Coppell In Charge By Weekend?

City caretaker boss Keith Millen admitted that defeat at Scunthorpe ended his slim chances of getting the manager's job full-time and the club should now push through the appointment of Steve Coppell.

To the most optimistic of City fans, there was just the faintest of hopes that the Robins could have still reached the play-off finals all be it with the help of a minor miracle, but a hat-trick from Gary Hooper at Glanford Park put an end to all that on Saturday.

It is reported that contract negotiations between the club and Coppell will resume today and if all goes well, the new man should be in the hot-seat for the weekend.

Millen also expects Coppell to be in place before the weekend game with Derby County, he told the Bristol Evening Post: "Things might have remained as they were for a little longer had we beaten Scunthorpe and still been in contention for the play-offs.

"Had that been the case, the chairman would maybe have delayed making the change and told us to carry on doing what we were doing to see if we could have made the top six.

"But that is over now and the scenario has changed. I would imagine that, if the chairman has anything to announce, it will be this week.

"Now that we are out of the play-offs, this week will be as good a time as any to make an appointment."