Football City boss opens up about his approach ahead of new season

AFTER a busy summer off the field, Bristol City and Gerhard Struber are set to finally kick off their new Championship season when they travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United in a repeat of last term's playoff semifinal on Saturday evening (5.30pm).

- Daniel CARTER

Ahead of the curtain raiser in the Steel City, the new Robins' head coach sat down with BBC Radio Bristol for a live interview on Sound of the City to discuss the upcoming campaign, his first couple of months at Ashton Gate, the summer transfer window, and more.

Due to the length of the hour-long interview, it would be almost impossible for us to cover every single point the Reds boss made, so if you wish to listen to the entire conversation yourself, it can be heard via BBC Sounds. However, we have picked out some of the standout talking points here...

Transfer plans for remainder of the window

It would be fair to say it has been a bit of a stop-start summer for the Reds in the transfer market. While the early business was encouraging, with all of Adam Randell, Emil Riis, and Joe Lumley arriving at Ashton Gate quickly after the appointment of Struber was confirmed, the only addition since has been Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek on loan.

Anyone expecting wholesale changes this summer was always likely to be disappointed, with Steve Lansdown confirming the Robins wouldn't "go wild" over the course of the window. However, there seems to be an appetite from fans for one or two more new additions.

It would seem Struber is as interested in adding another face or two before September 1 rolls around.

"We are open," the head coach replied when asked if he expected his squad to change between now and the end of the window. "We are open for the one or other move but it's super important, especially when a group of players have such a top spirit and such a good energy together, it's not only that you find somebody on the market who is technically and tactically on the same level, he must also be on mental-wise and character-wise on a top level.