I think Nev -when they write the history of this amazing escape - hopefully the contribution of Albrighton will be registered.

Understandably its players like Huth and Cambiasso being given large credit but to me the results tide turned with Albrighton.

He was finally taken off the naughty step- and isolation with under 21's -against West Ham early in April and was ever present since.

In those eight games where he played we accrued 19 points out of possible 24......and staved off what seemed a lost cause.

Putting that in perspective- in period prior to his re selection - we obtained 11 points out of 72 in the 24 matches !!

What a change ...............

If we're honest Johngee - I think that putting the run down to any player is probably wrong.

It was the change in formation that did it. It played massively to the strengths of our defenders giving Morgan more protection and getting the best from Huth.

It absolutely benefited Schlupp and Albrighton who can both attack and defend with equal ability.

It helped put an extra body in midfield so the Cambiasso don't have all the burden and it got the best out of Vardy and Ulloa who tricked off the service and freedom it gave them.

So, I wouldn't credit an individual for the turn around but the manager for continuing to explore formations to get the best from this group and then the whole team for making it work.

Albrighton played his part with the other 15-16 players in that formation.

You can look at it one of two ways:
1. Pearson was flexible in his approach and continued to try multiple formations, spotted our weaknesses and signed players enabling us to play a system that finally got rewards.
2. Pearson was clueless for 2/3 of the season and was lucky to stumble upon a formation that worked.

I'll go for 1, but I imagine you might be more in camp 2

It came quietly in the end. A month or two back, if told we would end up reaching safety, we'd have perhaps expected it to come with a dramatic winner in the QPR match to elevate us out of the relegation zone on the last day while Hull or Sunderland lost to Man Utd or Chelsea respectively. How it actually finished was seeing Cambiasso, King and Drinkwater just tidily seeing the game out, keeping possession and heading for the corner while the tired-looking opposition almost looked content with a point themselves. A low-chance 0-0 draw to guarantee Premier League survival and a dull game for anyone except Leicester and Sunderland fans. This wasn't the kind of ending that they write movies about, but the achievement remains remarkable for its simplicity: How do we stay up? Go out and win the winnable games! Easy as that. Why didn't we think of that in November.

As regards Albrighton, I suspect this will remain a mystery, as do much of the dealings from within the Pearson camp. He same in pre-season and I thought he was a good signing, then he got injured and couldn't start the season. He had a couple of appearances where he looked nothing more than average before dropping out of the team altogether. So far, nothing controversial.
When he came back in around the new year, he did really well, the fans rating his contribution highly. Then he got inexplicably dropped - not just to the bench but ultimately out of the squad entirely. What had he done wrong? We don't know. But he can't have been happy, hence the now-infamous posting of his other half on social media to the reports that Pearson had got the chop.
Eventually he comes back in again, does well again, but this time retains his place, has a strong finish to the season as a wing back, and has most recently been seen in interviews popping out Pearson-esque lines.

What happened? I haven't seen any evidence either way as to who's to "blame" for this (if anyone), only a bit of speculation and uncorroborated reports on both sides. But you're right in that he does deserve recognition for his contribution, not necessarily so much for his skill and delivery - which have been useful - but because over the last several games he's fought like... well, a fox.

Nev - " the Sunderland ladies diving team"

Allbrighton is another example of Pearson's excellent man management.

Our form over the last 9 games shows his tactical nous is befitting a Premier League Manager, he must be one of the top English Managers around now.

No fluke that style of play and tactics, both Morgan and Phillips have both stated in interviews that these ten games were targeted by the Management to really go for it after staying in contention.

They say the table doesn't lie but it does when you're half way through the season and one team ( us ) has played near enough all the top teams while those just above us still had them to play, you could almost call it tactical genius by NP.

If we go back to the boxing analogy of JG, well then NP has knocked him out every round so far.

Allbrighton did do excellent as did all the rest, they really are a TRUE BLUE Leicester City team.

"Allbrighton is another example of Pearson's excellent man management."

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Come on True Blue, that's just trolling John and Nev.

I don't think Mrs (Ms?) Albrighton would have stuck the comments she did on social media if Marc was coming home every day and saying "I'm not getting in the team, but the boss is giving me some excellent pointers, he's absolutely right and I'm working my damnedest to improve".

Where there is credit is that whatever the problem was, it seems to have been repaired of late. I wonder whether the comments didn't go down particularly well with the rest of the squad (I remember Nugent's wife wasn't impressed at the time), and Albrighton decided - or was encouraged - to sort things out, move on and concentrate on his football. If so, it turned out well in the end.

Not at all DM, I do think Allbrighton is exactly proof of good man management whatever happened before his recent run in the team.

TBH I think all your comments exactly back that up?

What we don't know and never will is why he wasn't getting in early on, some fans have claimed he did have issues at training and attitude to playing in the 'reserves' but the point in he was kept in the frame.

Personally I can just imagine NP saying to him '
Keep going lad and you'll get your chance' .

I'm still to ecstatic to give out any negative vib's man and i agree (no surprise with JG) Albrightons contributution has been effective in to ways those sax on a stick crosses from open play and set pieces. invite our player to attack the ball and defenders to have a nervo.
Secondly his wing back work has been effective and his runs create space for other and his threat means Marhez can cut in.
But it's a team effort and a formula that has worked. It good in some respects that we came to it late because if we played the same teams again they might of owrked out a stratergy to combat it.
Bu Naaa our will to win shock teams we played and with our footballing God conducting midfield with our noble fans behind the team we where awesome.

When things were going badly wrong I always stated that it’s probably not down to one single thing (the manager), but a number of things. Now things have turned out alright I’m not going to suddenly state it was all down to the manager as I think, once again, there were a number of factors. It’s a team effort and the team have pulled through.

The myth that Nigel Pearson is not a good man manager, however, can hopefully now finally be dismissed. The spirit of drive, determination and togetherness that has been witnessed last season and this season could surely not have been achieved if the players didn’t believe in the management.

In terms of the specific case of Albrighton then I’m not convinced that we will ever know the full story. The answer might be quite simple that in football, like in any other work placed environment, a manager gets on with some members of his team better than others. Some require more motivation; some require a kick up the backside, whilst others require an arm around the shoulder. A manager is not going to get on with every player, all of the time, not matter how good they are. In fact we should be disappointed if he did. Let’s now forget that Albrighton is a Pearson signing so, if he was our savour, then NP takes some credit either way. If they couldn’t work with each other then credit them both with resolving their differences. This would be down to either a change of heart from NP or more effort and application from MA or, most likely, both.

It was only last week, I think, that Bolton Wanderers announced they were letting Beckford and Mills leave. Two from the long list of players names trotted out to try and demonstrate that NP cannot manage players with egos, when all it usually demonstrates is that he generally gets 90%+ of these calls spot on.

It's rumoured that Mills in particular may follow Freedman to Forest. They're welcome to him.

Interesting Dunge -because I was told- by someone who is usually reliable - that Wes had been sounded out the possibility of being allowed to finish up at Forest......

He is still a complete legend there of course and is seen as perhaps the man to re-invigorate the club and supporters at a crucial stage

With him being our club captain and so highly respected at KP by everyone it seems unlikely ........but the possibility of getting his home club promoted must somehow appeal- so who knows

By the way Joby - I think you are missing the point regarding Beckford especially and his isolation period at Leicester -similar in many ways to Albrighton.
At a critical period of getting eight points from 15 games and not getting goals he was ignored and then sent to Huddersfield.

Mark Robins told me directly that his goals there -getting winner in three of run in matches - had saved them from relegation and whilst frustrating he was critical for them.

He is still doing it at Preston - did anyone see hios two goals last week in play off semis..

So the criticism was that he refused to use potential in the squad because he didn't fit the template on attitude ...... that's when management is actually required

Johngee - I don't think Joby has missed the point at all.

You can't maintain the team spirit and togetherness that has been a vital part in keeping us up this year if you allow players like Beckford to poison the club.

No individual is bigger than the team no matter how good they are. Take this approach and you end up QPR.

I would have thought that Morgan would consider a move back to Forest if the circumstances were right. I find it hard to believe that he'd give up actual Premier League football to do it though, particularly with Pearson in charge.

As for Beckford, I don't hold any ill feeling toward him. I've long since come to the conclusion that Beckford is something of a law unto himself - his behaviour strikes me as being childish rather than in any way malicious, even when he has acted like an idiot at times.

However, the problem with him as a player is twofold:

Firstly, he's inconsistent. You don't know what you're going to get from him from one week to another. For a team that prides itself on putting in good effort each week, that would make him very difficult to accommodate.

Second is the more important factor: He's high maintenance. A manager has to expend a lot of energy to get the best from him, and that is energy (both real time and emotional) that he then doesn't have to get the best from the rest of his team.

Both of these factors together lead to a key question: Is he worth it? Is he worth the uncertainty regarding the level of performance he'll put in each week? Is he worth the effort? In both League 1 and a Huddersfield team trying to stave off relegation, the answer was yes: He can be a very good player on his day and has a lot of skill about him. But he's not good enough to warrant this when chasing promotion in the Championship. If he's got significantly more about him than the rest of the squad - and is a big fish in a small pond - then he can be worth it, and that's why he's performed well when at smaller clubs or lesser situations. But for what we and Pearson needed, he didn't fit the bill and was rightly moved on.

I can't really add to what Mersey and Dunge have said about Beckford. The general point was that Pearson usually gets it right with the players he drops.

The trouble with listing individuals is that there may always be one that could be challenged in terms of Pearson's judgement. Nobody can be right all of the time and there will always be an exception to break the rule. Albrighton may have been that exception- Beckford isn't!

Sorry for delay Dunge - -his goals for Huddersfield were in Championship - also if you saw his goals last week - what striker have we got with either skill or vision to score similar..... if you didn't see them -worth a look
Its not a case Joby about whether Beckford had a future at the club at the time - he was being paid by us- had a skill we needed -and a good manager would have ..............managed

"A good manager would have.... managed"

Like Feguson managed Stam? Beckham? Van Nistelrooy?

Like Martin O'Neil managed Reo Coker?

The much heralded Pulis and Beattie?

A good manager quickly identifies those not willing to fit in to the team and removes them.

You can't still believe a player who has spent his career sliding down the leagues since one decent FA Cup game is worthy of "managing".

Not even actual talented players are offered that (Balotelli, Tevez etc).

Great managers create successful teams. Those that pander to players usually fail. Peter Taylor was nice to his players apparently.

Why are we arguing about whether a championship reject should have been managed better by someone who's career has gone entirely in the opposite direction?

I've seen the long shot goal - it was very good and I'm sure very entertaining, although when you're that far ahead you can try things like that with ease. And I know his goals for Huddersfield were in the Championship. But none of that changes my point: He can bring something and he has ability, but not enough of it to make the acceptance of his negative points (his mindset and professionalism) worthwhile at a higher level.

Not been on here for a day or so but Beckford? Very old news and very succinctly put Merseyside