Despite Oxford United’s second-place standing in League One, Liam Manning is expected to go for Bristol City; the Robins fired Nigel Pearson last week and have since searched for a younger replacement. On Saturday, the team defeated Sheff Wed 1-0 in the Championship.
Although Manning’s Oxford United team is currently in second place in League One, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to move up a league by joining Bristol City.
The two teams have been negotiating over the weekend regarding a compensation package, and there is currently general agreement on a sum.
It is anticipated that during the following 48 hours, Manning would transfer to the Championship.
Towards the end of last week, it was evident that Bristol City wanted to take a different turn after parting ways with the incredibly experienced Nigel Pearson.
Chairman Jon Lansdown and technical director Brian Tinnion made the decision that they preferred a youthful head coach over a manager, and that the coach should have forward-thinking ideas for the team’s development.
As a result, they passed up candidates including Nathan Jones, Gary Rowett, and John Eustace, who were all on their original shortlist and were unemployed at the time.
The 38-year-old Manning started his coaching career at West Ham’s youth, where he honed his possession-based, high-pressing football style that has proven popular with Bristol City’s management.
The direct remarks made by Bristol City chairman Jon Lansdown, following the dismissal of Nigel Pearson, marked a significant change from the football jargon of meaningless generalizations and reciprocal agreements.
The Robins fell 2-0 at home to rivals Cardiff on Saturday, and they are currently 15th in the Championship. They have also lost five of their previous seven games. Due to a lack of goals from their gifted forward line, the team is currently one spot lower than where they concluded the previous campaign.
Although City’s argument is not particularly clear, its conviction is.
With just three months remaining in the season, City’s five-point deficit to the play-offs at the time of his departure—particularly in the Championship—is meaningless.
Even though their greatest player has not been replaced since leaving in the summer due to an increasing injury list, they were only one point off of the top six a week before Pearson was fired.
Until the very last day, he continued to have the backing of the club’s supporters, who are often the hardest critics of any manager. Though it’s not a given, the countless heartfelt compliments he received on social media from players indicate he still had the dressing room’s backing.
Instead, because his termination feels like a severe blow based solely on outcomes, subsequent remarks and actions at Ashton Gate have alluded to a widening divide between management and hierarchy.
It may not sound like a fun job to answer professional players at his door wondering why they aren’t playing, but it would be far more enjoyable than fielding calls from irate parents who are upset that their child isn’t in his starting lineup.
He cracks jokes like, “Parents are 10 times worse!”
Despite his young age of 38, the Oxford United manager has a 17-year coaching history, having begun at age 21 following a brief playing career.
It wasn’t always easy for Manning, who shared the highs and lows of his journey to become a manager. Manning is currently the head coach of a reputable Sky Bet League One team. He remembers his early days of instructing for two pounds a session.
“I did a scholarship, played abroad for a year and had a tough six months,” he recounts. “I accepted that my ambition of becoming a professional player would not come true. I was a semi-pro, making a few pounds, and I used to tutor in the evenings to make ends meet.”
