Struber showing he is more than just gung-ho

You often hear the phrase 'progressive English coach' bandied around and in the Championship that could certainly apply to Liam Manning, Will Still and Chris Davies of Norwich, Southampton, and Birmingham, respectively.

It would be true to say that, based on the season so far, none are living up to the expectations of their owners and I would not be surprised if at least one of them is out of a job before Christmas.

The other thing this managerial trio have in common is that in the space of seven days they all suffered defeat against Gerhard Struber's Bristol City.

Gerhard's philosophy when it comes to playing the game is far removed from the patient, possession-based approach preferred by Manning, Still and Davies.

The Austrian's coaching ethos is based upon energy, playing on the front foot and creating chaos in the attacking third of the field.

His team may be short on strikers but only free-scoring Coventry City have found the target more often in the Championship and the Robins are undefeated on the road, which means it should be an intriguing game at the weekend when they play the team immediately below them in the table, Mark Robins' Stoke City.

Struber showed on Saturday that there is more to him than his gung-ho approach as coaching aficionados' might label it.

His squad is decimated by injuries with at least four out who would be first picks and added to the others there is little opportunity for rotation with the demanding schedule of the Championship.

What makes matters worse is that most of the absentees are in midfield where, with his style, an abundance of energy is critical – Jason Knight, Max Bird and Joe Williams, plus the promising Josh Stokes, are all currently out with no firm date for any as regards their future availability.

Defender Zak Vyner is playing out of position alongside Adam Randell so their legs were going to be very tired after two games in five days. A further complication was that main striker Emil Riis' name was added to the injury list having come off after 55 minutes against Norwich on Tuesday.

Step forward the much-maligned Sinclair Armstrong for his first start since March. Not only did he continue to build on the improvement shown in recent substitute appearances but he scored his first goal since last November as he latched on to the impressive Rob Atkinson's pass and raced forward before expertly placing the ball with his right foot beyond James Beadle in the Birmingham goal.

In the second half, Birmingham laid siege to City's goal and this is where Struber showed his mettle as his well-drilled team defended as one, saving their tired legs and doing it in such a way that City keeper Radek Vitek did not have to make a save worthy of the name.

There is still a very long way to go - 34 games, in fact - but older fans who remember the 1975-76 promotion campaign are thinking maybe, just maybe, some 50 years on the club might repeat that feat.