"My personal view" - Gerhard Struber, Barnsley claim made as Bristol City close in on appointment | OneFootball

FLW's Barnsley fan pundit has given his verdict on whether former manager Gerhard Struber will be a success at Bristol City.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Bristol City are reportedly closing in on the appointment of former Barnsley manager Gerhard Struber.

Bristol City finished sixth in the Championship last season before suffering a record-breaking 6-0 aggregate play-off semi-final defeat to Sheffield United, and they have been on the hunt for a new manager since Liam Manning departed to take over at Norwich City earlier this month, with the Canaries paying a compensation fee of around £800,000 to secure his services.

Ex-Luton Town manager Rob Edwards was believed to be in the running to replace Manning at Ashton Gate, but according to journalist John Percy, the Robins are now set to name Struber as their new head coach after he impressed during the interview process, with his arrival expected to be confirmed this week.

Struber has been out of work since being sacked by FC Koln last month with just two games of the season remaining, despite sitting second in the 2. Bundesliga table at the time, and the Billy Goats went on to secure the title after his departure.

The 48-year-old is no stranger to English football, having spent almost 11 months in charge of Barnsley between November 2019 and October 2020, and he kept the Tykes in the Championship in the 2019-20 campaign before leaving for New York Red Bulls just four games into the following season.

Gerhard Struber tipped to deliver Bristol City success after Barnsley exploits

When asked if he believes Struber will be a success at Bristol City, FLW's Barnsley fan pundit Andy Symcox insisted that the Austrian is a good choice for the Robins, and he admitted that he would welcome him back to Oakwell with open arms.

"Struber came in at a difficult time as we were looking at potentially being relegated," Andy said.

"He brought a different style to Stendel in that he was much more measured, not as scintillating, but he was much stronger and focused at the back.

"We played decent football under Struber, but we were still looking, even with his input, likely to be relegated.

"On the last day of the season, we travelled to Brentford, who needed a win to get automatic promotion to the Premier League and relegate us to League One.

"We scored just before the end of the first half through Callum Styles, but with about 17 minutes to go, Brentford equalised, and it looked as though we had failed at the last hurdle, even though we had given it a good go.

"However, in added time, Patrick Schmidt got the ball on the right, whipped the ball across, and at the far post, seemingly from nowhere, Clarke Oduor put the ball in the net for the winner, and we escaped relegation.

"Sadly for Brentford, however, they went into the play-offs and didn't get promoted.

"In his press conference after the game, Struber showed just how much the club and the players meant to him.

"He kept talking about how proud he was of the players and the club.

"People took to Struber greatly, and I was deeply saddened when he left to go to the New York Red Bulls.

"I think Bristol City are getting a good, solid manager who knows what he wants from the players and will set them up with a strong base.

"If the test of how much you rate managers is whether you would welcome them back to your club, my personal view is that I would be happy for Struber to return to Oakwell and manage Barnsley.

"I wish him and Bristol City all the best for the coming season."

Bristol City are right to appoint Gerhard Struber instead of Rob Edwards

Of the two names said to have been on Bristol City's final shortlist, the appointment of either Struber or Edwards would have come with risks, but the nightmare end to the latter's time at Luton would likely have been a big concern for the Robins board.

Struber has already proven that he is capable of managing in the Championship after leading Barnsley to a great escape in the 2019-20 season, while he also had a decent record in his subsequent jobs at New York Red Bulls, RB Salzburg and FC Koln, and he can count himself incredibly unlucky to have lost his job with the German side last month having laid the foundations for their eventual promotion.

After Manning's success at Ashton Gate, Struber certainly has big shoes to fill, but while he is something of a gamble for City, his imminent arrival could mark the start of an exciting new era at the club.