Nigel Pearson has never been one to mince his words throughout his managerial career.
His straight-talking, refusal to beat around the bush approach has been a refreshing attribute of the manager for supporters who believe it is exactly what is needed to help change the culture of complacency around the club.
Whether it's been directed toward the officials, his players and yes, us the media, Pearson has already admitted his emotions after a game can sometimes lead to a regrettable brash comment or two. After all, it remains a highly pressured environment with careers and reputations on the line.
And while it's often the frustrations that grab the headlines, Pearson's often dry sense of humour can occasionally bring down the mask of the no-nonsense persona that is often attributed to him.
Here we dig out 11 of his best quotes from throughout the season.
On Alex Scott playing for England
September 15, 2021
The Bristol City manager speaks to the media following a injury-time equaliser at home to Luton - a game in which Alex Scott was taken off the field in the 37th minute after starting in a then-unfamiliar right-sided attacking role.
"Yes. Remember he’s 18. Only just 18. He’s playing a position that’s not his favourite position but I’m not going to expose the lad, he’ll be hurting tonight but he is a top player. I think he’ll play for England one day so you can quote me on that.
"He’s a real talent, sometimes you take players out of the firing line just because it’s not working for them. I take the responsibility of picking him in the first place."
On reputations
October 30, 2021
Nigel Pearson speaks after Bristol City finally broke their Ashton Gate duck and ended a 17-match winless streak on home soil with a 2-1 victory over Barnsley. The manager had left out Kasey Palmer, instead favouring youngster Ayman Benarous.
"Train well. When you consider Ayman Benarous got the nod ahead of Kasey Palmer… that tells you about what I see in training. I’m not bothered about reputations."
On getting rid of his players
November 6, 2021
The Bristol City manager spoke after City's dismal 3-2 defeat against 10-man Coventry - arguably their worst defeat of the season.
“There will be changes, I can tell you that. I talked in the summer about not really wanting to do too much. I may have to amend that because certain individuals aren’t onside, let’s put it like that. And I’ll do everything I can to get rid of them.
“We still might need them, they’re professional footballers and because we don’t have the biggest squad I may still use them. But that’s not a reason to pander to their needs, because I’m not pandering to anyone’s needs.
“Players who possibly don’t want to be here. Well, I’ll make sure they’re not here, I’ll get rid of them. It’s not a veiled threat, that’s what will happen."
On referee Andy Davies
December 30, 2021
Pearson was furious with the referee after Bristol City conceded in first and second-half injury time to lose 2-1 at Ashton Gate against Queens Park Rangers, claiming the Robins were denied a first-half penalty while Andy King was also sent off after the break. He was later fined £5,000 for his comments.
"We came across a strong team and some dodgy refereeing. We should’ve had another penalty. The decisions were awful and I’ve told him that. I hope the next time we see him he’s on the park because that’s where he should be.
"How the assistant didn’t see it (the Alex Scott penalty call). Look, we had it all on playing against 11 when we had 10 but the decisions just continued to be awful. It was a terrible performance by them (the officials).
"I’m not someone who moans a lot but let me tell you, that was awful today, and I told him as well."
On Tyreeq Bakinson
January 20, 2022
Pearson speaks in his press conference just hours after a loan move was agreed for the young midfielder to join Ipswich until the end of the season.
"As far as I'm concerned, and I've said it before, if players don't want to be here they can go. I'm not bothered. He's a player who unfortunately just wants to play on his own terms. It's not something I particularly want so he can go.
"I'm not wasting energy on negativity, I don't invest time on that, I'm not just saying it. If you ask people who work with me they'll say exactly the same thing, I don't waste energy on negativity, it drives me mad.
"If people aren't in the side, I want them to work hard to get there and I want people who are in the side to work hard to stay there. I don't want people that when the going gets tough, they want to go somewhere else, I'm not interested.
"The fact that I am prepared to say, 'yeah, let the deal go ahead' because actually, people around the place who sap the energy out of other people is not as valuable as having people here who want to be playing."
On the Ashton Gate Eight
February 3, 2022
Nigel Pearson paid a touching tribute to the Ashton Gate 8 on the 40th anniversary of when eight former Bristol City players tore up their contracts to save the club.
"We need to have a realistic perspective on it and that is the eight individuals did a very selfless thing, they had to endure criticism, threats, being treated badly by the club and 40 years further on it's good to be able to celebrate it and the club exists because of their actions.
"But having read some personal accounts, we have to remind ourselves that back in the 80s, it was a very different climate and a different perception.
"Players these days have a lot of greater protection in terms of the PFA, and from what I gather they didn't get any protection and certainly how the news was delivered to them was pretty shabby.
"We are here because the club didn't go into liquidation because of what the eight players decided. Some of them are locals and are still in the area now, still supporting Bristol City.
"I can imagine back in those days players didn't earn the types of wages that they do now and to make that sort of a decision to tear up your contracts and leave yourself in a financially vulnerable position is a big thing to do.
"It's important that we do recognise that. It's important that the celebration is done in a way that brings to light just what it meant for those people.
"I think we should both as a football club and as a community, recognise the sacrifices that they made for this club so it can remain solvent."
On the cop-outs in his team
February 13, 2022
Pearson was left seething at the full-time whistle after his side blew a 1-0 goal lead to lose 3-1 away at Swansea.
"We might have to make changes because people like me lose my job through results. What I’m not having is, I’m not having players who cop-out.
"We’ve been in a winning position, we’ve had loads of possession, nine attempts in the first half, five or six in the second as an away side. We get in front and concede three crap goals.
"We might have to make changes. Maybe we’ve got players in our squad at the moment that have got until now and the end of the season to prove whether they’re good enough to be here next year whether I’m the manager or anybody else.
"This football club has had too long putting up with players that are just going through the motions at times.
"You watched the game. You watched the game, didn’t you? You watched it one week, watched it the next. Was it the same?
"I’m not protecting players on a day like today when we should get something out of the game at least. Congratulations to them (Swansea)."
On Jon Lansdown's comments about underachieving
February 18, 2022
Pearson responds to comments made by chairman Jon Lansdown, just over 24 hours earlier, that Bristol City should be higher in the league table as he approached a year in the job.
"I heard a comment that we’re, I think Jon said it, that we’re underperforming and he’s the chairman so he’s allowed to have that point of view, I don’t agree with it personally, quite frankly. We haven’t won the number of games that we should have done, we haven’t got the number of points that we should have had, but we’re not underperforming.
"In fact, a lot of our players are overperforming. That gives James a bit more meat on the question that you asked me about players playing at full tilt.
"As far as I’m concerned progression and progress, I would like it to be about results and people in my job ultimately lose their job because you don’t get enough wins but this job is a bit more complex and so I think we’ve made really good progress in some areas and unfortunately backpedalled in other areas.
"The club - and I’m talking about the club now, not the team - is still struggling to find the identity that it really wants. In my eyes it’s always about let’s produce a team which works hard and people hate playing against, but we have the talent as well.
"That’s what I really want but we’re a long way away from that at the moment. The group of people that we’ve got here now compared to what it was a year ago, big difference. In a positive way.
"How people look at it? Like I say he’s the chairman, so he can say what he thinks, but I don’t agree with it."
On the 'darling' FA
March 19, 2022
Pearson was left frustrated after Andi Weimann's 85th-minute goal looked to have handed his City three important points, before Adam Reach grabbed a 93rd-minute equaliser with Jake Livermore in an offside position in the build-up. West Brom also scored their first through a Karlan Grant penalty.
"Livermore was offside by the way. For the goal, he was offside.
"You can’t expect the officials to get you over the line quite frankly. Sometimes I might expect it the other way round but I don’t expect that.
"Again, I’m not going to go down the route of moaning about them, all the FA ever do then is come after me, rather than that I would prefer for the FA to do something about the quality of the refereeing.
"Nothing to do with me, I’m not criticising the officials but I’m tired of reading emails from the MOAS (Match Official Administration System) team of the FA but I’ll let our darling FA deal with all that because they’re brilliant aren’t they?
"At the other end, I thought one of them should have been a penalty, the other one I can see why it’s debatable but one is a penalty. If you don’t get them, you don’t get them."
On Bristol City's passiveness
April 9, 2022
Tensions were high after Pearson watched his side throw away a lead to draw 1-1 at home to 10-man Peterborough who sat bottom of the Championship at the time.
"It's nothing to do with technicalities or ability in terms of the players, it's to do with personalities and collective character at times," he told BBC Radio Bristol.
"If they [the players] don't want to change I'll change them. Either that or I'll get changed and if that happens the club still has the same problem.
"They're going to have to do something about the passiveness of everybody. It's a strange club in that regard."
On Stoke boss Michael O'Neill
April 18, 2022
Bristol City had just earned an impressive 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, three days after beating Stoke on their own turf to secure a league double over Michael O'Neill's side.
"Have you seen Peterborough's results recently? They've got seven points out of nine. I keep saying don't always look at the table there are no mugs in this division.
"Absolutely no bad sides apart from apparently Stoke's manager told his players and staff we were the worst team in the league so that's quite interesting and we've beaten them twice so make of that what you will.
"Today we worked hard, against a decent side who certainly moved the ball a lot quicker than Stoke."
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