Nigel Pearson gathered his Bristol City first-team squad for a hastily scheduled meeting on Monday, during what was supposed to be a day off. Even the injured players were summoned to the Robins High Performance Centre for what was, in-part, a weekend debrief, a sharing of thoughts but also a not-so-subtle reminder of their responsibilities.
If the previous week’s 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest was stark evidence of the chasm between City and the better sides in the division, Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Birmingham City was a much deeper shock to the system.
Blues were without their first-choice front two and two-thirds of their best defensive line-up, and yet bar a period at the start of the second half, the Robins were outplayed and outfought and if not for Dan Bentley that scoreline wouldn’t have been nearly as flattering.
