Nigel Pearson’s post-match press conference last week had me livid. I seemed to have ruffled a few feathers with my comments in this column, with the manager refuting my comment about him taking responsibility in his pre-match presser for the West Bromwich Albion game. I actually enjoyed his press conference and saw a slightly different side to him. I felt strangely enthused by his comments.
There are obviously lots of things that go on behind the scenes that we don’t know about, and I agreed with his comment about it being too comfortable at the club for too long. Maybe things will turn around, and with one or two bits of business in January, things will look up.
Hmmm…
Weirdly, after the 0-2 defeat to the Baggies and Pearson’s post-match comments about the fans' reaction, I wasn’t as mad as last week. Long before the final whistle chants of “We want Pearson Out” were ringing around Section 82 and the South Stand and when asked about it after the game, the manager said: “Fans are entitled to their opinions but what is important is that they stay behind their team. It's never going to be beneficial to have a negative reaction. If they want to have a go at me, they can have a go at me. It's important our team stays together, it's as simple as that.”
I actually agree with Pearson on this but when you spend your hard-earned money to watch your team, something that you care so passionately about, I can also fully understand why some fans feel the need to express how they feel in that manner. We love this club and when you feel that the manager isn’t getting the best out of the players, you can appreciate the reaction.
I felt there was a change in the atmosphere at the game. It was the first time that I have heard chants for the manager’s head and fans that I talked to before and after the game, who have been firmly behind the manager, have had enough and feel that a change is needed. We are all entitled to our opinions, I genuinely am in two minds myself. I felt that Nigel Pearson was 100 per cent the right man at the right time for the job but his record is awful, and it really is hard to defend it.
Fundamentally, football is a results business, and all managers are really judged on what happens out on the grass. Quite rightly, the Pearson supporters will reference his lack of spending power, the state that the previous CEO left us in, financial fair play, and the general mess that the club has been in. All of that is true but we aren’t the only clubs in this division that have to work under these constraints.
Nigel Pearson obviously has to work within parameters and hasn’t been able to go out and get the players that he may have wanted, but he is also the manager who is playing a midfielder in the centre of defence and last season’s top scorer at right wing-back. The same manager who had three of his signings on the bench.
The manager says he isn’t bothered by the criticism, which I don’t believe but why say it? You should be bothered.
Many fans will point to the risk of changing a manager at this stage of the season brings but take Boxing Day’s opponents, West Bromwich Albion. After a sorry start to the season, the Baggies were seemingly set for a long fight against relegation, sitting 23rd in the table – their lowest ebb in 21 years. Carlos Corberan came in and having lost his first game in charge has then overseen six wins in seven games and a play-off push is a distinct possibility.
Baggies winger Grady Diangana has said that Corberan has had a huge impact tactically and mentally, on the training pitch he goes into finer detail, helping them understand and that's everyone, every single player on the pitch. By his own admission, Nigel Pearson doesn’t coach. Middlesborough have a similar upward trend since Michael Carrick was appointed. These are the same groups of players at these sides and yet performances and results are chalk and cheese.
I’m not one for firing managers and I would love nothing more than Nigel Pearson getting two wins against Millwall and Coventry in the next two games and turning it right around, but I just cannot see it. The longer this run of form goes on the more discontent there will be. Season ticket holders that I know have said how fed up they are and can’t be bothered to go to games, they have already paid to watch it and can’t be bothered to turn up because they feel the football is that bad.
When asked if concerns about relegation at the moment are justified and whether fans should be concerned, Pearson said that he thinks we will be fine. A large percentage of fans believe we will be fine but why? What gives them that confidence?
Football is about fine margins. Had we converted one of our earlier chances on Boxing Dat, the game could have been very different, but we seem to say that all too often. We went too long; we just didn’t get the ball down and play. There was little width in the team and how many times did Andy King and Kal Naismith just knock the ball back and forth aimlessly to each other? With midfielders in defence, you would hope that they would bring the ball out and start off attacks. We are so slow in the transition from back to front and as I say when we do get it forward, we just lump it into the channels and expect Tommy Conway and Nahki Wells to work miracles.
Pearson has said that he wants to strengthen the back and that this is the priority but for me, the most important position that needs looking at is in central midfield. Yet again, in my opinion, this is where the game was lost. Matty James, Joe Williams and Alex Scott had no impact whatsoever on the game. West Brom’s Okay Yokuslu ran the show. There is just not enough energy and creativity in there, surely Han Noah Massengo even given his contract situation would offer more in there than James and Williams are doing?
One thing that is clear to me is that we cannot afford to be relegated and it’s a question of whether the owner and board of directors believe that Nigel Pearson can keep us in this league. If they don’t then they have to act swiftly. Should we lose to Millwall and Coventry City and drop into the relegation places then surely the manager’s position becomes untenable.
Our 3 Peaps In A Podcast Bonus show ratings were: Max O’Leary 5, Zak Vyner 5, Andy King 5, Kal Naismith 5, Cameron Pring 6, Andi Weimann 5, Alex Scott 5, Matty James 5, Joe Williams 5, Nahki Wells 5, Tommy Conway 6. Subs: Rob Atkinson 6 (subs have to have come onto the field before the 60th minute). A game average of 5.25 and a season average of 6.18. For Nigel, it’s a 4. Poor in-game management and a lack of ideas.
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