The 2023/24 campaign was a challenging one for Bristol City fans. A season in which they were forced to question so much about their club over a nine months that fluctuated quite profoundly, for better and for worse.
It began with optimism surrounding Nigel Pearson and overall finished with a fresh air of positivity concerning Liam Manning’s time in the dugout, but it’s fair to say quite a bit happened in between, even if their 11th-placed finish exudes mid-table stability.
Football, however, goes rapidly. Although we have a lot of experience with the calm period that precedes the start of transfer activity and the preseason, it is also important to take some time to consider what has to happen after the campaign.
We conducted in-depth interviews with ten City supporters to gauge their overall sentiment on everything from Manning to transfer window issues.
Based on what you thought going into the 2023/24 season, where the club finished, and what happened in between, what would you rate the campaign of 10 and did it meet expectations?
Jordan Tansley, 33, Weston-super-Mare: “If you look at the season, with the end result as the be all and end all, it’s a 7/10. I had us top-half to play-off challenge in my predictions in pre-season, based on some really good early recruitment and the assumption that if Alex Scott was going to be sold late in the window we had a plan to replace him (as per the messaging at the time from Brian Tinnion).
“Once the window slammed shut I felt that top-half was about right, although I was heartened by our start to the season it was clear that any injuries in key positions would hurt us and that unfortunately transpired.”
Clifton Down resident Peter Rex, 27, says he would give the season a 7. I believe it lived up to my expectations, as I had hoped for a better season than the prior. But we would have to push the top eight if we wanted it to be any higher.
Whitchurch resident Jack Phillips, 22: “I’d say 6.5/10.” I wasn’t anticipating much in the way of a promotion fight going into the season. It was always going to be difficult to fill the void left by Alex Scott’s departure, but after seeing our season, I think we did a respectable job of it.
“The sacking of Pearson, at the time, I was fully against. With the injuries we had at the time, looking at that starting line-up against Cardiff away, it was always going to be a difficult job for him.
“However, Manning came in, and given the run of form he had at the turn of the year I thought he was out of his depth. But since I think I have been proven wrong. I think our ceiling is higher with Manning than Pearson in terms of the level we can reach, and I’m excited to see given a summer transfer window what he can produce next season.
“The extra .5 is for the cup run. That day at West Ham was superb and then beating them at home was my highlight of the season as a fan.”
Hanham’s Cory Alder, 26, said, “I was hoping for a real top-six challenge at the beginning of the season, a play-off push.” Following Alex Scott’s delayed departure, that expectation dropped to a rank of tenth or higher. A situation akin to that of Adam Webster a few years ago: we have the ideal squad and a defined playing style, but we sell maybe our best player late in the transfer window, upsetting both the main strategy and the playing style.
The FA Cup run, where teams from the Premier League faced off against each other, provided a nice touch to an otherwise unremarkable season. Although they have little bearing on the league standings, victories over some of the top teams in the league raise questions about our capabilities.
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