That has to be it. Pearson needs to go.

[inckley fox]

No it's not. Every manager gets things wrong from time to time, but he's got much more right than he has got wrong. The "Pearson Out" mob - who have been around ever since he came to the club, FFS - seem to ignore what happened before he became our manager, and what happened after Mandaric eased him out the first time round. Get rid of Pearson and who are you going to get in his place? I hear Neil Walnut is available. Or maybe we could go for Paul Ince. Or Alan Irvine.

 

It's worth repeating that we are not being cut adrift, and we are better than at least three or four other teams in the division - look at what happened to Villa today, and to QPR, Hull, West Brom and Burnley yesterday.

 

Forget the alternatives for a moment, because they don't have anything to do with whether Pearson is getting it right or not. Is he, alternatives aside, really 'getting more right than wrong' at the minute? Because presumably our aim is to stay in the PL this year and, if not, then the next time we get here. If he shows that he isn't of the required standard at this level, then one day we're going to have to get somebody that is.

 

A big part of what we wanted from our club hinged on Pearson being a good PL manager, or somebody replacing him who was. If he fails at this level as badly as he's failing at the moment, with no signs of picking up his trade as he goes, then the only way you'd want him as your long-term manager is if you're either happy never to be an established top flight team, or you just want Nigel Pearson to be your manager, no matter what. Because he certainly won't have got 'more right than wrong'. He'll have spent four years taking us to exactly the same place he found us in, albeit without a one-year stay of execution before FFP kicks in, and with a much older squad.

[Fez of Mahrez]

He'll have spent four years taking us to exactly the same place he found us in, albeit without a one-year stay of execution before FFP kicks in, and with a much older squad.

We're in a far better position financially.

I doubt the squad will be much older than before he arrived either.

[LanguedocFox]

Forget the alternatives for a moment, because they don't have anything to do with whether Pearson is getting it right or not. Is he, alternatives aside, really 'getting more right than wrong' at the minute? Because presumably our aim is to stay in the PL this year and, if not, then the next time we get here. If he shows that he isn't of the required standard at this level, then one day we're going to have to get somebody that is.

 

A big part of what we wanted from our club hinged on Pearson being a good PL manager, or somebody replacing him who was. If he fails at this level as badly as he's failing at the moment, with no signs of picking up his trade as he goes, then the only way you'd want him as your long-term manager is if you're either happy never to be an established top flight team, or you just want Nigel Pearson to be your manager, no matter what. Because he certainly won't have got 'more right than wrong'. He'll have spent four years taking us to exactly the same place he found us in, albeit without a one-year stay of execution before FFP kicks in, and with a much older squad.

 

He's not failing badly at the moment. If you expected us to be safely lodged mid-table by now, you have not been watching either City or the PL for the past 15 years or so. We're up against a lot of teams who have spent a lot of money, some of whom - Hull, Villa, QPR - are struggling badly.

 

We had a string of bad results after the Man U win in September, but very few of those games were bad performances. Even yesterday, we didn't perform badly for much of the time. OK, Albrighton should have started instead of Vardy, but we would probably still have been beaten. But I repeat, we are still a lot better than four or five other teams down there with us, and Pearson is a better manager than Redknapp, Bruce, Dyche and Lambert.

 

It would be insane for Pearson to be booted out now - and fortunately I think our owners have more sense than to do so.

[inckley fox]

We're in a far better position financially.

I doubt the squad will be much older than before he arrived either.

 

Well, it's older now than it was then, so I suspect it will be about another seven or eight months older than that if we start next season in the Championship. And we weren't badly off financially in 2011, in fact with FFP still 18 months off we still enjoyed a great deal more freedom in the market than we will have next time around. Then there's the small fact of losing over 20m on transfers in the interim period, can we be sure our owners will want to repeat that?

 

We may well find ourselves in a far worse position upon relegation. High wages after a year in the PL, less money to spend, an older squad, a manager we know can't cut it at the highest level with two years left on his contract, no left back at the club, only one centre back under the age of 30, only two under 35, the likelihood of losing Mahrez, Kramaric, Ulloa, Schlupp, Knockaert, as well as Hammond, Konchesky, Wasilewski, Upson (okay, so what?), Huth and Cambiasso. Will that really represent progress?

[inckley fox]

He's not failing badly at the moment. If you expected us to be safely lodged mid-table by now, you have not been watching either City or the PL for the past 15 years or so. We're up against a lot of teams who have spent a lot of money, some of whom - Hull, Villa, QPR - are struggling badly.

 

We had a string of bad results after the Man U win in September, but very few of those games were bad performances. Even yesterday, we didn't perform badly for much of the time. OK, Albrighton should have started instead of Vardy, but we would probably still have been beaten. But I repeat, we are still a lot better than four or five other teams down there with us, and Pearson is a better manager than Redknapp, Bruce, Dyche and Lambert.

 

It would be insane for Pearson to be booted out now - and fortunately I think our owners have more sense than to do so.

 

So you don't consider 20th place to represent any sort of failure? I never realised how easy a job being a football manager must be. On what grounds, based on the 23 games we've had so far which see us below these other 4 or 5 sides you speak of, most of which have also beaten us, would you say that we are better than them?

 

And I'm certainly not saying Pearson should be fired, though with hindsight we might have been better off parting ways in early November. But I just don't see how any other 'Pro-Pearson' supporter can argue that he's done a decent job in the PL. To me it just sort of condemns the pro-Pearson argument before it even gets off the ground.

 

What we want is for him to learn from some of his massive errors and get better, quickly. But it's helping nobody to deny that those massive errors were ever there in the first place.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Jesus, talk about glass half empty. More like the glass has fallen off the table, smashed on the floor and one of the shards has bounced up and flown through your ear into your brain.

Might as well end it all now.

[Webbo]

The time to sack him has past. Might as well review the situation at the end of the season.

[Monsell1976]

I cannot wait for this season to end, we are slowly becoming a shambles, and this whole season has become boring.

What a mess, next to nothing to cheer about on the pitch, a team that looks like they will never get the consistency to actually make a stab at staying up, a manager and players who will not speak to the local media due to him not blowing smoke up their arses, after one of the poorest runs in our his history.

A season where a manager tells a fan to **** off and die, after the fan abused him after another defeat, fans fighting in the stands, because they like the manager but the others don't.

I just don't give a shit anymore, we deserve to be where we are, as the tactics and players are not good enough, in a league barring 7 or 8 sides, a club our size could with the right directing compete in.

The sad fact in we are not competing, and I will be glad when the seasons over, because I'm sick of this one, and if Pearson is stopping next season, at least it will be in the championship, and this place can lighten up a bit, when we have a chance of winning more than we lose.

[ratlad]

this is disgraceful show some loyalty. this should get deleted. pearson goes i go

[Monsell1976]

this is disgraceful show some loyalty. this should get deleted. pearson goes i go

Your choice, I supported city long before Pearson and will do long after him.

Something will have to give at some point, and he will be expected to get us promoted next season, at the first attempt, and not just by the fans

[jim5000]

Realistically, we look like we're going down this year. We are over 50% through the season and bottom of the league. A short sighted approach would be to sack Pearson, that may or may not work but would induce the managerial merry-go-round for another 5-10 years. If we do go down, I would back Pearson to get us straight back up, with a stronger squad, and having learnt the lessons from this season, having a much better understanding of what it takes to survive in a Premier league featuring the best players from all over the world.

 

If you look at where we were when Pearson took over compared to where we are, there is no doubt whatsoever about the positive influence Pearsons management has been on the club, if it wasn't for him we could still of been slumming it in L1 or the lower reaches of the Championship.

 

The time to sack Pearson is next year if we are in the Championship and it looks like we're not going straight back up. And you never know, Pearson has as much chance, if not more, of turning it around in the remaining half of the season as any other manager we could attract.

[Mark_w]

We've played Man United at Old Trafford, Tottenham at White Hart Lane, Stoke, Villa and Newcastle at home, Liverpool at Anfield and Hull at the KC in our last seven games in all competitions. Won 4, drawn 1, lost 2. And in the game directly before that out played Tottenham at home. Despite missing arguably our best player for a decent chunk of that spell. Am I the only person who doesn't quite get why the doom and gloom has suddenly returned? Is it because we've just lost at Old Trafford like practically every club in the Premier League does? Or because we, a newly promoted side, had a couple of off performances recently?

 

Surely our bad run and as a result league position, is making it difficult for some people to see that we've actually been doing pretty well of late? Is that not a fair comment?

[NFPOUT]

this is disgraceful show some loyalty. this should get deleted. pearson goes i go

So you are not a fan of LCFC but a fan of Nigel Pearson then, thats very strange !

[ratlad]

So you are not a fan of LCFC but a fan of Nigel Pearson then, thats very strange !

show some loyalty. ONE NIGEL PEARSON ONE NIGEL PEEEEEARSON

[UpTheLeagueFox]

Plenty of managers like Keane, Davies etc have won the championship, doesnt make them great managers does it, especially at this level.

 

Keane won the Championship, Davies didn't. Davies has one Championship play off win on his CV (with Derby) and plenty of Championship failures (with Forest).

Comparing Pearson with Davies is like chalk and cheese.

 

Who is saying Pearson is a "great" manager anyway? He did a great job getting us into the PL with a quite magnificent record-breaking season - this year however has proved a lot harder than I guess even he suspected.

 

I like the bloke a lot but he gets things wrong, just like every other manager.

 

Unless we start getting smashed 5-0 every week, he's not going to get sacked this season so little point people obsessing over it really.

[LCFCSOULBOY]

A lot, but not all of the Pearson supporters here on this forum are sadly unable to accept anything that sheds unfavorable light on Pearson's managerial deficiencies this season. They get extremely defensive and have a tendency to get abusive. I am no psychologist but maybe it's because they have limited ambition in life. Thus holding on to a mere existence. Settling for mediocrity. Therefore accepting that Pearson is has good as we even deserve. Because I cannot understand for any good reason why they get too defensive of him. I for one have supported the boys for nearly 45 years and have always wanted success for my club. Lower division football is not where Leicester should be playing. To expect less is actually sad and not acceptable in my honest and humble experience. We have a wonderful footballing history. Why would we want less. Pearson has been a wonderful servant for the club. But he is not the club. Absolutely not. He will never be. No manager or player will ever be. Because we the supporters are the club. And many of us hope for more success as a club in the future. Playing in the Premiership is the road to success. People the Championship is a long way away. Unless being able to win the Championship and then being relegated the very next season is your interpretation of success. Being a yo yo team. So be it. But some of us wish for more.

[MC Prussian]

A lot, but not all of the Pearson supporters here on this forum are sadly unable to accept anything that sheds unfavorable light on Pearson's managerial deficiencies this season. They get extremely defensive and have a tendency to get abusive. I am no psychologist but maybe it's because they have limited ambition in life. Thus holding on to a mere existence. Settling for mediocrity. Therefore accepting that Pearson is has good as we even deserve. Because I cannot understand for any good reason why they get too defensive of him. I for one have supported the boys for nearly 45 years and have always wanted success for my club. Lower division football is not where Leicester should be playing. To expect less is actually sad and not acceptable in my honest and humble experience. We have a wonderful footballing history. Why would we want less. Pearson has been a wonderful servant for the club. But he is not the club. Absolutely not. He will never be. No manager or player will ever be. Because we the supporters are the club. And many of us hope for more success as a club in the future. Playing in the Premiership is the road to success. People the Championship is a long way away. Unless being able to win the Championship and then being relegated the very next season is your interpretation of success. Being a yo yo team. So be it. But some of us wish for more.

People on here get defensive of the manager mostly after defeats, when a flurry of carpet crawlers re-appear, making pathetic and/or ridiculous attempts at undermining his influence or abilities (which in many cases, is their only purpose in life as it appears) - mainly because they don't like the man.

 

Like you've said, there's enough defenders of Pearson who are more likely to point at his deficiencies and the mistakes that he's made so far. However, they're also the people who are more likely to include other factors into the equation, trying to paint a more complete picture. Results in football don't stop with one individual alone, they're an amalgamate of many different influences.

 

What I find rather entertaining is that you say you don't know why people are getting so defensive of Pearson somewhere in the middle of your post, but actually have already given your observation at the start of your comment.

 

We all want success for this club and I dare to say the vast majority on here, for instance, would be over the moon if we managed to survive during our very first season back in the top flight for the first time ten years. But the road to where we are now was rocky and so were the ten years in between. Only a few would argue that Leicester City belong in the Premier League solely for their own sake. We had to work hard to get here, now we've got to work hard to stay put. Realistic expectations would be knowing that the competition at this level is a lot stronger than what we've been exposed and gotten to know a division or two below. And the Premier League has made massive improvements in terms of availability of player quality. There's just so much more talent in this league, from top to bottom club.

 

Sometimes I think a lot of the older fans expect us to compete somewhere in mid-table because of the past successes they've witnessed. But historically, Leicester City have never been a big club and most likely will never be. We don't have a "wonderful footballing history" in general, really. I can think of more heartbreaks than jubilations. What we can strive for and hope for is a Cup exploit here and there and a few seasons in succession in the Premier League, with the odd relegation to the second tier. That's what we are. That's why life has never been, isn't and will never be easy for an LCFC supporter.

 

You wish for more - but be aware of the fact that not all wishes can come true.

[MC Prussian]

Hes not the most likable of guys but I couldnt care less if he knew what he was doing on the pitch but if you would like to present any evidence that he does this season i am all ears, but I expect the silence to be deafening.

How do you know that he doesn't in the first place?

 

The season is still in progress. We can still stay up. Anything is possible. And we won't be able to judge the manager up until a few years following his departure or retirement.

As of right now, I'm in favour of Pearson because he has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes. And because he's brought this club stability and a certain degree of (minor) success. I think we should build on that. With him in charge.

 

We don't really know the plans or realistic expectations the owners have come up with in cooperation with the management (including Pearson).

The road to success is a rocky one, especially for a team with a history such as Leicester City's.

[the-blue-wildabeast]

How do you know that he doesn't in the first place?

 

The season is still in progress. We can still stay up. Anything is possible. And we won't be able to judge the manager up until a few years following his departure or retirement.

As of right now, I'm in favour of Pearson because he has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes. And because he's brought this club stability and a certain degree of (minor) success. I think we should build on that. With him in charge.

 

We don't really know the plans or realistic expectations the owners have come up with in cooperation with the management (including Pearson).

The road to success is a rocky one, especially for a team with a history such as Leicester City's.

I admire your blind faith in the manager but to claim he is a quick learner and knows what he's doing is ludicrous. I know it's the start of the comedy festival this month but you have peaked too soon with those claims. There are just so, so many examples of constant mistakes and bizarre decisions that show he has learnt nothing.

[Babylon]

We've played Man United at Old Trafford, Tottenham at White Hart Lane, Stoke, Villa and Newcastle at home, Liverpool at Anfield and Hull at the KC in our last seven games in all competitions. Won 4, drawn 1, lost 2. And in the game directly before that out played Tottenham at home. Despite missing arguably our best player for a decent chunk of that spell. Am I the only person who doesn't quite get why the doom and gloom has suddenly returned? Is it because we've just lost at Old Trafford like practically every club in the Premier League does? Or because we, a newly promoted side, had a couple of off performances recently?

 

Surely our bad run and as a result league position, is making it difficult for some people to see that we've actually been doing pretty well of late? Is that not a fair comment?

We'd have won 7 on the trot though if we'd played the tactics of all the managers on here... obviously!

[C-man]

We'd have won 7 on the trot though if we'd played the tactics of all the managers on here... obviously!

Don't forget that 7 games is way too longer spell to judge s manager properly though. 1 game is about right.

[Babylon]

More often than not he hasnt though has he. We could sit and analize every game and in 90% of them most fans (who dont wear blue tinted we love pearson fashion specs) would say the 11/formation or both didnt give us the best chance of a result, which is surely the sole reason the muppet is employed?

But you talk like you are always correct in what you suggest, that's no worse than people on here not admitting the manager makes mistakes. People slate his team selection almost every game, you could pick the team you want and someone will moan that x player isn't playing.

[dannythefox]

Can't believe this is still open he won't be getting sacked this season for certain.

[Fox Ulike]

We've played Man United at Old Trafford, Tottenham at White Hart Lane, Stoke, Villa and Newcastle at home, Liverpool at Anfield and Hull at the KC in our last seven games in all competitions. Won 4, drawn 1, lost 2. And in the game directly before that out played Tottenham at home. Despite missing arguably our best player for a decent chunk of that spell. Am I the only person who doesn't quite get why the doom and gloom has suddenly returned? Is it because we've just lost at Old Trafford like practically every club in the Premier League does? Or because we, a newly promoted side, had a couple of off performances recently?

 

Surely our bad run and as a result league position, is making it difficult for some people to see that we've actually been doing pretty well of late? Is that not a fair comment?

 

I wouldn’t say it’s doom and gloom. I think it’s more just exasperation that we continually play players out of their best positions, or a naïve attacking formation away from home. We have been doing well lately but the team is still being hamstrung by Pearson's blunders.

 

Vardy on the wing Away at Swansea

Failing to 'close out' the game against Burnley. (Taking Hammond off and bringing Knocky on)

Konchesky at Wing-back and the diamond H WBA

James as Attacking Midfield H Sunderland

442 A QPR

442 H Liverpool

442 A  Villa

No Defensive Midfielder H Stoke

Vardy again on the wing away at Man U

 

These poor choices are just happening too often. It’s awful to watch MoTD and continually see all other teams all lining up 4-2-3-1. Then when we come on – 4-4-2!

 

And yes I do believe that without these bloopers we'd be between 4 and 8 points better off.

 

I have been one of Pearson’s biggest supporters since his return, but these tactical and selection errors are starting to add up.

 

For me, the frustration is that I believe we have a really good team, and a good manager who gets the best out of his players. BUT… the constant mistakes are killing us, such as the diamond, pairing King/Drinkwater, and pairing Vardy/Ulloa. Now, the purchase of another striker when  we are just crying out for someone who can create chances is a £9m mistake.

 

I’m sure Kramaric is a great finisher. But he’s not going to score chances out of thin air. To survive, we’ll have to bench him… and that’s just never going to happen given the transfer fee. Nugent is still the only player who can play that advanced midfielder/deep striker that we have been crying out for all season. Nugent. It’s all on him now. If he plays out of his skin then he may pull the team together and we’ve got a chance. If not, then we’re royally fvcked.

 

Our whole season now relies on Nugent. Fvcking Nugent!!!!

 

(OK most teams lose at Man U, but not many are hammered by half-time.)

[Guest Col city fan]

I wouldn’t say it’s doom and gloom. I think it’s more just exasperation that we continually play players out of their best positions, or a naïve attacking formation away from home. We have been doing well lately but the team is still being hamstrung by Pearson's blunders.

Vardy on the wing Away at Swansea

Failing to 'close out' the game against Burnley. (Taking Hammond off and bringing Knocky on)

Konchesky at Wing-back and the diamond H WBA

James as Attacking Midfield H Sunderland

442 A QPR

442 H Liverpool

442 A Villa

No Defensive Midfielder H Stoke

Vardy again on the wing away at Man U

These poor choices are just happening too often. It’s awful to watch MoTD and continually see all other teams all lining up 4-2-3-1. Then when we come on – 4-4-2!

And yes I do believe that without these bloopers we'd be between 4 and 8 points better off.

I have been one of Pearson’s biggest supporters since his return, but these tactical and selection errors are starting to add up.

For me, the frustration is that I believe we have a really good team, and a good manager who gets the best out of his players. BUT… the constant mistakes are killing us, such as the diamond, pairing King/Drinkwater, and pairing Vardy/Ulloa. Now, the purchase of another striker when we are just crying out for someone who can create chances is a £9m mistake.

I’m sure Kramaric is a great finisher. But he’s not going to score chances out of thin air. To survive, we’ll have to bench him… and that’s just never going to happen given the transfer fee. Nugent is still the only player who can play that advanced midfielder/deep striker that we have been crying out for all season. Nugent. It’s all on him now. If he plays out of his skin then he may pull the team together and we’ve got a chance. If not, then we’re royally fvcked.

Our whole season now relies on Nugent. Fvcking Nugent!!!!

(OK most teams lose at Man U, but not many are hammered by half-time.)

This whole post...

It ain't doom and gloom. But if people can't see the errors Pearson is making, they ain't looking.