Bristol City legend Tinnion steps back after 33 years’ service
Written by
Simon Austin
June 12, 2026
Technical Director Brian Tinnion is leaving his full-time role at Bristol City this summer, more than 30 years after he first joined the club as a player.
The 58-year-old has held a variety of senior roles at Ashton Gate – including player, manager, Academy Director and, most recently, Technical Director – having signed for them from Bradford City in 1993.
He made more than 450 league appearances for the Robins and had a brief spell as their player-manager in 2004/05. His biggest impact came after he returned in 2013, initially as Head of Youth Recruitment and then Loans Manager, Player Pathway Manager and Academy Director.
He helped bring through players like Antoine Semenyo and Alex Scott and was made Technical Director in November 2022.
His exit comes after a big shake-up of how the club is run. New Chief Executive Charlie Boss arrived in March this year and quickly moved to change things, saying he wanted a Sporting Director in overall charge of “every aspect of our football operations” — with Tinnion and the Head Coach answering to this person.
When James Ellis was brought in from Arsenal to fill that role, Tinnion’s job was scaled back from recruitment and player pathways to just the Academy, before he decided this summer to step away from full-time work.
He will stay with the club part-time as a senior European scout.
Tinnion said: “After more than a quarter of a century at Bristol City, both on and off the pitch, the time has come for me to say goodbye to my day-to-day role at the football club.
“Throughout my time at this incredible club, I have dedicated myself fully to every role I have been fortunate enough to undertake, giving my heart and soul to Bristol City every single day. It has been an honour and a privilege to represent the club for so many years.
“One of the greatest highlights of my journey has been leading and driving the academy programme. I take immense pride in helping discover and develop talented players and it continues to be a huge passion of mine.
“Stepping into the role of technical director brought another chapter of challenges and achievements that I will always cherish – in particular when the club reached the Championship play-offs for the first time in 17 years.
“Bristol City will continue to hold a special place in my heart in this new chapter of my life.”
Boss added: “What Brian has achieved at Bristol City as a player and as part of the club’s senior leadership has been extraordinary.
“This is the next step in that journey, allowing Brian to spend more time with his family while continuing to play a part in shaping Bristol City’s future by identifying the next generation of potential stars.”
Tinnion is fourth on the Robins’ all-time appearance list and won the 2003 EFL Trophy as a player.
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