Worrying truth suggests Liam Manning's struggles at Bristol City could continue: View | OneFootball

Bristol City have had a poor start to the season in the Championship despite having a favourable fixture list.

It has been a disappointing start to the season for Bristol City in the Championship.

Bristol City endured another inconsistent campaign last season as they finished 11th in the table, but a run of just two defeats in the final 10 games offered supporters plenty of hope going into the summer.

The positivity around the club increased after a busy summer transfer window that saw the arrival of seven new signings, but it has not been the start to the season that Robins fans were expecting.

After being held to a 1-1 draw by bottom side Cardiff City at Ashton Gate on Sunday, Liam Manning's side head into the international break sitting 16th in the table, just four points above the relegation zone.

While Manning's position is not under any immediate threat, he has come in for criticism at times this season, and with a tough fixture list to come over the next few months, it could get worse before it gets better for the 38-year-old.

Liam Manning could be set for increased Bristol City pressure

Since suffering two consecutive 3-0 away defeats to Derby County and Blackburn Rovers, City have gone on a four-game unbeaten run, but that statistic is not as positive as it may seem at first glance.

The Robins have drawn their last three games, and while the away draw at Swansea City was a good point, they will surely have been hugely frustrated not to have beaten Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff on their own patch, particularly as both of those teams were below them in the table prior to the kick-off.

In fact, the Bluebirds could easily have come away from Ashton Gate with all three points, and City were only allowed back into the game after a couple of defensive substitutions from the visitors in the second half that saw them lose their attacking momentum.

Of the sides the Robins have played so far this season, the current highest-ranked team is eighth-placed Blackburn, and only four of their nine opponents are in the top half of the table.

Alarmingly for Manning, that means there are some difficult games on the horizon, and his side face promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Norwich City, Burnley, Watford and Sunderland over the next two months.

Based on the early season evidence, you would not back City to pick up many victories from that run of games, and if the results go the way that many would expect, Manning could soon find himself under significant pressure.

Liam Manning must deliver after Bristol City spending

While the Robins' squad does lack quality compared with some of those at the top of the division, Manning was given strong support in the transfer market this summer with a number of expensive signings, including Luke McNally (around £1.75 million), Scott Twine (£3.2 million plus add-ons), Fally Mayulu (£2.5 million) and Sinclair Armstrong (just under £2 million).

In Manning's defence, he did lose star striker Tommy Conway to Middlesbrough, but the increased spending has brought greater expectation, and after years languishing in mid-table, many City supporters believed this was the year that they would finally challenge for promotion.

Of course, it is still early in the season, and while the Robins are just four points clear of the relegation zone, they are only five points from the play-off places in a league that looks set to be tighter and more competitive than ever.

However, the problem for Manning is that City do not look like a side that are capable of closing the gap to the top six at this point, and with a potentially challenging few months ahead, they could soon find themselves nervously looking over their shoulders.