HOW DRONES AND THE SAS GOT ROBINS FLYING HIGH
Now Bristol City can knock United off their perch...
As storm clouds gathered over Bristol City’s campaign in winter last year, head coach Lee Johnson made an unusual offer to owner stephen Lansdown.
City were on a wretched run of 11 defeats in 12 games, slumping from fifth place in November to 20th by late January. Patience edged towards breaking point.
‘You can’t ignore results or what your fans are saying,’ Lansdown tells Sportsmail. ‘i am not pretending the thought of change did not cross our mind. The pressure was tremendous.
‘But when we sat in a darkened room, the benefit of keeping Lee was obvious. Lee hadn’t become a bad manager.
‘some go into their shell when things go wrong. But we had numerous discussions and he even suggested we speak to the players to take their view. i’ve never encountered that before.’
The dressing-room consensus was clear: ‘ The players were behind him. Lee and his team are young and enthusiastic.’
The faith was justified. Bristol City are riding the crest of a wave in the Championship, flying high in third place and only four points behind Cardiff in the battle for an automatic promotion spot.
in the Carabao Cup, they have seen off three Premier League teams in Watford, stoke and Crystal Palace already during this uplifting run. This evening’s reward is the opportunity to host Manchester United.
At 36, Johnson is the Championship’s second-youngest manager. He is a former City player, the son of the club’s former manager Gary Johnson and when it came to sealing his first job at Oldham, Lansdown vouched as a referee.
Johnson has travelled the continent in search of inspiration, visiting clubs as diverse as Real Madrid and Latvian side skonto Riga. Kenny Dalglish is a personal mentor. Johnson uses a drone to record every training session.
Every player also has access to the coaching team’s custom-made app on their phones. it features analysis of matches, training and key tactical plans. To edge ahead, Johnson has sought advice from sAs officials and spent a day observing an A&E ward at an NHs hospital to see how employees operate under pressure.
Yet Johnson’s progress is only the tip of the iceberg in Bristol City’s evolution. Lansdown is at the heart of the project. The 65year-old, a billionaire who made his fortune in the HargreavesLansdown financial services firm, is a life-long supporter and his investment is transforming Bristol’s sporting landscape.
Lansdown, who was on the Bristol City board in 1996, is now the sole owner. Under the Bristol sport group, he now owns Bristol City and Bristol City Women, Bristol Rugby and Bristol Rugby Ladies and the Bristol flyers basketball team. Bristol Rovers appear to be the only sporting venture Lansdown does not own in the city, but Rovers attracted their own multi-millionaire investor, Jordanian Wael Al-Qadi.
Lansdown took the 1,098th position in this year’s forbes Rich List, with his net worth valued at £1.4bn. His current value is estimated at £1.8bn. Lansdown lives in Guernsey, travels by private jet and has business interests in Botswana, including a safari lodge.
Yet Lansdown does not consider his club as a plaything. The club’s record signing, famara Diedhiou, cost £5.3m from Angers in the summer — a modest fee compared to some in the division.
As for the sugar-daddy stereotype, Lansdown insists: ‘That’s not me. i hate being in all those lists. i have learned to live with it. i have been lucky in life and business to make money and enjoy it. But i can’t be around forever. i am not immortal.
‘The investment is to put us into a position where the project sustains itself.’
instead, Lansdown has broader ambitions. The club’s 27,000 allseater stadium has been redeveloped to the tune of £45m. Tonight is a sell- out and nearly 16,000 season tickets have been sold. But the football has not always matched his ambition.
Lansdown admits: ‘There have been times when i’ve thought, “Why am i doing this?” i don’t give up on things. My lowest point was relegation from the Championship last time. We got it wrong, we chased players on too big a salary at the wrong end of their careers. Their heart and soul was not in the club.
‘i vowed then to develop the academy and focus our recruitment on young players with value and room to improve. in football terms, we were awful. We have come back stronger.’
Bristol-born talents decorate the team-sheet. Bobby Reid has 11 goals this season and Joe Bryan is a key man on the left flank.
The players have reconnected with the community. Bristol sport also supports the ladies’ teams and academies in every sport.
City’s players have raised close to £80,000 for a children’s hospice. The Golden Memories scheme provides reminiscence sessions and light physical activity for those living with dementia, social isolation and loneliness. Older supporters take part in walking versions of sports.
Johnson set the ambitious target last year of reaching the Europa League within five years. ‘Let’s see how we do tonight!’ Lansdown says, laughing.
‘We have dreams and ambitions and we are going to try to get to the Premier League. But for now, we have a great thing going, so let’s enjoy it.’