THE GREAT ESCAPE V . . . PART
Pearson holds nerve as he looks to pull off
WHEN Nigel Pearson talks about what it takes to be successful in the fight against relegation, he does so from a position of considerable knowledge.
Pearson was in charge of Carlisle and signed Jimmy Glass, the goalkeeper whose dramatic final- day goal against Plymouth kept the Cumbrians in the Football League in 1999.
Pearson was Bryan Robson’s No 2 at West Brom when they pulled off their 2005 Great Escape, at the time becoming the first Premier League side to stay up having been bottom at Christmas.
Three years later he kept Southampton in the Championship thanks to a last-day win over Sheffield United.
Pearson’s most recent survival act, with Leicester, is well-documented, coming a year before their unforgettable 2016 Premier League title triumph.
Pearson laid the foundations by repeating the achievements he was part of at West Brom, steering Leicester to safety having been in last position on Christmas Day.
The key to each achievement? ‘ We all have to keep our nerve,’ Pearson said. ‘We all have to make sure that our disappointment at negative experiences doesn’t have a damaging effect because very quickly things can change. Whether it is to do with a relegation battle or whether it is to do with holding your nerve to end up winning something.
‘If you are able to stay as in control as possible, then you have got a better chance.’
Pearson will make it a hat-trick if Watford stay up as the Hornets were also in 20th spot at Christmas — and a fifth Great Escape overall.
Having experienced a managerial bounce following his appointment at the start of December that made Watford’s survival seem a formality, results have now levelled out.
They have failed to win any of their last four games and thrown away eight points from winning positions in the last three. At Brighton, Adrian Mariappa’s late own goal denied them victory after Abdoulaye Doucoure had fired Watford into a first-half lead.
Now comes the test of nerve.
Hearing Pearson stress the importance of staying in control might seem at odds with parts of his public persona.
As well as their successful relegation battle, his time at Leicester is also remembered for a touchline bust- up with Crystal Palace’s James McArthur, the infamous ‘ostrich’ spat with a journalist and telling a fan to ‘f*** off and die’.
But that Pearson is very different from the one described as ‘a top, genuine bloke’ by one former colleague, who has made life at Watford fun again and comes across as incredibly measured and level.
His focus on his players’ qualities as people as well as footballers also defied the perception.
‘ The human traits will be very important for us,’ he said. ‘We believe we have the players with the capabilities. What we need is our traits as people to shine through.
‘Humility. Humour. Honesty. Trust. Sound values. In the workplace, I think they are very important traits.’
Brighton have had to show their bottle this season to stick to their possession-based style when it would be easy to cave in to the clamour from the stands and abandon it.
On occasions against Watford they were so close to taking one risk too many but were eventually rewarded with a point. As he attempts to keep Brighton clear of danger, manager Graham Potter insisted it will not be style over everything.
He said: ‘We shouldn’t make them do stuff they’re not comfortable with. But at the same time we have a belief in how we want to win football matches. I felt today we were unlucky not to win. But there was a lot to be positive about.’ BRIGHTON (4-2-3-1): Ryan 6; Schelotto 6.5 (Jahanbakhsh 73, 7) Duffy 6, Dunk 7.5, Burn 6 (Maupay 57, 6.5); Propper 5.5, Mooy 6.5; March 7, Gross 5 (Alzate 61, 6), Trossard 6; Murray 6.5. Subs not used: Button, Webster, Bernardo, Connolly. Scorer: Mariappa 78 (og). Booked: Schelotto, March. Manager: Graham Potter 8. WATFORD (4-2-3-1): Foster 7; Mariappa 6, Cathcart 7.5, Kabasele 6, Masina 6; Capoue 6, HUGHES 8; Deulofeu 6 (Welbeck 86), Doucoure 7.5, Pereyra 6 (Pussetto 82); Deeney 7. Subs not used: Gomes, Dawson, Chalobah, Gray, Holebas. Scorer: Doucoure 19. Booked: Hughes, Mariappa. Manager: Nigel Pearson 7. Referee: Kevin Friend 7. Attendance: 30,433.