Stuart Pearce

Stuart Pearce MBE (born 24 April 1962) is an English football manager and player. He was most recently the manager of Nottingham Forest before being sacked in February 2015. Pearce was the manager of the England national under-21 team from 2007 to 2013 and also managed the Great Britain Olympic football team at the 2012 Olympics.
As a player, Pearce appeared for Wealdstone, Coventry City, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Manchester City, but is best known for his spell at Nottingham Forest, where he regularly captained the team and became the club's most capped International, making 76 of his 78 appearances for England while with the club and captaining the national side on nine occasions. He retired as a player in 2002 while at Manchester City. He remained with Man City as a coach under Kevin Keegan's managership until being promoted to the manager's job, which he held from 2005 to 2007. In 2016, he briefly came out of retirement, signing a one-match deal with Longford, a team dubbed 'The worst in Great Britain', in order to support the grass roots game.

Early career

Born in Hammersmith, London, Pearce first attended Fryent Primary School in Kingsbury, North West London before attending Claremont High School in Kenton. He failed a trial at Queens Park Rangers and then rejected an offer from Hull City, instead settling into a career in the non-league game with his local side, Wealdstone, while training and working as an electrician. For almost five years, he was the first choice full back for the team, then amongst the biggest names of non-league football in the Alliance Premier League.

Coventry City

In 1983 Wealdstone received an unexpected offer of £30,000 (then a huge sum for a semi-professional player) for Pearce from then top-flight club Coventry City. Sky Blues manager Bobby Gould had been to watch Wealdstone, and was impressed by Pearce's determination and combative attitude. Pearce agreed to the step up in clubs reluctantly – making his professional debut for Coventry immediately. He established himself as an uncompromising left back who played hard but fair.

Nottingham Forest

Two years later he was brought to Nottingham Forest by manager Brian Clough as the makeweight in a £300,000 deal which also saw Coventry's centre back Ian Butterworth move to Forest. Indeed, so unsure was Pearce of his footballing future that, after the transfer, he actually advertised his services as an electrician in Forest's match-day programme.

Pearce spent 12 years at Forest, most of it as club captain. During his playing career he won two League Cups and the Full Members Cup, while also scoring from a free kick in the 1991 FA Cup final, when Forest were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur. In his time at the City Ground, Pearce was one of the Forest players who had to cope with the horrors of the Hillsborough disaster during the opening minutes of their FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool. Pearce played in the rescheduled game at Old Trafford, which Liverpool won 3–1. He helped them finish third in the league that year (as they had done a year earlier), and also contributed to their victories in the Football League Cup and Full Members Cup. He helped them retain the Football League Cup a year later and in 1991 he had his first crack at the FA Cup, and despite giving Forest an early lead against Tottenham Hotspur in a game most remembered for the knee injury suffered by Pearce's opponent Paul Gascoigne, Pearce ended up on the losing side as Spurs came back to win 2–1. He was on the losing side at Wembley again the following year when Forest lost 1–0 to Manchester United in the Football League Cup final.

Despite their relegation from the top flight in 1993, Pearce decided to stay, helping Forest to gain promotion the following season, including scoring a header to secure promotion, under new manager Frank Clark following the retirement of Brian Clough after 18 years at the helm. He helped Forest finish third in the Premier League in the season following promotion and reach the UEFA Cup quarter-finals a year later.

He was appointed caretaker player-manager of Forest in December 1996, after Clark resigned with Forest bottom of the Premier League. His first game was at home to Arsenal. He admitted in an interview with Match of the Day that, in his first attempt at picking a starting eleven, he did not realise until it was pointed out to him by his wife that he had omitted goalkeeper Mark Crossley. However Forest won the game 2–1, coming from behind after an Ian Wright goal with 2 goals from Alf-Inge Håland. Despite winning manager of the month in January 1997, the club were relegated from the Premier League. He had relinquished managerial duties in March 1997 on the appointment of Dave Bassett.

He opted to leave the club at the end of the 1996–97 season after twelve years at the City Ground.

Later career

Pearce joined Newcastle United along with fellow veterans John Barnes and Ian Rush in the 1997–98 season under Kenny Dalglish and played in the 1998 FA Cup Final, though again he emerged on the defeated side. He scored once during his spell at Newcastle, in a Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev. Eventually Pearce was isolated, along with other players including Rob Lee and John Barnes upon Kenny Dalglish's sacking after Ruud Gullit took over. A number of players were treated coldly by Gullit, and Pearce along with Barnes and Lee were made to train with the reserves despite cumulatively having over 150 England caps between them. Both Pearce and Barnes assert in their autobiographies Gullit felt threatened by the senior players in the squad, and they felt they were being sidelined to prevent them challenging him for the manager's position should it arise. Pearce claims also that he once kicked Gullit up in the air during a training session, and a number of other players sniggered at this due to Gullit's poor relationship with them.

He went on to play for West Ham United, a year after falling out of favour with Newcastle manager Ruud Gullit. He made his debut on 7 August 1999 in a 1–0 home win against Tottenham Hotspur. His first goal came on 21 October 2000 in a 2–1 home defeat to Arsenal. He made 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and in 2001 he was named Hammer of the year. In Summer 2001 he was Kevin Keegan's first signing for Manchester City for what would be the final season in his career. He captained the club to the First Division championship and scored direct from a free-kick on his debut, against Watford F.C. In the final game of his career, against Portsmouth, he had the aim to reach 100 career goals. He took a penalty kick for City four minutes into injury time, but missed it along with the chance to reach his target.

Throughout his career, he was given the nickname of "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play. This was initially a tag afforded to him only by Forest fans, though later it was adopted by England supporters too. Former England Team mate Matthew Le Tissier has since described him as his scariest opponent in his book Taking Le Tiss.

Former Nottingham Forest team mate Roy Keane said he was a "Man amongst boys" at Forest. In recognition of his talents and his support for various charities, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in January 1999.

Amateur football

On 28 January 2016, at the age of 53 and more than 13 years after retiring, he signed as a player for non-league side Longford, a club dubbed "the worst in the UK" that lost all their games at that date with a single goal scored and 179 conceded and lying at the bottom of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two, the 13th tier of English football. On 12 March 2016, Pearce made his debut for Longford as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 loss against Wotton Rovers.

Debut

He made his debut for England against Brazil in a 1–1 friendly draw at Wembley on 19 May 1987 at the age of 25. Replacing Kenny Sansom as the first choice left-back for his country, injury prevented him from playing in the 1988 European Championships. Following the tournament he was consistently picked as left-back and scored his first England goal in his 21st senior appearance for England on 25 April 1990, scoring in a 4–2 friendly win over Czechoslovakia at Wembley.

1990 World Cup

Pearce played at the 1990 World Cup, setting up a goal for David Platt in the quarter-final win against Cameroon and operating as a more attacking left back than normal as England deployed a sweeper system. England progressed to the semi-finals, and Pearce was one of two players (the other being Chris Waddle) to miss a penalty in the shoot-out against West Germany after the match had ended in a 1–1 draw. Pearce left the field in tears.

The following summer, on 8 June 1991, he scored his second England goal in a 2–0 win over New Zealand during the England side's tour of Oceania. This game was his 40th appearance for England.

Euro 96

The Euro 96 games had been England's first competitive matches since the end of the World Cup qualifiers nearly three years earlier. They had not been required to qualify for the tournament due to being hosts. All of the games played between November 1993 and June 1996 had been friendlies, including the clash with Switzerland on 15 November 1995 in which Pearce scored the last of his five goals for England.

When Terry Venables became England coach later in 1994, Pearce lost his place to Graeme Le Saux but then regained it after Le Saux suffered a broken leg in December 1995. Pearce stayed in the side into the UEFA Euro 1996 competition, scoring a penalty in a quarter-final shoot-out against Spain, which England won. His impassioned reaction following his successful penalty in front of the celebrating Wembley crowd became one of English football's most celebrated images. He repeated the feat in the semi-final shoot-out against Germany which Germany again won this time after Gareth Southgate missed his spot kick.

International retirement

Pearce had intended to retire from international football after Euro 96, but new national coach Glenn Hoddle persuaded him to change his mind and he continued his international career for a few more seasons. He was not selected for the 1998 World Cup, but the appointment of Kevin Keegan to the England job and Pearce's form for West Ham prompted a recall for the 37-year-old for two qualifying games for Euro 2000. Pearce's broken leg later put paid to further international chances and he ended his international career in 1999 with 78 caps, which for a time put him in the all-time top ten appearance makers for England.

His last appearance for England was in a goalless draw in Poland on 8 September 1999 in the Euro 2000 qualifiers. His last goal had come on 8 September 1993 (when he was playing outside the top flight at club level following Nottingham Forest's relegation) in a 3–0 World Cup qualifier win over Poland.

At 37 years and 137 days, he was the third-oldest outfield player ever to appear for England (only Stanley Matthews and Leslie Compton, plus five goalkeepers, have been older).

During his one match tenure, Peter Taylor appointed Pearce as assistant manager. England played, and lost to, Italy in Turin.

Manchester City

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

After ending his playing career with Manchester City, he remained at the club as a coach under manager Kevin Keegan. In March 2005, less than three years after retiring, he was appointed caretaker of City after Keegan left the club. His first win was against Liverpool, on the 9th April 2005, Kiki Musampa scoring the goal in injury time, with a firm volley past Scott Carson, Lee Croft with the assist. After a successful run of form, which put the club close to UEFA Cup qualification, Pearce was given the job on a permanent basis. However, they missed the opportunity to reach Europe on the final game of the season by drawing 1–1 with Middlesbrough. Robbie Fowler missed a penalty in the last minute which, if it had gone in, would have given City a UEFA Cup place.

Despite a successful start to the 2005–06 season, City finished 15th in the Premiership due to losing nine of the last ten games. They were also eliminated from the League Cup by League One side Doncaster Rovers. Pearce developed the reputation as being unusually fair and honest by refusing to criticise referees for mistakes they may have made. He was also touted as a potential successor for England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson.

Pearce failed to bring about an improvement in the 2006–07 season which saw City come close to relegation. The club were again eliminated from the League Cup by a League One team, this time by Chesterfield. The side also scored just 10 goals at home in the league, and none after New Years Day in 2007, a record low in top-flight English football. Pearce was sacked at the end of the season in May 2007.

England Under 21s

In February 2007, before his sacking by Manchester City, Pearce had been appointed manager of the England Under-21 team, initially part-time in conjunction with his role at Man City. Under his guidance, England reached the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championships but were eliminated on penalties by the hosts, the Netherlands. This success, coupled with the ending of his job at Man City, saw him appointed as the full-time manager of the England Under-21 team in July 2007.

His role in the England set-up was extended in January 2008 when new manager Fabio Capello appointed Pearce as a coach for the senior England team in addition to his Under-21 duties. Following the resignation of Fabio Capello, in February 2012, Pearce acted as caretaker manager for the senior team. His sole match in charge was a 3–2 loss in a friendly against the Netherlands.

In June 2009, he guided the England Under 21's to the final of the 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championships where they lost 4–0 to Germany. He was also manager of the Under 21 team which reached the 2013 UEFA Under-21 Championships in Israel where they were eliminated having lost all their group matches and on 19 June 2013 it was announced by the FA that his contract would not be extended.

Great Britain Olympic football team

Pearce managed the Great Britain Olympic football team for their matches in the 2012 Olympics.

Nottingham Forest

Pearce was appointed as the manager of Nottingham Forest, effective from 1 July 2014. After leading Forest to an unbeaten start to the season, with thirteen points from an available fifteen, Pearce was named as a candidate for the league's Manager of the Month award for August. He was beaten by Kenny Jackett of Wolves, despite taking Nottingham Forest to the top of the table by the end of August 2014 after a 1-0 away win against Sheffield Wednesday. However, Forest quickly lost form and managed only 3 wins in 21 Championship games, plus an FA Cup exit to Rochdale. This led to Pearce being sacked on 1 February 2015 with Forest 12th in the Championship.

Pearce is a devotee of punk rock and is visible as one of the members of a frenetic audience featured on the inside sleeve of the album God's Lonely Men by one of his favourite bands, The Lurkers. He lists The Stranglers as one of his favourite bands.

In 1994, Pearce was accused of directing a racial slur at Paul Ince during a Nottingham Forest-Manchester United match. It was alleged Pearce called Ince an "arrogant black cunt". Pearce has since admitted the offence, saying "it wasn't appropriate at the time".

In 1998, Pearce was involved in a serious car crash, when the car he was driving was crushed by a lorry overturning and landing on the roof of the car. Pearce escaped with only minor hand injuries and a stiff back.

His autobiography, Psycho, was released in 2001.

His brother Dennis is a British National Party activist and was third on the BNP list for London for the 2009 European Parliament election. Pearce is a fan of Rugby League and is occasionally seen at Warrington Wolves games as a guest.

On 9 November 2016, Pearce was named the most "average" Premier League manager in a study of all 209 bosses in Premier League history, compiled by money-saving site Voucherbox. After analyzing the statistics from all 24 seasons. They discovered the average top flight manager has two jobs spanning 1165 days and will record a win ratio of 30%. It means that former Man City and Nottingham Forest head coach Stuart Pearce, who registered 32 wins and 26 draws, leaving him with a win ratio of 30.77%, is officially the most 'average' Premier League manager ever.

As a player

As a manager

As of 31 January 2015.

As a player

Nottingham Forest

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

West Ham United

• Intertoto Cup: 1999

Manchester City

• Division One: 2001–02

Individual

• Domestic Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992/3 – 2001/2)
• Nottingham Forest Player of the Year (3): 1988–89, 1990–91, 1995–96