On The Road
TWO YEARS AGO, NIGEL PEARSON WAS WORKING WONDERS WITH LEICESTER . . . SO WHAT’S HE DOING IN BELGIUM’S SECOND DIVISION?
IT has just turned 3.08pm on saturday and a white jeep has come to a crunching halt outside Oh Leuven’s Den Dreef stadium.
With the exception of a few stewards, the place is deserted, but that does not matter to the man who has just parked up. Out hops Nigel Pearson, resplendent in a grey suit, and he strides in statesmanlike fashion across the car park.
This genteel university town, 30 minutes outside Brussels, is a million miles from the frenzy of English football, but it is where Pearson is relaunching his managerial career, in Belgium’s second division.
almost a year has passed since his abrupt sacking by Derby County, following a furious row with owner Mel Morris, but he is recharged and relaxed as he prepares to embark on this new adventure. ‘ I’m sure it has raised a few eyebrows for people who are wondering what the motivation is,’ Pearson tells
Sportsmail. ‘But there is a lot more to it than just wanting to get back into football.
‘I was close to getting the Middlesbrough job. They wanted to go with Garry Monk and that’s fine. But I’ve always wanted to work abroad and this is something different.’
and yet, as quickly becomes apparent, it is not different at all. Oh Leuven are owned by King Power, Leicester City’s backers; their logo is everywhere around this complex, from gate posts to advertising hoardings to the roof of the adjacent tennis centre.
King Power are pumping money into the club. since arriving in July, they have cleaned up the stadium and have plans to increase the capacity. To improve the playing surface, they sent six Leicester groundsmen to work on it over the summer.
There is even an influence on the playing staff, with Elliot Moore — a towering England Under 20 international — being sent to Leuven for a seasonlong loan.
But here’s the question: why appoint Pearson?
It was June 2015 when the srivaddhanaprabha family jettisoned him, after a sordid episode on an end- of- season tour to Thailand led to three players — including Pearson’s son James — being sacked.
‘This may surprise people, but things happen in life and you have a difficult situation like the one when I ended up leaving Leicester. I do not have to say anything because the very fact I am here will explain everything,’ Pearson says.
‘anything spoken between us is private. That is a part of history. I know the role I played in Leicester’s story, the story of the club over eight years. It’s pretty incredible, really. I’m very comfortable understanding my role within that.’
Time has been a healer. There were stories Leicester’s players wanted Pearson to return after Claudio Ranieri was sacked, but he makes it clear there were ‘never any discussions’ and he is ‘delighted’ for Craig shakespeare.
‘I wish him every success,’ he says, after revealing his old assistant had called him late last week to bid him good luck. ‘I have had a load of messages over the last week. I hope I’m going to enjoy it,’ he adds.
he certainly enjoyed saturday. The visit of KsV Roeselare — and their 46 travelling fans — was Pearson’s first official game, having observed the previous week’s 1-1 draw with Beerschot from the stands.
having swapped his smart attire for a black tracksuit, he is like a coiled spring on the touchline, bellowing instructions, offering encouragement and barely sitting down.
The standard is a few rungs below what he is used to, but the buzz of winning does not change and he is elated after goals either side of half-time from Nikola storm and simon Diedhiou secure a 2-0 win.
More than anything, he is content. Pearson spent his enforced absence ‘wandering a couple of long- distance footpaths’ and the time allowed him to get a firm perspective on the life of a modern manager. Being away from the frenzy, it seems, will suit him just fine.
‘seven managers lost their jobs the other week,’ Pearson says. ‘That gives you a measure of the industry.
‘Management is not good for your health. You hear a lot of people say that and they’re right. I need something with substance. I’m looking forward to my time here.
‘I want to be part of something that has an impact.’