The Daily Telegraph are reporting that Lincoln City boss Michael Skubala is one of two candidates left in the race for the Bristol City job.
Despite the story seemingly going away a week ago, it seems the Robins are now going through the final process, and Skubala is still in the running. It was reported last night that his adversary is the current Bournemouth assistant boss, Tommy Elphick.
Skubala was thought to have decided to stay at Lincoln after the club’s release clause was met, but in the interim period, James Ellis has been appointed as sporting director. Ellis and Skubala are friends from their time at Loughborough together, and that has seemingly elevated our manager to the final two, with Portsmouth’s John Mousinho dropping out of the hunt.
The headline from the various outlets seems to focus on Elphick, who has had an outstanding season as Andoni Iraola’s assistant in the Premier League. However, the Robins would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn’t consider Skubala, who has overseen a record-breaking campaign with the Imps.
Bristol City have a decent record of taking managers from League One, with Liam Manning and Lee Johnson both doing well at Ashton Gate. They had a tough campaign, with head coach Gerhard Struber dismissed on March 27th, following a run of only one win in nine games. They appointed 78-year-old former England manager Roy Hodgson in his place, with a remit of Championship survival, which he achieved.
Technical director Brian Tinnion was also relieved of his first team duties, as the Robins look to take a different path, which has led them firstly to Ellis, and then either to Skubala or Tommy Elphick. It is understood that a decision is expected over the next few days, as they look to prep for next season in the Championship.
The Imps will have a succession plan in place, especially given that this has rumbled on for a few weeks. It is likely that Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen would be partly in the frame, as well as external candidates. Being a fresh Championship outfit would surely open us to a high level of candidates, should Michael be chosen, and should he make the decision to go.
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