‘I think the fans believe in the management so City will be fine’
PEARSON BACKS ROBINS TO GET SKY BLUES UPWARDLY MOBILE AGAIN
NIGEL Pearson has backed rival boss Mark Robins to lead Coventry City up the table to Championship safety.
The Bristol City boss saw his side frustrated by a resolute Sky Blues defensive display at Ashton Gate on Tuesday night, when both sides had chances to take the full three points but had to settle for a share of the spoils in the end.
Coventry’s point took their season’s tally to seven from their opening nine games.
They remain bottom of the league, three points off safety, but are showing clear signs of recovery amid a four game unbeaten run that includes one win and three clean sheets.
Asked if he thinks the Sky Blues are in a false position, Pearson said: “Well they haven’t played as many games, so of course they are.
“It doesn’t help with the postponement of so many games.”
The travelling Sky Blue Army that numbered almost 1,200 on Tuesday night were in fine voice at the match and continued to sing their song dedicated to their ever popular manager – a fact not lost on Pearson, who is confident Coventry will recover to a more healthy league position this season.
“You only have to listen to their fans’ reaction with Mark (Robins),” he said, of the City supporters.
“He’s very popular and I think they believe in the management team and in their team, so they’ll be fine.”
Pearson was a relieved man after his side kept out ‘one of the best’ dribblers in the Championship
in Tuesday night’s goalless draw.
The Bristol City boss was well aware of the threat posed by inform Viktor Gyokeres ahead of the Ashton Gate stalemate when the Sky Blues striker had a couple of chances, one when he fluffed his shot due to being unbalanced in front of goal and another when he was denied by a decent save
We would have felt aggrieved had Coventry scored a breakaway goal against us. Nigel Pearson
from goalkeeper Dan Bentley. Put to him that Gyokeres is a big threat for Mark Robins’ men and asked how he felt his players coped with him, Pearson said: “Yes, well, he didn’t really get too many opportunities to shine. “That’s the big thing with him. “He’s one of the best dribblers, you know, turning, dribbling and shooting.
“That’s one of the massive strengths that he has and he’s a player who is as important to Coventry as people like Antoine Semenyo, Nahki Wells and Andy Weimann are for us.
“They bring different qualities to the side and they bring, not guaranteed goals, but I think when chances come along you’re pretty confident that they’ll put them away.”
He added: “Look, to keep a clean sheet against Coventry City was going to be important for us if we didn’t fire ourselves.
“But as an attacking force this year we have been very, very good for all of 2022.
“We have looked dangerous, scored a lot of goals and got a lot of options, which is nice to have.
“We know that Coventry have got players who can score out of not a lot.
“We would have felt aggrieved had Coventry scored a breakaway goal against us.”