Bristol City

Glenn Speller
BBC Sport England

Image source, Shutterstock

Bristol City will give under-pressure head coach Michael Skubala the chance to improve their results, particularly at home, says chief executive Charlie Boss.

The Robins have lost their past four Championship matches at Ashton Gate, culminating in last Saturday's 5-0 drubbing by Norwich City which left them in 17th place.

"The game against Norwich was a long way short of our standards and in the days that followed there have been a lot of tough and honest conversations around the building," said Boss in a video message on the club website., external

"Earlier this week the board met and we agreed to give Michael Skubala the opportunity to turn around the home form."

Skubala led Lincoln City to the League One title last season before joining Bristol City on a three-year-deal in May.

However, a run of only two wins from their past 10 matches has led to supporters voicing their concerns.

"A lot of fans made their feelings known loud and clear at Ashton Gate on Saturday and I want them to know everybody shares their frustration from the owners, the board and the players," added Boss.

"Michael Skubala more than anyone knows we need to improve - we wouldn't have made this decision if we didn't believe that together we can get through this difficult period."

Bristol City's next Championship match is at second-placed Middlesbrough on Saturday, 21 November (15:00 GMT) before home games against Wrexham and Swansea sandwich a trip to West Bromwich Albion.

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Former Bromley boss Andy Woodman believes Michael Skubala needs to be given more time at Bristol City as pressure begins to mount on the Robins manager.

The relationship between Skubala and fans has become increasingly toxic after a 5-0 drubbing by Norwich City on Saturday condemned them to a sixth home loss of the season.

It also left them six points off the play-off places, languishing down in 17th in the Championship table.

"For me, Michael needs a bit of time to put his identity on [the club]," Woodman told the 72+ podcast.

"He's got to find out who works in what system - and I know supporters think he should know that. You can look at them all day in training but when it comes to a Saturday, it's got to work. He's probably searching and finding."

Woodman highlighted the success Skubala had at his previous club Lincoln City, whom he led to the League One title last season with a mammoth 103 points.

However, fans are questioning whether the 44-year-old can repeat that success at a higher level.

Especially as the summer signings brought up from the third tier - forwards Dom Ballard and Lorent Tolaj and goalkeeper Sam Tickle - also appear to be struggling to adjust.

"He [Skubala] felt he took Lincoln probably to the promised land in their respect and he wants to test himself with a bigger budget and a slightly bigger club and I think he will come good," Woodman said.

"They have three players that have all come from League One and jumped up. That takes time as well. Those players are also going to be questioning whether they are good enough before they settle into the club."

Former Bromley boss Andy Woodman joins Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff in the latest episode of the 72+ podcast. He lifts the lid on life after leaving Bromley and what's next for him.

They discuss the top of the Championship, with just one point separating the top five.

At the other end of the Championship, what's happening with Bristol City, who currently lie 17th in the league under former Lincoln manager Michael Skubala – and when is the right time for a manager to make the jump up?

In League Two, it's been a less than desirable start for Crawley Town who are bottom of the Football League and out of the FA Cup after being beaten by seventh-tier Wimborne – where do they go from here? Elsewhere in the FA Cup, Plymouth Parkway assistant manager Matt Godfrey drops by after their win – and with Barnet on the horizon.

And after Shrewsbury Town's new ownership is confirmed, what's next for them?

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Dave Tovey
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Patience, patience, patience... Michael Skubala must go.

How could someone (me) who was calling for time and patience change their mind so quickly? Because the facts have changed.

After Saturday's lunchtime capitulation against Norwich, fan sentiment is now so deep in toxicity, it is difficult to see how Skubala comes back from here.

He is not alone in accountability - six of the starters also started another 5-0 home defeat by Derby County back in January.

There is a culture within the side that when the going gets tough, they disappear.

That is not to say they give up, but they fall to pieces as a working football team machine.

The new regime have decisions to make. Their project can perfectly succeed with a change. It is not dependent on one manager but it goes deeper than that.

The armband must also change. No captain can seriously claim to have team authority with two 5-0 losses at home on their watch.

On Jason Knight the player - though I think it is a long conversation as to his best position - I am a fan.

Jason Knight the captain, from his connection with referees to ability to pull the team from dark places at home, not so much.

On 13 occasions in 2026, the Robins have fallen behind at home. The record is W0 D1 L12.

If we really are to change direction, let's do it properly.

Yet when looking at the side, it is not easy to pick the new captain. Playing time and fitness complicate the issue, so who?

Joe Williams would be a great steady-the-ship choice - a man who oozes captain class, but he is still in the process of showing he is beyond his injury-hit recent past and, like Knight, is out of contract in the summer.

Luke McNally would be a great call, but two games in four days is currently off the menu for the defender.

Fellow centre-back Rob Dickie at face value could do it, but his time at this level could well be nearing its end, and I am not even sure he now gets in the best XI.

When looking at the squad as a whole, there are no easy answers as to who should be skipper, and perhaps that is half the problem hiding in plain sight.

Image source, Getty Images

Furthermore, the three-year project does not end in promotion or failure.

It ends in my infuriating football club being in a much stronger place than today.

And that is the ability to challenge at the top end of this league year-on-year, with a budget and reputation to do so.

However, changing that will take time, as right now, we are nobodies.

The current captain will not commit past this season and our prized asset, Scott Twine, is now entering the dreaded 18-month zone. It does not speak highly to how the football world sees us.

There is hope though. In Adam Randell and Tomi Horvat, we have two possible game changers who, under a new manager, will be given a fresh life. It is on them to take it.

Better still, the core of this squad is a competitive one.

What it desperately needs, beyond cultural change, is wide players (both full-backs and more advanced wide players) who offer pace, creativity, and, yes, a goal contribution or goal threat.

Easy to say, harder to find. Even so, they have two months until the next window when they have to go and buy exactly that.

There is still life in this project yet for Bristol City, but it has hit its first true roadblock. I trust them to do the right thing, I trust them to do it soon.

You can hear more from Dave Tovey on the Forever Bristol City podcast., external

Gary Owers
Former Bristol City player and BBC Radio Bristol summariser

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That was a pretty awful afternoon. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to try and make any City fan that's seen that feel better, because you can't.

You can't pull the wool over anybody's eyes, it's plain as day, it's there for everyone to see. That was really bad, it could have been worse - Norwich probably should have scored the sixth.

You take it back to the start of the game, you look at the formation.

Adam Randall (pictured above) didn't play as a left winger. Out of possession City were 4-4-2, but for him to line up in that position, at any stage of the game, he must have been asking himself, 'what am I doing here?'

When City got the ball he played inside left and he drifted, played off the line into midfield to get on the ball, but not for the benefit of anything really going forward.

It just meant Cam Pring had 60, 70 yards in front of him to try and make anything happen on the left-hand side.

You can say that the shape was wrong. Whatever it was, to me it should have just been three centre-halves and two wing-backs, three in midfield and two centre-forwards just to start the game. That's what it looked like on paper, but it wasn't.

That was changed at half-time, we might find out that Pring was carrying something, because then you end up with Rio Cardines, who is right-footed playing left-back, and ahead of him is Scott Twine, who is right-footed playing wide on the left, and Jason Knight who is the number 10.

That for me doesn't work - if Twine is on the pitch, for me, he is a number 10 and you get him on the ball and he is creative.

Fair play to the fans that stayed, they certainly made their feelings heard at the end of the game and those that left, who can blame them?

They've come down here week after week, they put their money up front [and they get], six defeats. If you want to make it even worse you can add in the loss against Walsall at home as well.

It's wrong whatever's happening.

I can't believe it was only a week ago since I watched them win up at Bolton and played well then back to Ashton Gate and we've witnessed two defeats and two poor performances.

We asked for your thoughts after Norwich City thrashed Bristol City 5-0 at Ashton Gate in the Championship on Saturday.

Here are some of your comments:

Bristol City fans

Sam: Absolutely awful. Toothless display. Have to start looking at the manager now. Poor at the back, poor in midfield and poor upfront.

Ben: Players need to try a bit harder. Michael Skubala doesn't become a bad coach over night. He will still take us to the Premier League.

Paul: Wrong formation. Crying out for wing-backs as no width. Playing Scott Twine as a winger just doesn't work as he comes inside. He needs to play in the middle. Dan Ballard needs to start as he can create goals. Football was better under Gerhard Struber. If he had these players we wouldn't be in this position.

Al: Bring in Sean Dyche. He knows the club having played for us and has experience at the top level. I've had enough of City's continuous employment of lower league managers. Yet again we see the results of this!

Steve: Dire. We were promised attacking football that the fans would enjoy. I'm afraid Mr Skubala has failed to deliver. What are the attack and defence coaches doing to earn their money? Not many of the team can be proud of what was dished up against Norwich or Wolves. Good to see Jason Knight subbed, he has been really poor this season.

Matt: Skubala on borrowed time… he doesn't know his best team, players clearly not playing for him, style of football is really poor. Seven home defeats in nine games, four goals scored. Stinks of League One. I'd change it now and get a Championship manager in.

Helen: It was a total shambles and while it's easy to blame Skubala, where was the leadership on the pitch? Our captain is a wantaway player whose form has dipped and who actually gave the ball away for the first goal. A real mess from back to front I'm afraid.

John: Absolute disgrace, Skubala needs to go now, he is out of his depth. There are no words to describe how pathetic and inept that performance was.

Mike: So what happens if we sack the manager? We get someone else in and the circus continues. Give this guy time and a chance. Any City fan in that ground needs to give the team 100% support!

Image source, Shutterstock

Norwich fans

Keith W: A really good all round team performance. First half scored a great goal and controlled the game. Second half was one of the best performances I've seen in many a year. Darling's goal line clearance was as good as the goals scored.

Kit: Great performance and I hope we are back on track to get into the promotion battle.

Keith J: Come on City. Learning by the week. Promotion may be a step too far and too soon. Few stay the course after promotion to Premier League as the Canaries have found to their cost.

John D: This team has the best manager in the league. He is an attacking-minded manager and it's beginning to pay off for Norwich who are on fire.

Malcolm: Fantastic form. The other clubs above us are going to be fearful of playing us as the season winds down in the new year.

Victor: With all our goalscoring potential, and two clean sheets, we are now able to look seriously at the play-offs, and maybe promotion next season.

Image source, Shutterstock

Bristol City defender Rob Dickie is up for selection earlier than anticipated as they prepare for their game against Norwich City on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The 30-year-old suffered a knee injury against Lincoln City in September and has missed the following seven league games.

"Rob is up for selection so that's great news," boss Michael Skubala told BBC Radio Bristol.

"Credit to the medical team and Rob for getting him back in November when we thought it was going to be not before Christmas."

Forward Elijah Adebayo is also available after a three match absence with a quad strain, but is unlikely to feature for the full 90 minutes.

Lorent Tolaj is set to feature although Skubala said the 25-year-old was still "not 100%" with the injury he picked up against Stoke last month.

City have lost their past three matches at Ashton Gate, scoring just once, with Skubala suggesting his side might "feel more free away from home."

However, there are question marks over defender Luke McNally's involvement as he makes his return from a long-term ACL injury.

"There's a big thought around Luke McNally but he's not injured or anything like that," Skubala said.

"Joe [Williams] is available but I think Luke McNally is a completely different decision. We have to do what's right."

Listen to the full interview below or on BBC Sounds here.

Image source, Opta

Bristol City will seek to kick-start their home fortunes when in-form Norwich visit Ashton Gate on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Robins were stung by a late 2-1 defeat to Wolves at home on Wednesday night, their fifth defeat in seven home games under Michael Skubala and sit 15th, three places behind Norwich due to goal difference.

The Canaries have followed a five-match losing streak in the Championship with three straight wins, 3-1 at Charlton, 3-2 against Watford and 4-0 against Derby on Tuesday night.

• Bristol City have alternated between defeat (3) and victory (2) in their past five home league games against Norwich, going down 4-2 in this fixture last season.

• After an 11-game unbeaten league run against Bristol City between 2010 and 2022 (W8 D3), Norwich have now lost four of their past seven against the Robins (W2 D1).

• Since the start of last season, Bristol City have lost just one of their eight Championship games in a 12.30 kick-off slot (W3 D4), winning both games at Ashton Gate.

• Norwich have won their past three Championship games, scoring at least three goals each time. The Canaries last won four consecutive league games while scoring 3+ goals every time in December 1985.

• Norwich's Paris Maghoma has scored in each of his past three league games, as many times as he'd found the net in his previous 41 appearances.

We asked for your thoughts after Wolves scored two late goals to win 2-1 at Bristol City on Wednesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Bristol City fans

Steve: League One manager and signings. The football is awful and the club has no ambition. I have given up going and only watch on tv now.

Rob: Thought City deserved something out of the game. Gutted for the players having battled so well for 80 minutes. Wolves had a lot of possession and plenty of speculative efforts but created few clear-cut chances. Premier League nous on the defensive blocking at the free-kick for their winner made the difference.

Tim: Yet another turgid performance from this City side which looks bereft of attacking ideas at home. Playing to win 1-0 from a set-piece might have worked for Skubala in L1 but it isn't working in the Championship. Again, we barely created anything and were far too passive. The team looks afraid to take risks in possession. There is far more ability in this team than our current tactics are allowing them to show. Skubala looks out of his depth to me.

Ken: Another poor home result reflecting last few seasons' results. Mid-table again, if we are lucky.

Micky: Same old problems at City. Conceding late goals and throwing away all the hard work they had done.

Image source, Shutterstock

Wolves fans

Steve: Every game in the Championship is tough so I'd have probably been ok with a point before kick-off, but we deserved the win and played well overall. On to Wrexham, a good win for them (against Boro) so I'd be happy with a point there as well.

Alan: Wolves are not playing brilliant but grinding out results, when they finally click they will blow this league away.

Andy: Lucky to get three points, stats show otherwise but a better team would've finished Wolves off well before our comeback. Back four still lack the concentration for 90 minutes. Substitutes made the difference. Lopez took some stick, not protected at all by the referee, but he needs to get used to that in this division. Let's take the points and run.

Richard: Wolves again played well in recycling the ball, had a lot of possession and shots and passes in the City box. That said the crossing is woeful. Too many times it was either too high or struck aimlessly across the area. The standard in the Championship is poor if we can play like that and be second.

Paul: Again we found a way to win. Tough league, so far so good. Wolves will need to buy a midfielder and a striker in January. Injuries could be a deciding factor in 2027.

Bristol City manager Michael Skubala says the Robins did not get the rewards for their hard work as they fell to a late defeat by Wolves at Ashton Gate on Wednesday.

Skubala told BBC Radio Bristol: "We're really down and disappointed because when you get to 80 minutes you want to get something out of the game - you want to win the game and if not, get a draw.

"The sucker punch is we've got nothing out of the game against a good team but we put ourselves into situations at times which we didn't need to.

"We started to be too passive, we dropped too deep. I thought the tactical plan worked really well - we knew what they would be about, we didn't want them to come through the middle so they were hitting diagonals on us but we were dealing with that.

"I'm not happy with the goals, they're disappointing me, because we haven't done that this season - we looked like we got outjumped at certain moments, they looked a little bit not like us."

Bristol City boss Michael Skubala says Wednesday's Championship visitors Wolves are "one of the best three teams" in the league, but does not believe they are unbeatable.

Wolves are third in the table after winning three of their past four matches.

"There is no doubt they have quality in their side," Skubala told BBC Radio Bristol.

"It is for us to be good with the ball when it turns over, we are going to have to be better in those moments when we get it. As individuals, we are going to have to be cleaner.

"We are going to have to have a plan that is very solid to be able to make sure their strengths don't hurt us too much, but we have to go after their weaknesses."

Despite Wolves having a number of players with Premier League experience, it is the kind of challenge the Robins are excited to take on.

"West Ham, Middlesbrough and them [Wolves] for me are very strong teams in this division but that's what we enjoy," Skubala added.

"These players are top players and we want to pitch ourselves against the best and see where we are at."

Listen to the full interview above or on BBC Sounds here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers may have a chance to slip into the automatic promotion spots on Wednesday when they visit Bristol City (20:00 GMT).

The West Midlands side are on a four game undefeated streak (W3 D1) and should Swansea City fail to beat Portsmouth on Tuesday, Wolves will have the chance to take second position with a victory at Ashton Gate.

However, Bristol City have fallen away from the play-off positions after just one win in five league games (D2 L2) and will be aiming to regain some ground off likely promotion rivals.

• Bristol City have won just two of their last 18 league games against Wolves (D4 L12), with this their first meeting since a 2-1 home loss in December 2017.

• Wolves haven't kept a clean sheet in any of their last 11 league games against Bristol City, but have also only failed to score in one of their last 12 against the Robins.

• Bristol City have lost 1-0 to both Blackburn and Sheffield United in their last two home league games. They last lost three in a row without scoring at Ashton Gate in March/April 2021.

• Wolves have won three of their six away league games this season (D1 L2), having been winless on the road across the whole of last term (D6 L13).

• Bristol City have scored fewer home goals than any other side in the Championship this term (3). Each of their last four games at Ashton Gate has finished 1-0 (W1 L3).

Ant Banks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

At 16:40 GMT on Saturday, Bristol City's latest three-year plan showed signs of lasting fewer than three months.

With chants against the head coach, Michael Skubala's position looked less than secure following on from a feisty fans' forum where his position was questioned.

The truth is that Skubala should not be currently under threat - and far from what away supporters were shouting.

At Bolton, the football attempted was far closer to what the fans want than has been seen to date.

But the issue is that any football which is a close cousin of the blue quarter of Bristol, as has been seen so far, will diminish patience.

In the end, Skubala got a birthday treat with the three points - his substitutions making the difference, albeit after a wrong turn earlier in the contest when changes saw City have their worst period of the game.

Notwithstanding that, Saturday was a sign of green shoots with an improvement in both style and intent.

The issue is that Skubala is both benefitting from and hamstrung by the aforementioned three-year plan.

The average life of a Championship manager is about 10 months. They must deliver both in the now and with an eye to the future.

It is a bizarre problem Skubala faces, in that a part of the fanbase have forgiven some understandable poorer decisions as he finds his feet, on the auspices of a wider plan.

The reality is that City signed 11 players in the summer and added the returning Luke McNally from injury and Yu Hirakawa following his loan spell at Hull City.

The players likely to leave in the next two windows for both contract and managerial choice include Scott Twine, Jason Knight, Tomi Horvat, Adam Randell and Joe Williams.

Sporting director James Ellis said to fans at the forum in Bolton before Saturday's game that transfer activity for the first year of the three-year plan had been "front-loaded".

However, there is a reasonable case to make that up to 10 players, including key pillars, will need to be replaced next summer.

Squad replacement of around 20 in three successive windows does not lend itself to consistency in team selection, so at what point do you judge Skubala?

But, like any coach, he needs results and performances in the now. On that basis, the Bolton game was a massive step forward.

City played with intent, the passing was in the right areas and the football attempted was entertaining.

It could have been 6-5, but it was far closer to a City side the majority of fans want to see than the nadir of Sheffield United.

Skubala has shown bravery in changing formation, changing goalkeeper, and on Saturday changing the tactical approach to be less direct.

The fanbase need to back this, not because of a fabled three-year plan as a get out, but because honesty over what we've seen in the short-term and how that can improve is the only way to stop 16:40 on Saturday occurring again.

And in home games, where we have struggled, and against a less open side than Bolton, the getting out of jail will not be as easy.

You can hear more from Ant Banks on the Forever Bristol City podcast, external.

Image source, Opta

Bolton and Bristol City will aim to get back to winning ways in the Championship when they meet on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Trotters are four places but just one point below the 14th-placed Robins after the 5-1 hammering by Middlesbrough last time out, their fourth defeat in five home games.

City have won just one of their past seven league games, earning five points, but have scored only three goals in that span and none in their past three games after the stalemate at Stoke on Saturday.

• Bolton Wanderers have won just one of their past six league games against Bristol City (D2 L3), a 1-0 victory in February 2018.

• This is the first league meeting between Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers since January 2019 and a 2-1 win for the Robins – they have failed to win any of their last five away matches against the Trotters, however (D2 L3).

• Bolton have lost four of their past five home league games (W1), including both of the last two. They've not lost three in a row since December/January in 2020-21 while in League Two.

• Bristol City's past six Championship matches have witnessed just six goals scored in total (F2 A4), with only one seeing both sides score in that same game.

• Bristol City have netted just five goals from open play in the Championship so far this season – the fewest of any side in the division.

David Pottier
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

The wind and rain throughout Saturday's game at Stoke City meant there was no chance of the two teams producing a memorable Championship encounter.

As it was, Michael Skubala was the happier of the two bosses at the end of a drab 0-0 draw as Bristol City prevented a run of three straight defeats.

City at least put in a satisfactory level of performance after a weak effort in the previous game when Sheffield United walked away from Ashton Gate with all three points.

Skubala is learning the hard way what Championship football is all about as he comes to terms with opposition coaches who are technically stronger than probably most of those he faced in charge of League One champions Lincoln last season.

Opposition players are more skilled at this level too.

Ask any City fan right now what they think of Skubala's tactics with a quarter of the season gone and you will most likely be met with a blank expression.

Not knowing his best starting XI would be a common complaint and why, having spent around £9m on two strikers in the summer, only four teams have scored less goals than the Robins so far this season.

More worryingly, no-one has scored a goal from open play since Dom Ballard's winner against Watford six weeks ago.

The main talking point on Saturday was not about the game but what went before it when Skubala announced his team.

Legendary comedian Sir Ken Dodd once had a catchphrase: "How tickled I am."

City goalkeeper Sam Tickle certainly was not when he found himself on the bench.

Signed from Wigan in the summer, despite pulling off some exceptional saves in his 12 games so far, Tickle's overall performances have not inspired a great deal of confidence among the fanbase.

He had a lot to live up to after 2025-26 player of the season Radek Vitek's confident displays and, in particular, his command of the penalty area.

Skubala elected to give a debut to 29-year-old Brad Collins, who was signed as a free agent in the summer, having played more than 100 Championship games for Barnsley and Coventry City.

Collins gave a confident display in the swirling wind and I would expect him to retain the shirt, barring any mishaps, for the three games that remain before the next international break.

Image source, Shutterstock

The other thing about Skubala's team selection was that he altered the shape.

So far he has been rigid in his 4-2-3-1 formation, but against Stoke he switched to 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 depending on which way you want to look at it.

That enabled him to field two strikers in Ballard and Lorent Tolaj, although it was evident from his display before the planned substitution that the Swiss marksman was some way off full fitness.

It will be interesting to see if Skubala continues along this path.

There were seven fixtures to play between the two international breaks and our podcast team discussed how many points we expected to accumulate.

About 11-12 seemed to be a consensus view which would see us on course for a top-eight finish. Here we are four games into that run with just two.

And after Saturday's trip to Bolton there is a tough home match against Wolves on Wednesday night, closely followed by the visit of Norwich City.

Our predictions suggested four points from these three games is a minimum requirement to prevent voices of disquiet getting louder as fans become concerned on whether the three-year project is progressing along the right track at this still very early stage.

You can hear more from David Pottier on the Forever Bristol City podcast, external.

Ged Scott
BBC Sport England

Image source, Jan Kruger - Getty Images

Bristol City boss Michael Skubala paid credit to his team for making light of tough conditions to earn a second successive Championship away draw at one of the most daunting grounds in the second tier.

"For us to get our second clean sheet of the season is really important," he told BBC Radio Bristol.

"To limit a Stoke team who have been on a really good run is excellent.

"The game was difficult for both teams. A typical Championship, windy game of football. so I'm really pleased with a good point on the road.

"We knew how tough it would be because they've started the season very well here. They've got some really fast players on the top line and put some teams to the sword here.

"But we defended very well. It was a really good character performance.

Skubala added: "We came with a plan to set up and hit them on the counter-attack and we did that well at times. We just needed to hit the target with some of our chances to turn it into a win.

"We've been looking at it for a while to see if we can solidify, make ourselves stronger without the ball. And the shape change was good.

"The lads put in some really good performances. We created some excellent moments, some good box entries where we probably didn't have the last bit."

City are on the road again next Saturday at Bolton before back-to-back home games in the space of five days against Wolves and Norwich City.