Is Pearson the long term answer?

[Tielemans63]

No-one will be here long-term with the negativity and fickleness among our fans. Jose Mourinho would be heckled if he hadn't turned it round after 3 games.

Having a pop at NP because the 'rumours are boring' since he came here? Get a grip.

He shouldn't be judged until he's had chance to bring some shape to the squad.

[5waller5]

No-one will be here long-term with the negativity and fickleness among our fans. Jose Mourinho would be heckled if he hadn't turned it round after 3 games.

Having a pop at NP because the 'rumours are boring' since he came here? Get a grip.

He shouldn't be judged until he's had chance to bring some shape to the squad.

He was never my choice and he's done nothing to make me think i'm wrong yet. I've never felt so flat being a Leicester fan and yet he was taken on to motivate the team and the fans ..... I'd love to not be having a pop at him - but feel so disillusioned after such poor football - we knew it would be boring football but the justification was that we'd be winning .... we have the boring football and zero excitement coming from the club and they're not winning .... great!

"squad" is an interesting word you've used .... he's hardly utilising the squad at present is he?? Just the old guard of has beens .... Howard and Wellens .... Nobody can be happy with that surely????

[5waller5]

No-one will be here long-term with the negativity and fickleness among our fans. Jose Mourinho would be heckled if he hadn't turned it round after 3 games.

Having a pop at NP because the 'rumours are boring' since he came here? Get a grip.

He shouldn't be judged until he's had chance to bring some shape to the squad.

The point i really wanted to make was that I wouldn't class myself as fickle or negative - I was right behind Sven and didn't for one minute want him sacked. It's not me that's negative or fickle it's the board and they are now finding out what negative football looks like. To be fair though - you could never accuse NFP of being fickle - i'm not sure what Wellens and Howard have to do to get dropped!!!

[Len Finsbury]

Remind me of when we had flair and entertainment under Sven? Was it the 3-0 home defeat to Millwall?

Performances are poor at the moment, but they have been all season. Lets not make Svens time out to be something it wasn't.

You're kidding me, right?

Sometimes, and I'm not suggesting every game, we played some of the most positive football I'd seen from a Leicester team. At least he wanted us to play entertaining football even if the players couldn't quite pull it off. Even the anticipation of which Leicester team was going to turn up was more exciting than anything NFP had done so far this season.

I'm not trying to make out Sven's reign was something it isn't but it captivated more people than the current regime.

[Dan]

13 games sounds about right

Yep, that's how long Sven had.

Oh, hang on, we appointed him a year before he was sacked.

He looked like taking us forward, this season he's had absolutely no excuse, he actually took us backwards this year from last season, in that 13 games our inconsistency had gotten even worse, our squad even more unbalanced, our wage budget even higher and our league position even lower.

But, of course, he only had 13 games. Just 13. Seriously, why do people forget last season? Embarrassing.

Should've stuck to Sven, but hey - a portion of the fans got what they wanted, without realizing that it wasn't the manager who was at fault, but a section of the players.

Players who couldn't care less about sportive success, established players who were all too comfortable within the safety zone of their contract (extensions).

This is what we as fans got in return - close to nothing. A lot of huffing and puffing, and that under Nigel "Late Subs" Pearson.

What started out with potential, has turned into one giant mess.

Sacrificing long-term success over short-term achievements - Leicester City FC.

"A section of the players"

What, you mean the ones who Sven fvcking signed? Seriously I cannot for the life of me see why people are defending this season under him, it was plain dire.

Do you seriously think Sven will bring us more long-term success over Pearson? Sven's the ultimate short-term achievements manager, so how you've come to the conclusion that Leicester put short-term over long based on us actually sacking someone who spent tonnes on fvcking loanees completely beats me.

I knew people would write Pearson off, even though he's working around Sven's mess. This month has been a shocker admittedly, and Pearson definitely has to take some of the blame, but when we were winning games (even comfortably, yes, it happened) under Pearson with hungry, young players contracted to the club, you know you loved it, and loved the thought of how well we'd do in the top flight eventually even with players like Hobbs here. We were going places with a young team.

That last page or so is EXACTLY the reason for me while Pearson is NOT the answer.

The rumours are boring, the team is boring, the football is boring, the threads are becoming boring.... there's simply nothing to be excited about whilst he's in charge .... I didn't mind losing too much under Sven because you knew he'd give an honest and open assessment of the game and you knew he was trying to play entertaining football...

There is nothing entertaining about Pearson apart from to bicker what Wellens has done to get in the side again.

Yep, I agree with you, 100%, the reason Pearson isn't the answer is because of some of the posts on here state the word boring.

I'd love to know what the two who repped this shite were smoking, embarrassing.

[seenitall]

Yep, that's how long Sven had.

Oh, hang on, we appointed him a year before he was sacked.

He looked like taking us forward, this season he's had absolutely no excuse, he actually took us backwards this year from last season, in that 13 games our inconsistency had gotten even worse, our squad even more unbalanced, our wage budget even higher and our league position even lower.

But, of course, he only had 13 games. Just 13. Seriously, why do people forget last season? Embarrassing.

No one forgets the season before when he escaped relegation and mounted a late challenge for the top 6 with Pearson and Sousas understrength and clapped out squad and no keeper to speak of - what I am talking about is the new team he put together in the summer with Nugent, Schmeical, Mills, Peltier, Konchensky, Beckford, Bamba (I know he came in Jan) which sounds to me like a completely new defence and attack and which he was given only 13 games to get right before being sacked, this on the back of 2 league defeats in 10 - I haven't made it up you know. I also know, before you tell me, that I should get over Sven, but really its Nige who should be told as it is he who is facing a similar fate at the hands of an inexperienced board.

Nige can no more be held responsible for what Sven's team achieve than Sven could be playing Sousa and Niges - so when Nige buys his new team, and only then, we should judge his management skills (same as at Hull this year where he started to get things going, not so much last year though). Lets hope, and I'll say this one more time, and perhaps you can understand , we give Nige more than 13 games when he has bought his team - not panick and sack him!!!!!

[Guest Col city fan]

Yep, that's how long Sven had.

Oh, hang on, we appointed him a year before he was sacked.

He looked like taking us forward, this season he's had absolutely no excuse, he actually took us backwards this year from last season, in that 13 games our inconsistency had gotten even worse, our squad even more unbalanced, our wage budget even higher and our league position even lower.

But, of course, he only had 13 games. Just 13. Seriously, why do people forget last season? Embarrassing.

No one forgets the season before when he escaped relegation and mounted a late challenge for the top 6 with Pearson and Sousas understrength and clapped out squad and no keeper to speak of - what I am talking about is the new team he put together in the summer with Nugent, Schmeical, Mills, Peltier, Konchensky, Beckford, Bamba (I know he came in Jan) which sounds to me like a completely new defence and attack and which he was given only 13 games to get right before being sacked, this on the back of 2 league defeats in 10 - I haven't made it up you know. I also know, before you tell me, that I should get over Sven, but really its Nige who should be told as it is he who is facing a similar fate at the hands of an inexperienced board.

Nige can no more be held responsible for what Sven's team achieve than Sven could be playing Sousa and Niges - so when Nige buys his new team, and only then, we should judge his management skills (same as at Hull this year where he started to get things going, not so much last year though). Lets hope, and I'll say this one more time, and perhaps you can understand , we give Nige more than 13 games when he has bought his team - not panick and sack him!!!!!

The more you explain your arguments about Sven, the more I find myself agreeing with you.

However, this really does come down to this, for me:

Either we should have stuck with Sven..for the reasons you stated

OR

We should have done what we did... accepted that things actually were getting worse (as you said yourself), cut our losses and bring in someody else with the time to mount a promotion bid.

We will never know whether the former was going to be better than the latter, because Sven was sacked.

And Pearson will also know that he's got to turn this around pretty quickly. This is why I'm convinced he will always want to play what he feels is his best team..he simply knows he's got to win football matches..and quick.

Lets give Pearson a chance to re-shape the team (as we did with Sven) and then we will see whether the actions of the owners were the right ones or the wrong ones..

I really can't see we can do anymore than this seenitall......

Finally, I do know what you are saying..but there really is no point going back to what Sven might have done with us... Its another chapter in LCFC's recent history and we must look to the here and now... as you did yesterday with your comments about what can be done to improve things.

[seenitall]

And comments like this from Nige really worry me - he has to be kidding right?

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson insists that striker Steve Howard still has an important role to play at the club.

The 35-year-old struggled to break into the first-team under previous boss Sven-Goran Eriksson but has been given more of a look-in since Pearson's arrival last month, though mainly from the substitutes' bench.

The former Luton and Derby striker made his first start under Pearson in the 2-1 defeat at the Keepmoat against Doncaster at the weekend.

Pearson was full of praise for Howard's display after the game and has since admitted that while the veteran forward may not be able to play every match, he still has a key role to play at the King Power Stadium.

"We had a different flavour up top [against Doncaster] with a front two in Steve Howard and David Nugent that we thought would cause them a lot of problems," said the 48-year-old.

"It gives us a different option and I thought he [Howard] did very, very well. The combination for the goal was exceptional and he caused them a lot of problems.

"It's horses for courses and we will look at every game in isolation. Steve is in his mid-30s now and it is going to be difficult for him to play two or three games a week, but he can still have an impact for us.

"He showed that at Doncaster because they found him difficult to deal with and he had some very good moments during the game."

Move on Nige - Howard is a donkey who was actually reviled by most City fans when playing under Holloway and was relatively useful in League 1 - when he was only 32!

Claiming that we can use a 35 year old who was slow in his 20's is a bit too retro for my liking

[seenitall]

The more you explain your arguments about Sven, the more I find myself agreeing with you.

However, this really does come down to this, for me:

Either we should have stuck with Sven..for the reasons you stated

OR

We should have done what we did... accepted that things actually were getting worse (as you said yourself), cut our losses and bring in someody else with the time to mount a promotion bid.

We will never know whether the former was going to be better than the latter, because Sven was sacked.

And Pearson will also know that he's got to turn this around pretty quickly. This is why I'm convinced he will always want to play what he feels is his best team..he simply knows he's got to win football matches..and quick.

Lets give Pearson a chance to re-shape the team (as we did with Sven) and then we will see whether the actions of the owners were the right ones or the wrong ones..

I really can't see we can do anymore than this seenitall......

Finally, I do know what you are saying..but there really is no point going back to what Sven might have done with us... Its another chapter in LCFC's recent history and we must look to the here and now... as you did yesterday with your comments about what can be done to improve things.

Agree (this is more worrying than the stalking episode) with you Col - there is little we can do - we can only hope that the manager we now have is given time to get his team together for next season - interestingly Hull only had 2 points more than us when we sacked S*** (not gonna use the name anymore) yet were unhappy to lose their manager so soon into the first season he had to build a team - my concern in all this has always been Top and Papa and their poor decisions - only time will tell if this has changed

[Babylon]

You're kidding me, right?

Sometimes, and I'm not suggesting every game, we played some of the most positive football I'd seen from a Leicester team.

Was that last season with a load of expensive loan players that weren't ours, or this season. I'm talking this season, because if you are going to bash the current people in charge you need to at least compare the performances with the same group of players. And under both managers we have been nothing but average.

[ithuriel]

Sven was rightly sacked, how many game's have you been down to actually watch city this and last season?

When Sven took over he took on a squad low on confidence and that was a pale shadow of the team Soussa inherited, Soussa tried to change thing's too fast with the wrong player's for his style of football.

Sven did the correct thing at that time and brought in a good number of loan player's that sparkled on the pitch but going into the winter period his style of football was sussed by other team's , the rot really started against Bristol city when they totally outclassed our supposedly better team and we never did get into the play off's.

Come the final game Sven and the team did a lap of the pitch with birch stating and Sven agreeing we we're going to take this division next season.

Sven was given full backing and money to bring in and form a squad to win promotion, had a full preseason to form this team he was going to make into league beater's and thing's very early in the season started going wrong, to Bristol City yet again.

I really wanted it to work for Sven, there was some nice football at time's and we beat Derby again :xmassmile: but there was also some dire performance's.

Sven then brought in his star striker that was to be his last piece in the jigsaw puzzle but strangely he just did not do the business and then we had some real debacles with that last home match under Sven being the final straw. I actually said to my mate's at that match Sven had to go since we we're only getting worst not better and i guess the Thai's we're there too since Sven was sacked, which even though i agreed with the decision did not please me :xmassad:

Now we have Nigel back who Hull really did not want to let go since he did such a good rebuilding job there on the cheap after they dropped out of the Prem.

It is not going to be a simple job of rejigging personnel in a team that is unbalanced and Nigel as yet to bring in some new player's but they are coming. He also as to bring back something that Soussa lost from the team and Sven was never able to bring to it, a fighting spirit.

Can he do this? I think he can even though there are those that want him sacked after a handful of game's and would then moan about chopping and changing manager's :xmaslaugh:

[seenitall]

I have seen enough games to know that we have not really played decent football for years - when this is the case all that matters are results and points on the board - Sven should have been given longer - he had lost only one more match than Pearson had at Hull after 12/13 games and therefore we will never know if Sven picked the right guys or not - the real point is; Do we want our board sacking managers after a run of one defeat (we won the game before with a clean sheet) or 2 in 10 or do we want them to exercise some patience. Whenever we talk about Sven we slag off his performances, because, actually, the results (and it really was 2 points off play offs 5 off automatic) were not that bad - had we won the Millwall game we would have been 2 off automatic so in reality Sven was sacked after one poor result, that's all - it happens in football (Blackburn did it last year too) but it rarely is done by clubs that succeed - let's hope that Nigel is given a good run, of course he should not be judged after 6 games and also not until at least next xmas, and if we are in the top half then, not until the end of the season - the only justifiable reason to sack a manager after a handful of games with his new team would be if we were adrift at the bottom like under Soussa but certainly not when they are within a couple of games of automatic promotion, otherwise you run the risk of throwing the season down the toilet, as Top has done this year!!

[Corky]

It wasn't just the results with Sven, we didn't play entertaining football (bar the Derby game) and having seen the football we played under him last season it's not as though we couldn't do it.

We're not in a great position now but I don't think we'd be in a much better shape if Sven was still here.

[seenitall]

Can you name 5 teams that play entertaining football in our division? Unlikely. Who cares what the football looks like, or were you so entertained by Niges team in League 1 you are spoiled forever?

All we needed to do was get out of this piss poor division as soon as possible and by sacking Sven we lost momentum - he had a poor couple of initial home games but from game 4 picked up 16 points until he was sacked (10 games) when the league leaders picked up 18 in the same period - West Ham picked up 15 from their next 10 games so arguably he was sacked for performing as well as the top 2 - who knows what might have happened but it was a major cock up sacking him, attractive football notwithstanding

[Guest Col city fan]

Can you name 5 teams that play entertaining football in our division? Unlikely. Who cares what the football looks like, or were you so entertained by Niges team in League 1 you are spoiled forever?

All we needed to do was get out of this piss poor division as soon as possible and by sacking Sven we lost momentum - he had a poor couple of initial home games but from game 4 picked up 16 points until he was sacked (10 games) when the

league leaders picked up 18 in the same period - West Ham picked up 15 from their next 10 games so arguably he was sacked for performing as well as the top 2 - who knows what might have happened but it was a major cock up sacking him, attractive football notwithstanding

Fookin hell...

If I'm understanding you correctly you are suggesting that Sven shouldn't have been sacked then...

You really can't drop this seenitall can ya?

[Corky]

Can you name 5 teams that play entertaining football in our division? Unlikely. Who cares what the football looks like, or were you so entertained by Niges team in League 1 you are spoiled forever?

All we needed to do was get out of this piss poor division as soon as possible and by sacking Sven we lost momentum - he had a poor couple of initial home games but from game 4 picked up 16 points until he was sacked (10 games) when the league leaders picked up 18 in the same period - West Ham picked up 15 from their next 10 games so arguably he was sacked for performing as well as the top 2 - who knows what might have happened but it was a major cock up sacking him, attractive football notwithstanding

Sorry, why would we play one way one season and completely different the next?

Pearson's football wasn't the prettiest but it had method and it got results. I had no real idea what we were playing this season, was it meant to be attractive? Direct? You tell me because I don't know.

If we looked like a promotion chasing side then I would have major problems with them sacking Sven. And they wouldn't have sacked him. But we weren't and they did.

Sven spent plenty of money and still wasn't sure of his best team 13 games in. Our midfield was too narrow and our total lack of width was criminal.

[seenitall]

Well the thread is about whether or not Nige is the long term answer - my only point really is that he ought to be given at least 18 months from here but I doubt it will happen! My other only point is that the bozos from Thailand could have looked at the form table before sacking the previous incumbent and we would be perhaps looking at being play off material now - hope they learn something from the reaction of the boo boys on Saturday

[Bob Weasel Fox]

Well the thread is about whether or not Nige is the long term answer - my only point really is that he ought to be given at least 18 months from here but I doubt it will happen! My other only point is that the bozos from Thailand could have looked at the form table before sacking the previous incumbent and we would be perhaps looking at being play off material now - hope they learn something from the reaction of the boo boys on Saturday

i think he will be given at least until the end of this season and probably a couple of months into next season but if we arent heading in the right direction by then im sure the gaffers here will get rid

[accessory]

We have to be promoted in the next two seasons, otherwise the Thais will eventually decide to cut their losses.

I suspect they'll review where we are at the end of this campaign and see whether he is capable of doing better next time around.

[5waller5]

I must have been watching a different team to most of this page's posters ..... IMHO Sven always tried to play good, fast attacking football .... sometimes we lacked a cutting edge around the edge of the box but we passed it extremely well .... I thought we looked like the Arsenal of the Championship, sometimes unplayable and a joy to watch, others a little lacking in the final pass. But I'd much rather have carried on watching that than the sunday league football that NFP plays. It's neither pretty or effective - at least one would be nice.

[Corky]

I must have been watching a different team to most of this page's posters ..... IMHO Sven always tried to play good, fast attacking football

Not this season, or not enough in any case.

[suffolk fox]

I must have been watching a different team to most of this page's posters ..... IMHO Sven always tried to play good, fast attacking football .... sometimes we lacked a cutting edge around the edge of the box but we passed it extremely well .... I thought we looked like the Arsenal of the Championship, sometimes unplayable and a joy to watch, others a little lacking in the final pass. But I'd much rather have carried on watching that than the sunday league football that NFP plays. It's neither pretty or effective - at least one would be nice.

Bloody good post - I agree. All these Pearson lovers on here will eat their own words when it blows up in their faces. Lets hoof the ball up front hoof hoof hoof! No service to the strikers at all no wonder we can't score goals.

[ithuriel]

Edited this because i'm trying to be nicer :xmassmile:

[Guest Col city fan]

I must have been watching a different team to most of this page's posters ..... IMHO Sven always tried to play good, fast attacking football .... sometimes we lacked a cutting edge around the edge of the box but we passed it extremely

well .... I thought we looked like the Arsenal of the Championship, sometimes unplayable and a joy to watch, others a little lacking in the final pass. But I'd much rather have carried on watching that than the sunday league football that NFP plays. It's neither pretty or effective - at least one would

be nice.

I must have been watching different matches to you then..

Reading at home, Bristol at home, Millwall at home, dire performances each and every one.. Birmingham away.. Cardiff away... Absolute dross with no cutting edge whatsoever.. No pace, no creativity....

The 'Arsenal' of the Championship... The forum sinks to another ridiculous depth!!

lol

Granted.. We played some decent stuff under Sven.. But how many more times does it need saying? Sven typically went with King and Wellens in the midfield. Why annihilate Pearson and kiss Svens arse when the two teams were pretty much the same personnel under both managers.

And some of the shite we saw under Sven was just as poor as the rubbish being served up now

Such short memories!

[5waller5]

I must have been watching different matches to you then..

Reading at home, Bristol at home, Millwall at home, dire performances each and every one.. Birmingham away.. Cardiff away... Absolute dross with no cutting edge whatsoever.. No pace, no creativity....

The 'Arsenal' of the Championship... The forum sinks to another ridiculous depth!!

Sinks to a new depth because you disagree. Sorry about posting my opinion, i thought it was a forum.

lol

Granted.. We played some decent stuff under Sven.. But how many more times does it need saying? Sven typically went with King and Wellens in the midfield. Why annihilate Pearson and kiss Svens arse when the two teams were pretty much the same personnel under both managers.

And some of the shite we saw under Sven was just as poor as the rubbish being served up now

Such short memories!

I'm trying to understand your point here .... You seem to acknowledge that we are being served up with rubbish now whilst Sven played some decent stuff .... This is from the new manager that was bought in to motivate the players and fans, whilst the board sacked Sven for not being good enough.

So in short, you seem to be saying that we are being served inferior football from the same players with the new manager to that from the old manager, and yet you cannot understand why the new manager is being criticised?

I'll explain my point more clearly for you. Sven had us playing some lovely football in patches, not the finished article by any means but some really entertaining stuff at times. NFP has served up the sunday league fayre that i feared he would in the pursuit of winning at all costs. That would be bad enough if we were winning - but we're not so we are playing worse football and going down the league table. This is why I am critical of NFP.

Granted he hasn't had a transfer window yet - but he was bought in as Mr Motivator - it shouldn't matter, he was expected to get more from his existing squad and he simply isn't.