Nigel Pearson has outlined his plans for Bristol City for next season.
The 58-year old is aiming for a top half finish with The Robins, and even believes a play-off place should be the club’s main target.
This is despite a difficult season for City that has seen the team toiling away in for the majority of the campaign.
Pearson has spoken about this being a transitional season for the club, and that next year is when the real work will begin on progressing the side up the Championship table.
The club has aimed to maintain their status in the second division while shedding the size of the wage budget.
This has been achieved, with the team never really in danger of getting stuck in a relegation battle.
But now Pearson wants to see the team competing further up the table, with exciting young players coming through.
“We’ll be aiming a lot higher next year, there’s no doubt about that,” said Pearson, via Bristol Post.
“And I think our fans will expect that as well. So it’s up to us to deliver that and it’s always up to us to keep our fans on board.
“To do that they need to have some optimism that we’re moving in the right direction. There are no guarantees but we have a very loyal fanbase who want success and hopefully we’ll be able to deliver more visible success next season.
“As a football club we’ve made really important changes this year. They’ve not always impacted results, in the way we would like, but the changes that have been made will be fundamental to how we achieve success moving forward.
“It’s been a very crucial year for us as a club, on lots of different levels. Hopefully next year, we’ll achieve more success with the first-team on the pitch, so that we are challenging higher up the league - top half to play-off places, that’s what we’re looking for next season.”
The former Leicester City boss has also reshaped the club off the pitch, having revamped the medical department and he is still looking to add to the recruitment department at Ashton Gate.
The Verdict
Bristol City have had a difficult campaign, with defensive issues being a prominent problem for the side.
However, with so many exciting young talents coming through there is certainly something for fans to get behind.
It has been a gradual process to improve the side, and Pearson has a track record of pushing for promotion to the Premier League in the past.
It will be difficult in such a competitive division to climb the table so much over one summer, but these are the targets that the club should now be aiming for with Pearson in charge.