As I write this entry the date on my calendar tells me it’s AUGUST 31th 2012. August and there’s already some discontent amongst the Leicester City fans with pockets of The Foxes’ faithful calling for Nigel Pearson’s job.
A humiliating 4-2 home defeat to a side 46 places below them in the league pyramid in the form of Burton Albion rightly caused boo’ing at the full time whistle on Tuesday, when any dreams of progress in the League Cup evaporated, but I’m not sure Nigel’s P45 has been printed just yet.
For fear of having egg on my face, I back he’s got a few more games left in him and for the record I hope he has. Remember how the former Premier League defender ended up back in this part of the Midlands. Some allies assisted with the negotiations and positive endorsements meaning he already had ‘the run of the men’ before he set foot back at Belvoir Drive.
Make no mistake the game against Blackpool on 1st September 2012 is a big one, and a defeat would certainly leave Pearson under increased pressure BUT, I back the same allies to buy him a little more time. It would mean 4 defeats on the spin for the first time since March 2010 when losses to Reading, Derby, Cardiff and West Brom left Pearson with a ‘must win’ game against QPR, a game they won 4-0 and went on to take maximum points in their next 4 – shame that bad run coincided with his decision to refuse to speak with me, a decision nobody is clear of the root cause of but we’ve put our differences aside and continue to remain professional in our respective capacities (swallow your pride my Dad said, so I did and we crack on)
Let’s hope it’s the start of more positive football at the King Power Stadium, they’ve looked good in the league so far but just haven’t taken their chances. The 2-0 victory against Holloway’s charges last term lead to City moving into the top 6 for the first time since Pearson’s initial spell with the club. That said, since that win he’s guided them to just 11 wins in 30, taking 40 points from a possible 90.
I hope Pearson has more time, I think he does and wish him well for the rest of the campaign. One thing you can guarantee is that when the chips are down he’ll rally the men, puff his chest out, get his best game-face on and get the lads going.
Enjoy September.