Kal Naismith knows what it takes for a team to be successful and he believes Bristol City's "outstanding" dressing room dynamics can provide a platform to make the Championship play-offs.
The centre-back has been promoted twice with Rangers and Portsmouth while he was crowned Luton's Player of the Year last season after helping drive the overachievers to a surprise top six finish last season.
Naismith's arrival in the summer on a free transfer provides added experience to City's backline but his leadership qualities have been a standout trait of the 30-year-old alongside Zak Vyner and Rob Atkinson.
Manager Nigel Pearson has spoken at length in the past about how he has worked tirelessly to change the culture at the club and having to change the personnel in order to achieve that. There's no doubt the dressing room is a happier place in comparison to 12 months ago and City appear to be reaping the rewards on the pitch.
After 10 games, they sit one point adrift of the play-offs having endured narrow defeats away from home to promotion hopefuls Norwich and Burnley before the international break. Despite the losses, the performances were encouraging and it provided confidence that the Robins have the quality to force their way into the top six reckoning.
Naismith believes the camaraderie in the squad is vital to achieving success and believes City have the perfect blend of quality and role models to challenge. Speaking on BBC Radio Bristol's Sound of the City, he said: "I think there's a lot to it (achieving success) but I always go back to good people.
"A lot goes on in changing rooms. It's a very competitive environment. If you think about it there are probably 30 people in that changing room or more.
"Everyone single person is wanting to play and they all have a good reason for wanting to play because they're all good players or they wouldn't be at Bristol City. Sometimes lads out of the team can be poison at times, they won't train well and it can affect the other lads in training.
"I believe it's just having everyone on the same page to create that bond where when the lads wish you well before the game that I'm playing whether it's real or not, I honestly believe we have that in absolute spades at Bristol City.
"The lads that are out of the team are absolutely outstanding, the manager is brilliant, the staff are brilliant. Everything is there. They are just human beings that want everyone to do well and then on top of that you've got the senior players driving the standards every single day.
"Matty James and Andy King are constantly driving the standards whether you lose or win. If you win, you don't drop off if you lose you don't feel sorry for yourself. it's just all those little things that add up I believe to be successful.
"Definitely that relationship between the players in the changing room and also the fans being on the same page, everything gives you that momentum. After 10 games, I really do believe we've got that."
City were largely written off at the beginning of the season by certain pundits following their difficulties last season, but their attacking play, in particular, has earned the praise from players and managers across the country.
Norwich manager Dean Smith, Teemu Pukki and Burnley's Vincent Kompany are all among those to laud Pearson's side but the next hectic run of fixtures will play a big part in defining City's season.
They have eight games in October, five of those at Ashton Gate and a further three in the league before the World Cup break following the home game against Watford on November 12.
"I'm ambitious and I want the best so I would need to see the play-offs," Naismith added. "The Championship is an incredibly tough league and there's some tough sides but I look around the changing room and there's some top, top players.
"You just have to look at the bench in the last game, Semenyo, Chrissy Martin, Joe Williams. These are top players so for me personally a massive part of me coming to the club was looking at the amount of goals we can score and then the amount of goals we conceded.
"So I feel if I can help the defenders, the goalkeeper, midfielders and attackers too, we can stop shipping in as many goals we've got to try and push for the play-offs. If we fall short, we fall short but I think that's what we should be striving for."
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