Time to let Nigel go?

[inckley fox]

1 hour ago, goose2010 said:

 

For how impressive NP's reign was and the great escape being an unbelievable achievement we were so poor for so long under Pearson that season! if anything he was lucky to still be in a job. We won 2 in 24 matches! respect to Vichai for keeping him in the job in the end but Christ he was lucky to still be about! Vichai is probably the only chairman in the league at the time that would have given him time to turn it around. 

 

history will remember the trophies, 100 years time CR will be remembered as our most successful manager regardless of what others did before him. 

 

when you look back at history you dont say well year looks at the England team in 1962 and say well they got to the quarters under Winterbottom so we have to give him some credit (even though they didn't qualify for the euro final in 64!) 

 

Brendon will be remembered for bringing home our first FA especially after the loses in previous finals. 

 

As i said he was impressive for us and did wonders at a strange time for the club but that's it. The love in some have is exaggerated. 

 

 

 

It's a hundred years since Peter Hodge was in charge and I think pretty much everyone who's ever studied the club agrees that his six second tier seasons and single top flight 17th place finish were more instrumental than what Willie Orr achieved afterwards with Hodge's team, including the 2nd/3rd place finishes. Perhaps somebody who knows next to nothing would argue otherwise, but literally every City fan of my grandfather's generation and any self-respecting historian could put that person right.

 

If Rodgers is purely remembered for winning an FA Cup then, be that as it may, it would be equally as ignorant as people who said 'Wow, Peter Taylor finished 13th with us once, and got us to the top of the table for the first time in nearly four decades... obviously he was better than Micky Adams or Brian Little or Jock Wallace, regardless of what else happened.'

 

People who know the slightest thing about Leicester City will still be acknowledging the incredible role that Pearson had in taking us from our lowest ever moment to the brink of not only our finest, but also the greatest achievement of almost any sporting outfit, given their limitations.

 

He may have been lucky to still be in a job. But history shows that this was the right decision, and that our subsequent achievements hinged on it. You can't downgrade his success on the basis that, as with Ferguson in '90, his chairman didn't do something which we all know now would have been monumentally misguided. I'm not sure how Winterbottom's performances with England bear any relation whatsoever to the conversation either. He hadn't laid the groundwork for one of the most unthinkable achievements in the history of the game back in '62, unless I'm mistaken. Pearson certainly did. And that's why people hold him in higher esteem than Brendan Rodgers, and other managers who finished higher up the league than him with Leicester City, be it Peter Taylor, Gordon Milne, Craig Shakespeare, Claude Puel or Willie Orr. To say otherwise is to judge things without any sense of context, and if future peoples' sloppy knowledge of what actually happened over those years means that Rodgers / Puel / Taylor / Shakespeare are held in higher esteem than Pearson, then they'd simply be ill-informed.

 

It isn't a hundred years later though. So all of us should know better than that.

[RonnieTodger]

What’s telling is that a lot of the title winning team tend to wax lyrical about Pearson.

 

Whereas they only seem to credit Claudio for not changing anything. 

[smallpauldj]

3 minutes ago, Groby_Blue said:

Nige was the captain for Middlesbrough when we played them in the League Cup final and the replay at Hillsborough. 

 

So many great memories and stories of Nige. My favourite is when he single handedly fought off a pack of wild dogs while mountain walking on his own in Europe. 

 

After the Championship promotion, I went to the open top bus tour in town. We were stood outside the Queen of Bradgate at the top of High Street. As the bus drove past, Nige looked at us and did the drinking a pint hand sign and then applauded us with a big grin on his face. 

 

The man is a legend. 

I wonder how many inflatable ostriches have been sent to Leicester this last week? 

[LanguedocFox]

17 hours ago, jayfox26 said:

Not sure why anyone can have anything but love for Nige. I don't think we'll ever let go. For me, O'Neill, Pearson and Ranieri are the only managers who we should never let go of because of the success and connection we had with them. We had success with Rodgers with our first fa Cup (which Will never be forgotten) plus the 2 top 5 finishes (should have been top 4) but for me, Rodgers has completely destroyed his reputation after last season. I could have accepted relegation if he'd genuinely given his all, but he clearly gave up and it almost became sabotage because he didn't want to be here. Nige would have died for this club. Rodgers was always about his own brand and reputation. Whilst Pearson technically didn't win any major honours, I still rank him above Rodgers 

I agree with you about O'Neill and Pearson, but although I liked Ranieri, I think he was very lucky to come in when he did. He showed after the title-winning season that he wasn't particularly good at choosing players or running a team. And while we'll never know what would have happened if Pearson hadn't been sacked, or if another manager had taken his place, the fact is that those were Pearson's players (apart from Schmeichel, who was the sole survivor of Eriksson's time in charge). From the time he first became our manager ("Fvckin Southampton reject" as I said at the time) until he was sacked in 2015, Pearson was fantastic. He rescued us from our deepest despair after that Stoke City defeat, and took us all the way to the Premier League. My best time ever as a City supporter. 

[Matt]

 

[Plastik Man]

Good grief, the Nigel Pearson love/hate false dichotomy that never fails to generate post after post.

 

The fact is the vast majority of City fans respect him, they value the massive job he did in re-setting the club after the disasterous relegation to the third tier.

 

There's probably a few that hate him, but y'know, there's always haters. But it's a tiny minority. 

 

And there's a few who appear to have elevated him to godlike status. It's probably a generational thing. The first manager who achieved progress and success after a prolonged period of rot.

 

For some Martin O'Neill was that guy, with the outstanding success in the late 90s. Jock Wallace wasn't around long enough, but before that there was the Bloomfield boys, who entertained a generation.

 

And going back further the 60s teams who came so close to success under Gillies et al.

 

But back to my opening point. Most people respect Pearson, I'll give him a cheer or applause tomorrow, but let's not get over excited and make out it's a simple either or. Really.

[Molson Canadian]

[Molson Canadian]

14 minutes ago, Plastik Man said:

Good grief, the Nigel Pearson love/hate false dichotomy that never fails to generate post after post.

 

The fact is the vast majority of City fans respect him, they value the massive job he did in re-setting the club after the disasterous relegation to the third tier.

 

There's probably a few that hate him, but y'know, there's always haters. But it's a tiny minority. 

 

And there's a few who appear to have elevated him to godlike status. It's probably a generational thing. The first manager who achieved progress and success after a prolonged period of rot.

 

For some Martin O'Neill was that guy, with the outstanding success in the late 90s. Jock Wallace wasn't around long enough, but before that there was the Bloomfield boys, who entertained a generation.

 

And going back further the 60s teams who came so close to success under Gillies et al.

 

But back to my opening point. Most people respect Pearson, I'll give him a cheer or applause tomorrow, but let's not get over excited and make out it's a simple either or. Really.

[Parafox]

Time to get over him, like a long term love. It's not easy and there's always going to be emotional memories. But we have to move on and be grateful for the good times and find a new love...

 

For me that was Claudio. Then that love started to turn sour and I had to accept he wasn't "the one" after all.

 

After a few blind dates that turned out to be unreliable, one came into my life as a real hopeful, only to let me down at the last minute by being stubborn and arrogant. A trait I don't like.

 

Between then and now, there was a potential suitor but I always felt it wasn't going to last. When it ended, I was quite relieved.

 

Then I met my new love. So far it's been emotionally engaging and quite exciting. I hope it lasts.

Edited 22 September 2023 by Parafox

[Ric Flair]

38 minutes ago, Plastik Man said:

Good grief, the Nigel Pearson love/hate false dichotomy that never fails to generate post after post.

 

The fact is the vast majority of City fans respect him, they value the massive job he did in re-setting the club after the disasterous relegation to the third tier.

 

There's probably a few that hate him, but y'know, there's always haters. But it's a tiny minority. 

 

And there's a few who appear to have elevated him to godlike status. It's probably a generational thing. The first manager who achieved progress and success after a prolonged period of rot.

 

For some Martin O'Neill was that guy, with the outstanding success in the late 90s. Jock Wallace wasn't around long enough, but before that there was the Bloomfield boys, who entertained a generation.

 

And going back further the 60s teams who came so close to success under Gillies et al.

 

But back to my opening point. Most people respect Pearson, I'll give him a cheer or applause tomorrow, but let's not get over excited and make out it's a simple either or. Really.

Nailed it

[Dahnsouff]

Got to be honest, this thread makes me slightly uncomfortable, it’s kind of like catching your grandad with trousers down watching K Pop videos, all a bit too desperate and seedy

 

This post in no way disparages Mr Pearson

[iancognito]

12 hours ago, foxfanazer said:

I simply love this man. I don't know what else I can say that hasn't already been said but the guy is one of the biggest legends of the clubs. It still baffles me that there's Leicester fans that don't like him.

The ones he rightly told to "fvck off and die" 😄

[jayfox26]

53 minutes ago, LanguedocFox said:

I agree with you about O'Neill and Pearson, but although I liked Ranieri, I think he was very lucky to come in when he did. He showed after the title-winning season that he wasn't particularly good at choosing players or running a team. And while we'll never know what would have happened if Pearson hadn't been sacked, or if another manager had taken his place, the fact is that those were Pearson's players (apart from Schmeichel, who was the sole survivor of Eriksson's time in charge). From the time he first became our manager ("Fvckin Southampton reject" as I said at the time) until he was sacked in 2015, Pearson was fantastic. He rescued us from our deepest despair after that Stoke City defeat, and took us all the way to the Premier League. My best time ever as a City supporter. 

Ranieri won the title mate. Whether it was Pearson players or not, it was Ranieri who managed us to the title. He's a leicester legend along with all the title winning team and always will be. 

[Parafox]

1 minute ago, jayfox26 said:

Ranieri won the title mate. Whether it was Pearson players or not, it was Ranieri who managed us to the title. He's a leicester legend along with all the title winning team and always will be. 

 

Let us never forget this.

 

Pearson (with his players) would never have won us the PL. 

[Dahnsouff]

Ranieri, Pearson, they both played significant parts in that success, do we need a winner in his discussion?

[Jobyfox]

5 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Ranieri, Pearson, they both played significant parts in that success, do we need a winner in his discussion?

 

[Groby_Blue]

Ranieri was superb for the title winning season. He took all the pressure off the players with his cool, calm attitude and he never got carried away and never let the players get carried away. 

 

One game at a time. 

 

His press conferences were brilliant and he was so relaxed and funny. The dilly ding one where he described himself as a bell and then said, Don't print that - Ranieri is a bell!! 

 

When we guaranteed top four and the press were pushing him on the title he said, forget that! We've just qualified for Champions League man! So level headed. 

 

What his tactics really were, I still don't know. He basically let the players do what they wanted and what they excelled at. The team picked itself every week and he watched them go out and take sides apart. I bet he still has the bruises on his arm from where he was pinching himself. 

 

The following season I think is when he really felt the pressure and it all unravelled pretty quickly. Maybe the weight of expectation got to him. 

 

Like Nige, he'll always be a legend and his legacy will last forever. 

[worth_the_wait]

2 hours ago, RonnieTodger said:

What’s telling is that a lot of the title winning team tend to wax lyrical about Pearson.

 

Whereas they only seem to credit Claudio for not changing anything. 

The thing is, though, Claudio did make at least one absolutely crucial change.

 

After being stuffed 5-2 at home to Arsenal, we went to an "Italian-esque" flat back 4, rather than 3 central defenders and 2 wing backs.   I don't think Pearson would have made such a change, and I believe it was a crucial factor in us being so tight defensively and being able to launch a more counter-attacking type game, which ultimately was why we won the league.

[LestaAl]

So for me claudio winning the league tops everything pretty much. Well apart from my wedding day and the kids being born,.

Nigel did a good job earlier but the month of May 2016 was very special and driving out of the city after the last match will stay with me until I close my eyes for the last time.

[Lesterlad]

8 hours ago, Scanchez said:

Might sound a bit OTT but I think there's a fair chance that Nigel might be the second coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Peace be upon him.

 

Yawn

[Paninistickers]

13 minutes ago, Groby_Blue said:

Ranieri was superb for the title winning season. He took all the pressure off the players with his cool, calm attitude and he never got carried away and never let the players get carried away. 

 

One game at a time. 

 

His press conferences were brilliant and he was so relaxed and funny. The dilly ding one where he described himself as a bell and then said, Don't print that - Ranieri is a bell!! 

 

When we guaranteed top four and the press were pushing him on the title he said, forget that! We've just qualified for Champions League man! So level headed. 

 

What his tactics really were, I still don't know. He basically let the players do what they wanted and what they excelled at. The team picked itself every week and he watched them go out and take sides apart. I bet he still has the bruises on his arm from where he was pinching himself. 

 

The following season I think is when he really felt the pressure and it all unravelled pretty quickly. Maybe the weight of expectation got to him. 

 

Like Nige, he'll always be a legend and his legacy will last forever. 

That's unfair. As someone else points out, he totally restricted the formation to a very conventional style. Flat back 4, allow and invite opponents to cross as we had 2 centre halves and the other full back all able to defend crosses. 

 

Then, the quick pass into space up front. Basic, traditional, but absolutely perfect 

[Groby_Blue]

Just now, Paninistickers said:

That's unfair. As someone else points out, he totally restricted the formation to a very conventional style. Flat back 4, allow and invite opponents to cross as we had 2 centre halves and the other full back all able to defend crosses. 

 

Then, the quick pass into space up front. Basic, traditional, but absolutely perfect 

It certainly wasn't a criticism or belittling Ranieri's achievement. I was just enjoying it and loving every game so much, I just didn't analyse it. 

 

He got us playing quick, exciting football that was a joy to watch and that's all that counted for me. 

[Mike the Metal Ed]

14 hours ago, CrazyKopCorner said:

I think Nigel cuts such messianic figure for many of us as it was him that effectively built the Premier League winning team

 

That's not to say we would have won it with him as the The Don still deserves huge credit but Nigel for many is the one 

 

 

He took on an utterly hopeless football club that looked on a downward spiral to the grave and brought in year on year improvement. Loved the man long before promotion.

[Spudulike]

Is he the only manager to be sacked from the same club 3 times? Certainly is for ours. 

[David Hankey]

We'll never know if we would have won the title with Pearson but what we do know we won it with Ranieri, end of.