Accusations of hiding.

[kingfox]

Has Pearson turned this club around? - Yes

Will Pearson go down in history as one of the greatest managers Leicester have had - Probably Yes

 

However as I've said many times before this season, is he cut out for Premier League management? - Going by this season then the answer would be no.

 

I've waited ten years for this and quite frankly it's been a massive let down, yes we can still survive but it's going to take something special to turn this around. I like Pearson, but some of his tactics & team selections have pissed me off no end this season, some of which pretty much has cost us games, and quite frankly it hasn't been good enough. 

 

Then you have fans who sound like they basically wouldn't mind us being relegated, if we get relegated then Pearson will bring us straight back up, if that happens then brilliant but it's not a forgone conclusion. 

 

I'm willing to stick, but if we get relegated & find ourselves languishing in mid table next season like Cardiff & Fulham, will Nigel Pearson still be the man to turn things around?

[inckley fox]

None of those managers achieved any noteworthy long term success at the club, unlike Nigel Pearson, so it's not a great comparison.

 

Believe me, lots of people were arguing very strongly that a manager who had taken us to the top of the Premier League and a mid-table finish had achieved enough not to be fired back in 2001. They were wrong, of course.

 

Whatever, you're falling back on past glories again, ignoring the fact that if we want to be an established top flight club we're going to need a manager capable of establishing us in the top flight at some stage.

 

The discussion is about whether Pearson can be that man, not about whether him being a good manager at a lower level means we should stick with him because of (a) some sort of notion of gratitude or (b) the likelihood that he'll be decent when we find ourselves at a lower level again.

 

When we appointed some of those names - Levein, Bassett, Megson, Holloway, Sven, Hamilton - they all had past successes to their name, some at a lower level, some at the same level or higher, but past success counts for nothing when you come to the conclusion that a manager can't deliver what you want him to deliver at your club.

 

Just because Pearson's past success happens to be at our club doesn't make him any better a choice if we wish to one day be an established top flight side. Just like Bassett's record-equalling number of promotions didn't make him the right choice in 2001, or Hamilton's success in the third tier with Wigan didn't make him the right choice in 1987. Of course, had he dragged us down to that level, as looked likely, he'd probably have been fine. And isn't that what some people are saying right now?

[inckley fox]

Has Pearson turned this club around? - Yes

Will Pearson go down in history as one of the greatest managers Leicester have had - Probably Yes

 

However as I've said many times before this season, is he cut out for Premier League management? - Going by this season then the answer would be no.

 

I've waited ten years for this and quite frankly it's been a massive let down, yes we can still survive but it's going to take something special to turn this around. I like Pearson, but some of his tactics & team selections have pissed me off no end this season, some of which pretty much has cost us games, and quite frankly it hasn't been good enough. 

 

Then you have fans who sound like they basically wouldn't mind us being relegated, if we get relegated then Pearson will bring us straight back up, if that happens then brilliant but it's not a forgone conclusion. 

 

I'm willing to stick, but if we get relegated & find ourselves languishing in mid table next season like Cardiff & Fulham, will Nigel Pearson still be the man to turn things around?

 

I'm full of respect for Pearson, and would never dream of calling myself Anti-Pearson because he's been a decent manager for us (in the same league as a Little or an Adams rather than an O'Neill, of course), but I think the best thing for the club now is to look elsewhere. It's possible to think this and still be a big fan of the guy. Of course I hope he turns it around, but until he drops the talk of 'total faith', 'fine margins' and 'going about our business in the same way we always do' there's not going to be the change in approach which we need to stay up.

 

And I think you have to question whether he is the sort of manager who can achieve a quick promotion and restructure the side in the process, just as you have to question whether the sort of side he's likely to assemble will be able to make the step up, or if he'd be the right sort of guy to prepare us well for the top flight if he ever did get a second chance.

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

sorry mate , what you consider playing well and what I consider playing well must be two different things .. our ball "management" was shight... the decision making was worse.. I lost count how many times we gave up possession cheaply ... we started off in second gear and struggled to get out of it.

 

We've made 5+ guilt edge chances, there's no disputing that. We didn't take any of them so that's certainly not a good thing, but everything leading up to the finish was very positive today imo. We've created a lot of chances. IF (I know we didn't) we take 2 of them chances (which we should of, that's the part that is really costing us in games like this) it does down as one of our much better performances this season.

[dogadug]

Played well up until they scored. Definitely deserved something from the game, as the commentator on MOTD said. Watching the highlights again, they had 1 clear chance which was their goal, whilst we had 7 clear cut chances. We were unlucky today.

[Manwell Pablo]

Thankfully we didn't apply that logic to all those other managers who were denied their second chance (Hamilton, Taylor, Bassett, Levein, Allen, Megson, Holloway, Sousa and Sven to name but nine).

 

There are some ridiculous examples in there, Allen left after four games, Megson left for a better team after about four games, Paulo Soussa is not missing his days at Leicester City a tell you that for free, arguable sacked too soon given he is now in the knockout stages of the Champions League at Liverpool's exspence, Bassett was a stop gap doomed from the start, Levein had his second chance and then some.

 

I appreciate the argument your trying to put forward and your in a strong enough position to not need to cluth at straws like that.

 

If anything that shows stability is the way forward given the success we've had with one manager and the miserable periods we endured chopping and changing when all of those names were at the helm.

[Stadt]

Are you seriously proposing that relegation from the Premier League represents a step forward from getting promoted to the Premier League?

And of course the manager doesn't have to get us promoted next season. He could sign a short-term deal, or a rolling contract.

There are managers out there who have looked good in the second tier and stand a very decent chance of doing better than Pearson at this level (Howe, Karanka, Lennon, Warburton), managers who are doing well in the Championship and have already done a good job in the Premier League (McClaren), managers who have done well in the Championship, won promotions and had limited success in the top flight (McCarthy), managers with decent Premier League experience and experience of promotion who might be impossible to tempt (O'Neill, Di Matteo), others that you might not want to tempt (Curbishley, Hoddle).

Some of those names could do a great job, others I suspect wouldn't, but you never know who is going to be a success at a club. Nobody at West Ham wanted Big Sam, did they? Or Pardew at Newcastle?

The truth is that most of our managerial appointments haven't come from that list of top five candidates you draw up when the vacancy emerges. If we'd needed proven pedigree we'd have never got Pearson or Gillies in the first place and if we'd demanded pedigree at our then-level we'd never have got Adams, Little, O'Neill or Wallace.

It's impossible to know who will do a job, but to give yourself a chance you have to know when to call time on someone who you're fairly sure isn't going to be able to do the job. That's the situation we appear to be in with Pearson in the Premier League.

Di Matteo?

[Arriba Los Zorros]

Has Pearson turned this club around? - Yes

Will Pearson go down in history as one of the greatest managers Leicester have had - Probably Yes

 

However as I've said many times before this season, is he cut out for Premier League management? - Going by this season then the answer would be no.

 

I've waited ten years for this and quite frankly it's been a massive let down, yes we can still survive but it's going to take something special to turn this around. I like Pearson, but some of his tactics & team selections have pissed me off no end this season, some of which pretty much has cost us games, and quite frankly it hasn't been good enough. 

 

Then you have fans who sound like they basically wouldn't mind us being relegated, if we get relegated then Pearson will bring us straight back up, if that happens then brilliant but it's not a forgone conclusion. 

 

I'm willing to stick, but if we get relegated & find ourselves languishing in mid table next season like Cardiff & Fulham, will Nigel Pearson still be the man to turn things around?

no - when we regress to where we were when he started, we have to think seriously about pulling the plug. However I really can;t see that happening unless there is a mass exodus in summer

[EnglishOxide]

Are you seriously proposing that relegation from the Premier League represents a step forward from getting promoted to the Premier League?

 

And of course the manager doesn't have to get us promoted next season. He could sign a short-term deal, or a rolling contract.

 

There are managers out there who have looked good in the second tier and stand a very decent chance of doing better than Pearson at this level (Howe, Karanka, Lennon, Warburton), managers who are doing well in the Championship and have already done a good job in the Premier League (McClaren), managers who have done well in the Championship, won promotions and had limited success in the top flight (McCarthy), managers with decent Premier League experience and experience of promotion who might be impossible to tempt (O'Neill, Di Matteo), others that you might not want to tempt (Curbishley, Hoddle).

 

Some of those names could do a great job, others I suspect wouldn't, but you never know who is going to be a success at a club. Nobody at West Ham wanted Big Sam, did they? Or Pardew at Newcastle?

 

The truth is that most of our managerial appointments haven't come from that list of top five candidates you draw up when the vacancy emerges. If we'd needed proven pedigree we'd have never got Pearson or Gillies in the first place and if we'd demanded pedigree at our then-level we'd never have got Adams, Little, O'Neill or Wallace.

 

It's impossible to know who will do a job, but to give yourself a chance you have to know when to call time on someone who you're fairly sure isn't going to be able to do the job. That's the situation we appear to be in with Pearson in the Premier League.

 

 

 

The very fact that we are in the Premier League now, regardless of where we finish, represents progress under the manager.

 

I'm not saying relegation is a good thing at all, but i am saying it still represents progress on some level. I would rather be in a relegation dogfight in the Premier League than fighting for promotion in the Championship. I'm also an advocate of the notion that sometimes you have to take one step backwards to take two steps forward - that means get promotion next season and have a much more successful second stint in the Prem due to lessons learnt). If we get relegated and then make a bad start to next season, they by all means look for a replacement manager.

 

But the league is tough this year. There are 5 or 6 teams that could be relegated and things are not over.

 

I have to take issue with you saying that Lennon, Warburton, Howe and Karanka would have a greater chance of doing better at this level than Pearson. That's bollocks of the highest order. Harry Redknapp is an established top level manager and even he struggled to lift his team this season, that shows how tough things are. The managers you've listed, McClaren included, are not guaranteed anything. And your McCarthy suggestion is ludicrous. He hasn't been relevant in years.

 

Have you been watching our games this season? Did you see the game today? Nigel has built a good team capable of competing with ANY team in the league. The squad are STILL fighting for him even if our fans are turning on him. Yes he has made some mistakes, give me a manager that doesn't make mistakes. Mourinho, Guardiola and Simeone don't count!

 

We have a lot to be thankful to Pearson for. That alone doesn't get him a free pass. You are entitled to want him out if you wish, but i take issue with anybody saying that and then coming up with the list you did as potential replacements!

[Swiss_tony]

you 'so called fans' (always wanted to  use that phrase) are an embarrasment to  football.

you accept mediocrity.

you have no ambition.

you don't cause a fuss or complain.

you buy the product as bad as it is.

you shout down anybody who doesn't agree.

 

you are everything that is wrong with the modern game, and the clubs love you for it. Easy money.

 

This is why modern football is shilo,  because of people like you.

i've been  supporting  LCFC since 1970 and i am ashamed to  be associated with people like you.

[NotTheMarketLeader]

I genuinely cannot understand how people can defend the man, when he consistently makes the same mistakes week in week out. He doesn't know what his best squad is and his tactics are totally inept for the Premier League. We are rock bottom and we look poor against the likes of Palace. We are in an absolutely dire situation and all Pearson is interested in is holding grudges with radio stations, getting into spats with fans and now opposition players. What morals are you referring to exactly? Ive given Pearson more than enough chances to prove himself. We can barely scrape an occasional point. He will relegate us. Get rid.

THIS

He did his job well last season.

This season he has not.

And I cite a ridiculous transfer policy (ie no game changing PL quality players despite having funds) - I suspect Kramaric may be the exception, but it's too late. Whilst keeping obvious Championship players as regulars (Schlupp, konch, Morgan, Nugent) is an obvious mistake.

In addition extremely dubious team selections, eg, not starting a proven goalscorer you have spent £10m on to keep you up, not starting Albrighton who, when he has been given game time shows creativity and an ability to cross a ball that otherwise we are sadly lacking.

Pearson has us bottom of the league, and that is totally his responsibility. We surely will now be relegated and he has failed. He should be replaced either now or at the end of the season, with someone capable of succeeding at this level.

I understand the plus side of 'stability' but where is the stability in relegation, and a massive reduction in the clubs income as a result?

Some will say 'ah yes, but he's got us into the play offs, he's got us promoted'. And of course he has. However, we will be back where we were years ago in a few months. In August we will start in the Championship with zero points. That equals no meaningful progress on the playing side since we came out of league 1.

For me, that's not good enough.

For the club to progress, they need to try and find someone better who can get us up AND keep us there. That is what Pearson has failed to do -

so he should be replaced for the sake of the club.

I can't understand the mentality that would justify keeping him on the basis of him being 'an alright bloke' . That's not the issue.

[Callabinho]

I do agree with the OP, however the mistakes Nigel is making tend to be costly. His philosophy is perfect, and the way he protects the club and his players brilliant. We do NEED stability, When we go down we need a vision, most sides go down under a cloud, Nigel knows the championship inside out if he can keep most of the players and bring through some of the academy prospects we stand a chance of bouncing back stronger.

[Guest Col city fan]

I'm afraid he's actually fookin the whole thing up isn't he? Bizarre tactical decisions and team selections, a record signing that gets benched, altercations with fans, bizarre incidents with players on the touchline.

Bottom of the division, relegation looking likely and Matt P wants to give him a Knighthood?

The crazy crazy nature of Foxes Talk continues.

I see no point now in replacing him. I think it's too late. But let's not pretend this season has not been, so far, anything other than a farce.

[canadaukfox]

Thats funny my ideal football manager wins football matches. I care about little else.

"Morals of the players"

You and me both Max Power....guess we've been wrong all these years.

Pearson is a dinosaur. I dont expect him to criticize the players or the club, but lobbing a few psychological grenades at referees etc IS part of todays game, same as diving and time wasting.

We may not like it, but it aint going away.

[st albans fox]

Assuming we go down, we should NOT change the manager to one who might succeed at PL level. You need a championship manager to get out of the championship.

However, despite last years incredible campaign, I can never think of Pearson's competence without considering his inability to change things this time two years ago.

I KNOW that he isn't considered to be a decent tactician within the game, especially in his native Yorkshire. Good with the players but not the thinking side of things. Unless we can find a manager who can cut it at both levels, I suggest we stick.

[Hirsty The Blue 94]

Sometimes it takes a whole to establish yourself in the Premier League, and it might be the case that we need to take a step back to take 2 steps forward. Both West Brom and QPR in recent years have been yo-yo teams.

[Webbo]

It's all so sad. I desperately wanted Pearson to succeed but he just isn't up to it at this level. No point sacking him now but if we go down, which is very likely, he has to go at the end of the season

[Sir Fynwy]

It's all so sad. I desperately wanted Pearson to succeed but he just isn't up to it at this level. No point sacking him now but if we go down, which is very likely, he has to go at the end of the season

He's proven he can manage at Championship level so sack him if we end up back there?

[Webbo]

He's proven he can manage at Championship level so sack him if we end up back there?

And if gets us straight back up, big if given the psychological blow of relegation and the fact that a lot of the better players will leave, then what? Go through another season like this?

[MC Prussian]

you 'so called fans' (always wanted to  use that phrase) are an embarrasment to  football.

you accept mediocrity.

you have no ambition.

you don't cause a fuss or complain.

you buy the product as bad as it is.

you shout down anybody who doesn't agree.

 

you are everything that is wrong with the modern game, and the clubs love you for it. Easy money.

 

This is why modern football is shilo,  because of people like you.

i've been  supporting  LCFC since 1970 and i am ashamed to  be associated with people like you.

Then maybe you need therapy.

 

We accept the position we're in given the circumstances of this league and we all hope we can push for a few more wins that'd secure safety from relegation.

 

"Modern football" (whatever that may be) is the way it is - how about taking offense at the wages paid or the ticket prices instead of having a pop at fellow fans?

There have been enough examples of people complaining about where we are, but they manage to put it in a concise manner.

Maybe you should read through threads more often. Then again, you don't strike me as the kind of guy who'd do that.

 

We don't "buy a product", we support a football club. It's not like you can get a ticket, enter a ground and can come to the conclusion that the football served that day is shit and you're not having none of it anymore. Or the football on display is scintillating and you can expect it to last forever. It's football. It's an irrational relationship somewhere between the extremes of love and disdain or deep frustration.

[Mark_w]

And if gets us straight back up, big if given the psychological blow of relegation and the fact that a lot of the better players will leave, then what? Go through another season like this?

 

Or maybe he'd learn from the mistakes he made this time? He made plenty of mistakes in 2012/13, learned from them, and we ripped the league apart last year. Who is to say that, assuming we do go down, Pearson can't learn from mistakes he's made this season and do a better job next time. This assumption that messing up once means you're incapable is ridiculous. Brendan Rodgers failed at and got sacked (via mutual consent) by Reading, is he incompetent at Championship level? Should Swansea not have given him his second chance?

[Webbo]

Or maybe he'd learn from the mistakes he made this time?

And maybe he won't, your assumptions are based on hope rather than experience.

[bovril]

no - when we regress to where we were when he started, we have to think seriously about pulling the plug. However I really can;t see that happening unless there is a mass exodus in summer

 

Where we were when he started in 08 or in 2011?

[artursteppe]

Issues around the club that affect selection:-

 

Pearson caught Albrighton shagging his Mrs whilst his daughter sat on Albrighton's face. 

He is Konchesky's lover, big Wes takes his dog for a walk. I dare not tell you what Nugent does for him and Ben Hamer noisily slurped his tea while Pearson was talking. Someone told Pearson that Hammond spat in his coffee just to get picked above him, could have been King, who keeps his head down anyway to get the odd bit of game time. RDL makes bad smells in the gents and Wood, well Pearson just can't get over him. Kramaric simply thinks he is good and Pearson wants to put him in his place because 'he is too big for his boots', even if we are running out of matches to survive. He actually thinks that the best way to do that is to keep his confidence low by giving him limited time against weaker opposition and then making it difficult when he puts Kramaric in against the better sides, on the basis that 'that will show the cocky little willy puller'.

 

This is just not the way he should be deciding who plays in the first choice eleven!

 

Selection should be based on what is the right team to get us the points! Why doesn't Pearson recognise that? 

[Mark_w]

And maybe he won't, your assumptions are based on hope rather than experience.

 

It's based on experience, in that he has done so at Leicester City before. It's also partly hope yes, but I think it's worth seeing if that hope is well placed based on the success he's brought the club in the past.

 

We're probably going down and by appointing a new manager we're risking repeating what happened last time we were relegated from the Prem, stick with Nigel who has a track record of getting us into the top 6 and we've got a much better chance. And if he does get us back up, then we can find out.