a chance to go up a division like he has here with Bristol City, I think you have to take it, unless you know that you are on real safe ground and that you are close to definitely getting promoted yourselves and that you'll take that group into the higher level.

"Football is brutal, and Oxford United, especially with the ambitions that they've got this season, if they had a sticky run during the second half of this season and tumbled down the table and fell out of even play-off contention, he would be gone, and where does Liam Manning go from mid-table in League One? "It's tough, but it's like a player, just punch as high as you can because the only way is down often, and stay as high as you can for as long as you can. "I think he had to take this job for the ambition of it, and Bristol City have got themselves a good gaffer. "Oxford will be fine, they'll get someone excellent in place, no doubt about that, but don't berate Liam Manning.

"I think in this instance, he's within his rights to further his ambitions with a move to Bristol City."

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Was Liam Manning right to leave Oxford United for Bristol City?

It is difficult to disagree with Clarke on this one.

The frustration of Oxford supporters is understandable, but while they were in a strong position in the table, they face significant competition for automatic promotion from the likes of Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers, Peterborough United, Derby County, Barnsley and Blackpool.

As Clarke says, Manning could not guarantee he would reach the Championship with the U's, and the opportunity to take over at a stable second tier club in Bristol City was too good for him to turn down.

Oxford began life after Manning with a 3-2 win at Leyton Orient on Saturday, and he has left excellent foundations for the next manager to build on.