Gerhard Struber makes request of Bristol City fans as Reds look to bring ‘fire’ to Swansea clash
Gerhard Struber has promised his Bristol City side will “start with fire” when they welcome Swansea City to Ashton Gate this weekend
Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber celebrates in front of the Robins support(Image: EFL)
Gerhard Struber has called on Bristol City supporters to bring “the biggest noise” that they can to Ashton Gate for the Robins’ clash with Swansea City, with the Austrian promising his side will “start with fire” when they return to Championship action this weekend.
The Reds kick off a run of 11 matches in the lead-up to and over the festive period with an Anglo-Welsh clash against the managerless Swans on Saturday lunchtime. The South Wales club opted to part ways with head coach Alan Sheehan early in the November international break after a disappointing start to the season.
With 15 games played in England’s second tier, Swansea sit 18th in the Championship table, seven points clear of Sheffield United and the relegation zone but eight adrift of the play-off places. They will travel to BS3 with the aim of securing a first win in five games, in all competitions, under the guidance of interim boss Darren O’Dea.
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City are looking to end their own winless run, having drawn one and lost two of their last three matches. With no Cardiff City or Bristol Rovers in the second tier this term, the Swans are the closest thing the Robins have to a local rival this term, and Struber wants supporters to be at their best for the occasion.
“Support us, like always,” the City head coach simply replied when asked if he had a message for fans in his pre-match press conference at the High Performance Centre. “The feeling with our fans is really connected, and give us noise.
“Give us the biggest noise that you can on Saturday. We will, of course, start with fire. We will show, from the first second, that we are ready for a massive opponent, but we need the fans.
“We need them behind us, we need them in all phases in this game, behind us with a really big noise and with an energy, like always.”
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Despite that aforementioned winless streak, Struber and his side find themselves on the coat tails of the current top six with almost a third of the campaign now in the rear-view mirror. Ahead of the visit with the Swans, City are two points outside of the play-off places and with three games to come over the next week, that picture could change – both for good or bad – very quickly.
The Reds’ current league position becomes even more impressive when you take into account their recent injury woes. The Robins were without 10 first-team players for their trip to Vicarage Road to face Watford last time out, but were still able to come from behind to secure an important point.
Now, though, Struber’s squad is set to be boosted by the return of both Cam Pring and Jason Knight. With that pair once again fit and available, and hopefully a few others closing in on a return from injury over the coming weeks, City’s head coach is optimistic about what the future could hold.
“I would say we are, in the table, very close to interesting spots and we bring players back,” Struber said. “I would say the mix of them makes the mood better.
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“Everyone realised right now that we miss so many players, and at the same time, we can be also really strong,” the Robins boss continued. “This means, we have a really good roster and when everyone is available – this was always my answer – then we are a really, really dangerous team in the league.
“But, of course, we have to do everything [so] that we have, in the end, the roster on a really good level available, and then I think it’s really difficult against us. We have, on every level, really good players with the right hunger. I would say also, the spirit of this group is on a really high level, so how we work with each other here, with the staff, with the players – the mood in the first team is on a really good level.
“Over the whole season, this can make a difference.”
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