Nigel Pearson has no choice but to accept tough transfer reality as Bristol City are left short Bristol City won't be making any further additions even though the manager accepts they are short in key areas Nigel Pearson admits he will just “have to get on with it” as Bristol City won’t be bringing in any new players before the transfer window closes despite very obvious gaps in the squad, due to early-season injuries and the sale of Alex Scott. Pearson’s deadline day will be spent away from the annual noise of all that occurs and instead full focus will be placed on preparing for and then travelling along the M4 to Swansea for their lunchtime kick-off on Saturday. City have added five players this summer in Rob Dickie, Ross McCrorie, Haydon Roberts, Jason Knight and Taylor Gardner-Hickman but look light in central defence and inexperienced in the goalkeeper department, while Scott’s £25m sale to Bournemouth has reduced creativity in midfield and Tommy Conway’s hamstring injury means Nahki Wells is the club’s only specialised and recognised fit central striker. The lack of reinvestment of just a portion of the Scott fee back into the squad, let alone a significant amount, remains a bone of contention for supporters, with the message from the manager - who continues to have to represent the club in a public sense on business as well as sporting matters - throughout being that there is no space in the wage bill for any further reinforcements. “When you’re a football manager, my job is to front up the football operation and I have to work within the parameters I’m getting and that’s it,” Pearson said. “It doesn’t matter whether I’d like more or not. Of course, I would like more, but I also to an extent understand where we are. You need to ask questions to somebody else, apart from me. I’m the football manager and I front up the football operation and I understand people’s frustrations and I have to work within the parameters set for me. “It is what it is. Football managers would always like a bit more money to spend and what I think has possibly intensified the argument is maybe because we’ve got some injuries and we are tight. But that’s life, you can’t do anything about it so you just have to get on with it. I don’t think you’ve ever heard me moan about anything like that. I’m not somebody who wastes a lot of energy on things I can’t change so it’s where we are. And, really, if you want other answers about it from a business point of view, you’re going to have to ask somebody else. Not me.” With McCrorie out until the new year, Conway not due back until October and Andi Weimann’s issue in the base of his foot keeping him out until at least the middle of September, the absence of that trio has further exacerbated the situation, as long-term absentees Rob Atkinson and Ayman Benarous were always being accounted for. Pearson spelled out his squad options in brutal fashion as, in terms of available outfield players, he has just 17, one of which is 17-year-old Ephraim Yeboah, who only signed his first professional contract at the end of July. Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Norwich City saw Pearson name just seven substitutes from the nine spots available, and his squad for the weekend trip to Swansea could be of the same size. “At the moment we’ve got 20 players available, of which three are goalkeepers - two of those are unproven at this level - and that 20 includes Ephraim who’s 17, so we are tight, there’s no doubt about that,” Pearson added. “But even in a game like Norwich where we made five changes, we didn’t feel they were going to make us any weaker. “We’ve got a squad of players which is small but the range of quality is narrower than in it's been in the past so, just get on with it, I’m afraid.” “I don’t think of it like that, it’s what we have and I, as a manager, have to work within the parameters that are set,” Pearson added, when asked how concerned he is by how thin his squad options are. “It’s the way it is, I’m afraid, we don’t have enough scope to do any more. We’ve been a bit unlucky with one or two injuries - and I said in pre-season, even before we kicked a ball, it’s going to be important to keep key players fit. We went into the season knowing Rob would be out for a considerable time, Ross’ injury is one which is so frustrating for him and we just have to accept it’s going to be a long haul. “We’ve got the number of players that we’ve got. Whatever people’s take on that, and whatever my own personal take on that is, it doesn’t really matter - those are the circumstances and when you’re in my type of job you have to accept that even if the parameters are a bit tight, if they’re set by the owner, then you’ve got to get on with it. It’s as simple as that.” Although a quiet deadline day is anticipated at the HPC, the manager still harbours a degree of concern that the Robins could be prone to some late bids which, if accepted, would further reduce his options. Zak Vyner is the most obvious candidate, given his performances over the last year and the fact the centre-back is now into the final 12 months of his deal with no obvious resolution on the horizon regarding sporadic talks over a new agreement. Pearson admitted there has been no indication that any bids would be made, but history tells him to expect the unexpected, such is the often bizarre nature of how the final day of the window often plays out. “I’m looking at this now and I’m thinking, what I don’t want to happen is for us to lose anyone,” Pearson added. “That’s the big thing for me. We know we’re not going to add. Or if we all of a sudden find some money out of nowhere, I’ll be very surprised, and there’ll be a part of me going, well, I’m not really having that. "This window is a long window and you need to get your homework right on players and you need to make sure you get in players as early as possible, and we have done that to a large extent. We don’t have flexibility now to go out and get anybody and we certainly don’t want to lose anybody. That’s something which would leave us very, very short. “I know from experience that we’ve had some ridiculous calls on deadline day where clubs have all of a sudden tried to put bids in for some of our players. It happened three windows ago and it was like, ‘what? What are they talking about?’ It effectively leaves no time to replace players and you’d be amazed how many strange events happen on deadline day which our club secretary must think, ‘wow! I’ve got no time to get the paperwork in’. “It triggers a panic scenario for some people and there seems to be a real thirst for this sort of sensational news, which I find bizarre when you think how long the window is.” Despite obvious frustrations around the size of the squad he has to work with and what that could entail as a long and challenging Championship takes hold after the September international break, Pearson insists he’s still happy with the majority of the business conducted over the last three months. With the ongoing reservation about Scott’s departure, which sadly continues to dominate the discussion around this window, despite the early qualities Knight, Dickie and Roberts have brought to the team. But under the direction of the Lansdowns and as mapped out by CEO Phil Alexander, the fruits of that £25m transfer won’t be seen in this window, or perhaps even this season, as Pearson accepts he just has to get on trying to build on the incremental progress City have shown over his two seasons in charge with what he currently has at his disposal. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/nigel-pearson-transfer-bristol-city-8718533
Has Nigel finally given up the ghost and bought into the Lansdown method of building a team to compete in the Championship. I have had the feeling for quite some time that Nigel is just coasting until the engine stops and his interviews are starting to sound like managers of the past who are just hoping to hang on as long as they can. This season is shaping up to be a struggle and if we should sell more players in this transfer window I can see us going down the road to League One. Incremental progress is not what we are witnessing but rather a lack of dedication to the false promises we have been force fed over the last 10 years. So much attention has apparently been given to not falling afoul of the FFP that we scared to death to spend any money at all, unless it is on some young unknown from League One available for virtually nothing.
This says it all ~ “We’ve got the number of players that we’ve got. Whatever people’s take on that, and whatever my own personal take on that is, it doesn’t really matter - those are the circumstances and when you’re in my type of job you have to accept that even if the parameters are a bit tight, if they’re set by the owner, then you’ve got to get on with it. It’s as simple as that.”
I was just about to post the same article, I’ve been saying since the Scott incident things aren’t right down BS3, this kinda sums up what I thought, unfortunately I can’t see NP being here much longer, he certainly won’t be here after his contract runs out. It’s a shame but it highlights the BS we, the fans, are fed. I appreciate SL has spent millions over the years, but the least he can do is be honest. Don’t say we are trying for the playoffs when we plainly aren’t. Don’t say money generated by can be reinvested, when it plainly isn’t true. I’m grateful for what he’d done, but please Steve don’t treat the fans like fools. For me his legacy will be in bricks and mortar, we’ve a nice ground, good facilities, but the team, which is what we’re mostly interested in really isn’t progressing like it should. I said in a previous thread if we aren’t careful, come January, we’ll have to use some of the money, in the hope it’ll prevent us being relegated.
I think the opposite Mike, he’s telling it as it is, the way it’s always been. He’s stating facts, SL dictates expenditure, NP has to work the best he can within the parameters set, whether he agrees or not. The article shows he does not agree, but he’s not wasting time or energy trying to change SL’s mind. As it’s not for changing. When there was no money fine, but now there is. We have a shortage of players and quality and yet SL won’t spend any of it. That’s fine, but he should have explained that would be the case to the supporters, not suggested otherwise. He’s treating us like fools, and I don’t blame NP for refusing to toe the line. Why should he take the flak because SL doesn’t have the decency to be honest with us.
As fans we all think we know best, what is the way forward and how the finances work and the groundwork needed to progress ... in truth we dont. Football and finances are like a rainbow, each colour blends in with the next, we dont actually see all of it! what is visible to the naked eye, as before the violet there is more!! and after the red there is more ... the bits we dont see are the bits we doubt... or dont know about .. !!! R O Y G B I V are the colours, unique on how they blend! +/- ! NP maybe does or doesnt/ didnt expect to much from the transfers out? [ bear in mind he didnt give a monkee's when he took over and carte blanche dumped double figure players some of whom had a value! ] When you take on a job, on a contract, you have to honour that! I had contracts fro 2000 to 2018 and sometimes had to forfeit some of the money! [ about 4 times in maybe 160 jobs! ]. NP had the rules and we dont know what they are/ were? did we know we would get £40million when he took over for 3 year contract? doubtful... did we expect to be just an average bottom third of the division performer? NO at least top half! did we expect a second very large deficit to follow the £40m one? not really .. something akin to £ 18-20m possibly! We should be grateful to what we have and where we are... 3 losses all Academy players to start this season missing ASc ASe TC ... ! WE so called bought brought in players to fill the gaps and replace during [ injury/ bans etc ] lets just get on with it............... A GOOD manager will overcome and wont moan/ make excuses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve been fairly outspoken about Lansdown and his deeds over the years, despite his obvious love of the club which I do appreciate, despite my stance. But it’s been all smoke and mirrors, and stadium improvements and comfort aside, we’re the same we’ve always been, bumbling along in this division or the one below apart from a brief spell in the mid to late 70s and the free-fall straight after.
This is a post on OTIB, it’s much more eloquent than me, but sums my feelings up to a tee. For me, the major thing is the lack of transparency and honesty about where we are. If Steve or Jon Lansdown, or the CEO, came out and said "we're trying to make the club sustainable and we're not going to spend money. We think our squad is good enough to finish mid-table and that's our expectation but we're not going to fund a promotion push" then, disappointing though it would be, I could respect the position. What I can't respect is making noises about promotion being the expectation and constantly hinting at disappointment in the manager for not achieving perceived targets and leaving the manager alone to answer questions about the lack of spending. If we can't spend the Scott money for a good reason, fine, but the CEO should be fronting that decision and explaining it to the fans - not leaving the manager to take the flak. That's just ****ty behaviour in any profession.
I agree with you Ashton Red that he is simply stating the way things really are and how they will be for the foreseeable future, and that's the sad part of this comment. Nigel was hired to do a specific job and from what I understood, after his comment that we were doing everything wrong, that his mandate was to bring the club back from some of the ridiculous situations we had created for ourselves. I don't profess to be an accountant but it would seem that some of the things that Nigel has done during his tenure have indeed made us more sustainable. My problem lies firmly at the top with Lansdown and his statements going back to the new stadium era when he laid out his plan to bring better football to BS3, which is now starting to look more like the smoke and mirrors as per angelic's comment. We have been led down a path to nowhere based on promises and comments made by our owner and it now looks like we will have to make do again with a squad that already has all the hallmarks of failure and apathy. Why don't we sell all our players and make a takeover bid for Paulton Rovers?
Yep, I said in another post, it's high time the club gave some communication to the fans on what the expectations are for the club right now. I've felt for many a year that SL doesn't really want to fund having a good tilt at getting to the PL.
Steve Lansdown the owner, Jon Lansdown the chairman, Phil Alexander Director & CEO, I have not heard one of them break cover for months, their silence is deafening, Nige has just stated the bleeding obvious, we know the facts now but it's a shame we had to find out the truth the way we all have, we have all believed we had to cut the coat to suit our cloth and the severe debt situation but we have been led to believe we are now on a much sounder footing and things would happen. Surely the time has come to support the manager and his team with some of the finance recieved, surely the offer of a contract decision or not for the manager should by now have been decided and announced, surely targets required for the team for 2023/24 should be revised and the fan base be told, we seem to have slipped back to the bad old days of keeping everybody in the dark and filling them with BS, it's not professional and it stems right from the top, it feels like we are being mugged yet again.
There are a number of things that have happened over the years which ‘worry’ me about the Lansdown ownership (but I’m also scared about where we’d be without him). The Coppout episode and David James Replacing GJ with Millen. The drop back to L1 and the period up to Cotts’s signing. The Gray, Gayle and Maguire debacle LJs appointment in the first place ‘Critical’ player sales during LJs tenure Timing of LJs sacking - with a couple of games left but with no replacement lined up Process surrounding Deano’s appointment Kory Smith announcing his departure on Social Media ‘Critical’ player sales during NPs tenure to-date with little info about how the money is being reinvested into the club General silence from the board. Trouble is, without SL would we be out of the frying pan and into the fire???
they wont want to review NP's CONTRACT until the future looks a bit brighter ... imagine a 3 year deal and then we flounder at the bottom .. the GH will be a few £m and the coaching staff added on! ... WE NEED to be up around 34 points by Boxing Day minimum..... at 42 pts + then £'s for January
They won’t renew NP’s contract, that’s clear. It’s probably part of the reason they are hanging onto the money gained by the sale of Scott. I doubt NP would take it if even it was offered as they are plainly not backing him. It’s what they do when they actually have an ambitious manager, because it highlights the fact that they themselves aren’t willing to back that ambition.
