Football Season Guide

It was a season of two halves for Bristol City last campaign. The first half saw them competing for the play-offs but the second half witnessed a dramatic decline in form and they finished 19th in the league. They lost seven of their last nine games. The experienced Nigel Pearson is set for his first full season in charge after his appointment in late February. He has so far overseen a clearing out of the squad over the summer with plenty of fringe and several long serving players departing. Three seemingly good additions have been made. James impressed in Championship loan spells with Barnsley and Coventry last season, he reunites with his former boss at Leicester Pearson, as does experienced midfielder and boyhood Robins fan King. Centre-back Atkinson impressed in League One last season and was named in the team of the year. Bristol City have the nucleus of a squad more than capable of doing well in the Championship and they are led by a manager with a good record at this level. The main doubts over them is the poor form they showed at the end of last season.