Bristol City fans' panel by Will Collins (From Gazette Series)

Bristol City fans' panel by Will Collins

12:30pm Thursday 19th August 2010 in

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After the initial shock and disappointment of Steve Coppell’s sudden resignation from the Bristol City manager’s job last Thursday, I gathered my thoughts and actually wasn’t all that surprised by the news.

Coppell has previous, in the mid-90s walking away from the Manchester City job after just 33 days in charge citing the pressure of the job and there were rumours of the Liverpudlian (at the time based in London) being homesick.

He didn’t apply for the Bristol City job, but was more or less ‘head-hunted’ by ambitious chairman Steve Lansdown. Internet rumours suggested that initially Coppell wasn’t that keen, enjoying life on the golf course in the London suburbs and curious as to why then caretaker manager Keith Millen wasn’t being primed for the job following an impressive run of form at the tail end of the 2009/10 campaign.

But Coppell eventually signed his trademark ‘one year rolling contract’ at City much to the delight of the fan base, myself included. Instead of taking charge, or even watching City’s last two games of the season however, Coppell went off to fulfil ‘prior family commitments’. He then arrived in Bristol to meet the players in May before jetting off on a holiday in which he was spotted in Thailand.

Coppell returned for pre-season training to find a severe injury crisis and also had to deal with the departures of two key players who wanted away - Bradley Orr and Paul Hartley. In TV interviews Coppell seemed genuinely frustrated by a failure to bring in his chosen transfer targets including the likes of Dave Kitson, Jon Stead and Ibrahima Sonko.

Two games in and two defeats, the going got tough; and Coppell couldn’t hack it. Maybe it was a lack of self belief, because I find it hard to stomach that he decided after three months of taking the job he suddenly, in his words ‘couldn’t become passionate about the job’ or ‘give the commitment the position demands’. No, this was a statement of a man walking away from his post because he didn’t think he could fulfil the ambitions of Bristol City. Just as he did at Man City and perhaps to a lesser extent at Reading following play-off failure in 2009.

Coppell’s departure has left a bitter taste but Lansdown moved quickly and confidently to ensure stability in appointing Keith Millen on a three year deal. A man who knows the club inside out and cares passionately about BCFC, he has my full support.

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