Nigel Pearson thrusts out his hand and, by this point, there’s no turning back. He’s going to shake yours so buckle up and brace yourself. This is as much a test as a greeting.
‘Y’all right, lad,’ he says, smiling, as the grip tightens, the blood drains from your fingers and you wonder if you’ll ever type again. ‘How’s it going?’
Pearson’s in good spirits as we sit at a quiet table in the Avon Gorge hotel near the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the day Pearson celebrated his two-year anniversary in charge of Bristol City. And why not, things are on the up.