Nigel Pearson’s colorful reign as Leicester City manager finally came to an end on Tuesday when he was sacked by the Premier League club he saved from relegation.
His second spell with the Foxes was fraught and littered with controversial incidents, but the timing of his departure was still a surprise given his success in keeping them up.
The 51-year-old Pearson’s blunt personality and no-nonsense approach to management had divided the fans, but the majority were behind him after his role in their team’s great escape.
Photo: AP
They were bottom at Christmas, five points adrift, but won seven of their final 10 games to avoid the drop and Pearson seemed to have bought himself some time, but it was not to be.
“It has become clear to the club that fundamental differences in perspective exist between us,” Leicester said in a statement announcing Pearson’s departure. “Regrettably, the club believes that the working relationship between Nigel and the board is no longer viable.”
Leicester are owned by Thai billionaire father and son Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.
The cracks began to appear in December last year after a 3-1 home loss to Liverpool when Pearson said the fans should stay home if they were not prepared to support the side during a dismal run of form.
He was later fined £10,000 (US$15,715.00) and handed a one-match touchline ban by the Football Association after he used “abusive and/or insulting words” toward a supporter during that match.
Pearson refused to say sorry, insisting he felt “no need to apologize to someone of that ilk.”
Two months later, he was accidentally upended after Marc Albrighton and Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur collided in the closing minutes of Leicester’s 1-0 home defeat.
He grabbed McArthur by the throat while the midfielder was on the ground in a bizarre sideline spat. The incident was followed by widespread reports that he had been sacked.
However, the Leicester management denied the claims, saying Pearson would remain in charge at the struggling club, and added that the reports were “inaccurate and without foundation.”
In March, after a 3-1 loss to Chelsea. Pearson was angered by a question about criticism of his squad and called the reporter “an ostrich” before leaving the news conference.
“Have you been on holiday for six months? If you don’t know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich,” Pearson said when asked to clarify his views on the “criticism and negativity” his players had received.
He apologized the following day, saying: “I react. Is it pressure? It might be. It’s emotion more than anything.”
“I also accept when I’ve stepped out of line so it is only right to apologize,” he said.
After Leicester preserved their top-flight status, Pearson told the BBC: “I think the key thing for us even in our darkest moments, and there have been a few, is the players continued to support each other and believe in their own ability.”
They will have to do that next season without the backing of their manager who, despite his eccentric behavior, proved he has what it takes to survive in the unforgiving Premier League.
“There are always going to be doubts about managers,” he told Sky Sports. “I may have intensified one or two storms, but I work the way I work and you can either like me or lump me.”
Leicester have decided to lump him and, while Pearson should have no trouble finding a job, he will be difficult to replace.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to