Stuart Pearce facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stuart Pearce
MBE

Pearce in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Stuart Pearce
Date of birth	(1962-04-24) 24 April 1962 (age 63)
Place of birth	Shepherd's Bush, London, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1978–1983	Wealdstone	176	(10)
1983–1985	Coventry City	52	(4)
1985–1997	Nottingham Forest	401	(63)
1997–1999	Newcastle United	37	(0)
1999–2001	West Ham United	42	(2)
2001–2002	Manchester City	38	(3)
2016	Longford	1	(0)
Total		747	(82)
National team
1986	England U21	1	(0)
1987–1999	England	78	(5)
Teams managed
1996–1997	Nottingham Forest
2005–2007	Manchester City
2007–2013	England U21
2011–2012	Great Britain
2012	England (caretaker)
2014–2015	Nottingham Forest
Honours Men's football Representing  England (as manager) UEFA European Under-21 Championship Runner-up 2009
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stuart Pearce (born 24 April 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player. He was most recently a coach for Premier League club West Ham United. People nicknamed him "Psycho" because of his tough and determined playing style.

As a player, Pearce was a defender. He played for many clubs, including Wealdstone, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Manchester City. His career lasted twenty-two years. He is most famous for his twelve years at Forest. There, he was often the team captain. He also became the club's most capped international player. He played 76 of his 78 games for England while at Forest. He was captain of the national team nine times. In 2016, he briefly came out of retirement. He signed a one-match deal with Longford, a team in Gloucestershire. This was to support local football.

Pearce's coaching career started at Nottingham Forest. He was a temporary manager from December 1996 to May 1997. After he stopped playing in 2002, he stayed at Manchester City as a coach. He became the temporary manager in 2005. Later that summer, he got the job permanently. In 2007, he became the temporary manager of the England under-21 team. He led them to the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship. After leaving Manchester City, he became the full-time England U21 manager. Under Pearce, the team finished second in the 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championship. He also helped coach the senior England team. He managed the Great Britain Olympic football team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2013, he left the U21s. He returned to Nottingham Forest as manager in July 2014. He started well but was sacked in February 2015 due to poor results. He has also coached at Portsmouth and West Ham United.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Stuart Pearce was born on 24 April 1962 in Shepherd's Bush, London. He was the youngest of four children. He has two brothers, Dennis and Ray, and a sister, Pamela. His brother Ray used to be a referee. In 1986, Ray was a linesman in a game where Stuart was playing. Stuart went to Fryent Primary School and then Claremont High School.

Starting His Football Journey

Pearce tried out for Queens Park Rangers but didn't get in. He also turned down an offer from Hull City. Instead, he chose to play for his local team, Wealdstone, in non-league football. At the same time, he trained and worked as an electrician. For nearly five years, he was the main left-back for Wealdstone. They were one of the top non-league teams in the Alliance Premier League.

Moving to Coventry City

In 1983, Wealdstone received a big offer for Pearce. Coventry City, a top-flight club, offered £30,000. This was a lot of money for a semi-professional player back then. Coventry's manager, Bobby Gould, had watched Pearce play. He was very impressed by Stuart's strong and determined style. Pearce was a bit unsure about moving up to professional football. But he agreed and made his professional debut for Coventry right away. He quickly became known as a tough but fair left-back.

Becoming a Legend at Nottingham Forest

Two years later, in 1985, manager Brian Clough brought Pearce to Nottingham Forest. Pearce was still not fully confident about his professional football career. He even advertised his services as an electrician in Forest's match-day program!

Pearce played for Forest for twelve years. For most of that time, he was the club captain. During his time there, he won two League Cups and the Full Members Cup. He also scored from a free-kick in the 1991 FA Cup final. Forest lost that final to Tottenham Hotspur. Pearce was one of the Forest players who experienced the terrible Hillsborough disaster. This happened during their FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool. He played in the replayed match, which Liverpool won. He helped Forest finish third in the league that year. They also won the League Cup and Full Members Cup. He helped them win the League Cup again the next year. In 1991, he played in his first FA Cup final. He scored an early goal for Forest against Tottenham. But Tottenham came back to win 2–1. He missed out on playing at Wembley the next season. Forest lost to Manchester United in the 1992 League Cup final.

In 1993, Forest was relegated from the Premier League. Brian Clough, who had been manager for 18 years, left the club. But Pearce decided to stay at the City Ground. He captained Forest to get back into the top league right away. They finished second in Division One. He helped Forest finish third in the Premier League in 1995. They also reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 1996.

During the 1996–97 season, Forest struggled in the league. Manager Frank Clark resigned in December. So, 34-year-old Pearce became the temporary player-manager in December 1996. His first game in charge was against Arsenal. He later said he forgot to pick his goalkeeper, Mark Crossley, until his wife pointed it out! Forest still won the match 2–1. They came back after an Ian Wright goal with two goals from Alfie Haaland. Pearce won the Manager of the Month award in January 1997. But he later shared the temporary role with Dave Bassett. Forest was relegated that season, finishing last.

Pearce decided to leave Forest on a free transfer at the end of the 1996–97 season. He had been at the club for 12 years.

Later Playing Career

Pearce joined Newcastle United in the 1997–98 season. He played in the 1998 FA Cup final, but his team lost again. He scored one goal for Newcastle, in a UEFA Champions League game against Dynamo Kyiv. Later, when Ruud Gullit became manager, Pearce was left out of the team. He was made to train with the reserve players.

Pearce then went to play for West Ham United. He made his debut on 7 August 1999. His first goal came on 21 October 2000. He played 50 games for West Ham and scored three goals. In 2001, he was named Hammer of the Year.

In 2001, he joined Manchester City. This was Kevin Keegan's first signing for the club. It was also the last season of Pearce's playing career. He captained the team to win the First Division championship. He scored from a free-kick in his first game against Watford. In the very last game of his career, against Portsmouth, he had a chance to reach 100 career goals. He took a penalty kick for City in injury time. But he missed it, and couldn't reach his goal.

Playing Amateur Football at 53

On 28 January 2016, Stuart Pearce did something amazing. At 53 years old, more than thirteen years after retiring, he signed to play for a non-league team called Longford. This club was called "the worst in the UK." They had lost all their games, scored only one goal, and let in 179 goals. They were at the very bottom of their league. On 12 March, Pearce played his first game for Longford. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss.

Stuart Pearce's Playing Style

Throughout his career, Stuart Pearce was known as "Psycho." This nickname started with Forest fans and then England supporters used it too. Pearce said the nickname was "just a bit of fun." He explained that it didn't show what he was like off the field. He pointed out that he was only sent off three times in his club career. He was never sent off in 78 games for England.

Roy Keane, who played with Pearce, said he was "a man amongst boys" at Forest. Former England teammate Matt Le Tissier called him his scariest opponent. Pearce was also very good at taking Set Pieces. He was the main penalty taker for his clubs and country. He was also a specialist at direct free kicks. He was known for his powerful left foot. He scored many goals from free kicks, including a famous one in the FA Cup final against Tottenham.

International Career for England

Pearce played his first game for England on 19 May 1987. It was a friendly match against Brazil at Wembley. He was 25 years old. He became England's main left-back, taking over from Kenny Sansom. An injury stopped him from playing in the 1988 UEFA European Championship. After that tournament, he was always picked as left-back. He scored his first England goal in his 21st game on 25 April 1990. It was in a 4–2 friendly win against Czechoslovakia.

Pearce played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He helped set up a goal for David Platt in the quarter-final win against Cameroon. England reached the semi-finals. Pearce was one of two players who missed a penalty in the shoot-out against West Germany. The match had ended in a 1–1 draw. Pearce left the field in tears.

At Euro 96, Pearce scored a penalty in a quarter-final shoot-out against Spain. England won that game. His emotional reaction after scoring, celebrating with the Wembley crowd, became a famous moment. He also scored in the semi-final shoot-out against Germany. But Germany won again after Gareth Southgate missed his penalty.

Pearce was not chosen for the 1998 World Cup. But when Kevin Keegan became the new coach, Pearce was called back to the team. He was 37 years old. Pearce's international career ended in 1999. He had played 78 games for England. His last game was a 0–0 draw against Poland on 8 September 1999. At 37 years and 137 days old, he was one of the oldest outfield players to play for England.

Coaching Career

Coaching at Manchester City

After he stopped playing for Manchester City, Stuart Pearce stayed at the club as a coach. He worked under manager Kevin Keegan. In March 2005, less than three years after retiring, he became the temporary manager of City. His first win was against Liverpool on 9 April 2005. After a good run of games, Pearce was given the manager job permanently. However, they missed a chance to qualify for the UEFA Cup on the last game of the season. They drew 1–1 with Middlesbrough. Robbie Fowler missed a penalty in the last minute that would have given City a UEFA Cup spot.

City finished 15th in the Premier League in the 2005–06 season. They lost nine of their last ten games. They were also knocked out of the League Cup by a lower league team, Doncaster Rovers. Pearce was known for being fair and honest. He never blamed referees for their mistakes.

The 2006–07 season was also tough for City. They almost got relegated. They were again knocked out of the League Cup by a lower league team, Chesterfield. The team scored only ten goals at home in the league. They scored zero goals at home after New Year's Day in 2007. This was a record low in English top-flight football. Pearce was sacked at the end of the season in May 2007.

Managing England Under-21s

In February 2007, Pearce also became the manager of the England under-21 team. He did this part-time while still at Manchester City. Under his leadership, England reached the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championships. They lost on penalties to the hosts, the Netherlands. After leaving City, he became the full-time manager of the England U21 team in July 2007.

In January 2008, he also became a coach for the senior England team. This was in addition to his U21 duties. When Fabio Capello resigned as England manager in February 2012, Pearce was the temporary manager for one game. England lost 3–2 to the Netherlands in a friendly.

In June 2009, Pearce led the U21s to the final of the 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championship. They lost 4–0 to Germany. He also managed the U21 team in the 2013 UEFA Under-21 Championship in Israel. They were knocked out after losing all their group games. On 19 June 2013, the FA announced that his contract would not be extended.

Managing Great Britain Olympic Team

Pearce also managed the Great Britain Olympic football team. He led them in their matches at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Return to Nottingham Forest as Manager

Pearce returned as Nottingham Forest manager in 2014

Pearce became the manager of Nottingham Forest on 1 July 2014. Under Pearce, Forest bought striker Britt Assombalonga for a club record fee.

Forest had a great start to the season. They were unbeaten and earned thirteen points from fifteen. Pearce was nominated for the league's Manager of the Month award for August. He helped Forest reach the top of the table by the end of August 2014. However, on 14 September 2014, Forest lost key players Chris Cohen and Andy Reid to injury. After this, Forest's form quickly dropped. The team won only three games out of twenty-one Championship matches. They were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Rochdale. Pearce did manage to win the return game against Derby. This brought the Brian Clough Trophy back to the City Ground. But it wasn't enough to keep his job. He was sacked on 1 February 2015. Forest was in 12th place in the Championship at that time.

Coaching at West Ham United

After working at Portsmouth, Pearce joined his former club West Ham United. He became an assistant to manager David Moyes in November 2017. He left the club at the end of the 2017–18 season. In August 2020, Pearce returned to West Ham as a first-team coach, again helping Moyes. He left the club at the end of the 2021-22 season to explore other interests.

Personal Life and Interests

Stuart Pearce was married to Liz Cole for thirty years. They have two children. His daughter Chelsea is an equestrian. She has competed in eventing since 2010, including three European Championships for Great Britain.

Pearce loves punk rock music. He is even in a picture on the album cover of one of his favorite bands, the Lurkers. He says the Stranglers are one of his top bands. He has seen them in concert over 300 times. In 2021, he appeared in their music video for "This Song."

In 1998, Pearce was in a serious car crash. A lorry overturned and landed on his car. Luckily, Pearce only had minor hand injuries and a stiff back.

In January 1999, Stuart Pearce was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was to recognize his talents and his support for different charities. His autobiography, Psycho, was released in 2001.

Pearce is also a fan of rugby league. He sometimes watches Warrington Wolves games. He has also worked as a football expert and commentator for talkSPORT.

Images for kids

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  Stuart Pearce managing Manchester City against Rafael Benítez's Liverpool in 2007.

Career Statistics

As a Player

As a Manager

Honours and Awards

As a Player

Wealdstone

• Southern League South: 1981–82
• Southern League Cup: 1981–82

Nottingham Forest

• Football League Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
• Full Members' Cup: 1988–89, 1991–92

Manchester City

• Football League First Division: 2001–02

England

• Tournoi de France: 1997

Individual Awards

• PFA Team of the Year: 1987–88 First Division, 1988–89 First Division, 1989–90 First Division, 1990–91 First Division, 1991–92 First Division
• Nottingham Forest Player of the Season: 1988–89, 1990–91, 1995–96
• Premier League Player of the Month: February 2001

As a Manager

England U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2009

Individual Awards

• Premier League Manager of the Month: January 1997, April 2005, August 2005

See also

In Spanish: Stuart Pearce para niños

• List of men's footballers with the most official appearances