Pearce said: “It’s fair to say that this club has had a rollercoaster scenario over the last however many years, but that’s Manchester City.
“I have to stand strong and back my players, and maybe the people above me have to stand strong and say, ‘hang on, we think this fella is the right man to lead this football club’.
“I sleep nights, but I care. I know exactly where I stand. I know who is with me, and who maybe is not with me. Who’s not? Not many within this football club, but one or two outside the club.
“The main thing is that the players are – no doubt about that. They need me desperately to be a strong figurehead for them. And the board of directors, the chairman, are top notch here and always will be.
“The fans vented their frustration on Sunday but I understand that. It’s a passionate crowd, and they will still be here when the players have gone and the manager has been changed a million times.
“It’s probably as acute a situation as I’ve had as a manager. But then I never get too excited when people tell me what a good coach I am. When I’m being patted on the back, it sits uncomfortably.
“If it’s not me, it will be somebody else under the microscope. That’s the norm these days in football. You live with that – you embrace that, because in some ways, a bit of you inside quite enjoys it.”
