Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson insists Steve Bruce can handle the pressure at Newcastle United.

Pearson is a former assistant coach at Newcastle.

He told BBC Sport: "Steve is a very, very, experienced football manager and I have to say he is a man of fantastic humility as well.

"He is someone I admire and has lots and lots of experience. Every time I come across him he is a very decent man.

"Managers need rhino-hide at times and a very thick skin. I am amazed that I am still managing really.

"My ability sometimes to deal with personal scrutiny can be very damaging.

"In the public domain, I think it is really important to try and show an air of authority and still have the leadership qualities everybody needs in a managerial position but we are human beings.

"We all have vulnerability.

"Newcastle is such a partisan club. It amazed me when I went up there that when you walk around the city all you ever see is Newcastle shirts.

"It is ingrained in the social DNA of the area how important the football club is. Unfortunately if you are the manager of that football club it is inevitable that you are going to be subject to people's disappointments and how they emotionally feel.

"I think Steve is a very strong person and I have always had a huge respect for his integrity.

"People can like or dislike me or anybody else as a manager. Like their style, dislike their style but what I do know about how he manages is that he is very committed and he has an authenticity which is very important.

"I always hate to see my peers in those situations because I know what it was like to be on the receiving end.

"I have done some stupid things over the years that have brought about criticism and in some cases, rightly so.

"I think about some of my behaviours and they are about protecting my players as much as anything.

"What we don't really see is what is going on behind the scenes. We don't have the total facts of what is happening within in terms of the dynamics of people who work there.

"Someone with integrity tries to keep these things out of the public domain. I don't know what has gone on there. All I know is I have a lot of respect for Steve Bruce."