Former Derby County manager Nigel Pearson is reportedly being lined up to replace Birmingham City manager Gianfranco Zola.
Derby’s manager Nigel Pearson
After a turgid start to his time at Derby County, Nigel Pearson once again found himself without a job in October, after being let go by the Rams after just a few months in charge.
Believed to be the right man to whip Derby County’s under-performing side into shape, the former Leicester City boss struggled to shift his side to the system he was trying to play, and ultimately took the brunt for the Rams’ awful form, which left them hovering above the relegation zone.
But now, Nigel Pearson is being linked with a return to management. With Birmingham City struggling under new boss Gianfranco Zola, who replaced the now Derby County manager Gary Rowett, former Rams boss Nigel Pearson is being lined up to replace the Italian, according to a report by The Sun.
The report suggests that the former Foxes boss “has his admirers at St Andrew’s”, and could make the move to Birmingham City before the end of the season. But would this be a good move?
Derby County manager Nigel Pearson (L)
At Leicester City, Nigel Pearson created a team of hard-working, counter-attacking stars and is still accredited with some of Leicester City’s success in their infamous Premier League winning campaign. After dominating the Championship in their promotion season, Nigel Pearson also guided Leicester City to safety in spectacular fashion, but lost his job in the summer.
At Derby County however, things couldn’t have been more different. Forcing a squad to play a flat 4-4-2 who clearly weren’t set up for such a formation, Pearson produced only slow and turgid football during his time with the Rams, and seemingly failed to inspire the group of players in the same way which he had done at Leicester.
With such differing results, Pearson could just as likely doom Birmingham City to relegation, as he could inspire them to safety. The move could be a big risk, but after gambling and succeeding with the appointment of Gary Rowett in the past, Birmingham City could well be about to make another great call.
Derby County manager Nigel Pearson
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