Bristol City fans have given Nigel Pearson considerable backing, despite the Robins relatively poor showing in the Championship this season, with 77 per cent of fans polled by Bristol Live believing he’s the right man to lead the club into the 2022/23 campaign.
Last Tuesday represented a year in charge for Pearson, with the 58-year-old having inherited a team on a downward trend following seven successive league defeats and the very real prospect of relegation into League One.
Pearson’s record hasn’t been particularly impressive – just 13 wins from 51 matches – and the Robins league position is one place lower than the side he took over, while his team are yet to win back-to-back games in 2021/22, but the manager appears to have successfully earned the trust of the City fanbase.
In a survey conducted by Bristol Live last week, of the 400 fans who responded, 77 per cent replied yes to the question, “do you consider him the best man to lead City into the 2023/23 season?” with 12 per cent stating no, and 11 per cent were unsure.
Granted, the majority of the respondents were before Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest but that result surely wouldn’t, nor shouldn’t, have a huge bearing on the overall sentiment of supporters.
In grading Pearson’s first 12 months in charge at Ashton Gate out of 10, the most popular response was 7/10 which claimed 27 per cent of the vote, followed by 8/10 (19 per cent), 6/10 (18 per cent) and 5/10 (12 per cent).
Based on the fact that four per cent rated his first year 9/10 and three per cent 10/10, it’s safe to conclude that 66 per cent, or two thirds, of the fanbase polled consider his time at the club as average to successful. The highest score below 5/10 was the six per cent who stated 4/10.
Although critics and those unaware of the full nuances of City’s season may be puzzled by the above, the reason is surely a combination of this season being a transitional campaign in which foundations must be laid for next, coupled with the volume of youth talent that has been introduced and developed in the first-team environment.
In terms of what has been most impressive about his management, 58 per cent replied with “hope for the future”, while 16 per cent opted for “his personality” and nine per cent “style of football”.
As for what fans least like about the man in charge, unsurprisingly, 57 per cent went for “league position”, followed by 16 per cent for “recruitment” and nine per cent for “his personality”.
Specific concerns arising centred around the defence and Pearson’s inability so far to make City a strong team at the back, as well as fears over his relationship with the board in light of the public disagreement between himself and chairman Jon Lansdown 10 days ago.
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