Nigel Pearson has become go-to man for short-term rescue act after Watford sacking

Nigel Pearson appreciated the sympathy that greeted his sacking at Watford with only two Premier League games left.

‘I’ve been overwhelmed by the well wishes I’ve received,’ he said, and there was no doubting his sincerity. For those inside football, the reaction of his departure was summed up by former Rangers manager Ally McCoist: ‘Very strange and a little bit bizarre’.

Pearson’s record over 40 years as player and manager is that of a strong-minded character and talented coach. Yet he should ask why he always appears to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Nigel Pearson was sacked as Watford manager after a defeat by West Ham

Pearson issues instructions to his players during the demoralising defeat at London Stadium

At 56, he is in an industry where managing upwards – getting on with owners and directors of football – is as important as motivating players. His CV is deserving of another chance after Watford but other aspects of his track record suggests it’ll be a brave chairman who appoints him.

Pearson can point to helping Carlisle and Southampton avoid relegation, building a Leicester City team that became champions and taking Watford to the verge of safety having been bottom on eight points when he was appointed in early December.

Yet critics will keep on pointing to the Achilles heel, his suspect temperament under pressure.

Leicester sacked him when his relationship with the board was ‘no longer viable.’ At Derby, there were allegations of a players’ rebellion and a row with owner Mel Morris.

And while Watford captain Troy Deeney has said there was no physical confrontation between Pearson and his players, he did acknowledge a ‘firm talking to’ from the Hornets boss with his side 3-0 down at half-time at West Ham in his final game in charge.

The 56-year-old’s track record suggests it would be a brave chairman to appoint him

More seriously, it’s understood Pearson didn’t take kindly to ‘suggestions’ from Watford owner Gino Pozzo and technical director Filippo Giraldi after the game, and if the manager’s history tells us anything, it’s that he doesn’t react well if he feels unfairly cornered.

Even a harmless question from a reporter during a Leicester City press conference once sparked a startling response from Pearson who accused his inquisitor of being an ‘ostrich’, ‘stupid’ and then made a jibe about his weight.

Some thought the exchange portrayed Pearson in a human side, others viewed him as unbalanced.

Like a lot of top managers, Pearson played at centre-half. He was a no-nonsense leader who was worshipped at Sheffield Wednesday and captained Middlesbrough into the Premier League.

His first management job at Carlisle saw them save their Football League status with a late winner from goalkepeer Jimmy Glass against Plymouth on the final day.

Pearson (left) in action against Gianfranco Zola during the 1998 Coca Cola Cup final

Pearson on the touchline as Bryan Robson’s assistant manager at West Brom in 2005

Glass also revealed Pearson wasn’t orthodox. ‘He started to hand around a bottle of brandy before the Plymouth game. The players were taking a swig from it,’ he said.

‘It’s unbelievable when you look back now but the manager was trying to settle everyone down.’

You wish Pearson might have been able to settle down himself.

As a coach, he did well at Newcastle, West Brom and England Under 21s. He progressed to be the No 1 at Southampton and then Leicester, where he got into the Premier League and stayed there.

It became a hallmark of Pearson’s style to build a strong dressing-room based around the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater and Jamie Vardy.

Vardy credits him with transforming his career after the striker initially struggled after a move from non-League. ‘The manager said ”look, we believe in you, we got you here for a reason.”

But the ‘dark side’ – a description Pearson gives himself – wouldn’t ever fully disappear. He was caught on video telling a Leicester fan to ‘f*** off and die’ and was reminded of his responsibilities by the FA after he grabbed Crystal Palace’s James McArthur by the throat.

Jamie Vardy has credited Pearson with transforming his career in their time at Leicester

Pearson once accused a reporter of being an ‘ostrich’ in a bizarre press-conference

Pearson’s post-match explanation: ‘I’m more than capable of looking after myself’ sounded like a line from a bad gangster movie.

Leicester’s Thai owners kept faith because of the success he was enjoying on the pitch but finally sacked him in the summer of 2015 when a post-season tour to Thailand was marred by three Leicester players, including Pearson’s son James, being involved in a racist sex tape.

Pearson was always different. His post-match interviews were slow in delivery, ever careful to search for the right words. To ‘relax’ he’d go on long solo hikes, sometimes Dartmoor and the Peak District, once in the Carpathians where he had to fight off wild dogs.

His career after Leicester continued to be fiery. He was appointed at Derby in 2016 but suspended four months later, followed by a parting of the ways.

There were allegations of losing the dressing-room and losing his temper with the club’s owner Mel Morris.

In February 2015 Pearson grabbed Crystal Palace’s James McArthur by the throat

Pearson regrets ever going to Pride Park. ‘It was a bad choice by me and it was a bad choice by them, probably.’

He regrouped in the Belgian Second Division and there were hopes at the age of 56 things might turn out differently at Watford when he arrived at the end of last year.

The early signs were good with the team going on a seven-game unbeaten run sparked by a 2-0 win against Manchester United. The players seemed to embrace his energy and man-management.

‘We see him everywhere. Sometimes we joke about it in the squad,’ revealed defender Christian Kabasele at the time.

‘In the physio room, in the office, in the canteen, you never know when he will show up. He pays attention to everybody and that is the main difference to the other managers.’

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last, a feature of Pearson’s career.

He was appointed manager at Derby in 2016 but was suspended just four months later

Their form at Vicarage Road remained decent and famously ended Liverpool’s unbeaten season shortly before lockdown. But they were a shambles on the road, collecting only one point from 21 since January.

Inevitably, frustration set in. ‘We had passengers which is disappointing at this stage of the season. First half we let the game pass us by,’ he said after the Watford defeat last Friday night.

It appears the language was more vehement inside the dressing-room walls.

Pearson came from a hard school but only a certain type of player can handle that in today’s game. So it’s left to caretaker Hayden Mullins to get the results against Manchester City and Arsenal that will keep Watford up.

As for Pearson, it’s hard to see where he may go next. He’s building a reputation as a Red Adair, a short-term specialist in avoiding relegation, when you sense he’d be happiest building a strong dressing-room over time.

That must frustrate him – and he’s got to control that if he wants a future in the modern game.