Bristol City are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Nigel Pearson on a deal until the end of the season.

The Robins' managerial search looks set to conclude after less than a week since Dean Holden's dismissal at Ashton Gate, with Pearson looking set to take the reins.

Bristol Live report that City are in advanced talks to appoint Pearson, and although a deal is yet to be agreed, it seems as if it is only a matter of time before an announcement is made.

Here, we take a look at two pros and two cons to Bristol City appointing the 57-year-old as their new manager...

Pro: A change of approach

The appointment of Pearson would represent a shift in approach compared to that of City's previous managerial decisions.

Lee Johnson spent four years in charge of the Robins before being replaced by another up and coming, experienced coach in Holden.

Those experiments have ultimately failed to work out, though, and fans have been crying out for a more experienced head to take over at Ashton Gate for a while now.

Pearson knows the league well and has been in management for a much longer time than Holden and Johnson combined.

Con: Short-termism?

Pearson looks set to be appointed on a deal until the end of the season initially, but it remains whether to be seen he extends his stay beyond that.

At the moment, the general feeling is that Pearson is being brought in to steer City away from danger and hopefully push for a strong top-half finish.

Would there be any harm, though, in appointing a manager who can plan for the short-term as well as the long-term?

If worst came to worst and they did go down, no matter how unlikely that may seem at this moment in time, then at least there would be a long-term project in place.

Pro: Experience of being successful

Having lost six games on the bounce in the Championship, it's clear to see that City need to find a winning mentality from somewhere.

Pearson is an experienced manager who knows how to build that sort of mentality within a dressing room, having won promotion at this level before with Leicester City back in 2014.

We have seen someone like Mick McCarthy go in at Cardiff and replace a younger manager in Neil Harris, and the Bluebirds have hit the ground running under him.

Pearson could well have a similar impact at Ashton Gate.

Con: Have times changed?

Pearson achieved promotion with Leicester City back in 2013/14, which is now nearly nine years ago.

An awful lot has changed in the Championship since then. The division has got a lot more competitive since then, the finances have increased, and the players have generally got better.

Pearson went in at Watford last season, winning seven out of 22 games in charge before being relieved of his duties ahead of their relegation from the Premier League.

He endured a torrid time in charge of Derby back in 2016/17, too, winning only three of his 14 games at the helm.

Whether he can yield results over a sustained period of time and get to grips with the Championship straight away remains to be seen.