Nigel Pearson - Manager

He is an incompetent arse and no friend of mine!
Colin is far more capable and is now manager of Boro,as well you know!

 

Is this guy still the manager?

Hasn't he had his 16 games yet?

 

No, no, you have the forum speak all wrong.

Should of said, “Has this **** pissed off yet?”

 

I'm just far too polite even in parody!

 

A piece in The Athletic today suggesting Pearson's job is in the balance. This week is pivotal, for the club, but also for him.

It was also hinted that the run we've been on (6 points from 11 games) is too much of a black mark against him to continue next season, but a lot depends on whether we win the next two games.

Asked if Watford would sack him before the end of the season, a club spokesman apparently said "I wouldn't put it past them".

 

Welcome Mr Allardyce

 

Think we’d be mad to sack a manager under the current conditions. Our best chance of survival at this juncture is by not creating more managerial upheaval than necessary given the changes going on in the game - in my opinion.

That being said, something needs to change and Pearson doesn’t seem to have the same motivation as he did before Lockdown from what I can see. He, as much as the team, seem to be going through the motions and it doesn’t come across that he knows what’s needed to arrest the form. That will surely be worrying the powers that be.

As I’ve said on a previous thread, I think he will leave at the end of the season. And if he keeps us up, the club will have to prepare for another mauling for it in the media. ‘They were 9 points from safety and he’s keep them up - what more do they want’ - can see it now. But that only looks at the issue going skin deep. This week is clearly make or break - take 4-6 points and we will likely be safe. Less than that, and given the last 2 games we have, we will be favourites to go down I think. Going into those two games in the bottom 3 would be a massive concern.

I think Pearson staying next season will be an indicator of what they club plan to do with the squad. If they think the squad is good enough and don’t plan many changes, I can see them keeping Pearson. But if the plan is to bring back Estupinan/Suarez/Cucho/Wilmot and properly give them game time, I would hope the club want a more progressive style that comes from a different coach. The current tactic of smashing it up to Deeney is far too long in the tooth.

 

No words.

 

On the one hand, it can't always be the manager. The culture, the handcuffs put on coaches by our structure, the terrible, terrible players - there are other things which might need fixing besides the continual merry go round of coaches.

However, it's difficult to look at the period since Pearson's bounce over the Xmas period and see exactly what he's done to justify any long term faith. I wanted him to work out - still do, but frankly I'm not seeing why he would.

The Liverpool game was outstanding, bit it's an island of sweetcorn in a sea of terd.

Since then our performances have, if anything, been WORSE than under Quique. Burnley and Southampton were not only dreadful, but put into the context of where we are in the season and the table and the way we didn't even offer anything - I think that makes them two of the worst capitulations in memory.

The failure to get the squad fit before the restart is also just baffling. 4 games in and we still look like we are just starting preseason. Capoue, Doucoure, Deeney especially look completely off the pace - which is even worse when you consider that they are 3 of the most senior, well paid pros in the squad.

The team selection, tactics and substitutions also do not suggest he's a man with any answers.

I still remain willing to be convinced, however, because I am under no illusion that him being sacked will result in any positive change either.

 

The next two games are crucial. If we fail to take maximum points then, we're really faced with an almost impossible task of staying up. For me, if we were going to sack him it would have been after Southampton. We had a week before the next game (which is like an international break in the current climate), and Chelsea was a "free hit".

Now we've got our "last three matches", before the goal difference bashing in the final two games. The season has come down to a three game shoot-out in which we need 7/9 points. Anything less, then we are vulnerable. Sacking Pearson after failing to beat Norwich would be a huge gamble, and probably a futile one. I can't see a new coach having the time to have an impact before Newcastle. But the way this club is run, you can see them doing it in the hope against hope it brings two wins, just like when Pearson was appointed. We got a string of great results. So the impact of a new coach does work.

 

We would be a laughing stock if we sacked Pearson before season ends. We've already sacked 2 managers in 1 season. The world press would have a field day.

 

Agree with every word.

Sacking Pearson but keeping the clubs current culture is futile. I genuinely think if you brought Klopp in and told him he had to work with this squad and will always have Giraldi looming over his shoulder, he’d fail.

The Giraldi factor, in my opinion, is a big reason why coaches ultimately never work out.

 

The last few games look to me like we have a CM (Doucoure) who will look to leave in the summer so doesn’t really care about staying up. If we go down, a better chance he gets his move. Like we have a CF (Deeney) who still doesn’t really want to be playing football in the current climate. A winger (Sarr) who has too much pressure on his shoulders. And a manager (Pearson) who’s been told he won’t be continuing in the job when the season is over.

And like it or not, all of those named above need to be firing on all cylinders in our current predicament.

 

This season we've had :-

An attacking manager (Gracia) - sacked.
A defensive manager (QSF) - sacked.
Allegedly something in between (Pearson).

Its the quality of the squad. A manager with a say would be straight to recruitment, and say I need a 'Player A', a 'Player B', etc. And explain why.

It was only going to be a matter of time before buying on the cheap or buying young players to sell later would catch us out. I could see it coming, like I imagine some others did too. As other teams were upgrading for the here and now, we weren't.

 

I'll be very concerned if we sell Estupinan and Suarez. Because that will tell us that the players are not being sent out on loan to impress and come back to play for us. They are being sent out to impress so we can sell them - as with Lukebakio. And by proxy, it'll indicate that are happy with the inferior players we have.

 

I wouldn't mind if it worked like it did with Lukebakio - sell the players loaned out and sign someone targeted for our team.

I don't see what evidence there is that either Suarez or Pervis are suited to our club, our status or our league. It seems more like trying to make a casserole out of whatever ingredients you have in the cupboard, rather than buying the delicious makings of a fine meal.

 

This, more than anything, is why I want us to do it.

 

To be fair, Pearson could be pointing at where Deeney was playing and pointing out "that f*****g tub of l*** you've left me with as our only proper striker stood on that damn spot for 10 minutes straight without moving a muscle".

 

Yep.

 

Estupinan has been the stand out LB in La Liga this season - selling him and keeping Holebas for another year would literally make not one bit of sense.
Selling Suarez to raise funds to buy another striker could possibly make sense - but in reality, I think we all fully expect another 30 odd games for Deeney next season as our starting striker regardless.

 

Fair enough - I have no idea about Spanish football. I've just seen very little success when our returning, prodigal sons have been integrated into the squad. It's almost as if there is a sort of art or science to choosing players to fit your club's needs, that can't be shortcutted by just placing discount, Pozzo options in whenever there's a gap.

 

I would personally keep him regardless. The worst case scenario is we are relegated and he is probably the best man to rebuild our squad and hopefully lay the foundations for a solid premier league team, like he did with Leicester.

When we lost to Southampton under Flores we looked completely dead and buried, the fact that it's entirely in our own hands because of Pearson should not be forgotten.

 

There is no scenario, other than Pearson buying the club himself, in which he will be responsible for 'rebuilding' our squad.

 

From watching both I'm not entirely sure either.

I do reckon Suarez is an excellent prospect, but it might still be a year or two before he's ready to be a regular starter in the PL (if he ever will be) and it also might take him a while to adapt to the league. Given Deeney's situation we need another striker for right now, but he might still need a bit more time. I'd be disappointed if we sold him but agree it might be wise if we can use the money to instead bring in someone more likely to make an immediate impact.

With Pervis, he also looks a good prospect but I don't see how he fits in to our style of play at all - he's incredibly attacking for a full-back but not very good when having to defend on the back foot, which a club towards the bottom of the PL would often have to do. We'd need a much better CB alongside him than we currently have to help cover for him. He'd be a good option to have for his threat from deep, but if a large fee is offered for him it might also make sense to rather invest the money elsewhere.

 

I was unsure about Pearson when we got him and then he took us on that little run which has at least given us half a chance of staying up but the last 11 games, Liverpool aside, have not been close to good enough and he doesn't seem to know how to get us out of it. He's basically done zip since the Leicester job. Having said that, there is no point sacking him before the end of the season.
Whatever happens this season, we need a proper clear out of players and Giraldi

 

Well I'm shocked that his job is in the balance and it's a pivotal week for him and that it's not impossible that they might sack him before the end of the season. . Leventhal really earns his money doesn't he.

 

Whoever the manager is next season, regardless of the league will have a rebuilding job. It's clear as day that a lot of this team needs moving on. He won't be making the signings but he is going to have to oversee a large change of the the squad.

If we do go down, I don't think there are many better candidates available who could do a better job than Pearson.

 

You've missed a bit...…… I don't think there are many better candidates available on the cheap who could do a better job than Pearson.

 

It’s worth remembering that since Leicester, Pearson has been in the Championship with Derby and was very poor. And did a poor job with an awful Belgian second division team too.

But it’s the structure that needs to change.

 

I don't particularly want Pearson as manager next season, I was just playfully adding words to the previous post.

 

The thing is I don’t see a huge difference between Allardyce and Pearson, I mean neither are known for their free flowing football. Allardyce publicly made himself available for the job and even said he’d not want as much money as might be expected, yet we ignored him and went for Pearson.

That can only really be down to money (because they’re not that different) yet if we sack Pearson that’s compo for THREE managers this season, which surely would’ve just covered BFS’s salary anyway.

In short it would be farcical and the same thing that catches us out with our approach to buying defenders. Buy cheap, buy twice etc. Or in this case buy cheap, buy four times, get relegated.

 

We won’t be paying Pearson any compensation as his contract is up at the end of the season. It was extended due to the circumstances - but I’m not even sure he’s still working under a contract.

 

Agreed, but we will still have ended up paying three managers this season + a fourth which granted won’t be for long. Without looking I would assume Javi was on a two year deal so paid up until the end of this season, and I seem to recall QFS was a two year deal? So paid for the rest of this season and next.

I don’t suppose we pay managers a lot but I don’t think having four managers in one season is particularly cost effective