Pearson: Ipswich Are Having a Fabulous Start to the Season
Tuesday, 24th Oct 2023 18:57 Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson admits Town have been on a “very, very impressive run” having maintained their momentum from last season’s promotion from League One.
The second-placed Blues travel to take on the Robins, who are eighth, at Ashton Gate on Wednesday evening.
“We’re going to come up against a side on Wednesday in Ipswich, who are having a fabulous start to the season, who have carried their momentum on really very, very impressively from promotion last season,” Pearson said at his pre-match press conference.
“And what we have to do is make sure that we give them a really stern test. I suppose it’s a really good example of the momentum sort of theory, which has happened historically with sides who have come up from League One.
“There are a number of sides who have had back-to-back promotions and when you dissect what the individuals are within the squad, people could be relatively critical, but what is very apparent is that they have a group ethic and the qualities to maintain what’s been a very, very impressive run.
“But they’re still coming to our place and I think they’ll expect us to be a really tough opponent.”
Pearson, who questioned his long-term future with the club last week with his current contract up at the end of the season, has confirmed he will be going into Wednesday’s game with the same squad that beat Coventry 1-0 at home on Saturday.
Defender Kal Naismith (calf), striker Nahki Wells (ankle), defender Zak Vyner (knee), Joe Williams (calf) and George Tanner (ankle) are all again set to miss out.
Inevitably, there has been plenty of talk, particularly among his detractors in the Bristol City support, regarding their club’s former CEO Mark Ashton, now in the same role with the Blues, ahead of the match, the first between the clubs since his move to Suffolk in June 2021.
Pearson, who was in the running for the Town manager's job in 2006 but lost out to Jim Magilton, worked alongside Ashton in the early stages of his time with City and says the two got along well.
“I got on fine with Mark. But I don’t really think we should be making the focus of this about Mark, really,” he insisted.
“He was employed here for a number of years and he was here at the start of my tenure as manager and has moved on to Ipswich and they’re obviously doing pretty well at the moment.
“But outside of that, I don’t think really it’s relevant to be going overboard with that, if you don’t mind me saying that.
“I want to try and concentrate now on the game and the build-up to the game in terms of us in a footballing sense.
“I fully understand that there will be a lot of interest out there and there will be talk about the different styles of doing the job.
“The relevant point in terms of where we are now is we have decided to, and out of necessity, gone down a tighter financial route, because we needed to.
“Then there’s the argument of where you take that argument, I think that’s your [the media’s] domain now to argue why we’re in that position or not, because, and I understand where you’re coming from, that will be the relevance of the conversation.
“I have my views on it, of course I do. I’ve never really wanted to work in a way where we throw everything at it in the short term to try and get success, because I personally don’t agree with that as a sustainable model.
“But there are instances where people get success with it and there you go. It’s where you sit on the argument, really.”
Pearson was asked whether, as some Robins supporters feel, that he’s “picked up the pieces” from City’s previous approach.
“I’m pretty well versed at doing that,” he said. “I’ve worked at clubs where, believe it or not, where my employers and the owners I’ve spoken to have wanted me to spend more money and I’ve said no. When you’ve got money it doesn’t mean you have to spend it, you know!
“What you have to do, and this is why I look at it from a football perspective all the time. I look at what we’ve got and what we need, and why bring more players in who are no better than what you’ve got?
“My view on it is slightly different anyway, so it doesn’t matter if there’s a shedload of money or not.
“That’s not to say that in an ideal world at the moment we couldn’t do with having two or three more players, but there is always a fine balance between what the right number of players is.
“Time will tell whether we can negotiate this rather lean spell that we’ve got in terms of the squad that we have available. It always makes it more manageable when you get decent results.”
Photo: Sipa USA
Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
pennblue added 19:07 - Oct 24
blimey, he is getting his excuses in early |  | |
MK1 added 19:11 - Oct 24
Typical Pearson. Play the beaten card before the game, so if they get a result, it makes him look amazing. If they lose he already has the excuse to hand. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and get the job done. |  | |
Saxonblue74 added 19:14 - Oct 24
I don't mind this guy, always seems pretty honest. What I don't understand is the reference (by him and many others) to our spending. We've spent £3.5m which is way down the table in the championshop | | |
Nutkins_Return added 19:33 - Oct 24
Saxonblue I didn't read him as saying anything about our spending. I think he was asked a question about whether their financial situation is a result of THEIR own previous spending. Don't think he's referencing Ipswich. | | |
dusth added 20:27 - Oct 24
I thought 'the momentum theory" was starting to lose credibility when it's clear there are few weak links in our squad if any. And since so few clubs have actually done back to back promotions it hardly counts as a theory. In fact it usually means "false dawn". You win three or four and take a dive which is why some managers were saying it after three games let alone eleven. Whatever, he's a grizzly old campaigner and probably a decent man too. | | |
churchmans added 20:31 - Oct 24
Saxonblue74 he ain't talking about our spending!
On nigel Pearson,he is a really good manager and it was his largely his team he assembled at Leicester when ranieri won the prem leauge | | |
BeattiesBackPocket added 20:36 - Oct 24
What an absolute nobber this guy is! Used to have respect for him!
‘There are a number of sides who have had back-to-back promotions and when you dissect what the individuals are within the squad, people could be relatively critical, but what is very apparent is that they have a group ethic’ seems like he thinks we’re just on momentum and maybe individually not that great from that sentence. We’ve got some great quality in the team now who are getting better and better some who can play higher. And talk of throwing money were what 18th out of 24 in wages and hardly spent that much to assemble this team taking into account income as well.
Really hope the ‘individuals’ show him their quality! | | |
BeattiesBackPocket added 20:40 - Oct 24
Churchmans but it is in reference to Ashtons legacy there and his spending and ours now that’s how I’m reading it. He says it’s not about Ashton then moans about the tightening of spending etc compared to that era so he is on about spending, wages etc | | |
gosblue added 21:00 - Oct 24
Play good entertaining football, excite and involve the fans, fill the stadium, sell shirts and you will have more revenue to spend on fees/wages etc. You can only spend a percentage of earnings. Simples. I like Pearson but this is just one more example of managers bemoaning their club’s financial position. Evatt at Bolton was at it this week, citing Ipswich’s gamble. Wtf! | | |
Saxonblue74 added 22:14 - Oct 24
I stand corrected, misread that bit. Having said that, many do talk of our budget and assume we've spent big just because it's there! | | |
Europablue added 00:38 - Oct 25
I don't know what he's trying to get at there really. I have more sympathy with the idea that we bought promotion than we are a group of average individuals with momentum and great team spirit!
Even though we did some wheeler-dealing, we did spend a lot of money on our new signings and on new contracts, but we also substantially increased our revenue with match day tickets and merchandise. We were such a big club for League One that at times it didn't seem fair that essentially a top Championship-level team was put together and was able to grow in League One before promotion to the Championship. A lot of us were saying that the team we were putting together was more suited to playing in the Championship than League One, and so it has shown so far. There aren't many players we could bring in from other clubs in the league that would be an upgrade on who we already have. There is a long way to go in the season with some tough-looking matches in December and the potential to lose 3 of our first-team players to international tournaments in January. So we really need to put the points on the board now hopefully starting with 3 points against Bristol City! | | |
FevsBCFC added 01:13 - Oct 25
Pearson is being very respectful to your club / your team / manager. The mention of finances is reference to Ashton’s time at City, not at Ipswich. He’s complimenting McKenna’s team building around an identity. Don’t be so sensitive! Got to admit you’ve had a cracking start to the season, and if anyone reads my Twitter:
Not just this thread but others over the past month or so, you’ll see that I don’t think you are a flash-in-the-pan either. Your “numbers” justify your position, unlike say PNE who were over-performing. Hope it’s a good game. Safe trip all your 3.4k fans….top effort on a Wednesday night. (Back in my cage til the game at Portman Road!) |  | |
Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 07:35 - Oct 25
Fair play, FevsBCFC. However, I take exception to the suggestion Pearson seems to be making that our "individuals" are not of great quality. Hopefully, Broadhead, Davies, Luongo to name three will prove him wrong. |  | |
blues1 added 10:04 - Oct 25
Europablue. We bought promotion? Weweren't even in the top 5 spenders last season. Not when u count players we sold as well as those we brought in, which is how it works. | | |
Rimsy added 10:59 - Oct 25
Unlike previous years, we managed to get a fair price for the players we moved on, enabling the reinvestment in the squad. It was top management of the club. Still can't believe really the quality we managed to attract in L1. We got similar money for Dozzel etc to what we paid out for Davis and Broadhead. |  | |
JewellintheTown added 11:10 - Oct 25
"I got on fine with Mark. But I don’t really think we should be making the focus of this about Mark, really,”
(then focusses on talking about it for 5 mins ...)
| | |
Europablue added 12:42 - Oct 25
blues1 My whole point was that the idea that we bought promotion is ridiculous, but more ridiculous is that the quality of the squad is poor for this league. We built a Championship quality team in League One and rounded out the squad in the close season. Maybe we are a little behind Leicester and Leeds for the quality of our squad (certainly the monetary value), but I don't think there would be many Bristol City players that we'd take over the players we already have. | | |
You need to login in order to post your comments
| 
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
