Nigel Pearson: No date on return from illness for Bristol City boss

Nigel Pearson contracted Covid-19 for a second time in September

There is no timescale on when Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson will return from illness, says the Championship club's CEO Richard Gould.

Pearson, 58, missed the Robins' most recent match, Saturday's 3-2 defeat by Coventry, due to being unwell.

He was also absent from two games after contracting Covid-19 in September, the second time he has had the virus.

"He's not been well, clearly, he's missed three games and he's missed a few weeks for us," Gould said.

"He's spending some more time away at the moment, and we're hoping for a quick and full recovery.

"Nigel is normally so full of energy and enthusiasm and he's a strong character and I think when you lose your energy for whatever, reason, particularly for a man like Nigel, it hits you hard, and we've really missed him.

"When you look at our performances over the last five or six games when he's either been absent or he's not been himself it's been a big hit for us."

Bristol City are 19th in the Championship, having lost six of their past eight games, with assistant manager Curtis Fleming taking charge for the matches Pearson has missed. Their next game is against Blackburn at Ashton Gate on 20 November, after the international break.

Gould says he wants Pearson to return when he is healthy, despite speculation that he might leave the club.

"That's Twitter speculation at this point. We want Nigel to come back as quickly as possible at full strength," Gould added to BBC Radio Bristol.

Premier League ambition

When Pearson was appointed in April, he said he felt the club could reach the Premier League for the first time within the next three years.

Gould, son of former Bristol City player and Wales team manager Bobby Gould, was then appointed CEO in May. He previously acted as the club's commercial director and was also CEO at Somerset and Surrey cricket clubs.

"We're at the wrong end of the table and we need to get pushing up that table as soon as possible," said Gould.

"We're under no illusions. I think the manner of the defeat has been really frustrating for the players, the staff and most of all the supporters."

Gould refused to be drawn on changes that might be made to the squad during the January transfer window, but praised the level of investment the team receives from majority shareholder Steve Lansdown.

"The investment that goes in already is genuinely exceptional. Our salary bills are probably twice the level that what we would otherwise be able to afford if we were relying on media revenues and gate income," Gould said.

"The amount of investment is not in question, the issue is we need to get as much of that on the pitch as possible at any one time. We need to make every pound count.

"There are clubs above us in this league currently with much smaller wage bills and they are simply managing to get more of their paying talent on the pitch performing and that's something that we now need to make sure we're doing."