Leicester fires manager Nigel Pearson

[Lite Beer]

Leicester fires manager Nigel Pearson
STEVE DOUGLAS, AP Sports Writer

Nigel Pearson was fired as manager of Leicester on Tuesday, less than six weeks after guiding the club to safety in one of the greatest relegation escapes in the 23-year history of the Premier League.

Pearson's 3½-year spell in his second stint at the Midlands team came to an unexpected end midway through the offseason, with a club statement saying "fundamental differences in perspective exist between us."

"Regrettably, the club believes that the working relationship between Nigel and the board is no longer viable," the statement read.

Leicester won seven of its last nine games to climb off the bottom of the Premier League and finish six points clear of the relegation zone. Pearson was widely praised for the job he did at King Power stadium in a turbulent season in which he was reportedly sacked then reinstated on the same evening, and also got in trouble with authorities for losing his cool.

He was handed a one-match ban for using abusive language in an exchange with a Leicester fan during a match, before getting involved in a bizarre incident where he placed his hands around the neck of Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur after the player had slid off the field into the technical area and collided with Pearson during a game.

Near the end of the season, he unleashed a lengthy rant at a reporter after a defeat to Chelsea, using an expletive, calling the reporter "daft" and "stupid," and coming out with a line that generated plenty of buzz on social media.

"I think you are an ostrich," Pearson said, twirling on his chair in a press conference. "Your head must be in the sand. Is your head in the sand? Are you flexible enough to get your head in the sand? My suspicion would be no. I can, you can't."

Leicester came under scrutiny in the first few weeks of the offseason after three of its squad members — one of them being Pearson's son, James — were filmed in an apparent orgy with Thai sex workers, one of whom was racially abused. The three players were fired by the club's Thai owners, Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.

The club said assistant managers Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh will take charge of first-team duties while it looks for a new manager.

"We trust that the club's supporters will recognize that the owners have always acted with the best interests of the club at heart," the Leicester statement read, "and with the club's long-term future as their greatest priority."

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-01

[Emster23]

It's been months since they won a league match.... what's that? Season over? Can't be. Thai teams are still playing.

[evenstevens]

strike me pink,after rodgers he was the funniest manager in the EPL. what bad luck

[Sooo Upto Me]

Good, he was an arrogant man anyway.

He can join his son in the dole queue.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Pearson was widely praised for the job he did at King Power stadium in a turbulent season in which he was reportedly sacked then reinstated on the same evening.

Let mne guess, he had a Thai Boss !!!!!!!!!!

[bartender100]

Paul Lambert is free

[Sooo Upto Me]

Paul Lambert is free

So is Sepp Blatter

[StevieH]

Good, he was an arrogant man anyway.

He can join his son in the dole queue.

he just seems a nasty piece of work full stop pearson. and obviously chose to take on the owners about his son's sacking too. reckon leicester can do better than him.

[wabothai]

who cares?

[StevieH]

who cares?

you, apparently.

[Alwyn]

Sorry for the fans, he won 7 from the last 9 matches, saving them from relegation. The owners got involved because of the nonsense in Thailand to which Pearson had already sacked the 3 involved. I hope they crash & burn, lose gate revenues and skint the owners who probably slipped the money out of the country after dodgy land deals or something! Go back to Thailand, English Prem doesn't need the likes of Thaksin or these muppets thank you very much

[SantiSuk]

I suspect it says so much about the nationality of the Thai owners.

Zenophobic - cant be letting these dirty foreigners fool around on camera with our hookers; just as bad as the Chinese.

Hypocritical - the boys did nothing that youths on tour haven't done for decades

Class conscious - can't stand to suffer loss of face amongst their peers in Thailand

I can understand the club disciplining the perps - they are probably contractually bound to behave with dignity when on an official club tour

I suspect that Nigel probably confronted the owners over the disciplining along the lines of hypocrisy etc. Impossible to know whether his confrontation was so over the top that he had to go or whether a few politely put home truths just tipped the Thai owners over the edge.

Whatever - Leicester fans must be sick as dogs.

[smokie36]

Actually Santi they were in Thailand on club business so should have been behaving themselves impeccably.

Keep the work and play separate and certainly don't set up a camera to record your stupidity.

Morons at best....

[rijit]

after this sacking the thai owners imo are in for a short sharp v v costly lesson in the do's and dont's of English football,, By the time players leave, the manager wants a few new signings the inevitable relegation, this sacking, arguably could cost them somewhere between a quarter and a half a billion sterling

Edited July 2, 2015 by rijit

[carmine]

Does anyone actually know what the circumstances were surrounding his sacking or is all this just pissing in the wind?

[rijit]

The bbc reckon it.defo aint footballing reasons which.makes sence

, sounds the tape was the last straw.

rijit

[StevieH]

The bbc reckon it.defo aint footballing reasons which.makes sence

, sounds the tape was the last straw.

rijit

yeah pat murphy, bbc's midlands guy, is an excellent reporter and he said that. it sounds like pearson has gone into bat for his kid and lost. no surprise after his own nonsense throughout the season, telling leicester fans to eff off in the stands, strangling an opposition player. good riddance.

neil lennon linked with the job now. better manager and far more likeable bloke.

[rijit]

Hmmm not so sure bout lennon meeting the nice guy bit,didnt he.'come out ' as a loyalist?

rijit

[StevieH]

Hmmm not so sure bout lennon meeting the nice guy bit,didnt he.'come out ' as a loyalist?

rijit

eh? he had death threats from loyalists. UVF lads and loyalists sent a nail bomb to celtic when he was manager there.

[rijit]

Hmmm not so sure bout lennon meeting the nice guy bit,didnt he.'come out ' as a loyalist?

rijit

eh? he had death threats from loyalists. UVF lads and loyalists sent a nail bomb to celtic when he was manager there.

Oh right havnt really looked into it knew there was something ...have now..... seems he was given an unduly hard time. same ish scenario as martin oniell. mate of mine went to school with oneill and said cos he was a catholic in predominatly prod' school he had an abso f+-- cin terrible time he rreckoned oneills stopped grief when he played/managed but seems they never quite got over lennon. Anyways wish him all the best if he gets the job, with that last run and the piss poor form b4 he'll need it.

rijit

Edited July 2, 2015 by rijit

[sammygood]

hope he get all the dozen of millions he is entitled to for his stint

[siam2007]

English football at its best. How come I am not surprised

[Johnny S]

Must really suck to work for a thai ... cant do or say anything in case someone could lose face or feel uncomefortable - sounds like working for a pms woman ...

Edited July 3, 2015 by Johnny S

[rijit]

Must really suck to work for a thai ... cant do or say anything in case someone could lose face or feel uncomefortable - sounds like working for a pms woman ...

Yet all the way through the season

When leicester were abso piss poor they would have been abso justified.in sacking him, they didnt they held their nerve and did the totally sensible thing and stuck by him and the results spoke so well 4 their decision.

Now this, guess we'll never actually know what happened.

rijit

Edited July 3, 2015 by rijit

[wilai]

Must really suck to work for a thai ... cant do or say anything in case someone could lose face or feel uncomefortable - sounds like working for a pms woman ...

Your avatar appears very apt

[Sparkles]

Does anyone actually know what the circumstances were surrounding his sacking or is all this just pissing in the wind?

Seems he was very unhappy about the sackings, particularly of his son,and felt he should have had a say in proceedings and/or punishment.

For the Thai owners to not take strong action would have been a terrible loss of face.

They are only fringe players at best,they wont be missed or affect the club and there's plenty of managers looking for a job.

Life goes on and the club has very loyal supporters who are still over the moon that they stayed up.

A supporters rep recently said on Sky that they accepted Pearson sacking as his behaviour during the season didn't endure himself to the owners or the clubs reputation..

Pearson seems to have some anger management problems and maybe the pressure just got the better of him.

[rijit]

Does anyone actually know what the circumstances were surrounding his sacking or is all this just pissing in the wind?

Basically all thats known is that it wasnt for 'football reasons 'and the

bbc probably one if not the most

reliable sourse suggest he confronted the owners bout the 3 sackings and after that the owners

Decided his position was unteniable. But thats mainly speculation but from fairly reliable sources.

rijit

[StevieH]

Does anyone actually know what the circumstances were surrounding his sacking or is all this just pissing in the wind?

Seems he was very unhappy about the sackings, particularly of his son,and felt he should have had a say in proceedings and/or punishment.

For the Thai owners to not take strong action would have been a terrible loss of face.

They are only fringe players at best,they wont be missed or affect the club and there's plenty of managers looking for a job.

Life goes on and the club has very loyal supporters who are still over the moon that they stayed up.

A supporters rep recently said on Sky that they accepted Pearson sacking as his behaviour during the season didn't endure himself to the owners or the clubs reputation..

Pearson seems to have some anger management problems and maybe the pressure just got the better of him.

he strangled an opposition player during the season and told a leicester fan in the stands to <deleted> off. he was lucky not to be fired for the latter and bloody arrested for the former to be honest. think he's obviously an a*sehole and has reaped what he sowed.

[rijit]

Does anyone actually know what the circumstances were surrounding his sacking or is all this just pissing in the wind?

Seems he was very unhappy about the sackings, particularly of his son,and felt he should have had a say in proceedings and/or punishment.

For the Thai owners to not take strong action would have been a terrible loss of face.

They are only fringe players at best,they wont be missed or affect the club and there's plenty of managers looking for a job.

Life goes on and the club has very loyal supporters who are still over the moon that they stayed up.

A supporters rep recently said on Sky that they accepted Pearson sacking as his behaviour during the season didn't endure himself to the owners or the clubs reputation..

Pearson seems to have some anger management problems and maybe the pressure just got the better of him.

he strangled an opposition player during the season and told a leicester fan in the stands to <deleted> off. he was lucky not to be fired for the latter and bloody arrested for the former to be honest. think he's obviously an a*sehole and has reaped what he sowed.

rijit

Raniere, a good choise? A well travelled safe pair of hands.or just an over reactlion to whats supposedly happened with pearson ? I guess time will tell.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/13/claudio-ranieri-appointed-leicester-city-manager