Football Struber looking to build 'trust' with his Robins squad

GERHARD Struber has explained his early goals for his first pre-season as Bristol City boss, insisting he will aim to use the coming days to build “trust” and a “relationship” with his players after the squad returned for testing.

- Dan CARTER

The Robins named the Austrian as their new head coach the week before last following Liam Manning’s move to Norwich City over two weeks prior, with former Koln boss Struber putting pen to paper on a three-year contract until the summer of 2028.

While the 48-year-old was unveiled to supporters and the press at Ashton Gate on June 19, he officially got to work in BS3 last week when the squad also arrived at the High Performance Centre for pre-season testing.

Although the first two days back at the training base will have served as a chance to check the fitness of Struber’s squad, attention will turn to implementing the new boss’ style on the pitch from this week.

Speaking in front of Lansdown Club members and club partners on fixture release day last Thursday, Struber said: “It’s a busy day, so many faces on the training ground but I got a warm welcome from all my colleagues and my staff. Right now, I come more and more in touch with the players and I’m super excited with my new role and to come and touch with the players.