Stuart Pearce

[Salford in the City]

I hated Pearce with a passion.

As a player he was full-throttle and full of passion and to be honest, that was his limit. He wouldn't get past Ashley Cole and wouldn't get into City's team at his peak. He was full-throttle but limited from what I remember. He never seemed to have any 'nous' about him and I can imagine that his team talk would be about screaming, shouting 'three lions' and getting a red face.

It's amazing to think that when we had Pearce, teams in Europe etc had managers like Pep, Mourinho, Simeone etc etc coming up through the ranks. I can imagine that Pearce had a very limited understanding of tactics (run harder, defend like a lion) whereas the others would've been STREETS ahead of him. it's shocking he was ever placed in charge of us, he was absolutely shite.

The football was so bad I almost gave up my ST. I remember one game against someone shite like Boro or Birmingham at home where we made NO attempt to win the game and just sat back all game. That summed him up - shite.

When he put James up front to try to score a goal, it was both extremely funny but summed him up. It was PATENTLY clear that James simply could not play football AT ALL and had no reason to be up there as he couldn't even head it. All he give was give fouls away.

How he got the England U21s(?) job after us astounded me and just summed England up at the time.

I'm ashamed to say, but I actually did give my season ticket up, because I couldn't take any more of watching the shite served up by this guy!

However, I found it even worse going to watch it in the local rag pubs, and got into a fair few arguments and scraps with piss-taking rags!

My missus actually begged me to start going again, as she couldn't stand me being around, and usually in a foul mood!

I managed to get back on board with a half yearly season ticket when Sven took over, and never looked back since!

Even the plunge to the depths of League 2 were much more enjoyable!

 

[Stephen230]

No, he took the U21s job whilst he was still managing City... and didn't even see fit to inform his employers about what he was doing. Should've been sacked on the spot at that point - but I suspect the board didn't have the stomach for paying compo to him out of an already skinted bank account.

I don’t think there would have been any compensation involved.

I seem to remember he always made a point of saying he didn’t want a contract. When the club decides his time is up, he’d be off.

 

[Oystercatcher28]

Off the field Pearce seemed okay. On it as a player he would give it all. In the dugout, at best a number 2. Those seasons weren't the worst or the best. A caretaker after Keegan was needed. It always felt like Pearce would be gone the next day. That the club could have been viewed by overseas bidders at any stage during Pearce, would surely have ended any interest. I guess the website and media machine at City was better than the rest. Pearce's football was relegation fodder.

I knew one lad who missed the game when we scored 3 that season, against Fulham. Only 30% of our home league goals. Seemed like Match of The Day were showing us last every game weekend too.

Also, under Pearce our squad wouldn't make the current crop of the EDS. Although the reserves were closer to the first team than ever before.

 

[The Lightbowne Cowboy]

I'm ashamed to say, but I actually did give my season ticket up, because I couldn't take any more of watching the shite served up by this guy!

However, I found it even worse going to watch it in the local rag pubs, and got into a fair few arguments and scraps with piss-taking rags!

My missus actually begged me to start going again, as she couldn't stand me being around, and usually in a foul mood!

I managed to get back on board with a half yearly season ticket when Sven took over, and never looked back since!

Even the plunge to the depths of League 2 were much more enjoyable!

That story resonates with me. I was that disgusted with him, I pinned up my season ticket to the dartboard in my local with a few games to go and left it there. Come back the week after and some fucker had nicked the drawing pin!

 

[gbmcfc]

i called him the touchline jester,jumping up n down ,made my blood boil.

 

[Stephen230]

This thread makes me think that all the old cliches about football being all about results and the like, isn’t necessarily so.

Until the money dropped Pearce is one of the few managers in most of our lifetimes who didn’t get us relegated at one point or other.

Yet he seems to be way clear as the worse manager we’ve had in most fans minds.

 

[City Mike 1969]

This thread makes me think that all the old cliches about football being all about results and the like, isn’t necessarily so.

Until the money dropped Pearce is one of the few managers in most of our lifetimes who didn’t get us relegated at one point or other.

Yet he seems to be way clear as the worse manager we’ve had in most fans minds.

He was a poor manager - nobody could dispute that, but most of the antipathy towards him is caused by his attitude towards the club since he left.

If Joe Royle was the manager when you started supporting City - which will likely be the case for those aged 25-35 then Pearce will have been the worst manager you've seen at City.

 

[Bluemoon dan]

I remember a game against Blackburn where we lost 3-0 and I didn't see a single goal. We stayed up in the concourse to finish our pints as we're really not in any rush to get down there to watch the game. We conceded the 1st whilst up there after a couple of minutes. We then went to our seats and watched about half an hour of absolutely awful football before calling it a day and heading up to get another pint 5 minutes before half-time. Blackburn got their 2nd while we were up there. We watched most of the 2nd half which was equally dreadful before deciding to beat the rush back to town and left on 90 minutes. Blackburn got their 3rd whilst we were walking to the bus!

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Got to be the thickest manager we’ve ever had, other than Phil Neal (assuming he counts).

 

[HalfwayUpTheKippax]

Got to be the thickest manager we’ve ever had, other than Phil Neal (assuming he counts).

i’m not sure Phol Neal is capable of counting