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Nigel Pearson


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40 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

I believe Cotts job would have been to keep us up with a bit of backing, but not loads in that first season. But with January as an option to bring in more if needed - which we then did after Cotts was sacked in Goldbourne, Pearce, Tomlin, Odemwingie.

The problem was we looked so bad, even with a very capable set of players and with new quality additions, Cotts could not manage to keep us up. We were going down, and Cotts did seem to lose it in the end. I thought it was right to sack him. It was a sad day, but I think that decision kept us up.

I think you make some good points Jon but the fundamental problem is the first line of your post (and i agree with it by the way).

We had just had (arguably) the greatest season in our history and Cotts remit was to "keep us up". I think he went to Steve Lansdown and told him the type of players we would need to be successful in The Champ and he wasn't backed.

The one player he did spend money on was Kodjia and we ended up making a huge profit on him.

I think Cotts would have been incredibly deflated that summer after achieving what he just had. We had a fantastic stadium that was taking shape and with 4 or 5 quality additions we could have kicked on.

Anyway, its a long time ago now but i just hope that Nige doesn't encounter the same problems.

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11 hours ago, Robbored said:

SC lacked any real ‘presence’ whereas when Big Nige oozes plenty. I’d rather have NP beside me in the trenches than SC.

I had a coffee with SC and his wife at David Lloyd. He had just won the league at a canter and a cup final for good measure.

He gave me all the 'presents' I could ever  ask for.

Sometimes Robbo, you really can be a nob because if you've never met Nigel Pearson - how do you know he's big?

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3 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Sometimes Robbo, you really can be a nob because if you've never met Nigel Pearson - how do you know he's big?

Seen pictures of him both as a player and as a manager. I’ll bet he’s well over 6ft tall.

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Undoubtably money has been wasted, talent ID needs to improve and I agree the squad needs a "re-build" of sorts - but we're still not relegation fodder IMO - we're talking a re-build in terms of a sustained top 6 push, aren't we. The situation isn't dire. 

For me, successive years of selling to buy has stripped our squad down to a group of 'useful' players. The Williams (Ashley), Hunts, Rowes, Marriappas, Martins etc. Solid players, with a shelf life.

On reflection, (apart from lots of other factors) it feels a little bit of a perfect storm this season where the next generation coming through, Bakinson, Semenyo, HNM etc are not consistent enough yet and the solid pro's have started hitting the end of their shelf life and dropping off - hence inconsistent performances. 

I still believe the manager has a very good core of a squad. 4 or 5 signings of the right quality could, if they're all kept fit, transform it, IMO.  Over to you Ashton. 

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10 hours ago, Edgy Red said:

have nothing against Lee Johnson but the resources he was given over a 4 year period were incredible compared to what SC was allowed to spend.

Been said plenty of times, you can’t blame Lee Johnson for spending resources that he was the first manager/head coach to have access to after the upturn in commercial income meant more funds being available. If cotts had been patient he’d have had the same resources 

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2 hours ago, JonDolman said:

He was given Baker, Fredericks, Bennett, Robinson, Cox and Kodjia.

As well as having a team full of players that won league one. He decided to let Cunningham go too who would have been handy to keep, as he did very well at Preston.

Preston who finished lower than us in league one came up and spent less than us on transfer fees. Mainly brought in loans and frees. They finished 11th.

We would have been in league one imo had we kept Cotts. I doubt there were many fans that could see that team surviving. We looked all over the place.

The main thing LJ did when he came in was to make us organised. Baker and Flint looked solid, Pack's performances improved hugely alongside Korey. We had a much more solid shape and spine to the side.

LJ sold Kodjia for big money in 16/17 season.

17/18 season I think was probably the one season he was backed without selling any key players for big money.

18/19 we had sold Flint, Bryan and Reid for big money.

19/20 we sold Webster, Kelly and Brownhill for big money.

LJ was backed. But he sold a lot of his best players. When Cotts went up we had a strong enough squad imo, plus with the new players. Really disappointing at this level for us.

We weren't going down under Cotts imo., he'd never overseen a relegation in a 20 year managerial career.

An experienced manager with the proven capability to keep teams up.

I feared more for our Championship status in novice Johnson's first full season after the humiliating 5-0 debacle at PNE in the April.

 

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1 hour ago, billywedlock said:

According to the interview with SL on the podcast (3 peas or something - but very very good, listen to the Clayton Horseman interview for youth info too) , our owner has yet to meet Pearson. I do not think a contract with him will be done until they do. It did not give the impression it was a done deal, though they are working on next season. So we may be jumping the gun on this, though I think NP wants to stay, and has identified what is needed. SL maybe shocked at being told how much work is needed outside of the structural (ground/performance centre) having spent so much on the current wage bill and transfers. NP was also not their main target, he was available and willing to work on a short term contract, which became necessary when the coaches, after Holden left, said it needed a boss. Expect a decision after SL can travel to UK . End of April ? Not sure what rules are for Guernsey. 

Interesting, Guernsey came out of any lockdown for the second time about a week ago.

Let’s hope that means SL can come here or NP go there after Monday’s game & get this sorted ASAP.

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8 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

We weren't going down under Cotts imo., he'd never overseen a relegation in a 20 year managerial career.

An experienced manager with the proven capability to keep teams up.

I feared more for our Championship status in novice Johnson's first full season after the humiliating 5-0 debacle at PNE in the April.

 

Big Sam has never been in charge of a relegated club, all things come to an end at some point. Cotts would have needed a fairly big turn around to get us out of the drop zone, not impossible but his rigidity in sticking to his system made it seem unlikely as we were found out playing that way and needed something fresh but he wouldn’t deviate 

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14 hours ago, Banjo Island said:

The lack of  a natural leader on the pitch has been a massive problem for many years very strange a succesion of numerous managers have  failed to address this glaringly obvious problem is bamboozling

Could it be that our recent series of managers didn’t  like to be challenged and saw bringing in these ‘ leader ‘ types as undermining their authority ?

 

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1 hour ago, Edgy Red said:

I think you make some good points Jon but the fundamental problem is the first line of your post (and i agree with it by the way).

We had just had (arguably) the greatest season in our history and Cotts remit was to "keep us up". I think he went to Steve Lansdown and told him the type of players we would need to be successful in The Champ and he wasn't backed.

The one player he did spend money on was Kodjia and we ended up making a huge profit on him.

I think Cotts would have been incredibly deflated that summer after achieving what he just had. We had a fantastic stadium that was taking shape and with 4 or 5 quality additions we could have kicked on.

Anyway, its a long time ago now but i just hope that Nige doesn't encounter the same problems.

Cotts said at the Amphitheater that with the right players brought in the side could spring a surprise.

Old ground, but he’d identified two of them....Maguire and Gray.

I blame Cotts for being petulant.  But I blame SL (and Pelling) for not backing him, causing him to be petulant.  That’s the root cause.

SL brought in the Grim Reaper to organise the sacking.  The rest is history.

The whole episode taints Cotts time here.  I understand the “he was definitely taking us down” even if it’s pure conjecture, just as “he’d have gotten us out of it” is as well.  None of know.

He was let down, he then let us fans down.

What a shitty way to treat a manager who’d just given many fans one of the best seasons ever supporting City.

To not take the Maguire / Gray debacle into the equation when judging Cotts time here is a bit unfair imho.

And boy are we now paying for it.

To give LJ a bit of credit in the mess he’s contributed too....fair play that he eked some results out of the players he and Ashton recruited.  I said for ages the results somehow exceeded performances and that it wasn’t sustainable.  But I think he generally had players from the old regime plus fantastic pros like Brownhill to keep standards up.  The final cog left in the summer (Smith).  I’m not saying that’s the only reason, but it’s a big factor.  We’ve recruited weak characters.

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2 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Cotts said at the Amphitheater that with the right players brought in the side could spring a surprise.

Old ground, but he’d identified two of them....Maguire and Gray.

I blame Cotts for being petulant.  But I blame SL (and Pelling) for not backing him, causing him to be petulant.  That’s the root cause.

SL brought in the Grim Reaper to organise the sacking.  The rest is history.

The whole episode taints Cotts time here.  I understand the “he was definitely taking us down” even if it’s pure conjecture, just as “he’d have gotten us out of it” is as well.  None of know.

He was let down, he then let us fans down.

What a shitty way to treat a manager who’d just given many fans one of the best seasons ever supporting City.

To not take the Maguire / Gray debacle into the equation when judging Cotts time here is a bit unfair imho.

And boy are we now paying for it.

To give LJ a bit of credit in the mess he’s contributed too....fair play that he eked some results out of the players he and Ashton recruited.  I said for ages the results somehow exceeded performances and that it wasn’t sustainable.  But I think he generally had players from the old regime plus fantastic pros like Brownhill to keep standards up.  The final cog left in the summer (Smith).  I’m not saying that’s the only reason, but it’s a big factor.  We’ve recruited weak characters.

We have recruited players that fit our DNA...  so we are right on track for where we intended to be surely?

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45 minutes ago, Lrrr said:

Been said plenty of times, you can’t blame Lee Johnson for spending resources that he was the first manager/head coach to have access to after the upturn in commercial income meant more funds being available. If cotts had been patient he’d have had the same resources 

Oh, and boy did he (they) spend them!!!  At faster rates than the income levels.

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Just now, TRL said:

We have recruited players that fit our DNA...  so we are right on track for where we intended to be surely?

Yep, DNA of great humans.

A DNA i where some can’t be arsed, don’t help their teammates out etc,

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We are now reaping the rewards of the employment of a second Johnson. The first managed to get us out of the Third Division with a hotch potch of mostly average lower league players, so credit for that to GJ.

However, it became very clear that in the Championship, which is really Premier League Two, where internationals and non British/Irish were already plentiful in 2009, that he could not work with them. GJ's biggest failing.

And so skip a few years while we try to survive with those players plus some very cheap recruits and sod all from the Academy. 18 good months of Cotterill.

Enter LJ, a duplicate it turns out of his father. Only ever played for his father, plus a couple of loans. Could not handle anyone with Premier League experience, nor could he cope with all the players clearly recruited by Ashton from Europe. They either had caps, and/or trophy winners at top level. Players played out of position because it didn't suit him or he couldn't cope with their egos and experience. We disposed of the intruders from Europe back to whence they came and tried cherry picking from leagues three and four. Adolekun, Szmodics etc.

Houlden proved to be almost a replica. Limited experience and achievements only at third or fourth league standard. Lansbury has to be his first prize winner!

Pearson has walked into Ashton Gate with his eyes wide open, or so he must have thought. About two teams of academy and young recruits that were dispersed on loan to any team that would have them from League One/Scottish Prem to Bath City, Weston-super-mare and Torquay. The senior players had been brain-washed into a group that could only pass the ball sideways and backwards. Prime exemple CO'D. Sit back and mass defend away and at home and hope for a breakaway. Playing formations were all negative so very difficult to change that mindset.

Pearson has a tremendous problem to resolve to even keep us as a mid table side next season. He has some real dross to get rid of and replace with the best of the Academy boys and some affordable more experienced Championship performers. IF he stays with us. I would not blame him if he decided it was an impossible task.

Just one more point. Why is one of the most consistent performers from Holden's shambles, left on the bench while we play Hunt, Lansbury and Bakinson, the first two inept old pros, and Tyreek a raw youngster? The forgotten man at Bristol City, Zak Vyner! 

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Just now, Davefevs said:

Yep, DNA of great humans.

A DNA i where some can’t be arsed, don’t help their teammates out etc,

That's our DNA and we're sticking to it. Pearson if you don't like it there's the door!

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4 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Oh, and boy did he (they) spend them!!!  At faster rates than the income levels.

9F91E9BD-6D52-41A1-9DC1-E204C9288C22.thumb.jpeg.81e38d9430fa990b313cd6174eafed98.jpeg

 

I’d expect 8/10 head coaches/managers to oversee similar increases if they’re told their aim has changed over time from preventing relegation to reaching the play offs

13 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said:

Some managers don't have a relegation on their CV because they are sacked before it happens!

Or walk

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3 hours ago, The Horse With No Name said:

Now say it without emphasing the "right". Its also gramatically correct. ie Massengo pulled out of that tackle, and he was quite right to.

I don't think that's how he meant it but yes you are right. But what is emphasing and gramatically?(sorry I couldn't resist).

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3 minutes ago, markcarter said:

In his press interview with Bristol Live, Pearson has said he’ll need 6 to 8 transfer windows to make us Premier League ready (I recall Johnson said 3 to 5) and that anyone who thinks there will be major incomings costing lots in the summer is going to be very disappointed.

So a massive deluge of cold water poured on the immediate hopes of those expecting an exciting summer and a challenge next season.

Anybody expecting a promotion challenge next season needs to have a word with themselves. If you can’t see the mess we are in try watching a different sport.

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6 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Cotts said at the Amphitheater that with the right players brought in the side could spring a surprise.

Old ground, but he’d identified two of them....Maguire and Gray.

I blame Cotts for being petulant.  But I blame SL (and Pelling) for not backing him, causing him to be petulant.  That’s the root cause.

SL brought in the Grim Reaper to organise the sacking.  The rest is history.

The whole episode taints Cotts time here.  I understand the “he was definitely taking us down” even if it’s pure conjecture, just as “he’d have gotten us out of it” is as well.  None of know.

He was let down, he then let us fans down.

What a shitty way to treat a manager who’d just given many fans one of the best seasons ever supporting City.

To not take the Maguire / Gray debacle into the equation when judging Cotts time here is a bit unfair imho.

And boy are we now paying for it.

To give LJ a bit of credit in the mess he’s contributed too....fair play that he eked some results out of the players he and Ashton recruited.  I said for ages the results somehow exceeded performances and that it wasn’t sustainable.  But I think he generally had players from the old regime plus fantastic pros like Brownhill to keep standards up.  The final cog left in the summer (Smith).  I’m not saying that’s the only reason, but it’s a big factor.  We’ve recruited weak characters.

Your comments on SC are a little one eyed Dave but you’re spot on with your other comments.

Anyway.......SC and LJ are history now and now Nige has inherited a poor squad with not much quality and that’s a result of signing far too many average players throughout LJ and then Deano’s tenure.

Fortunately with so many OOC players this summer Nige can cull the squad and begin to bring in players he feels City need to be competitive in the Championship.

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1 minute ago, Waffleflap said:

By all accounts SL is gonna be meeting up un the next couple of weeks to discuss his future. He gotta stay ?

Pearson is definitely speaking in the longer term. We are a club that he can mould from scratch and I think this will probably be his last chance to do that. He will be starting work in the summer with a blank sheet of paper and an owner who generally backs his managers. How many clubs can offer better than that?

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2 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Why?

Because he has a track record, experience and contacts and also because going down the Fewers route of new manager every dozen games is proven not to work and will leave the club in an unsustainable position pretty quickly.

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