As a footballer, Nigel Pearson had the heart of a lion, endearing him to the supporters who craved his crunching tackles, towering headers and honest hard work. And that honesty hasn’t left him as Leicester City Manager. Faced with possibly the biggest challenge of his career, Pearson has a refreshing perspective on the game, in an industry saturated by egotistical individuals, hungry to provide the next headline quote. He’s exactly how you’d expect him to be, and a whole lot more. Meet Nigel Pearson; the private, yet passionate intellectual at the front of the Foxes revolution…

Dean Eldredge: You’ve been at the club since June, nearly six months now. Can you give us a personal appraisal on the impact you feel you’ve had?
Nigel Pearson: I came here as Manager and brought a number of staff with me. We’re just over a third of the way through the season and our overall aim is still to achieve promotion. I feel that we have brought some hope to the city, but I’m under no illusions about the difficulty of the task ahead.

DE: What were your honest impressions of the club prior to becoming manager?
NP: I knew it was a big club, with a great tradition, but understood that we were probably in the worst position in the club’s history. However, I took it as a great opportunity to come in and have an influence. As a player, I played against Leicester on numerous occasions and I’m fully aware of what the supporters expect.

DE: Talk to us about your long-term blueprint for Leicester City and what you feel you can realistically achieve in your time here?
NP: First and foremost, this is a results business and throughout the club we have to strive to improve upon what we have started. It’s important that we aim beyond the short-term as well as focusing on the results. We’ll reassess how far we can go as we go along, but of course, we have the infrastructure to support a Premiership side.

DE: Supporters only really see the 90 minutes on the pitch and whatever is in the media. Can you talk about the atmosphere that you have tried to create behind the scenes? 
NP: It is essential that our preparation is spot on. We focus on all aspects such as recovery, nutrition and the opposition. Our staff are exceptional, but all that matters to most people is what happens during the ninety minutes on the pitch. Crucially, we have attempted to create a culture where everyone feels a part of the success and strives to achieve our collective goals.

DE: Going back to your time at Southampton. You managed to save them from relegation, before you parted ways. Do you see some similarities between the two clubs’ current plight? 
NP: Firstly, I’m not sure that Leicester fans want to hear me talking about Southampton! It was almost like crisis management there, with very little time to plan. Suffice to say, I’ve been in situations like that before and what I’m presented with here is quite different. 
Having said that, it was a valuable experience and there was a lot of collective hard work that went in to what we achieved.

DE: Let’s talk about your playing days. Most fans would remember you as a determined and committed leader of men. Did you ever envisage becoming a manager? 
NP: I’ve always wanted to move in to coaching and management. My first job after retiring from playing was at Carlisle and that was the Jimmy Glass season (Pearson saved Carlisle from relegation out of the league on the final day of the season). I wouldn’t swap any of the experiences I’ve had and it was very refreshing at Carlisle to work with committed players and great people. I was then first-team coach at Stoke City, which was followed by being a national coach for the FA. You’d have to say that I have been very fortunate and those previous roles have enabled me to have clarity of thought, now that I’m in the hotseat, and I’m delighted to be where I am now.

DE: Your time at Middlesbrough was pretty much a rollercoaster ride, with two promotions, three domestic cup finals and a relegation. Talk to us about the experience and culture of playing under Bryan Robson and with the exciting foreign imports…
NP: Before you say it, we should have won the first game at Wembley! (Pearson is referring to the 1997 League Cup Final between Leicester City and Middlesbrough, who he was the captain of at the time). But we missed our chance and Leicester deserved to win the replay and that’s how sport goes.

I joined Middlesbrough in 1994 after enjoying some great years at Sheffield Wednesday. My four years at ‘Boro were fantastic and given that I was 31 when I joined, there could have been a perception that I was winding down, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. We were a club on the up. The anticipation and expectation was incredible and Bryan Robson’s stature in the game allowed ‘Boro to attract big-name players. One thing I would say is that we were such an exciting side to watch. We could win or lose anywhere, but unfortunately for us we did suffer a relegation and then to add to the rollercoaster we bounced straight back.

DE: You started out in non-league football at Heanor Town. Has this helped to keep you grounded and given you an appreciation of the industry you find yourself in? 
NP: I have my views on that and I can’t speak for everyone, as we are all different. The values I was brought up with at home were vital to the way I am. In my generation, there were a number of players who broke in to football through the non-league system and this seems to be less common now.
Non-league football was a great experience for me though and I enjoyed my time at Heanor. I enjoyed the fact that when I left school I went to college and played alongside Russell Slade (Yeovil Town Manager) and Pete Ford, who used to work at Leicester, ran the college side. I then had six years at Shrewsbury, which were great.
However, football for me is no different to any other life experiences and as much as you learn, make mistakes and meet new people, it is about ensuring that you reflect on what you have learnt along the way and put it to good use in the future.

DE: Sadly, you missed out on the League Cup and FA Cup finals with Sheffield Wednesday after breaking your leg in the League Cup semi-final. How did you overcome the disappointment and recover to have a successful career? 
NP: I missed four Wembley appearances that year, which was very difficult to take. It’s a challenge to balance your own personal disappointment and the disappointment of failing to win in crucial matches. What I did find though was that after the injury I had a renewed zest for playing and enjoying the game. How you deal with disappointment is the key really and the following four years
at Middlesbrough are testament
to that.

DE: In interviews you come across as a very methodical and intelligent individual. What are you like away from the game and what do you like to do in your spare time? 
NP: None of your business! No, seriously, I do like to remain pretty private in lots of ways, but I can assure you that I do enjoy myself. I think what’s important is a balance and I strive to be professional and ensure that I do the job as well as I can. Ultimately, I’d like to think that I’m fair and that I have to earn the respect of my colleagues, which doesn’t always lend itself to me being liked.
I try to switch off away from the game, my wife would probably say differently, but again it comes down to that balance. I do have lots of interests away from football, but I’m not telling you what they are…

DE: Talk to us about your formative days. Were you always passionate about becoming a footballer?
NP: I’m not sure you actually recall things such as that. It would be easy for me to say I’ve always wanted to do it, but I don’t partic ularly remember supporting teams.
I did always play though.

DE: You’re not about to reveal that you are a closet Forest fan are you… 
NP: No, not at all. In fact, my grandfather used to play for Notts County.

DE: Was there another career path that you aimed for then? 
NP: No, I don’t think there was and I know that must sound quite vague. Today’s society seems to dictate that youngsters should have a defined idea of what they want to do, or want to be, and it’s hard to do that when you’re fifteen years old.
The path in to football for me was the right one, but I’ve seen a number of lads from my generation of playing, who didn’t make it for whatever reason. I think I can be most proud of my own career, for having maximised the most of my ability and that is something that you should always try to do.

DE: What influence have your parents had on the person you are today? 
NP: Massive. I had a very happy childhood and my parents worked extremely hard. I have great memories from those days and I was more fortunate than a lot of people, but they worked so hard for everything we have.
Let’s get this straight; I’m just an ordinary bloke, who happens to have a job that means you’re interested in interviewing me. That doesn’t make me special and I’m sure there are more interesting people out there.

DE: Maybe that’s the interest though? The fact that people don’t know too much about you… 
NP: Maybe it is, but that’s for you to decide I guess.

DE: Going back to the game. What do you believe are the biggest issues that football faces today and how can they be resolved? 
NP: We all have a responsibility for achieving success and setting standards that we believe are right and proper. If you’re in any job that has a certain level of public exposure, then it’s about having a basic sense of what’s right. I don’t like to preach to people, but I want to do this job well and do it the right way, ensuring that the fans can identify with what we are trying to do.

DE: Do you have a personal message for the Leicester City fans? 
NP: Keep supporting us, remain upbeat and to remember that they have an important role to play in any potential success we may gain. We are striving to achieve what you want us to and I’d like to think that at the end of the year they will think it’s been worth all the hard work.

DE: Finally, describe yourself in no more than ten words? 
NP: I haven’t got enough time to do that, I’m too complicated I’m afraid!