Big Ron hails Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson as his 'best ever captain'

[davieG]

Leicester City's Nigel Pearson is a natural leader who was destined to manage at the top level, his former boss Ron Atkinson has said.

Pearson was Sheffield Wednesday captain under Atkinson in 1991 when the Owls lifted the League Cup and clinched promotion back to the top flight.

He was being groomed to take on the reins at Hillsborough, Atkinson revealed.

Atkinson has also had the likes of England and Manchester United's 'Captain Marvel' Bryan Robson as his on-field lieutenant, but he rates Pearson as the best skipper he ever had and said it was always obvious he would be a successful manager.

Atkinson's judgement has been proven right as Pearson, who is understood to be close to signing a new three-year contract, has guided City back to the Premier League.

"I have been lucky in football that I have always had great captains, like John Wile at West Brom, Bryan Robson at Manchester United and Kevin Richardson at Aston Villa," said Atkinson.

"But I have always said Nigel is the best captain I have ever had, and that is no disrespect to the others.

"He was a great leader of men. He commanded respect from all the players around him and he has taken that on into his managerial career. I definitely knew he would be a good manager.

"Sometimes there are people who surprise you and go on to be successful managers, but there was no doubt about Pearson.

"In fact, there was one occasion when I had gone back to Sheffield Wednesday for a second time and we had a plan in place where I was the manager but I was going to take Nigel on board with me and groom him for the position for a couple of years before he took over.

"Circumstances went against that, and to this day, we don't know what they were.

"So he had to go back and work his way through the circuit again and he has done it brilliantly."

Newly-promoted sides are often tipped for an immediate return to the Championship but Atkinson believes City are well equipped to survive in the Premier League under Pearson's guidance.

Atkinson believes Hull, who finished four points above the drop-zone in their first season back in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final, are an example for how City should approach their first campaign back in the top flight for a decade.

"After the disappointments of last season it would have been easy to fall away from things, as happened to Watford," said 'Big Ron'.

"Nigel is a strong character and that makes him more resilient. He has done a brilliant job this season.

"A few years ago, it was a safe bet that two of the three teams that were promoted to the Premier League would come straight back down. Now it is only one.

"You look at the job Steve Bruce has done at Hull and that would be the example for Nigel at Leicester.

"He will give the boys who have got them up a chance and he will bring some new bodies in, players who have perhaps got a bit more experience of the Premier League.

"Leicester is a club which can command decent gates, so I can see them doing quite well next season."

Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Big-Ron-hails-Leicester-City-boss-Nigel-Pearson/story-21179303-detail/story.html?#ixzz33YuW2nZF
Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Big-Ron-hails-Leicester-City-boss-Nigel-Pearson/story-21179303-detail/story.html?#HA8op84P0LOqFqXo.99

[Nick]

I just read that on the Mercury link..... Did anybody else think that it's a re-hash of an article they've read before?

[kingcarr21]

Good old Mercury. Always on the ball and ahead of the game

[UpTheLeagueFox]

Yes some of the stuff has been said before but it's from a recent interview, as you can see from the quotes about how we might fare in the PL next season.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Haha, the sly dig at Wotfud, g'won Ron you daft old racist.