Patience is known as a virtue in the society worldwide but that is the opposite in English football nowadays. In the English Premier league last season, the average managerial tenure is 2.2 years and 50% of teams in the bottom half changed their managers last season.
That brings us to the sacking of Nigel Pearson by Leicester City on 30, June 2015 and the appointment of Italian Claudio Ranieri last week. Leicester stated that the "Working relationship between Pearson and the Board was no longer Viable". Pearson joined Leicester for a second spell on 15 November 2011, while they were still in the Championship. He led Leicester to promotion at the end of the 2013/2014 season, winning the Championship after going 20 league games unbeaten In the 2014/2015 season in the Premier League, also Pearson would go on to lead Leicester to finish 14th in the league table after winning seven of their last nine games while fellow Championship promoted sides like Burnley and QPR were relegated.
It was shocking that Pearson was sacked on the 30th of June, 2015, after his son's (James Pearson) involvement with two other Leicester players in an orgy video tape with Thai prostitutes during the teams tour of Thailand. Pearson on his part had endured many controversies while at Leicester and was even rumoured to have been sacked in February 2015, after an incident involving the throttling of a Crystal Palace player (James McArthur ) in a league match.
The controversy did not stop there, as Pearson once labelled a journalist an "Ostrich" during his post match press conference after the defeat to Chelsea in the League. Pearson also once told a Leicester fan at the King Power Stadium to " F**k off and die".
There is a debate on how unfair it was that Pearson was sacked over his son's demeanour, hence to embark upon such a path would be lunacy (Hence the young man's sins should not be inflicted upon the father). Also some argue that Pearson was not sacked as a direct consequence of his son's escapades but as a punishment for accumulated misdemeanour. Quoting Seneca "It is not the last drop that empties the water clock, but that which has previously flowed out."
It could also be said that Leicester were wrong to have sacked Pearson due to his results with the team all through his stay. With Pearson, Leicester became a tough, well-organised team coupled with an abundance of emotional resilience which saw them become the only third team to escape from relegation after being bottom of the league at Christmas. Pearson may be slightly unconventional but his players fully understood his personality. He attracted several high profile players to the club which includes Robert Huth (Stoke City), Esterban Cambiaso (Inter Milan), Mark Schwarzer (Chelsea) and Andrej Kramaric (Dinamo Zagreb).
Also in an industry like football where result is the priority, then Pearson deserved time and patience. Instead of making Pearson the hate guy for his son's demeanour, it should maybe better to accept that Pearson is a "Perfect Manipulator". After all, he delivered against all odds by keeping Leicester up while the likes of Burnley ,QPR and Hull all went down with their higher budgets.
Which ever way, Pearson would have had a divided conflicting resume as result of his time in Leicester depending on whose side you are. Once again with Pearson "Patience" has proved a difficult virtue in English Football.
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