Nigel Pearson has lost six of his opening nine league games as Derby County boss.
Derby County manager Nigel Pearson
Pearson is no stranger to controversy. While his final season at Leicester ended in survival glory, it had been a gruelling nine months where Pearson himself often became the story – rather than his fairy tale end-of-season managerial survival achievements.
With Sky consistently searching for managerial thespians to play up in the Premier League theatre, Pearson delivered in gruff, abrasive tones where he barked at reporters – and even appeared to have a pop at his own fans.
Despite his frosty relationship with the media, Pearson was a journalist’s dream, as he provided them with wondrous soundbites – such as declaring a reporter to be an ‘ostrich’.
Derby’s manager Nigel Pearson
Ironically, Pearson’s departure from Leicester only enhanced his managerial reputation, as essentially it was his team that successor Claudio Ranieri steered to Premier League glory. The former Hull City boss’ stock, therefore, remained high, and, after a year out of football, Pearson was back with Derby County.
The former Middlesbrough defender has, however, overseen a wretched run of results, with the Rams losing six of their opening nine league games to sit 22nd in the Championship. Considering this had been a team tipped for promotion after a string of near misses in recent years, Pearson is a man under pressure. He will, however, understand the position he is in, and will doubtless use all his self-belief to quickly try and turn things around.
After the Rams’ loss to fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers Saturday, Pearson unleashed his first public tongue-lashing of the season, condemning his players who were ‘paralysed by fear’. He has intimated that he will start making changes to a team that has looked out of ideas all season.
Derby County manager Nigel Pearson
While optimism had greeted Pearson’s arrival at the iPro Stadium, with his last second-tier foray having resulted in a Championship title, the patience of Derby County fans is starting to ebe away.
Pearson’s predecessor, Paul Clement, was relieved of his duties in February after just eight months in charge – with the Rams fifth in the table. Derby Chairman Mel Morris said at the time that the club had ‘not made enough progress’ under the former Real Madrid assistant coach. The fact that Pearson has already lost more games than Clement did in his eight-month tenure (5) doesn’t bode well for his future.
This is an important time for Pearson. He will want to be remembered more than the guy who teed up Ranieri for Premiership glory.
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson poses with the Barclays manager of the month award for April
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