Bristol City FC News: The greenest club in Britain, injury updates, CEO step-down, and more

Six games deep into the 2023/24 Championship season, although it hasn’t been a romantic start for The Robins, club supporters can hold their heads high after suffering just one defeat.

It’s a little early to be confident in season projections. Still, today, we’re looking at the latest news surrounding Bristol, from a CEO exit, the latest injury revelations, becoming the first club in Britain to go green, and more.

Phil Alexander steps down as Bristol City CEO. 

According to information obtained by Bristol Live, Phil Alexander has stepped down from his position as CEO of Bristol City.

This decision comes just eight months after Alexander, the former chief executive of Crystal Palace, assumed his role at Ashton Gate. Alexander took over from Richard Gould at the end of the January transfer window following Gould’s departure to join the ECB. Before his time at Bristol City, Alexander worked as a consultant at Wycombe Wanderers after an impressive 26-year tenure at Crystal Palace, during which he was recognised as Premier League Chief Executive of the Year in 2022.

Alexander officially left the club on Friday and was notably absent from Saturday’s match against West Brom, which ended in a goalless draw. In an official statement, chairman Jon Lansdown addressed the departure: “On behalf of the Board, I’d like to thank Phil for his contribution to the club, which included overseeing the end of the January transfer window and managing the recent summer window, and we wish him well for the future.” 

Bristol City ‘go green’ 

Bristol City Football Club has achieved the prestigious GreenCode Accreditation, making it the first football club in the country to do so. This accomplishment comes after Forest Green Rovers’ owner, Dale Vince, challenged all football clubs.

Bristol City and the Bristol Sport organisation based at Ashton Gate have made significant changes to its operations to measure, mitigate, and reduce its environmental impact. The club now proudly claims the title of the greenest football club in the country, second only to Forest Green Rovers.

Introduced in 2021, the Greencode Accreditation scheme evaluates clubs based on environmental and sustainability practices. Clubs must score above 76 points across 26 different criteria, which encompass various aspects such as fan transportation, sourcing of halftime refreshments, recycling, and energy usage.

Bristol City scored 80 points, becoming the first club in the English Football League (EFL) to obtain this accreditation. Pete Smith, the driving force behind the transformation at Ashton Gate, attributes this achievement to the extensive efforts undertaken to analyse and improve every aspect of the club’s and stadium’s operations.

Andi Weimann is back. 

Ahead of Bristol’s midweek clash with Plymouth Argyle, The Robins are favoured at 4/5 (1.8 decimal) at the top betting sites UK, and we can speculate how the return of Andi Weimann could’ve played a role in the bookmakers’ expectation of Bristol collecting their first home win of the season.

In six games, betting on Bristol outright hasn’t been a lucrative venture, and frustrations have undoubtedly arisen amongst supporters. With one loss, four draws, and two wins from the Championship campaign thus far, Bristol’s successes have notably been on the road. However, with an injury boost ahead of their next scheduled home fixture, a higher probability of success has emerged.

Andi Weimann is poised to make his comeback for Bristol City in their match against Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday evening. However, manager Nigel Pearson emphasises that the club will continue to be cautious with the captain’s involvement.

Weimann has been sidelined since he departed from the field during the game against Hull City on August 25. The 32-year-old has been dealing with a recurring heel issue connected to a tendon in the bottom of his foot.

While it is unlikely that Weimann will start the game, if given the green light to play, he would offer an additional option from the bench and help alleviate some of the workload in midfield. This would be particularly beneficial as Jason Knight, who had a busy international break, was substituted after 84 minutes in the match against West Brom on Saturday.