Bristol City next manager odds with former Robins hero and ex-Southampton boss early favourites

Bristol City will be seeking a new manager for the first time since February 2021 after Nigel Pearson was sacked by the Robins on Sunday.

The reaction from supporters has been almost universal with many stating their intention to have seen the 60-year-old continue in his role despite recent results which have seen City lose five of their last seven Championship matches, winning two.

Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Cardiff City proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Pearson who issued an emotional farewell on X (formerly ) as he stated: "My family and I have been so touched by your support."

Although a large contingent of the fanbase are disappointed to see Pearson depart, naturally the next topic of discussion will relay to who comes in to take his place in the Ashton Gate hot seat. As expected, the bookies have already started to list potential candidates with the early favourite arguably surprising.

Former City manager Steve Cotterill is currently listed at 3/1 for the job according to OLBG, although the 59-year-old has also been strongly linked with the managerial vacancy across the city at Bristol Rovers.

Although a fan favourite for guiding the Robins to the League One title and EFL Trophy in the 2014/15 promotion campaign, supporters would surely see this as an unambitious replacement given that Cotterill's last job was a three-year spell in League One with Shrewsbury Town.

Former Luton Town boss Nathan Jones is also thought to be a likely candidate having been sacked by Southampton in February before their relegation from the Premier League. To no surprise, both John Eustace and Gary Rowett are also listed following their recent respective departures from City's Championship rivals Birmingham City and Millwall.

Who the club's hierarchy have in mind at this particular moment is unclear but here are the early bookies' favourites for the job.

1) Steve Cotterill - 3/1

2) Nathan Jones - 4/1

3) John Eustace - 5/1

=4) Frank Lampard, Gary Rowett - 7/1

=6) Michael Beale, Leam Richardson, Kevin Muscat - 12/1

9) Karl Robinson - 16/1

10) Dean Smith - 20/1

All odds are correct as of the time of writing