Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Manning fits the bill for type of coach City want
but, ideally, the Robins would like a new man in place for next weekend’s trip to Queens Park Rangers, with the international break to then follow.
Part of the reasoning behind Pearson’s surprise dismissal last Sunday was an internal frustration with the amount of time the former manager spent on the training pitch, a situation exacerbated by his health issues since September as he requires back surgery and awaits a diagnosis for a neurological issue.
By his own admission, Pearson was always a more “observational” style of manager, but City’s vision for their structure from Under-16 through to first-team is of a head coach with a more detailed and hands-on approach to working with and developing individual players, plus a more granular tactical eye.
Bookmakers’ favourites since his departure from BS3 have ranged from Steve Cotterill to John Eustace and Frank Lampard, with the latter two backed at odds-on this week, however it is believed that neither are under consideration.
City have received considerable interest in the position and are also thought to be casting their eye over coaches based in continental Europe to find the best possible candidate, plus other bosses in jobs elsewhere in the EFL. The belief remains that with the right man in place, they can challenge for a play-off spot this season. The Robins go into today’s clash against Sheffield Wednesday 15th in the table but only five points off the top six. ■ Jon Lansdown, the Bristol City chairman, admits the Robins were not doing “as well as they had hoped” under Nigel Pearson.
Pearson, 60, had led the club for two-and-a-half years and his threeyear contract was due to expire in the summer.
“We looked at it, and we’re not doing as well as we’d hoped or want to do,” Lansdown told BBC Radio Bristol. “You’ve got a manager going out of contract; you’re not performing to where you want to, and I think he (Pearson) would want to be doing better as well, and that’s what the decision is based on.
“We’ve stuck (with him) through thick and thin and he’s done a really good thing – the academy, he’s been really good with the women’s team.
“We are in a better place on and off the pitch in that sense from when it started. But you’ve got a three-year contract, a three-year programme, and we’re in the last bit of that.
“We’re still a top-ten budget in the division, and we’ve got the facility, and we’ve got stability; we do give our managers opportunities, and we’ve got the ability to outperform that budget.”
Pearson’s departure has been met with anger among portions of the Robins fanbase, and Lansdown said the club has not done enough to engage with the fans.
He added: “I’ll freely admit our communication has not been as good as it could have been, and that’s not just now, over the last 12 months or so, and that’s something we need to address and look at doing.”