Nigel Pearson

[W-S-M Seagull]

Hopefully 5 games unbeaten puts to bed any ridiculous Pearson out campaigns. 

We're now finally starting to see the fruits of his labour. I'm starting to get excited. 

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

3 minutes ago, Selred said:

I think the point is, half of SODs time was in league one. All of Pearson time has been championship…

I think the point is you can only play what's in front of you.

SC is not one of our best manager's merely because he was only successful in L1 - same for Gary J. 

SOD inherited a team destined for L1 with poor quality. NP didn't inherit poor quality and a very good youth progress- Scott, Semenyo, Conway, surprisingly Viner and, now, perhaps Bell?

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

47 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Jeez…………………isn’t it self explanatory?

Ultimate cop out RR. 

No- it's not to me so explain or face palm your night away.

[Selred]

Just now, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

I think the point is you can only play what's in front of you.

SC is not one of our best manager's merely because he was only successful in L1 - same for Gary J. 

SOD inherited a team destined for L1 with poor quality. NP didn't inherit poor quality and a very good youth progress- Scott, Semenyo, Conway, surprisingly Viner and, now, perhaps Bell?

But SC inherited a squad from SOD who you say was “poor quality”, but turned results around?

Pearson surely should get credit for bringing Scott, Semenyo, Conway, Vyner etc on? 

[Mr Popodopolous]

22 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

I think the point is you can only play what's in front of you.

SC is not one of our best manager's merely because he was only successful in L1 - same for Gary J. 

SOD inherited a team destined for L1 with poor quality. NP didn't inherit poor quality and a very good youth progress- Scott, Semenyo, Conway, surprisingly Viner and, now, perhaps Bell?

Some of the players inherited were of variable quality but had stagnated as a whole by the time NP came in. A selection of them out of contract, a remit to cut the wage bill and to promote youth while keeping us afloat.

He is on course to do all that while the performance level is steadily improving.

Meanwhile O'Leary, Vyner, DaSilva more earlier in the season and Wells have all gained a new lease of life under NP. If not for contract standoff maybe Massengo would also be further along.

Weimann produced the best of his career in 2021-22- under NP.

Pring though neither an experienced player with a new lease of life or a young player pushing through has got his chance under NP and has really started producing.

You might care to mention the lack of Baker for a good chunk of his tenure and Kalas for nearly a year now. He's not only been without them but not really been able to replace them due to the FFP situation that he inherited.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[bcfc01]

3 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Hopefully 5 games unbeaten puts to bed any ridiculous Pearson out campaigns. 

We're now finally starting to see the fruits of his labour. I'm starting to get excited. 

Or we are finally starting to see NP selecting the best players in their best positions in a system which suits them.

Hopefully, we've seen the last of King at centre back, or Weimann and Scott wasted at RWB, Naismith at MCB, and the back of 3-5-2 with round pegs in square holes.

I'm not getting excited at all, it could change very quickly, but I really didn't expect a relegation scrap which we were heading for untill he changed it for the good.

Hopefully, its set us on the right path.

 

[Davefevs]

6 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

I think the point is you can only play what's in front of you.

SC is not one of our best manager's merely because he was only successful in L1 - same for Gary J. 

SOD inherited a team destined for L1 with poor quality. NP didn't inherit poor quality and a very good youth progress- Scott, Semenyo, Conway, surprisingly Viner and, now, perhaps Bell?

Nige inherited an overpaid squad with morale at a low ebb, who weren’t prepared to fit in with the culture change that was needed / he wanted to oversee.  So he had to lose them / move them on, either through his choice or because they didn’t want to be part of it.  That is still happening to an extent.

He inherited potential in the Academy, and through the work of Tins, Hines, Challis, Ball, then Simpson, Downing, Fleming, Euell he’s groomed several into players who either can be part of a first 11 / 18 at a really young age or can come into a thin squad and do a job…like OTC tonight.  OTC was on loan at Yate earlier this season!  And also get incredible upside out of Vyner, and to an extent Pring.

That to me is a good “manager”.

[Davefevs]

9 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

Hopefully, we've seen the last of King at centre back

I’d love to hear Rob Atkinson’s side of this, because he’s back playing very well (better?) since his return.

[W-S-M Seagull]

11 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

Or we are finally starting to see NP selecting the best players in their best positions in a system which suits them.

Hopefully, we've seen the last of King at centre back, or Weimann and Scott wasted at RWB, Naismith at MCB, and the back of 3-5-2 with round pegs in square holes.

I'm not getting excited at all, it could change very quickly, but I really didn't expect a relegation scrap which we were heading for untill he changed it for the good.

Hopefully, its set us on the right path.

 

No I believe its the whole culture Nigel has put in place at the club. 

Playing King at CB served it'd purpose. 

Naismith was out injured for something like 10 games. Tanner got himself in the team and then was banned for 3 matches. 

[W-S-M Seagull]

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I’d love to hear Rob Atkinson’s side of this, because he’s back playing very well (better?) since his return.

I think it gave him the kick up the ass he needed and that was the intended purpose of playing King at CB. 

It showed Atkinson and every other player that it does not matter one bit if they are the only player that's fit, they won't play unless they reach the required standards and we'll just play someone else there that does reach those required standards. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

4 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

No I believe its the whole culture Nigel has put in place at the club. 

Playing King at CB served it'd purpose. 

Naismith was out injured for something like 10 games. Tanner got himself in the team and then was banned for 3 matches. 

Didn't Pring vanish for a while too?

Jury out on whether that was fair or required but either way he is certainly delivering now.

[David Brent]

24 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

I think the point is you can only play what's in front of you.

SC is not one of our best manager's merely because he was only successful in L1 - same for Gary J. 

SOD inherited a team destined for L1 with poor quality. NP didn't inherit poor quality and a very good youth progress- Scott, Semenyo, Conway, surprisingly Viner and, now, perhaps Bell?

Who better than Nigel to manage these young talents. He’s done a fantastic job in their development. Arguably the best we’ve had 

[Bodiesaffer]

Look people, NP is not a quick fix, he’s long term. Sets the foundations, in baby steps…  

[Bodiesaffer]

45 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I’d love to hear Rob Atkinson’s side of this, because he’s back playing very well (better?) since his return.

Did the same to Pring Dave..

[Davefevs]

Just now, Bodiesaffer said:

Did the same to Pring Dave..

Yep, I’d just love to hear exactly what was said, the reaction, etc.  I don’t like the use of the phrases “thrown under the bus” or “must’ve had a bust-up”, because having been mates with ex-pros, or parents of pros, it rarely is quite as fans like to portray it.  Especially when you hear players like Schmeichel speak to highly of him, or his son say he’s nothing like he is in media interviews…I’m just keen to understand how Nige handled that situation and how Rob reacted.  Because to me it looks like it had the desired effect.

Likewise Pring, when Nige was naming 2 RBs on the bench.

[W-S-M Seagull]

6 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Yep, I’d just love to hear exactly what was said, the reaction, etc.  I don’t like the use of the phrases “thrown under the bus” or “must’ve had a bust-up”, because having been mates with ex-pros, or parents of pros, it rarely is quite as fans like to portray it.  Especially when you hear players like Schmeichel speak to highly of him, or his son say he’s nothing like he is in media interviews…I’m just keen to understand how Nige handled that situation and how Rob reacted.  Because to me it looks like it had the desired effect.

Likewise Pring, when Nige was naming 2 RBs on the bench.

I think nothing more frustrates Nige than when a player has the potential but then doesn't put in the effort to reach that potential. 

We know Nige is a straight talker so I can imagine it was along those lines. 

From what I know of Nige he is a real father figure, but the players have to be open to that.

If a player listens to the advice Nige gives then Nige has proven time and time again that that player will fulfil their potential. 

I think Nige gives the players the tools they need and then leaves it up to them. 

I think Nige has shown he will give players chances, but equally if they don't take that chance he will be ruthless. 

I would love to shadow Nige because I think he is a master at man management. 

Recently we've seen Nige speak a lot about Bell. This was done on purpose I think. Nige knew we were going to need him so by praising him beforehand then Sam Bell enters that field knowing that the club believes in him and because of that belief he then goes and smashes in the winner away at Swansea. 

Edited January 18, 2023 by W-S-M Seagull

[FNQ]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I’d love to hear Rob Atkinson’s side of this, because he’s back playing very well (better?) since his return.

I guess we may never really know, but I reckon it all stems back to Swansea at home in the league when RA was selected to play but then pulled out an hour before kick off with ‘sickness’.. whether Nige was pissed off at the late notice / didn’t believe it / lost trust / suspected RA was just not up for it, who knows??
We do know though that Nige won’t mess about if a players loses his trust. Maybe Rob got the kick up the arse and the time to reflect that was needed? Also need to consider if Nige was just being an unjustified ***** on this or any other similar issue then that would have had a knock on effect and impacted the morale on the rest of the squad and ultimately their on field performances.. we’re not seeing any of that.

[REDOXO]

2 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

SOD inherited a team destined for L1 with poor quality. NP didn't inherit poor quality and a very good youth progress- Scott, Semenyo, Conway, surprisingly Viner and, now, perhaps Bell?

You are so full of shit it’s nauseating.

Did Scott have an appearance under anyone else. Semenyo couldn’t hit a cows arse with a banjo before Pearson. Who the funk was Conway before Pearson Vyner was dreadful and has been turned into a very good player with very decent value and Bell is getting his chance along with the other kids on the bench and came on. Add Pring who couldn’t get a game, Atkinson and the lad from Carlisle, we now have a squad with value, with several of the u21s chomping at the bit!
 

Pearson inherited a plethora of players out of contract and needing to be moved on many of whom were robbing a wage. He kept the players with value and now we have several players that have significant value coming through from the HPC and a team that have a little form. 

But hey you live in your alternative universe. The one most of us live in is the one where the Lansdown family told the manager you can’t have money, FFP wont allow you to spend it anyway and you have to chunk 8m off the wage bill while bringing players through from the HPC and keep us up! All the while there will be tossers attacking you for it and eventually telling people how easy it all was! 

 

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by REDOXO

[W-S-M Seagull]

1 hour ago, REDOXO said:

All the while there will be tossers attacking you for it and eventually telling people how easy it all was! 

 

 

Apparently all we had to do was play 433 2 years ago and select players in their correct position. 

[mozo]

It's sad that the Nige debate has to be such a culture war. Every time we're out of form it's one side saying I told you so, then when form is good the other side do the same.

Guess what... it's possible to criticise Nige without being anti-Nige. Equally you can praise him, without being a hard-core Nige enthusiast. 

Just say what you see (positive and negative) and don't gloat. Easy.

 

[David Brent]

28 minutes ago, mozo said:

It's sad that the Nige debate has to be such a culture war. Every time we're out of form it's one side saying I told you so, then when form is good the other side do the same.

Guess what... it's possible to criticise Nige without being anti-Nige. Equally you can praise him, without being a hard-core Nige enthusiast. 

Just say what you see (positive and negative) and don't gloat. Easy.

 

What criticism did you want to give him after last night?

[Robbored]

8 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Ultimate cop out RR. 

No- it's not to me so explain or face palm your night away.

As I posted - different times, different ethos throughout the club.

Add to that - different players against different players. Comparing managers records 15-20 years apart will always be out of context. Every club changes on and off the pitch.

[DaveF]

34 minutes ago, David Brent said:

What criticism did you want to give him after last night?

If we lose on Saturday it'll be because we didn't rest players last night.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

7 hours ago, REDOXO said:

You are so full of shit it’s nauseating.

Did Scott have an appearance under anyone else. Semenyo couldn’t hit a cows arse with a banjo before Pearson. Who the funk was Conway before Pearson Vyner was dreadful and has been turned into a very good player with very decent value and Bell is getting his chance along with the other kids on the bench and came on. Add Pring who couldn’t get a game, Atkinson and the lad from Carlisle, we now have a squad with value, with several of the u21s chomping at the bit!
 

Pearson inherited a plethora of players out of contract and needing to be moved on many of whom were robbing a wage. He kept the players with value and now we have several players that have significant value coming through from the HPC and a team that have a little form. 

But hey you live in your alternative universe. The one most of us live in is the one where the Lansdown family told the manager you can’t have money, FFP wont allow you to spend it anyway and you have to chunk 8m off the wage bill while bringing players through from the HPC and keep us up! All the while there will be tossers attacking you for it and eventually telling people how easy it all was! 

 

 

Yep- we certainly see and act differently in our alternative universes. 

[AshtonGreat]

10 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

I think the point is you can only play what's in front of you.

SC is not one of our best manager's merely because he was only successful in L1 - same for Gary J. 

SOD inherited a team destined for L1 with poor quality. NP didn't inherit poor quality and a very good youth progress- Scott, Semenyo, Conway, surprisingly Viner and, now, perhaps Bell?

Gary Johnson took us within one game of the Premier League. A brilliant manager for us.

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, mozo said:

It's sad that the Nige debate has to be such a culture war. Every time we're out of form it's one side saying I told you so, then when form is good the other side do the same.

Guess what... it's possible to criticise Nige without being anti-Nige. Equally you can praise him, without being a hard-core Nige enthusiast. 

Just say what you see (positive and negative) and don't gloat. Easy.

 

I think there is a huge difference from both sides of the fence.  As a generalisation - The “anti-Nige” are incredibly negative, results, win-percentages. The “Cult of Nige” are more reasoned, big picture, and not overly glowing, more “he’s got a hard job, why can’t you show some balance” in response to the negativity.  No gloating, more a response of “show some patience”.

As @Percy Pigsaid it’s not all about the formation per se, it’s about the seeds being sewn in a couple of tough away draws, growing confidence, the culture further embedding, the return to (a semblance of) form of Semenyo.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Nige called the messiah by and cult members, but he’s had lots of naughty boy shit lobbed at him.

5 games unbeaten isn’t “it’s all solved now”, we need to see how we shape up against some better teams too.

1 hour ago, Percy Pig said:

I said at the time, Nige is the first manager we've had that is making decisions for the betterment of the individual players entire career rather than thinking about the immediate. This kick up the arse for Rob could be the moment in his career that determines whether he goes as far as his undoubted potential could take him, or not. Thats worth more to Bristol City than a couple of games with Andy King at CB (King did well at times there, it's easy to forget. Mistakes cost us against Stoke, but other than that it kinda worked as planned). 

Pearson is invested in our tomorrow despite the chance it will cost him his today. That's such a rare trait in football nowadays. Something to cherish.

That is the key thing, it ain’t for his own ego, it’s to improve this club beyond his time here.  Set better foundations.  He is a manager who knows what it takes to get to the PL.

 

Haters gonna hate. Let em get on with it. 

 

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

17 minutes ago, AshtonGreat said:

Gary Johnson took us within one game of the Premier League. A brilliant manager for us.

Agreed- which is why I said he was one of our best Managers- at least during my time as a supporter but it does appear that managers can be a divisive subject.

[mozo]

2 hours ago, David Brent said:

What criticism did you want to give him after last night?

Nothing, thats my point. I think he's done a great job to turn our form around. No complaints about team selection, formation, motivation, cohesion in any of the unbeaten 5 games. 

There have been other games or spells of form however where I did criticise because in my opinion something wasn't right.

I wanted Pearson as manager for years before he came and was excited when we got him. 

That doesn't mean he's the perfect manager and never gets anything wrong! 

I think Klopp is an incredible manager but it's hard not to criticise him for being able to get his side organised and motivated enough to avoid some of their shocking performances this season. 

It was the same tribalism with Lee Johnson. Guess what, he was both a good manager for us, and was flawed. Those are not mutually exclusive assessments.

[mozo]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I think there is a huge difference from both sides of the fence.  As a generalisation - The “anti-Nige” are incredibly negative, results, win-percentages. The “Cult of Nige” are more reasoned, big picture, and not overly glowing, more “he’s got a hard job, why can’t you show some balance” in response to the negativity.  No gloating, more a response of “show some patience”.

As @Percy Pigsaid it’s not all about the formation per se, it’s about the seeds being sewn in a couple of tough away draws, growing confidence, the culture further embedding, the return to (a semblance of) form of Semenyo.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Nige called the messiah by and cult members, but he’s had lots of naughty boy shit lobbed at him.

5 games unbeaten isn’t “it’s all solved now”, we need to see how we shape up against some better teams too.

 

It's just the "lols" and other childish scoffing from both sides (grown ups!) which irritates me. 

To quote the Dude...

 

[ExiledAjax]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

The “Cult of Nige” are more reasoned, big picture, and not overly glowing, more “he’s got a hard job, why can’t you show some balance” in response to the negativity.  No gloating, more a response of “show some patience”.

Yeh. I don't think Nige is the manager to take us to the Premier League. I also don't think he will ever take us to League 1. I didn't really want him appointed when he came in, I thought he's got a history of liking 4 at the back and he'd struggle to play his favoured variation on a 4231. That happened, he tried 4 at the back, realised that we didn't have the players to do it - at the time and in his opinion - and so we've had a year and a half of a bit of a bodged 5 at the back, with a bit of recruitment towards it as well. I'll still criticise him for the Simpson signing as well, not just because the lad's legs were gone, but also because of the off the pitch issues with Simpson, and the contradiction that had with the Club's supposed official stance on domestic violence. I also don't particularly find his press conferences funny, I didn't like the way he dealt with Gregor MacGregor, and I don't find him particularly engaging to listen to in interviews. 

But to give him his due he's managed the team that he's got reasonably well. He's been ruthless with coaches and players as needed, and he has had a good working relationship with Gould and Tinnion. We've improved hugely from the last 15 games under Holden, Simpson and Downing and that improvement is more than just the luck of results. It's borne out in improved underlying statistics that stay largely consistent through wins, draws and losses. That nadir of shite seems a long time ago now. We've never been in any real danger of relegation under Pearson (someone will probably correct me but I'm pretty sure that Pearson has never actually had us in the relegation zone* despite all the doom-mongering), and the new stability has allowed the financial reset to take place. The fact that he's managed to do that under the financial constraints is very, very impressive and I am happy to give him that credit that I never thought I would. He has steadied the ship very well.

So that's my position. I don't love him or his football, I think the squad is still thin and unbalanced and needs a lot of improving if we are to challenge into the top ten in the near future, and I suspect we will need a new manager to take us that next step. However, that new manager will inherit a steady financial ship with a solid core of driven and competent players, and with a few additions and some tweaking, we will be able to make that next step. I'm more than happy to let Pearson see out his contract to the end of next season. Given what's gone on off the pitch I don't think we could hope for much better right now.

Changing manager now would take us two or three steps back and needlessly rock the boat that has been steadied.

*at any meaningful point in the season.

Edited January 18, 2023 by ExiledAjax