Bristol City appoint ex-Leicester and Watford manager

Nigel Pearson has been appointed manager and a club statement on their website reads...

Bristol City have appointed Nigel Pearson as manager until the end of the season.

The Robins have agreed a deal until the end of May with the 57-year-old, who will observe Tuesday evening’s Sky Bet Championship match against Middlesbrough before officially taking charge ahead of Saturday’s trip to Swansea City.

Pearson, who has a wealth of managerial experience including two spells with Leicester City – leading them to the 2013/14 Championship title – as well as Watford in the Premier League, will work with the current Assistant Head Coaches Keith Downing and Paul Simpson.

City Chairman Jon Lansdown said: “Nigel gives us the leadership and direction we need to lift the players’ confidence and to turn our form around. The initial appointment is until the end of the season, when we will re-assess the situation, hopefully with a view to the long term. However, the immediate priority for Nigel and the coaching team is to stop the current bad run and move us back up the table.”

City Chief Executive Mark Ashton added: “Nigel is a highly respected and experienced manager with a proven track record of success and we are looking forward to welcoming him to the club.”

Pearson will formally take over on Wednesday before conducting media interviews later that day.