Sky Sports pundit questions whether Bristol City dressing room can handle Nigel Pearson Sky Sports EFL pundit Keith Andrews, formerly of Blackburn Rovers, has had his say on Nigel Pearson's three-year contract at Bristol City Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews believes Bristol City's players are "soft" and doubts whether they can handle working with Nigel Pearson. The Robins have lost eight of their past 12 games as a lost season for the club drifts joylessly to an end. That poor form has not stopped owner Steve Lansdown awarding Pearson, who has just two wins to his name since taking charge in February, with a three-year contract and a mandate to rebuild. City have 13 players out of contract in the summer, and Andrews believes Pearson could be minded to let them all leave Ashton Gate. But former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Andrews doubts whether City's dressing room can handle Pearson's character. "He would probably take them all and press that reset button and wipe the slate clean," Andrews said on the Sky Sports EFL Podcast. "He was very damning of the players, questioning their character. Really poor and you’re looking for a reaction on the pitch and it’s not there. "You put difficult circumstances in front of the players and they can’t quite deal with them. "I remember Nigel Pearson going into Watford and Watford players speaking about how honest he was, telling them the truth. He’s that type of fella. "I’m not so sure Bristol City’s dressing room can deal with that, because I do think they are a tad on the soft side." Andrews says Pearson must be given time to rebuild, given the surgery needed on the squad in the upcoming transfer window. "I do think they need to press the reset button," the Irishman said. "If they’re giving him a three-year contract, they’ve got to trust him to go and do it his way. "There is no point in Bristol City allowing him to sign 10-12 players, because that’s what it probably will be in the summer with the amount out of contract, and not letting him see it through. There’s no point in six or nine months and pressing the reset button again, there has to be logic, there has to be a process to what they’re going to do and he’s got to be entrusted to do that. "He’s got a lot of experience, he does things in his own particular way, which I quite like at times, he ruffles a few feathers and I think that’s needed, but equally you have to treat players slightly differently now to what you did five, 10, 15, 20 years ago. There has to be a balance struck and the character that he’s talking about has to be harnessed from the management team." Andrews believes there is huge potential Pearson can unlock at Ashton Gate if he succeeds in the rebuild project. "Bristol City is a brilliant, brilliant football club and they have underachieved," he continued. "I cannot believe they haven’t made that step into the play-offs over the past two or three seasons, because everything is there for me. "When I go there I see a Premier League club in waiting, with the infrastructure and finances they have. "It’s run quite well but they haven’t been able to get over the line and get in the play-offs and start building towards that next step." https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport...s/sky-sports-pundit-questions-whether-5371057
He'll have all the time he needs, just look at the reaction of 99% of our fans, it won't be a quick fix and most realise this
It really is a mighty task he has inherited or taken on, as you say 90% of us fans are with him, a small band of luvvies have been twittering away because their super hero has departed, what they don't understand all of that was before NP came on the scene, he has a job to do, he is reality, appointed, here and good on him.
'....90% of us fans are with him, a small band of luvvies have been twittering away......' Unless I've missed something, I didn't think any of us, regardless of our feelings on LJ, don't support NP's appointment and want him to do well. Some have expressed reservations but that's a far call from being against his appointment. I quite liked LJ, but IMHO it was right that he went when he did (have I said that before?) and I'm fully behind NP. I have yet to see any of his 'magic', but I'm willing to accept that he took over someone else's squad that was ravaged by injuries, so essentially he's been competing using LJ/DH's 'B' team, with a lot of them coming to the end of their contracts. Let's see how he does with his OWN squad. I'm quite excited about next season actually.........
Nobody mentioned anyone being against NP, the the expression was twittering away about a departed hero, I am sure everybody is happy now and wants the club to succeed.
In time, I really hope that Nigel Pearson will unite a vastly dissatisfied fan base over recent Manager/Head Coach appointments and the general malaise from the owner over the last decade or more. But he will need to prove he's the man for the job once he has a squad of players he wants, not the riff raff he has inherited.
And why wouldn't he? It's the players that have been disloyal, to 2 managers, a host of coaches and worst of all the fans. This is a good article my only question is, I think he has been diplomatic with the use of the word 'tad' my description would be piss weak and easy to play against.
Because, if he gets a good season in, he may be tempted by bigger fish that might come calling...Loyalty in football (as with many things) is a thing of the past, that's unless you have some allegiance with the club, which NP hasn't..
the "plan" in whatever form was to get together a system of younger players coming in OR getting promoted ..and fit the family atmosphere of BCFC … I GUESS THIS could be the soft underbelly … as for NP v the past! you can pick a lot of negative or positive aspects of the last 10 the last 20 or probably last 30 years back past then things were a lot different! FORTUNATELY to be fair the positive aspects should he exceed them would mean at the minimum getting us back into top 8, into play off's ultimately the most positive is to Championship auto / play off and win it …. all of these things we have done in the last 10 -15 years ……!
Let's be honest with ourselves in that we all knew the poor decisions made by our club would eventually come back and bite us in the arse - and here we are. Whatever and whoever have been our past and now it's time to forget all of that and move on, hopefully to better things. I have always wanted a manager that bites back in the dressing room, training ground and on the pitch because without that kind of leadership we were heading absolutely nowhere and we now have someone in charge who can change all of the wrongdoings from our history. Pearson certainly isn't a messiah but I believe he has the experience and doggedness to make us at least a team that shows up to be counted. The rebuild could take longer than some may want but I ask them to stay the course and support Pearson in whatever he thinks is necessary to stop the rats stinking out the joint because it will require a lot of hard work and some questionable dealings to stop us sinking any lower. The time for this change of tack has been a long time coming and I praise Lansdown for reaching this decision and perhaps all mention of those from our recent past could finally leave the building. Bring it on Nigel. As a little side note I wonder if Fammy will join Sunderland if they get promoted????? Just asking.
It seems a fair assessment of where we are and what is required. Time to see if the players and NP are up to it. I think NP is for sure, not sure on a few players though.
He has moved on mate ~ Former Bristol City manager was 'close to dying' as he makes emotional dressing room return Steve Cotterill was hospitalised in January with Covid-pneumonia but is back in charge of League One Shrewsbury Town please log in to view this image https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-manager-5372110
Great to see him back in business. He was laid very low for a while which is not good. A top top manager in the third tier as we well know, and Shrewsbury are lucky to have him, I think he will have them top 10 next season.