Nigel Pearson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nigel Pearson

Pearson at Leicester City training in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth	(1963-08-21) 21 August 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth	Nottingham, England
Height	6 ft 1 in
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
1980–1981	Heanor Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1981–1987	Shrewsbury Town	153	(5)
1987–1994	Sheffield Wednesday	180	(14)
1994–1998	Middlesbrough	116	(5)
Total		449	(24)
Teams managed
1998–1999	Carlisle United
2006	West Bromwich Albion (caretaker)
2007	England U21 (caretaker)
2007	Newcastle United (caretaker)
2008	Newcastle United (caretaker)
2008	Southampton
2008–2010	Leicester City
2010–2011	Hull City
2011–2015	Leicester City
2016	Derby County
2017–2019	OH Leuven
2019–2020	Watford
2021–2023	Bristol City
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Nigel Graham Pearson (born 21 August 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player. He was most recently the manager of Championship club Bristol City. During his playing career, he was a defender. He played for Shrewsbury Town, Sheffield Wednesday, and Middlesbrough. As a coach, he has managed several clubs. These include Hull City, Southampton, and Leicester City. He was also an assistant manager for the England Under-21s.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at Shrewsbury Town

Pearson was born in Nottingham, England. He started his football journey with a non-league team called Heanor Town. In November 1981, he joined Shrewsbury Town. This team was in the Second Division of the Football League.

He played his first game for the senior team in August 1982. Shrewsbury Town lost 1–0 to Oldham Athletic. Pearson scored his first goal in March 1983 against Barnsley. He played in 39 games that season.

Injuries limited his playing time in the next two seasons. He missed all of the 1984–85 season. However, he returned in 1985–86, playing 35 games. In the 1986–87 season, he played in every single game. He scored three goals that year.

In October 1987, Sheffield Wednesday signed him for £250,000. He had played 181 games for Shrewsbury Town, scoring five goals.

Success with Sheffield Wednesday

Pearson joined Sheffield Wednesday in 1987. He became captain and led the team to win the League Cup in the 1990–91 season. He was named "Man of the Match" in the final at Wembley Stadium. That same season, he helped the team get promoted to Division One.

In the 1992–93 season, he helped Sheffield Wednesday reach two domestic cup finals. However, he broke his leg in the League Cup semi-final. This injury meant he could not play in either final. Overall, Pearson played more than 200 games for Sheffield Wednesday. He scored 14 league goals. His first goal in the Premier League was in a 1–1 draw against Everton.

Moving to Middlesbrough

In 1994, Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson signed Pearson for £750,000. Pearson became captain of Middlesbrough. He led the team to get promoted twice. They also reached three domestic cup finals. He stopped playing football in 1998.

Managerial Career

Early Coaching Roles

Nigel Pearson started his managerial career at Carlisle United. He helped the club stay in the Football League in the 1998–99 season. A famous moment was when goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored a last-minute goal. This saved Carlisle from being relegated. This match was Pearson's last as Carlisle's manager.

In 1999, he became the first team coach at Stoke City. He stayed there for two years. Later, in November 2004, he became assistant manager at West Bromwich Albion. He took over as caretaker manager in September 2006. His team won three games and drew one.

Pearson as assistant manager of Newcastle United in 2006

In October 2006, Pearson became assistant manager of Newcastle United. He also worked as assistant coach for the England U21 team in 2007. He even led the U21s in a 3–3 draw against Italy. This was the first game at the new Wembley Stadium. Pearson also had two short periods as caretaker manager for Newcastle United. He left the club in February 2008.

Southampton Manager

In February 2008, Pearson became the manager of Southampton. His first game was a 2–0 loss at home. However, Southampton managed to secure their place in the Championship. This happened on the very last day of the season. They won 3–2 against Sheffield United. This result meant Leicester City were relegated instead. Pearson was replaced as manager after only three months.

First Time at Leicester City

Pearson (right) and Milan Mandarić after winning the League One title in 2009

On 20 June 2008, Pearson was appointed manager of Leicester City. The team was then in League One. He quickly made an impact. Leicester won three of their first four games. Pearson was named League One Manager of the Month for August 2008.

The team then went on an amazing 23-match unbeaten run in the league. This lasted from November 2008 to March 2009. On 18 April 2009, Leicester won 2–0 against Southend United. This win confirmed their promotion back to the Championship. They finished the season as League One champions. They earned 96 points, their highest ever total.

In the next season, Leicester continued their good form. They spent most of the season in the play-off spots. Pearson won the Championship Manager of the Month award in February 2010. Leicester finished 5th, earning a spot in the play-offs. They lost to Cardiff City in a penalty shoot-out.

Pearson left Leicester in June 2010 to join Hull City.

Managing Hull City

Pearson became Hull City manager on 29 June 2010. Despite money problems, he brought in new players. The club won their first away game in over a year in September. Hull then set a 66-year-old record. They went 14 consecutive away games without losing. The season ended with Hull finishing 11th. In November 2011, Pearson asked to speak to his old club, Leicester.

Return to Leicester City

Pearson rejoined Leicester City on 15 November 2011. Leicester was 12th in the Championship at the time. He started well, getting seven points from his first three games. This put Leicester into the top six. However, they then lost to Hull City, the team Pearson had just left.

After an up-and-down season, Leicester finished ninth. The 2012–13 season started slowly. But a run of five wins in a row put Leicester at the top of the table. Pearson was nominated for Manager of the Month. Leicester eventually made the Championship play-offs. They narrowly lost to Watford after a missed last-minute penalty.

The 2013–14 season was a great success. Leicester started well and were first at Christmas. They then had a club-record run of nine straight wins. This put them 10 points clear at the top. Pearson won Manager of the Month awards in January and March 2014. Leicester ended the season as champions. They were promoted to the Premier League.

In February 2015, there was some confusion. Reports said Pearson had been sacked after a game. However, the club quickly said these claims were "inaccurate." In April 2015, Pearson won the Premier League Manager of the Month award. This was his first time winning it. On 29 April 2015, he made some unusual comments to a journalist. He apologized the next day.

On 16 May 2015, Leicester City avoided relegation from the Premier League. They were only the third team to escape relegation after being bottom at Christmas. Leicester finished the season in 14th place.

However, on 30 June 2015, Pearson was sacked. The club stated that their "working relationship" was no longer good. He was replaced by Claudio Ranieri. Ranieri then led Leicester to win the Premier League title the next year. Many sports journalists and players gave Pearson credit for building the team that won the title.

Later Managerial Roles

After a year away from football, Pearson became manager of Derby County in May 2016. In September 2016, he was suspended by the club. This followed a disagreement with the owner. Pearson left the club by agreement in October 2016.

In September 2017, Pearson was appointed manager of Oud-Heverlee Leuven in Belgium. He managed the team until February 2019.

Pearson became Watford manager on 6 December 2019. He was their third manager that season. On 29 February 2020, Watford beat league leaders Liverpool 3–0. This was Liverpool's first Premier League loss in 45 games. Pearson was sacked on 19 July 2020, with two games left in the season. Watford was three points above the relegation zone when he left. They were later relegated.

On 22 February 2021, Pearson was appointed manager of Bristol City. He signed a three-year contract in April 2021. He left Bristol City on 29 October 2023. At that time, he was the second-longest-serving manager in the Championship.

Personal Life

Nigel Pearson's grandfather, Percy Mills, also played football. He played for Notts County. Pearson's mother passed away in January 2020. He still managed Watford's FA Cup game the next day.

In March 2020, Pearson became ill and isolated due to COVID-19. A blood test later confirmed he had caught the disease. He experienced ongoing symptoms, including an irregular heartbeat. In August and September 2020, he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. This caused swollen joints and made it hard to move. In September 2021, he caught COVID-19 again.

Outside of football, Pearson loves the outdoors and hiking. He once met a group of wild dogs while hiking alone in the Carpathian Mountains. In 2022, he bought three acres of ancient woodland in Somerset. He now manages this land. He also enjoys oil painting. If he hadn't been a footballer, he thought about being a navigator in the Royal Air Force.

In October 2023, it was reported that Pearson was dealing with a neurological condition. He had been using crutches to walk. In December 2024, he shared that he had to learn to walk again and was getting better.

Career Statistics

Playing Statistics

Managerial Statistics

Honours

Player

Sheffield Wednesday

• Football League Cup: 1990–91
• Football League Second Division promotion: 1990–91

Middlesbrough

• Football League First Division: 1994–95; runner-up (promotion): 1997–98
• FA Cup runner-up: 1996–97
• Football League Cup runner-up: 1996–97, 1997–98

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 1990–91 Second Division, 1997–98 First Division

Manager

Leicester City

• Football League Championship: 2013–14
• Football League One: 2008–09

Individual

• LMA Championship Manager of the Year: 2013–14
• Premier League Manager of the Month: April 2015
• Football League Championship Manager of the Month: February 2010, January 2013, January 2014, March 2014
• Football League One Manager of the Month: August 2008, December 2008

See also

In Spanish: Nigel Pearson para niños