Nigel Pearson: Bristol City boss says club face 'important' summer

Bristol City have won 12 Championship matches under Nigel Pearson this season

Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson says it is going to be an "important summer" for the club as they look to rebuild after a disappointing season.

The Robins sit 19th in the Championship and have won only two of their past 10 matches, and 12 in total all season.

Following the recent draw with bottom of the league Peterborough United, Pearson threatened change at the club.

Pearson was appointed in February 2021 and says he is yet to see the growth he would like in terms of results.

"We've become a side that is certainly a lot more dangerous in terms of attacking options and creating opportunities," Pearson said.

"There are steps forward but there are other steps where it's a stair that's been sawn through halfway, half the time.

"There's been some encouraging signs but it's going to be an important summer for us."

While Bristol City are 16 points clear of the relegation zone with five matches to go, they are on course to do no better than their league position of 19th last year.

Up front, the team has improved as the season has progressed, scoring 52 goals to make them the 11th-best Championship squad in attack.

But they have conceded 73 times, a tally that is the third worst in the league - only beaten by 20th-placed Hull City and Peterborough.

Pearson suggested there may be funds available this summer to make changes.

"There may be some money but we have to be prepared," Pearson said.

"It depends on how things go with the financial fair play situation and there are lots of factors which can determine the rate of change, but we are preparing behind the scenes and all I can say is that what's important is that we have a positive shift during the summer."

Pearson criticised his squad for being "anonymous" and "poor personality wise" after the 1-1 Peterborough draw. They face Stoke and Sheffield United over the Easter weekend and he said that while the squad may understand his comments, that does not guarantee change will come.

"We have a group or players who, I think, our expectation of them can sometimes can be too much. Some really inexperienced players and players for whom this is their first year in the Championship," he said.

"I know how tough it is to play in this division, as well as manage in it, and it's probably been a bit of an eye-opener for some of the players themselves."

A long way from the Premier League

Former Leicester, Hull and Watford boss Pearson signed a three-year deal with Bristol City last May, and spoke then about ambitions for the club to reach the Premier League for the first time within that duration.

While he reiterated that reaching the top flight was still the aim, he said the club were "a long way from that" as it stands.

"Where we sit at the moment, where we actually are in terms of getting to that end point - and that end point is the start of a different challenge - we're still a long way from that.

"The timescale when I joined last year, we talked about it being a three-year plan, maybe I won't see the realisation of that dream at the end of my tenure, but that's not going to stop me from working towards it," Pearson added.

"This job is going to require, not just patience, but a bit of ingenuity and it's going to continue to present challenges which me, along with everyone else, need to find solutions to."