BBC Sport
Phil McNulty, Chief Football Writer
20th Jun 2017
The phrase ‘sleeping giant’ is frequently overused in football, but when it comes to Championship side Bristol City – they might just have a point.
There aren’t too many titles for The Robins to boast about in their 120 year history, but one that they certainly won’t want to keep for any longer than necessary is the title of arguably being the biggest side to have never played Premier League football.
A quick scan of England’s top two tiers all but confirms the suspicion. Whilst the likes of Swansea, Hull and Bournemouth have all tasted Premier League football in recent years, Bristol City have never kicked on to fulfil their undoubted potential.
Add Premier League new boys Huddersfield into the mix, and then consider the fact that the likes of Bradford, Swindon, Portsmouth and Oldham – all rattling around in the lower echelons of English football – have all partaken in the Premier League, and it’s easy to see why the natives are getting restless in BS3.
Of course it’s easy to think – especially thanks in some part to Sky Sports - that there was no football before the Premier League came into being. On the contrary, The Robins enjoyed a four-season spell of top flight football in the 1970’s, however the club then suffered an incredible three successive relegations amidst escalating financial troubles, sliding from the top flight to Divison Four in the blink of an eye.
Billionaire owner Steve Lansdown is a passionate football man and is desperate to see his ambition of bringing Premier League football to the Westcountry come to fruition. The financial services guru has been at the club for more than 20 years and has invested tens of million pounds from his own pocket in the club.
Unfortunately for him – and for Bristol City – the money has not always been wisely spent.
Following the club’s agonising Championship playoff defeat at the hands of Hull City in 2007/08 – Lansdown spent big over the next few seasons chasing his dream, but only succeeded in assembling a squad of journeyman mercenaries and increasing losses to write off.
Only in the last couple of years has the club began to turn around its image crisis – the portrayal of a club where a big wage can be had in exchange for little return.
Lansdown has set down his vision for the club as being a self-sustainable entity which invests in youth and looks to develop bright young talent.That’s not to say that Lansdown isn’t prepared to open his chequebook.
The attempted – albeit unsuccessful – signings of Andre Gray and Dwight Gayle (who have both since gone on to experience Premier League promotion) have proved that the billionaire is prepared to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to realising the dream of top flight football.
The club’s £50m stadium renovation was completed at the beginning of the 2016/17 season, turning the increasingly old and creaky Ashton Gate into a modern 27,000 home to be proud of. Coupled with investment in off the pitch facilities, the foundations have been laid for an attempt at putting Bristol firmly on the footballing map with a challenge for top flight football once more.
Phil McNulty, Chief Football Writer
20th Jun 2017
The phrase ‘sleeping giant’ is frequently overused in football, but when it comes to Championship side Bristol City – they might just have a point.
There aren’t too many titles for The Robins to boast about in their 120 year history, but one that they certainly won’t want to keep for any longer than necessary is the title of arguably being the biggest side to have never played Premier League football.
A quick scan of England’s top two tiers all but confirms the suspicion. Whilst the likes of Swansea, Hull and Bournemouth have all tasted Premier League football in recent years, Bristol City have never kicked on to fulfil their undoubted potential.
Add Premier League new boys Huddersfield into the mix, and then consider the fact that the likes of Bradford, Swindon, Portsmouth and Oldham – all rattling around in the lower echelons of English football – have all partaken in the Premier League, and it’s easy to see why the natives are getting restless in BS3.
Of course it’s easy to think – especially thanks in some part to Sky Sports - that there was no football before the Premier League came into being. On the contrary, The Robins enjoyed a four-season spell of top flight football in the 1970’s, however the club then suffered an incredible three successive relegations amidst escalating financial troubles, sliding from the top flight to Divison Four in the blink of an eye.
Billionaire owner Steve Lansdown is a passionate football man and is desperate to see his ambition of bringing Premier League football to the Westcountry come to fruition. The financial services guru has been at the club for more than 20 years and has invested tens of million pounds from his own pocket in the club.
Unfortunately for him – and for Bristol City – the money has not always been wisely spent.
Following the club’s agonising Championship playoff defeat at the hands of Hull City in 2007/08 – Lansdown spent big over the next few seasons chasing his dream, but only succeeded in assembling a squad of journeyman mercenaries and increasing losses to write off.
Only in the last couple of years has the club began to turn around its image crisis – the portrayal of a club where a big wage can be had in exchange for little return.
Lansdown has set down his vision for the club as being a self-sustainable entity which invests in youth and looks to develop bright young talent.That’s not to say that Lansdown isn’t prepared to open his chequebook.
The attempted – albeit unsuccessful – signings of Andre Gray and Dwight Gayle (who have both since gone on to experience Premier League promotion) have proved that the billionaire is prepared to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to realising the dream of top flight football.
The club’s £50m stadium renovation was completed at the beginning of the 2016/17 season, turning the increasingly old and creaky Ashton Gate into a modern 27,000 home to be proud of. Coupled with investment in off the pitch facilities, the foundations have been laid for an attempt at putting Bristol firmly on the footballing map with a challenge for top flight football once more.