I'm an ardent Pearson fan. Not because of who he is but what he has given back to our Leicester City. He has given us a team we can be proud of again. A team that looks like it has a promising future. Two titles. Two promotions and playoff finishes in between. I put it to you to compare the side Pearson has built against the ones we have had to endure through the bad times. The drivel that we have has to endure through the Levein and Holloway times. There is no comparison.
Last season statistically was the best Leicester has ever had. We played the best football in decades, I would call out any Leicester fan who could critisize us last season. But in the space of less than 6 months that's all forgotten and suddenly Pearson is no longer seen as good enough. When I've asked people why he should go I get the response he's not a premiership manager, so I ask who would you replace him with. The answer "I dunno".
I fully accept that we haven't been good enough this season and I to have questioned some of the team selections, but only a couple of times. Yes, we are bottom but by no means out of it and I haven't seen us get rolled over by anyone this season or by no means seen a lack of effort or commitment. Just that final bit of quality. It's easy to say Pearson is to blame he should have brought in more players. Unfortunately we haven't got the luxury of hundreds of millions to spend.
Since our last spell in the Premiership it has moved on light years ahead of the rest of the football league. It was always going to be a struggle, QPR and Burnley have both been up there before us so have a better understanding of the sort of league it is now. Anyone who thought that this season would be easy is an idiot. I fully expected to be involved in a relegation battle, it's shame we couldn't have collected a few more points from positions where we had them but that's the Premier league. It's hard!
Now I go back to what I've said earlier, we have still been playing football as team and haven't looked bad all season just come up a little short. We have competed with the best and not looked out of place. So why get rid of Pearson. We know he has the ability to get us back up. If we go down we are in a much sounder position financially and in better shape on the pitch than we were the last time and compared to a lot of the teams that have come down. It is clear the media don't like him and that's because he doesn't play their games. He isn't the most charismatic but why should that matter? The fact that a manager needs to be seen that why is one of the things that's wrong with modern day football. The reasons for sacking Pearson aren't now based on footballing issues and purely on the image that is portrayed of him by the media. Of course the fan incident was a poor choice of words no doubt on that but in what world should someone just be expected to take abuse and not be allowe to say something back? The argument of I've payed for a ticket which pays his wages is rubbish. Would you sit and take abuse from your boss at work just because he pays your wages. I don't think so. Then the Palace incident has been blown out of all proportion. If it had been done with any real malice the fourth official would have seen and heard it. He was 2 yards away from the whole thing yet nothing has been reported. 2 incidents and the media can't wait to put names up for who's the next manager. I'm sick of the constant merry go round that is modern day football, why can't we be the exception to it and stick by our manager.
I may have started to waffle a bit but felt like I had to put my views down somewhere, where your interested or not.
I'll be there tonight in that away end showing my full support to the team and the manager as I have done all season.
Short memories and modern day football.
posted on 10/2/15
At the moment I’m 75/25 in favour of NP staying.
50% because I think he’s still the right man for the job.
25% because I fear that another candidate might well be worse.
25% doubt of whether the PL is too high for him
Hmmmm ….. what would be my Nigel Pearson breaking point?
Failure to get us promoted again next season: Simply as that. If he was kept on then I think he’d have to repay that faith with an immediate return to the Premier League.
Failure again in the Premier League: If he was kept on, got us promoted again, but had another season of failure in the Premier League it would confirm my niggling doubts that it might be a level too high for him.
The most likely scenario, however, is that we’ll go down this season and NP will be sacked.
posted on 10/2/15
Joby-how could anyone be worse? We're rock bottom!
posted on 10/2/15
By being thrashed every week, not even close to competitive, every half-decent player we have handing in transfer requests or no effort being shown on the pitch.
That's how.
And incidentally, that would be more of an embarrassment for me than anything that's happened over the last few days - watching players where you don't even particularly care whether they do well is horrific.
Foxello, don't make the mistake of thinking that just because someone's come to a different conclusion to you that it's simply emotional (and by inference illogical). People come to different conclusions because they rate certain things as of higher importance than others. that doesn't mean either side is wrong or inferior. As is life, as is politics, as is football.
Nev, it's a similar reason why people still don't see Pearson as a bully. Bullies tend to target people weaker than them and certainly wouldn't stand up to the likes of Lineker and now it seems almost every news outlet in the country. If you simply accused him of being obstinate, pig-headed and sometimes downright rude then you'd find less people disagreeing with you.
posted on 10/2/15
Dung
👍👏👍👏
posted on 10/2/15
Sorry Dung i don't mind people disagreeing with me i see NP as a bully and although some posters might not like to hear it but so do a lot of other people. As a fellow season ticket holder said to me less of Pearsons "My" and more of "our" team, players, club. Its ours not a Nigels
posted on 10/2/15
Dunge, the fact it's not like that in a strange way makes it worse! A few more signings and better team selections and we could be a lot better off. I know all fans of all teams think that but I really thought we'd have a better squad to support following promotion. I don't like the way the club is being presented either but that's been well debated elsewhere.
I'm just a bit gutted that after 10 years of trying to get here we seem to be going back without a whimper. I'm also amazed by how accepting some people are of this (not necessarily on here but some fans in general)
A season so far of utter frustration. Well, I'm gonna use that to cheer them on tonight down at Arsenal!
posted on 10/2/15
I guess to those who challenge with the evidence before us of how we’ve performed this season find the arguments difficult to comprehend. I don’t want to keep NP out of nostalgia for last season, but simply that I’ve not completely lost faith in his abilities. It’s called seeing the bigger picture.
There are many of us who wanted to get rid of NP during that disastrous run in the Championship the season before last. We didn’t and proceeded to stroll to the title breaking records along the way. This season we’ve struggled again. The fine margins of success, in a season that was always likely to be difficult (even with Pep Guardiola in charge), mean that 4th bottom would have been a successful finish this year, but we’re rock bottom and look like going down.
If you think that this time NP can’t turn it round again. If you think he won’t stop us from getting relegated this year. If you think he’s not the right man to get us promoted again next year. If you think the failings of the club are mostly down to NP. If you think he’s reached the end of his development as a manager then the journey may well be over, but is it not conceivable that you were wrong before and could be wrong again? I’m willing to consider that I might be wrong in suggesting we should stick with the manager.
I believe that NP is pretty good in the transfer market, great at building a team and surrounds himself with good people. I think that he lacks experience in the Premier League, has shown tactical weakness and over relies on effort over quality. I think he can learn.
I’m taking a long term view over a short term one, which is pretty rare in the world of football and I think was the point of the OP. I realise everyone can trot out an example to illustrate any point they want to make, but there are numerous examples of where taking a short term view has been to the long term detriment of a football club.
posted on 10/2/15
You are talking about a man who does not know his best team. Who stated we are better than burnley in every department. Clearly we are not Burnley made a desision to stick with there Champoinship side safe in the knowledge that they had when they returned two premiership quality strikers and have play the same side all season. whether it works or not its a plan.
posted on 10/2/15
Excellent post Joby.
posted on 10/2/15
TB how many times have you cracked one off while reading this thread? Be honest.