BORN in Nottingham in 1963, Nigel Pearson has gained a reputation as one of football’s straightest of talkers.
He’s a man and a manager that says what he likes and likes what he says.
Nigel Pearson is a man who loves to speak his mind
And after two successful spells at Leicester City and stints at Southampton, Hull and Derby, Pearson resurfaced last year at the Belgian club OH Leuven.
It’s the town where the beer Stella Artois is brewed, but that’s entirely coincidental.
Pearson was sacked from the Belgian club in February 2019 and on Friday night was appointed as Watford boss.
He employs unusual analogies…
After a 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea ended a run of four consecutive wins for Leicester, Pearson snapped in the press conference and went for a reporter.
Pearson was last at Belgian club OH LeuvenCredit: Getty – Contributor
“I think you are an ostrich. Your head must be in the sand. Is your head in the sand? Are you flexible enough to get your hand in the sand. My suspicion would be no.”
It was a moment that surprised everyone, not least because the word ‘ostrich’ had never been used in a post-match press conference.
The following day, having reflected on his outburst, Pearson apologised. “I do recognise when I have been out of order,” he said.
Pearson enjoyed a successful time at Leicester CityCredit: PA:Press Association
He was never one for celebrating…
Despite occupying the bottom spot in the Premier League for 140 days of the season, Pearson guided Leicester to safety in 2014/15.
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It was the longest spell at the foot of the league that any team had spent and not been relegated but the Foxes manage to win seven of their last nine games to pull off the greatest of escapes.
Time to party? No, not really.
Thanks to his man-management style, Pearson helped Leicester City pull off a miraculous escape from the dropCredit: AFP – Getty
“Let’s keep the celebrations in context,” he grumbled. “I wouldn’t want to be looking at avoiding relegation as a target to aspire to.”
And how did he feel about the Foxes miracle title win after he’d gone?
“Seeing Leicester win the Premier League wasn’t particularly enjoyable,” he shrugged.
But that wasn’t the first time he’d overseen a miraculous escape…
Sometimes Pearson had a unique bond with his fansCredit: Getty Images – Getty
In his first managerial job at Carlisle United, Pearson decided to sign goalkeeper Jimmy Glass on loan from Swindon as the club seemed set to be relegated to the Conference.
In the final game of the season, Carlisle needed to win against Plymouth Argyle to stay in the Football League and the game was all-square at 1-1 with just seconds to spare when Pearson’s side won a corner.
You all know what happened next.
The corner came in, the Plymouth keeper parried a header and Glass swept in the most unlikely of winners.
Pearson once called a journalist an ostrichCredit: Getty – Contributor
Glass, of course, was the hero of the day, but it wouldn’t have happened without Nigel Pearson.
He’s a proper rambler…
When he’s not coaching teams, lambasting journalists or having a pop at fans, Nigel Pearson likes nothing better than taking himself off for a good, hard walk.
Yes, Pearson’s rambling isn’t limited to press conferences; Snowdon, the Cleveland Way, Coast to Coast, The Three Peaks, the Pennine Way, the Ridgeway – the list goes on and on.
Away from football, Pearson loves the great outdoors and clears his mind by going on long hikesCredit: Getty – Contributor
“I just go and disappear for a week,” he once said. “I think my wife quite likes it from time to time.”
But it hasn’t all been light and laughter in the great outdoors…
Pearson was walking in Romania’s Carpathian mountains in 2011 when he was attacked by a pack of dogs.
Though he managed to fend them off with a walking stick he still had to take evasive action by diving into some nettles too.
The tough guy got attacked by a pack of dogs while trekking the Romanian mountainsCredit: Getty – Contributor
It was, he said, a “tricky situation”, adding that “there have been fatalities and some very nasty occurrences in the past.”
A lucky escape then.
There’s a good reason why he spends his time in the stands during matches…
When he was manager of Leicester, Pearson was sent to the stands by referee Darren Deadman after he criticised the official’s performance in his side’s 2-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic in August 2013.
Former Derby boss Pearson survived an attack by a pack of dogs by fending them off with a walking stickCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Well, we say ‘criticised’ but it was a little more than that.
“I just walked over to the ref and told him what I thought,” he recalled. “I said: “You’re a ****ing disgrace.”
Pearson was given a two-game ban for his actions and having spent time in the stands decided it was a much safer place to watch the game. “I can’t get sent off from here,” he reasoned.
It wasn’t just officials that got it in the neck…
Officials and fans often got abuse from PearsonCredit: Reuters
As Leicester’s were slipping to a 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool that left them bottom of the Premier League, Pearson found himself confronted by angry fans as he made his way to the touchline towards the end of the game.
The two parties exchanged words.
“It’s our club, not yours,” raged the supporter.
Pearson wasn’t happy. “f*** off and die,” came the reply.
In fact, Pearson once told a fan to “f*** off and die” in a heated exchangeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The following day, Pearson defended his actions. “I have had run-ins with fans in the past and in the heat of the moment these things happen,” he explained. “There won’t be any apology.”
And then there was that James McArthur thing…
In February 2015, Pearson was once more in the news during a game against Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium.
As Palace’s James McArthur took a tumble near the dugouts, Pearson stood over him and wrapped his hands around the player’s throat. Then, when McArthur finally got to his feet, the Leicester boss wouldn’t let go of him.
James McArthur feels Pearson’s wrathCredit: Getty – Contributor
Pearson was rumoured to have been sacked over the incident at the timeCredit: PA:Press Association
It was a bizarre incident that later prompted rumours of Pearson being sacked by the Foxes as well as criticism on Match of the Day from presenter and former Leicester striker Gary Lineker.
Not that Pearson cared.
“I don’t care what they think of me,” he said, before turning his attention to Lineker. “I pay my tax bill.”
He doesn’t sit on the fence…
After getting heavy criticism from Gary Lineker for the incident, Pearson retorted with a cheeky comment about the Match of the Day host’s tax billCredit: Getty Images – Getty
It doesn’t matter what the subject is, Pearson will tell you what he thinks and, for that matter, why.
Yes, he says what he likes and he likes what he says.
Take the thorny issue of Brexit, for example.
“I’m a remain man. Absolutely. I think it’s a travesty, personally,” he told the media recently.
As for Brexit, Pearson has made his stance clearCredit: PA:Press Association
Based overseas now, Pearson is very much a remainer when it comes to BrexitCredit: Getty – Contributor
“It’s all right for the Scots and the Welsh to say that they’re Scots and Welsh.
But I’m an English-European. I don’t agree with it [Brexit].
“I was bloody annoyed, if I’m honest.”
And that’s one thing Nigel Pearson always is. Sometimes to a fault.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
