Nigel Pearson to take leave of absence as CEO committed to Bristol City manager

Bristol City have given first-team manager Nigel Pearson a leave of absence amid rumours of his future.

Despite taking pre-match conference duties, he was absent in the Robins’ 3-2 defeat to Coventry City on Saturday with assistant manager Curtis Fleming in charge.

It was the third time this season that Fleming had taken charge after Pearson had tested positive for coronavirus in late September, missing two matches.

Fleming deputised after Bristol City released a statement saying Pearson felt ‘unwell’ and would not travel to the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Speculation was rife throughout Monday with social media awash with rumours of Pearson’s departure from Ashton Gate.

An update on the situation is that the club have now granted him time off with no specific timescale for his return.

It prompted an appearance on ‘Sound of the City with Geoff Twentyman’ from City CEO Richard Gould.

Appearing on the show, Gould categorically denied the rumours: “No, that is just Twitter speculation. At this point.

“We want Nigel to be able to come back as quickly as possible at full strength and that’s our aim.

Asked what kind of discussions, “We’ve been having some discussions. We’ve missed his impact over recent weeks.

“Nigel is normally so full of energy and enthusiasm and is a strong character.

“When you lose your energy, for whatever reason, particularly for a man like Nigel, it hits you hard.

“We really missed him, if you look at the performances over the last five or six games, when, when he’s either been absent or not been himself, it’s been a big hit for us.”

Whilst Pearson remains sidelined, Fleming will oversee things, with no plans to add to the coaching staff, despite the departures of both Keith Downing and Paul Simpson in recent weeks.

Under-23’s coach Alex Ball was listed as someone within the club who could assist whilst head of medical performance Dave Rennie could play a more hands-on role.

It was posed to Gould whether Craig Shakespeare, who previously worked alongside Pearson could join the coaching staff, which was swiftly batted away.

Waxing lyrical about Pearson’s temporary replacement, the CEO said: “He’s a very talented coach, he’s straightforward and loyal. He’s done a good job when stepping in for Nigel as well.

“We’ve got significant resources in terms of the setup of coaching and the arrangements we have here.”

Bristol City have won only one of their last six Championship matches and have dropped to 19th in the table as a result of their slump in form after a positive start in August and September.

Saturday’s results have put the Robins seven points off of the play-offs, whilst they are also seven points above Hull City, who are in the relegation zone.

Once the final international period of the year is concluded, City will return to Championship action when they host Blackburn Rovers.

Whilst Pearson spends time away, improvements will need to be made from those able to affect the situation, the players, who were in training today at the Performance Centre.

Despite the break for the internationals, players continue to train over the next 12 days with Fleming overseeing the session.

There was a boost as Joe Williams, Nathan Baker and Tommy Conway all made welcome returns. Baker had recently been out with a concussion injury, meanwhile, Williams hamstring has seen him miss games.