City Chat: Future looks bright with Coppell at the helm (From Gazette Series)

Bristol City fans’ panel by Will Collins

10:19am Friday 30th April 2010 in Sport

IT WAS the worst kept secret in Bristol for a good couple of weeks but last Thursday Bristol City finally announced that Steve Coppell would be the new man in charge for the 2010/11 season.

Coppell will formally take up his post on May 11 after the current season has ended. It is a great appointment for the club and as I have stated all along he would have been by number one choice for the job.

Experience of getting clubs of a similar size to City to FA Cup Finals and promotion into the top flight were the standout aspects of Coppell’s long and acclaimed CV.

City edged closer to achieving a top ten finish for the third successive season in the Championship after a 2-1 win over Derby on Saturday. Derby came and had a good go at us to be fair but lacked a bit of guile and strength in the final third.

City on the other hand benefited once more from the form of Nicky Maynard. The former Crewe man scored in the third minute and completed his brace in the second half by converting a penalty that he’d won following a run into the box.

Maynard has now hit 20 goals for the season and there’s got to be a fair chance some bigger, lower half Premiership clubs will be keeping a close eye on him. I’m confident however that we won’t be letting him go unless it’s for a sizeable bid, probably in excess of £4 million.

On Sunday, City travel to Blackpool for the final game of the season. The main incentive for City will be to spoil Blackpool’s chances of reaching the play-offs. The Seasiders need a win to secure sixth place but most City fans would love nothing more than to deny them this chance, primarily as long-time foe of City Ian Holloway is Blackpool’s manager.

With Coppell taking charge, the future looks bright for City and it’s going to undoubtedly be a fascinating summer of transfer activity at Ashton Gate. Season ticket sales should also go through the roof.

Do you agree with Will’s views? Have your say below.