Jamie a goal digger
Nigel knows he had hand in glory story
NIGEL PEARSON takes on Leicester today for the first time since he was sacked insisting: “I know my place in the story.”
Almost five years to the day since he was axed, Pearson finds himself hunting the Foxes at Vicarage Road.
In 2015 he was the architect of their great escape when Leicester took 22 points from a possible 27.
Twelve months later, the team he built won the title as 5,000-1 no-hopers under Claudio Ranieri.
When the Hornets boss was told many fans credit him with laying the foundation for that, he said: “Do they? If that is the case, then great.
“But at the moment my absolute focus is on us retaining our status – nothing else is really important.
“I have spent two spells as manager at Leicester and had success in both periods and enjoyed my time there. I still have a lot of respect for the club, the people who run and own it.
“I know my place in the story. But now I am at a different club, with a different challenge, and doing everything I can to find my own way here.”
Pearson was less keen to share the secrets of Leicester’s amazing revival, although he did add: “The biggest thing when you are involved in something like this is whether you believe you can do it.
“During that campaign, we had a togetherness and a shared mentality which was very, very important for us. I look at us here at the moment and I realise we have a lot of good stuff. We have talented players here, a good group of people.”
This fixture stirs memories play-off mayhem in 2013.
In the space of 18 seconds, Anthony Knockaert had a penalty saved at one end and then Troy Deeney’s winner at the other sent Watford to Wembley.
Pearson, whose bench that day included Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, was on the wrong end of the drama.
He said: “Apart from disbelief and feeling a bit sick, it’s difficult to give an honest answer of what I felt at the time.
“That’s the beauty of sport. There has to be an element of incredulity. But when you are on the receiving end, it’s not very nice.”
Deeney sat out the first phase of Project Restart amid concerns over player safety but is fit and available. of
■ (left) (above) at
GREEN-FINGERED Jamie Vardy is out to show he’s the brightest late bloomer of them all.
The Leicester striker bids to join the Premier League’s ‘100 Club’ with a goal at Watford today.
The 33-year-old has been stuck on 99 in lockdown and took up gardening to take his mind off things.
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers revealed Vardy hadn’t been dishing out veg at the training ground but he has put in his own request for a special delivery.
“All I want from him is a bunch of goals,” said Rodgers. “He’ll go well beyond the hundred. He’s super-fit, super-fast and enjoying every minute of it.
“His story is absolutely phenomenal, when you think he was playing non-league football at 25 and didn’t have his first game at the top level until he was 27. It just shows the talent and drive he has.”
Jamie Vardy is one goal from becoming the 29th Premier League centurion. The leading scorers still playing are: 180 Sergio Aguero 136 Harry Kane
99 JAMIE VARDY 80 Olivier Giroud 80 Sadio Mane 78 Raheem Sterling 74 Theo Walcott 72 Mo Salah 71 Christian Benteke 60 Gylfi Sigurdsson