Why Pearson?

[Nogbad the Bad]

11 hours ago, Bobbie said:

Aside from the results/performances, I can’t say I’ve taken to Nige. In fact, he’s the first manager I’ve felt an inherent dislike to since Pulis. Maybe he’s the character we need but I wouldn’t fancy a pint with the bloke

I'm surprised anyone would take an inherent dislike to Pearson - have to say the City fans I know have taken to Nige.

Fair enough, we're all different, but all the same to compare the extent of your negative feelings about him with Pulis seems extraordinary.

Do you consider it to be an important trait in a City manager that you think you'd enjoy drinking with him?

Which City managers of the last 20 years would you have fancied having a pint with?

 

[IAmNick]

It's so strange to me we hire Dean, let him bring in 2 of his own coaching staff (if him and the club are to be believed), have two transfer windows to sign players, and 8 months on the pitch.

We then hire Pearson, who has to work with the entire existing club structure, none of his own coaches, no transfer windows, and people are looking to ditch him after 2 months surprised that not much has changed.

I don't see who else we could realistically get in at this point - especially as we need a "total rebuild" manager, not a continuity/small progression manager so for me that makes a young up and coming one less attractive.

I'd give him until Christmas before I really start to judge him.

[Red Exile]

18 minutes ago, Red Alert said:

He took his eye off the CEO - I believe SL had full trust in MA running the show and has been let down. 

I'm afraid the problem is SL - and that is obviously a big problem! It's a problem that can't be solved unless he either sells to someone with a greater capacity to realise ambitions or starts appointing and trusting people with a proven track record of delivery...something he seems to have no problem doing when it comes to building projects.

SL has had 20 years, on the football front he's a proven picker of the wrong man.

The skills necessary to make a fortune in finance are clearly not the same as those needed to make a success of Bristol City!

[Rob k]

Just now, IAmNick said:

It's so strange to me we hire Dean, let him bring in 2 of his own coaching staff (if him and the club are to be believed), have two transfer windows to sign players, and 8 months on the pitch.

We then hire Pearson, who has to work with the entire existing club structure, none of his own coaches, no transfer windows, and people are looking to ditch him after 2 months surprised that not much has changed.

I don't see who else we could realistically get in at this point - especially as we need a "total rebuild" manager, not a continuity/small progression manager so for me that makes a young up and coming one less attractive.

I'd give him until Christmas before I really start to judge him.

Im honestly at the point that the next manager has a season to sort things out. Half these  players are useless, don’t couldn’t care less if they were playing for BCFC or Colchester as long as they were picking up their money, which im usually fine with if i see the effort being put in.

This rebuild is actullay bigger than i thought as unfortunately you can’t get rid of some of the players that i would want gone. There is no team spirit, can you imagine Orr and Carey accepting things like last night, Stead, Flint, Pack, you think Wilbraham Would put in such a weak shift up front as Fam did last night? At least the players from other squads, whilst not being the best, gave a shit and fought for the team. 

 

[Cowshed]

27 minutes ago, Squire Dastardly said:

I don't see what Pearson could have done differently given the situation he was parachuted into. He kept his available experienced players Wells, Diedhiou & Palmer in the team whilst giving some youngsters the opportunity to make a good impression. The senior players mentioned above have let him down and from what has been leaked he has made his feelings clear to them. Any manager will have a gigantic task to be completed before August. Having said that Pearson has the best knowledge, experience and contacts to achieve at least part of the job in the time available to him. 

Give him the job and give it to him soon.

 

He could have quickly outlined what behaviours he expects the players will display.

Effort is a skill. Skill is defined as something that can be performed on demand.

Mr Pearson has been selecting Diedhiou. A player who consistently displays a lack of effort. On a man management level selecting that up front has to have negative consequences on players in the team. This player is not the only player being selected while displaying a non fighting mindset.

These senior players have let their team mates down. Again and as expected and as predicted. Mr Pearson by selecting them lets his own values down and sets a bar so low so negotiable in its effort the team can only fail, being crap and playing at 60% and far less gets a game in Mr Pearsons honest XI.

[ray savino]

1 hour ago, Gert Mare said:

The problem at City has been the recruitment and it’s the same problem that is taking the Sags down to League 2.

It doesn’t matter how many managers you put in charge the blend within the team is wrong and as a collective the team isn’t good enough to consistently compete at this level.

It is unfair to judge NP as it is to judge JB at Rovers. They have both inherited a mess and need time to build their own team in their own image.

NP has a squad blighted by injuries and players OOC who will be leaving at the end of the season.

Fortunately we aren’t going down and it is clear that some players minds are elsewhere and others realise that there is nothing left to play for.

Enough has been done to keep City up and that was the short term aim. It hasn’t been pretty, but it has been stale ever since the latter end of LJ’s reign.

NP will know what he wants and SL will know how far he is prepared to subsidise any project. 

One thing that is clear is that a lot of work needs to be done over the summer, so whether NP is here for the short term or long term something has to be done to stabilise the management situation and prepare adequately over the summer.

Too often in the past we have messed around for too long over the summer and that cannot happen this time around. Get it wrong and our chances of survival in this division next season will be slim at best.

 

I think this pretty much sums up and hits the nail on the head. I’m not going to make excuses for Pearson and I think that there are bound to be doubts arising if he is the right person to turn things around after the latest performances. But let’s not pretend this is nothing short of a total mess of a club on the playing side (okay it looks like we are getting our act together on the academy and youngsters coming through). 

I think Pearson knows this is a mess and you can bet he’s mightily pissed off with the set up he finds. The key thing he has said so far is about the mentality of the team/squad, something that has afflicted the club for years apart from a few occasions. It’s the lack of a winning mentality, a collective complacency and it’ll do attitude, despite all the rhetoric spouted about a Premier League Club in waiting. A lack of sustained success and competition in our region has led to this attitude on both sides of Bristol. Whatever we think of Pearson and Barton, they have both experienced the attitude and demands to make it at a high level, as well as train, play with and learn from top coaches and players. They can see the appeal of building a successful team in a success starved big city, but they are probably surprised at just how poorly set up things are at both clubs.

Even if Lansdown doesn’t want to go with Pearson, I hope he listens to Pearson as he surely would to an experienced consultant in his other businesses. I hope Pearson tells it as it is. Lansdown may not like it, but it might force him to confront his mistakes and implement a credible management team at all levels to provide the club with a realistic (but still ambitious) plan to restructure the club. Get people in who know the game.

I listened to a podcast (High Performance?) with Jake Humphrey (?) who interviewed Stuart Webber (CEO at Norwich).  Worth a listen, even if he does sound a bit full of himself at times. However he sounds driven and demands the best from himself as well as everyone around him. But he also believes in building a strong team and supportive attitude/culture from tea lady to owner. And you’ve got to see what happened at both Norwich and Huddersfield while he was there. He is also brutally honest. If things are crap he will say it.

We need a management team who can instil that passion and mentality in the club, players, fans and yes, owner. Let’s be honest, Steve Lansdown is a business man. He will quite rightly want a return on his investments at sometime, but I do actually believe he wants to do something for Bristol and have a local legacy. He must be able to confront the mistakes that have been made, and now is a huge chance to address them. The first thing to do is appoint the management team to change the entire mentality and (lack of) competitive culture at the club.

Sorry to go on, but after 55 years supporting the team, I too have become accustomed to this mediocrity, so I don’t expect or demand Premier League football, but at least want to go to games to follow a club with a plan, some fight and providing some excitement. Anyway rant over, sure I’ll end up renewing my season card, this bloody club is too ingrained in me now!

[whoklldredrobin]

Pearson’s reputation is all that he has  in his favour right now. 

And you only have to look at Jose Mourinho to know that reputation does not always win you games. 

Steve Lansdown would have rightly expected him to inject the same uplift he managed during his short spell at Watford the season before last. Finishing the season with momentum is extremely important.

But that hasn’t happened - his record with us is mediocre at best. 

People will say: ‘But the players are rubbish and unmotivated’! (And we were led to believe they were all ‘good humans’. So is my mum but...) 

But that is a manager’s job. To get the best out of the players at his disposal- to turn a rabble into world-beaters. It is not playing Football Manager, or being good at going shopping (which seems to be the cure-all with some but something that we not likely to be able to do in the short term). One thing our promoted sides have had in common (whether that is under Cotts, Gary J, Ward, Jordan or Cooper ) is team spirit and commitment - and that is something that is driven from the man at the top. (And yes Cotts and Gary struggled at first but they did see the team move up the table after a few months).

The football is so deathly dull and boring as well - like most people I wouldn’t mind if we were going for it and losing the odd game. 

And yes, players being out of contract and not knowing their future (and probably staring at a wage cut tbh) doesn’t help. And key players like Martin, Weimann and Mawson being injured has been a big blow. And the CEO turning on his heels has made a bad situation worse. And no, I don’t know who would do any better - but that is the point. The current wise ‘experienced’ messiah is not doing any better than the assistant coach in the same circumstances . 
 

The whole club is a shambles at the moment - anyone connected with it should be embarrassed by by the situation. Not posting upbeat Instagram posts after losing to Wycombe, or putting up toe curling tributes to our Great Leader (who incidentally not so long ago spoke in favour of a closed shop in Rugby’s Premiership - so be careful what you are led to believe) all the while assuming we will all gratefully file back to our season ticket seats next year, doffing our caps and saying ‘thank you sir’.  Have some humility. 
 

even the season ticket campaign is poor - ‘Always Believe’, a now tired catchphrase that was used by our goalkeeper 12 years ago - and has all the magnetism and pull of a shop putting on a closing down sale. Wheeling out the same old cardboard cut out legends in the promotional artwork. Looking back at old glories - just like the club’s social media has turned into a Bristol City Gold retro channel - relive our 2-0 win away at Port Vale! Why not focus on the fans? Say how much we are missed - how empty the stadiums are without us - and how we can  lift the team. 
 

I hope Pearson works out I really do - but I don’t know what to think anymore. For the first time in many many years I didn’t even think about checking late night’s result until this morning - and I am a long term STH, who has travelled home and away for years. The club should be worried about that - if it’s biggest supporters start turning apathetic- warning signs should start to go off. 

COYR. 

[Red_Alligator]

12 hours ago, Bobbie said:

Aside from the results/performances, I can’t say I’ve taken to Nige. In fact, he’s the first manager I’ve felt an inherent dislike to since Pulis. Maybe he’s the character we need but I wouldn’t fancy a pint with the bloke

This is my favourite post from the recent and frantic hours on OTIB.

Duly added to my list of reasons why we'll need a new Manager for next season.

As relevant as anything else I've read but original at the same time.

 

[Baba Yaga]

15 minutes ago, Red Exile said:

I'm afraid the problem is SL - and that is obviously a big problem! It's a problem that can't be solved unless he either sells to someone with a greater capacity to realise ambitions or starts appointing and trusting people with a proven track record of delivery...something he seems to have no problem doing when it comes to building projects.

SL has had 20 years, on the football front he's a proven picker of the wrong man.

The skills necessary to make a fortune in finance are clearly not the same as those needed to make a success of Bristol City!

Was talking to someone about how SL went on a big campaign of controlling costs the last time we were in the Championship which ended up in a much reduced wage bill but only after several seasons of struggle and eventual relegation. At that point it seemed that controlling costs was more important than on the field success. Now in the post-covid world he might be looking to do something similar, bringing in Holden whilst there was much uncertainty in the world made sense from a financial perspective. This summer what we need is a massive rebuild or we will be near the bottom in a scrap next season, the appointment of Pearson made it seem like we weren't lacking ambition but the real intent will be shown in the summer. Is SL back in cost control mode again like in around 2012-13? (I wouldn't particularly turn on SL even if he was but I think its something to bear in mind).

[Red_Alligator]

1 hour ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

So NP has managed around 400 games and last tasted success in 2015 with Leicester.

Holden has managed around 40 games and across this small section did ok until the wheels came off in his final 7 games.

I'm not sure that looking at their achievements given one has managed 10 times as many games is a good comparison.

I think it is. That's why I said it.

All of my contributions to OTIB are carefully crafted and based solely upon the facts that are my opinion.

And thanks for appreciating them enough to take the time to reply. It's very motivating.

 

[maxjak]

13 hours ago, AppyDAZE said:

Would help if the owner could give a shit.

Yeah too right, the bastard has poured millions into his local club, and built an amazing stadium and state of the art training ground...............how dare he?  I am certain if u meet him you would introduce yourself as a "Keyboard Warrior" and then make it clear to him that he obviously does NOT give a shit

[Nogbad the Bad]

8 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

I have purely stated that I think NP has been underwhelming. His results have been awful and he has had enough time to galvanise a squad who clearly are capable of winning games or we'd already have been down.

It depends on your expectations.

Mine were simply that he'd get the points to keep us up, something that looked unlikely under Holden.

Job done. His next task is to brutally dismantle the odious elements of this squad and assemble a new team with character we'll be proud to get behind next season.

A task he seems eminently suitable for.

Your expectation seems to have been for NP to transform an obnoxiously indifferent squad into a winning machine in double quick time merely by his presence.

[Jeez]

44 minutes ago, Red Exile said:

I'm afraid the problem is SL - and that is obviously a big problem! It's a problem that can't be solved unless he either sells to someone with a greater capacity to realise ambitions or starts appointing and trusting people with a proven track record of delivery...something he seems to have no problem doing when it comes to building projects.

SL has had 20 years, on the football front he's a proven picker of the wrong man.

The skills necessary to make a fortune in finance are clearly not the same as those needed to make a success of Bristol City!

I believe he honestly thought he had a safe pair of hands in MA who had the football connections.

We can’t genuinely expect to rely on a retired billionaire tax exile with multiple interests to run 2nd/3rd tier football club?

Now SL holds the responsibility & ability to appoint below him. But as I say I think he thought he had found his man to run it.

Back to the drawing board.

[Nugget]

Hearing Pearson will get the extended contract, overhaul incoming 

[maxjak]

12 hours ago, Maltshoveller said:

That is one opinion 

No it's two ...........    ..............at least

[Red_Alligator]

9 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

It depends on your expectations.

Mine were simply that he'd get the points to keep us up, something that looked unlikely under Holden.

Job done. His next task is to brutally dismantle the odious elements of this squad and assemble a new team with character we'll be proud to get behind next season.

A task he seems eminently suitable for.

Your expectation seems to have been for NP to transform an obnoxiously indifferent squad into a winning machine in double quick time merely by his presence.

Game, set and match to you Nogbad.

[maxjak]

12 hours ago, Dynamite Red said:

A manager that's had no preseason, no transfer windows, none of his own backroom staff, a CEO focusing on his new club, a chairman stuck in Guernsey, an unbalanced squad that are half injured or out of contract and downed tools, covid, no fans. 

What were you expecting a ******* miracle. 

At last............some logic and common sense is expressed..........be careful, or the otib faithful will turn on you?     

[Red_Alligator]

13 minutes ago, Nugget said:

Hearing Pearson will get the extended contract, overhaul incoming 

What? With his dreadful record?

We want Colin Applehead (or similar).

[maxjak]

12 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

We've  just played the worst team in the Championship . And lost. 

Nigel Pearson's record here is pathetic and it's totally and utterly about the players or the board or the owner or Holden or Lee Johnson and most definitely Mark Ashton and the tea lady. Not the Manager.

IF Pearson can't motivate the players after all his time here and get them to play then we're fooked. He's just another name in management that is impressive due to a couple of seasons of success. Some years ago.

How ironic that Joey Barton has a marginally worse record over the same period and OTIB goes into joyous meltdown as to his delusion and blame of the players. Can't you see the similarity? The irony?

If Dean Holden hadn't got the wins then we'd be on our way down with Pearson's losses.

A true professional workman does not blame his tools.

I couldn't give a shite if SL doesn't appoint him- its all a manager lottery anyways.

I just wouldn't appoint someone who cant get a group of payers to play when clearly on their day they can otherwise we'd be down already.

 

have you ever thought of writing comedy scripts.....I think you would find your vocation?   

[Roger Red Hat]

13 hours ago, Bobbie said:

 I wouldn’t fancy a pint with the bloke

That's fortunate because he said the same about you!

[Kingswood Robin]

Unfortunately, Pearson is the last act on stage. He's trying to get the crowd going as the fire alarm and sprinklers have gone off and an announcement has been made for everyone to leave the building. Impossible.

The football side of things has been neglected. The Lansdown(s) too distant and a CEO that may have had is head elsewhere for months and this is what we end up with.

Let Pearson lead the rebuild. We need leadership, not unaccountable committee and finger pointing.

[Redrascal2]

2 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

So NP has managed around 400 games and last tasted success in 2015 with Leicester.

Holden has managed around 40 games and across this small section did ok until the wheels came off in his final 7 games.

I'm not sure that looking at their achievements given one has managed 10 times as many games is a good comparison.

Let's not forget the years as Johnson's yes man/assistant manager. During which time they shaped the squad we have today.

[tin]

12 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

We've  just played the worst team in the Championship . And lost. 

Nigel Pearson's record here is pathetic and it's totally and utterly about the players or the board or the owner or Holden or Lee Johnson and most definitely Mark Ashton and the tea lady. Not the Manager.

IF Pearson can't motivate the players after all his time here and get them to play then we're fooked. He's just another name in management that is impressive due to a couple of seasons of success. Some years ago.

How ironic that Joey Barton has a marginally worse record over the same period and OTIB goes into joyous meltdown as to his delusion and blame of the players. Can't you see the similarity? The irony?

If Dean Holden hadn't got the wins then we'd be on our way down with Pearson's losses.

A true professional workman does not blame his tools.

I couldn't give a shite if SL doesn't appoint him- its all a manager lottery anyways.

I just wouldn't appoint someone who cant get a group of payers to play when clearly on their day they can otherwise we'd be down already.

Pearson's been here since February, FFS. What on earth do you expect? In the last year, these players have downed tools for LJ, Holden and are now undermining NP. Who do you think could do any better?  

Also, for context:

• Gary Johnson's first 12 games in charge: 2W 0D 10L (including 9 defeats in a row)
• Steve Cotterill's first 12 games in charge: 3W 4D 5L 
• Nigel Pearson's first 12 games in charge: 2W 3D 6L 

There's not a lot between them, is there. Did you want GJ or SC out early on? They didn't exactly set the world alight early on. Did a bit of patience pay off? Yes. 

If you have a personal disliking of Pearson, fair enough. But how you, and a handful of others, can gloss over these players' performances (don't forget they lost 7 games on the bounce before Pearson) is beyond me. 

[RedM]

13 hours ago, nickolas said:

Well, failing barbaric means of motivation, i cant think of anyone who could motivate a squad full of players who couldnt give a toss because theyre out of contract in a month’s time. 
Pathetic and shameful bunch of players. 
Give Nige his squad and some of his own players and then judge him. 

I agree. But I am also stumped at why those players are acting like this?

Fair enough they feel their time here is ending. They most certainly have had a few harsh but true words said to them by Pearson. But to down tools and half heartedly play football, to paraphrase Joey Barton ‘they should consider themselves lucky to be paid to play professionally’, is staggering.

Where is the professional pride, personal pride if they couldnt give a toss about the club? Who do they think is going to employ them next? Scouts are watching and surely aren’t going to recommend them to another Championship club or equivalent. They are literally flushing their careers down the pan to prove a point.

Most footballers strike me as looking after their own interests above everything else. Chasing the money and doing a job without getting too emotionally involved as it’s usually only a year here, 3 years there and lots of uprooting. Of course there are exceptions, but looking at the squad and even if you take out the young players we have brought through, there aren’t too many you can say are Bristol City through and through or future ‘legends’ in the way Scotty is for example.

Something has seriously gone off course somewhere along the way in recent years and we are paying for that now, and the cost is immense.

[Alex_BCFC]

7 minutes ago, tin said:

Pearson's been here since February, FFS. What on earth do you expect? In the last year, these players have downed tools for LJ, Holden and are now undermining NP. Who do you think could do any better?  

Also, for context:

• Gary Johnson's first 12 games in charge: 2W 0D 10L (including 9 defeats in a row)
• Steve Cotterill's first 12 games in charge: 3W 4D 5L 
• Nigel Pearson's first 12 games in charge: 2W 3D 6L 

There's not a lot between them, is there. Did you want GJ or SC out early on? They didn't exactly set the world alight early on. Did a bit of patience pay off? Yes. 

If you have a personal disliking of Pearson, fair enough. But how you, and a handful of others, can gloss over these players' performances (don't forget they lost 7 games on the bounce before Pearson) is beyond me. 

Sadly a lot of people wanted GJ out after 12 games.

[Numero Uno]

5 minutes ago, Alex_BCFC said:

Sadly a lot of people wanted GJ out after 12 games.

Correct but having experienced what subsequently happened not once (with Johnson) but twice (with Cotterill also) you would think these people might take a step back from commenting the first thing that enters their head because a defeat has annoyed them and think about that.......................

[Red Exile]

1 hour ago, Red Alert said:

I believe he honestly thought he had a safe pair of hands in MA who had the football connections.

We can’t genuinely expect to rely on a retired billionaire tax exile with multiple interests to run 2nd/3rd tier football club?

Now SL holds the responsibility & ability to appoint below him. But as I say I think he thought he had found his man to run it.

Back to the drawing board.

I don't doubt that he did think that MA would be a safe pair of hands. But I'd suggest that a brief glance at the pages of OTIB would have raised a few questions. It's not as though Mark Ashton's appointment hasn't been questioned almost from the start. OTIB may be a tad frivolous at times but many on here know a thing about football and about what goes on behind the scenes at City, and a good number of us have considerable managerial experience and a highly attuned BS detector! 

The appointments of Ashton and Johnson were risky. That was pointed out at the time. Steve chose to look the other way.

I have no confidence in his ability to do better next time.

[Carey 6]

Why Pearson?

He's got a team promoted before from this division. That's one of the key criteria many of us asked for last summer.

This was never going to be a quick fix, he's had his time to assess the squad and will already know which one's he's interested in building a team around. 

It's not been great since he's joined, but there are a few factors which haven't helped him.

You have players nearing the end of their contracts, do they want to risk injury & not getting a new club in the summer? 

We have a huge injury list, this has meant we've had to frequently fill our bench with players yet to play in the Football League, let alone the Championship. Many of them just aren't ready yet. 

He's on a short term contract. Will those that are still under contract past this summer put a bit more effort in if they know he's also here with them. It's a bit like having a supply teacher when you were in school, you **** about & don't listen to them because you only think it's short term. 

He's surrounded by staff that aren't his, how many managers are successful that don't get to bring in their own? 

[Red Exile]

1 hour ago, Baba Yaga said:

Was talking to someone about how SL went on a big campaign of controlling costs the last time we were in the Championship which ended up in a much reduced wage bill but only after several seasons of struggle and eventual relegation. At that point it seemed that controlling costs was more important than on the field success. Now in the post-covid world he might be looking to do something similar, bringing in Holden whilst there was much uncertainty in the world made sense from a financial perspective. This summer what we need is a massive rebuild or we will be near the bottom in a scrap next season, the appointment of Pearson made it seem like we weren't lacking ambition but the real intent will be shown in the summer. Is SL back in cost control mode again like in around 2012-13? (I wouldn't particularly turn on SL even if he was but I think its something to bear in mind).

I think you may be right. Which is one reason why I doubt we'll be renewing our season tickets. 'Cost conscious Bristol City bore fans to death in relegation campaign - but balance the books' isn't what I particularly want to spend hours travelling to Ashton Gate to watch. It's also not exactly consistent with the 'Premier League club in waiting' image Lansdown has sold for the past half decade. But you are right, there is a precedent.

[GrahamC]

Personally I would give the job to Pearson but at the same time do get the argument that results don’t justify it.

I would just say though that he isn’t unique, have a look at Paul Cook’s record since he took over Ipswich in similar circumstances.

Many wanted Cook, possibly more than wanted Pearson, but if you take over a side on the slide post transfer window & in our case with loads of players left in limbo, whoever you are, it is tough.