The Managers: Nigel Pearson, 2011-2015

[davieG]

https://www.lcfc.com/news/1231816/the-managers-nigel-pearson-20112015

 

In November 2011, Nigel Pearson, accompanied by Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh, returned to Leicester City for his second spell at the Club.

This followed the departure of former England and Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson the previous month with Leicester City lying 13th in the Championship.

Pearson set about rebuilding the squad. Significant early arrivals were Nottingham Forest’s Wes Morgan, Manchester United youngster Danny Drinkwater and Stoke City’s Ben Marshall. 

The side reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and finished the season ninth in the table. In the close season, Nigel added two more United youngsters - Ritchie De Laet and Matty James.

He also signed Jamie Vardy from Fleetwood Town which, up until then, was a non-league side. Marko Futacs, Zak Whitbread and Anthony Knockaert also arrived at King Power Stadium.

Pearson's return to the Club was the starting point of an incredible journey.

 

John Pantsil, Steve Howard, Matt Oakley, Aleksandar Tunchev, Darius Vassell, Chris Weale, Franck Moussa, Sol Bamba, Lee Peltier and Matt Mills were all soon to depart.

In the 2013/14 season, after five successive wins, Pearson’s side was top of the Championship by the end of October. The turnover of players continued.

Paul Gallagher, Jermaine Beckford, Richie Wellens and Neil Danns went out on loan. In November, Michael Keane and Jesse Lingard, two more Manchester United youngsters arrived on loan. 

Two months later, they were joined by New Zealand international Chris Wood and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Harry Kane, who went on to become England captain later in his career.

City initially were denied a place in the Premier League, but it would eventually happen in 2015.

Following a stutter in results in November and December, another sequence of five successive wins, with Wood scoring freely, took Pearson’s side to second-place by the end of January.

The season ended in disappointment though. Leicester City did manage to break into the Play-Off berths with Knockaert’s dramatic, last-gasp winner at Nottingham Forest.

But defeat by Watford in the Semi-Final, following a late penalty miss from Knockaert and breakaway goal from Troy Deeney, deprived Leicester of a place in the Wembley Play-off Final.

This disappointment was followed by a record-breaking season which saw City achieve a host of Club landmarks on their way to winning the title and returning to the Premier League.

Pearson celebrates with the supporters following a hugely significant 1-0 win at Burnley.

New arrivals included Marcin Wasilewski, Dean Hammond, Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Kevin Phillips and an unknown Algerian winger, Riyad Mahrez.

Promotion to the Premier League was confirmed with six games still to play. Winning the title, meanwhile, was confirmed with two games remaining at Bolton Wanderers.

To prepare for the Premier League, Pearson signed Matthew Upson, Marc Albrighton, Leonardo Ulloa and, a little later, Argentine legend Esteban Cambiasso also joined the Foxes.

Following an early season highlight, the stunning 5-3 defeat of Manchester United, which included a comeback from 3-1 down, two points were gained in the next 13 matches.

City were bottom of the Premier League from November until April. Then came the ‘Great Escape’ - considered by many to in fact be the greatest-ever escape from relegation.

Alongside other notable players and managers, Pearson returned to King Power Stadium in 2018 to pay tribute to Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

777

Seven points adrift from safety and with nine games left, Pearson’s side amazingly won seven of these games, drawing one.

They finished in the safety of 14th place following a final day 5-1 win over Queens Park Rangers. Vardy, meanwhile, was called up to the England squad by Roy Hodgson. 

It was a remarkable achievement which meant, across Nigel's two spells at the Club, that he had won League 1, the Championship and successfully secured Premier League status.

A few weeks later, Leicester City and Pearson parted company and he was replaced at the Club by Italian manager Claudio Ranieri.

Nigel subsequently managed for a brief spell at Derby County. Between 2017 and 2019, he also worked at King Power-owned Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the Belgian Proximus League.

[Tuna]

Legend.

[Koke]

Did Pearson ever make a truly bad signing? As in a total flop? Kramaric is probably the closest to a flop Pearson sigmed.

 

Even forgettable players like Dany Nguessan and Nicky Adams did a an OK job as squad players while they were here.

 

 

[SMX11]

3 minutes ago, Koke said:

Did Pearson ever make a truly bad signing? As in a total flop? Kramaric is probably the closest to a flop Pearson sigmed.

He made plenty but he wasn't spending serious money on them a la Silva, Nacho and Slimani. 

[Mark_w]

10 minutes ago, Koke said:

Did Pearson ever make a truly bad signing? As in a total flop?

Harry Kane on loan, absolutely useless.

[Nickfosse]

29 minutes ago, Koke said:

Did Pearson ever make a truly bad signing? As in a total flop? Kramaric is probably the closest to a flop Pearson sigmed.

 

Even forgettable players like Dany Nguessan and Nicky Adams did a an OK job as squad players while they were here.

 

 

Wasn’t Ryan Mcgivern a Pearson signing? I know it was just a loan but he had a torrid time here if I recall correctly. 

[Tuna]

32 minutes ago, Koke said:

Did Pearson ever make a truly bad signing? As in a total flop? Kramaric is probably the closest to a flop Pearson sigmed.

 

Even forgettable players like Dany Nguessan and Nicky Adams did a an OK job as squad players while they were here.

 

 

Futacs.

[Fox92]

Legend. Nothing more to add. I just thank him for getting us back to the PL. Dunno where we'd be without him, probably still lying in the Championship.

[Soar Fox]

The 13/14 season was probably my most enjoyable as a Leicester city fan. It sounds strange considering we won the league a couple of years later but the 15/16 season wasn’t enjoyable at the time as I was so nervous when at the games. 

 

From Christmas onwards in 13/14 we just stream-rolled the league. The Derby game at home in January we were unbelievable they came down here in good form and we just tore them apart with one of the best performances ever at the King Power.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

44 minutes ago, Koke said:

Did Pearson ever make a truly bad signing? As in a total flop? Kramaric is probably the closest to a flop Pearson sigmed.

 

Even forgettable players like Dany Nguessan and Nicky Adams did a an OK job as squad players while they were here.

 

 

Jesse Lingard was another loan that wasn't a success. Wasn't that a loan swap arrangement with Jeff Schlupp IIRC?

[Fox92]

3 minutes ago, Steve_Walsh5 said:

The 13/14 season was probably my most enjoyable as a Leicester city fan. It sounds strange considering we won the league a couple of years later but the 15/16 season wasn’t enjoyable at the time as I was so nervous when at the games. 

 

From Christmas onwards in 13/14 we just stream-rolled the league. The Derby game at home in January we were unbelievable they came down here in good form and we just tore them apart with one of the best performances ever at the King Power.

We were so good that season. There's loads of shite recently about Wolves being the "best promoted team of all time" but I'm convinced our team was better. 

[Nickfosse]

10 minutes ago, Steve_Walsh5 said:

The 13/14 season was probably my most enjoyable as a Leicester city fan. It sounds strange considering we won the league a couple of years later but the 15/16 season wasn’t enjoyable at the time as I was so nervous when at the games. 

 

From Christmas onwards in 13/14 we just stream-rolled the league. The Derby game at home in January we were unbelievable they came down here in good form and we just tore them apart with one of the best performances ever at the King Power.

I’ve said the same in various conversations and get looked at like I’m a moron....which is far enough to be honest ?

[Soar Fox]

2 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

We were so good that season. There's loads of shite recently about Wolves being the "best promoted team of all time" but I'm convinced our team was better. 

The signings of Wasilewski, Hammond, GTF, Kevin Philips proved to be a masterstroke. They didn’t look like much at the time but Pearson had identified what was needed in the team and that was experience. 

 

I remember being at Leeds away when we won 0-1 Leeds should have been 2/3 up but for Kasper keeping us in it. But we bought Philips on and the groans around the stadium from Leeds fans as they knew he’d only need one chance to score. Fortunately he laid it off to Nuge instead.

[Guest Electric Yetis]

Love Nige.

 

Astrid Adjarevic is the one I always think of when poor signings are mentioned. Useless in a handful of games inLeague One then we have him a permanent contract. Thankfully didn't play again.

[BenTheFox]

25 minutes ago, Steve_Walsh5 said:

The 13/14 season was probably my most enjoyable as a Leicester city fan. It sounds strange considering we won the league a couple of years later but the 15/16 season wasn’t enjoyable at the time as I was so nervous when at the games. 

 

From Christmas onwards in 13/14 we just stream-rolled the league. The Derby game at home in January we were unbelievable they came down here in good form and we just tore them apart with one of the best performances ever at the King Power.

Genuinely my favourite ever season following the city. The 15/16 season was incredible, but the 13/14 season was when everything fell into place and when we really knew we were going somewhere after years that mostly consisted of underachievement and stagnation. It was so satisfying.

[Stadt]

You can’t really call shit loanees “bad signings”, definitely not good but we never signed an expensive dud under Pearson.

[Mark_w]

1 hour ago, Tuna said:

Futacs.

Futacs was useful for helping Knocky bed in wasn't he?

[Corky]

1 hour ago, Fox92 said:

We were so good that season. There's loads of shite recently about Wolves being the "best promoted team of all time" but I'm convinced our team was better. 

When managers are coming out after games and saying they'd take the 3-0 defeat they'd just had, you know it is a fantastic team.

[Nickfosse]

8 minutes ago, Corky said:

When managers are coming out after games and saying they'd take the 3-0 defeat they'd just had, you know it is a fantastic team.

Absolutely, at the time we didn’t know quite how special, but you look back now and realise we were watching Schmeichel , Morgan, Drinkwater, Mahrez and Vardy to name but 5 playing in the Championship accompanied by the likes of Wasilewski, Knockaert, Schlupp and Wood. All of whom have looked at home in the top flight, and some of whom have lit the league up. 

And I haven’t mentioned De Laet, James, Lloyd Dyer and Nugent who were fantastic that year too. 

[Langston]

3 hours ago, Koke said:

Did Pearson ever make a truly bad signing? As in a total flop? Kramaric is probably the closest to a flop Pearson sigmed.

 

Even forgettable players like Dany Nguessan and Nicky Adams did a an OK job as squad players while they were here.

 

Kermorgant. Went on to have a half decent EFL career but he was ****ing crap for us.

 

McGivern was pony in all, loan or not.

All told though, his hit rate was remarkable.

 

2 hours ago, Steve_Walsh5 said:

The 13/14 season was probably my most enjoyable as a Leicester city fan. It sounds strange considering we won the league a couple of years later but the 15/16 season wasn’t enjoyable at the time as I was so nervous when at the games. 

 

From Christmas onwards in 13/14 we just stream-rolled the league. The Derby game at home in January we were unbelievable they came down here in good form and we just tore them apart with one of the best performances ever at the King Power.

 

Easily. That Derby performance was one the best I've ever been to live. We could, and should, have had eight by half time. 

[volpeazzurro]

NP was a very good and important manager for us as was Martin O'Neil. I also remember Jimmy Bloomfield  (just) and Jock Wallace. What is the obsession with Pearson? Not a week goes by without more droning on about his tenure blah blah blah. He's gone, been hugely unsuccessful since unfortunately, but nevertheless he's still gone. We're all greatful, it's all been done to death, is it not time we moved on? Sadly, as good as he may have been,  through no fault of his own he's become tedious which is sad. Controversial perhaps I know. 

[volpeazzurro]

3 hours ago, Steve_Walsh5 said:

The signings of Wasilewski, Hammond, GTF, Kevin Philips proved to be a masterstroke. They didn’t look like much at the time but Pearson had identified what was needed in the team and that was experience. 

 

I remember being at Leeds away when we won 0-1 Leeds should have been 2/3 up but for Kasper keeping us in it. But we bought Philips on and the groans around the stadium from Leeds fans as they knew he’d only need one chance to score. Fortunately he laid it off to Nuge instead.

I think when you say when 'Pearson' identified,  we have to remember he was one of a team of three ie Shakespeare and Walsh. Their strength was in that team of three and the proof in the pudding is that he's been pretty piss poor on his own without the others ever since. As a threesome they were excellent at that particular time in our history. Let's not forget the great escape and who got us into that mess in the first place. He and the others were good for that particular time in our history but had he stayed we'd never have progressed. Every dog has its day and his day sadly was up when he went.

[Bryn]

7 minutes ago, volpeazzurro said:

I think when you say when 'Pearson' identified,  we have to remember he was one of a team of three ie Shakespeare and Walsh. Their strength was in that team of three and the proof in the pudding is that he's been pretty piss poor on his own without the others ever since. As a threesome they were excellent at that particular time in our history. Let's not forget the great escape and who got us into that mess in the first place. He and the others were good for that particular time in our history but had he stayed we'd never have progressed. Every dog has its day and his day sadly was up when he went.

Penis. 

[yag101]

2 hours ago, Langston said:

 

Kermorgant. Went on to have a half decent EFL career but he was ****ing crap for us.

 

McGivern was pony in all, loan or not.

All told though, his hit rate was remarkable.

 

 

Easily. That Derby performance was one the best I've ever been to live. We could, and should, have had eight by half time. 

Kermo was decent.

[CosbehFox]

8 hours ago, volpeazzurro said:

NP was a very good and important manager for us as was Martin O'Neil. I also remember Jimmy Bloomfield  (just) and Jock Wallace. What is the obsession with Pearson? Not a week goes by without more droning on about his tenure blah blah blah. He's gone, been hugely unsuccessful since unfortunately, but nevertheless he's still gone. We're all greatful, it's all been done to death, is it not time we moved on? Sadly, as good as he may have been,  through no fault of his own he's become tedious which is sad. Controversial perhaps I know. 

Because for a generation of fans, they had a childhood of being us being seriously rubbish and then Pearson came along changing all that. 

 

This generation of fans are also from the internet era hence Nige is always mentioned on here