While it maybe a bit premature to write about managers to succeed Rémi Garde, whilst the current Villa boss is still  in the job, speculation and whispers behind the scenes are very much pointing to the fact the Frenchman’s time at Villa Park maybe coming to an end.

With that in mind, we’ve started to look at who’s out there and one contender who ticks a lot of boxes is ex-Leicester boss Nigel Pearson. Yes, it’s as easy to build a case against him, than it is for him, but with Villa now pitching up at Championship level, it’s not going to be an attractive proposition for a lot of top managers.

Nice guys, shy guys and affable guys have all failed working under the Lerner regime, so maybe a no-nonsense hardman is the way to go?

Pearson Factors

a) Associated with Foxes success, due to his miracle rescue job

b) Section of Villa fans want him

c) Unattached, no pay-offs,

d) Knows the task of promotion and winning the Championship

e)  Suffers no fools and there’s a lot of them amongst the current squad of players

f)  Has a point to prove, so will be well motivated

g) Can battle wild dogs (see below)

There is one main attribute that especially makes Nigel Pearson a serious contender for the Villa job. Remember the ‘wild dog’ story? Which came from his Telegraph interview a couple of years ago?

Pearson is a keen hiker, liking to be in the wilderness alone in his thoughts, and has hiked most of the top spots in the UK.  His most interesting hiking incident though, came in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, when he had an encounter that could have cost him his life.

The mountain range is home to brown bears who are a trouble for the local sheep farmers for obvious reasons. So, farmers in the region keep packs of large livestock guardian dogs that are capable of taking out these bears in order to protect the sheep. There have been reported incidents of these dogs savaging hikers by mistake.

Pearson came face-to-face with a pack of five of these dogs, who mistaking him for predator or bear (easy mistake to make) attacked him. Pearson had come prepared though and done his research before his trip. He used his walking stick to attack the dogs eyes before taking refuge in a batch of nettles knowing that the dogs can’t stand the stinging on their sensitive noses.

Thinking that the dogs had given up he began his hike again only to come across them once again. Pearson faced down the dogs with his back against a tree and again aimed for the dog’s eyes with his stick. Eventually, realising that Pearson was as hard as nails, the dogs gave in and Pearson was left in peace to carry on his Romanian ramble.

This ladies and gentlemen is the kind of survival skills and toughness we need at Villa Park now. Just factoring in the way he dealt with his wild dog experience, MOMS is beginning to feel that Pearson could be just the man to deal with Gabby and co, and shake this pathetic excuse for a football team up.

Can you imagine Steve Bruce, David Moyes, Gary Monk and co, or any of the recent Villa managers Lambert, Sherwood or Garde, fighting off wild dogs? Nah, I can’t.

UTV

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18 COMMENTS

  1. Garde took lyon to worst finish in16 years. Worst spell in many years. And was never the man for a relegation fight. Shame we did not get Pearson instead. Look at pulls.

  2. Pearson without his coaching staff, and who almost got this Leicester team relegated and took way to long to get promotion…no thanks look at the facts clearly.

  3. Everton fans are fed up with Martinez but don’t want Moyes back. If Bruce & Dyche are happy to jump ship I’m not sure I’d be happy to have them. Pearson set Leicester up for what they are now doing, they were nowhere near as crap as their position suggested most of last year. Yes I’d like to put the fear of God into them but didn’t we try that with Roy Keane. As for Garde his job is to set up his team, organise them and motivate them. He has failed to do any of these tasks with a squad which we all know could do way better. If the real point is sorting out the s***heads, Pearson is the man. If we want to progress, doesn’t the fact that he built the current league leaders as well as getting them out of the Championship make him the best candidate.

  4. I can think of many Villa players whose tails would be between their legs if he arrived. I’d go as far as to say that he would make their pathetic careers miserable for their remainder at Villa Park; something I would truly welcome.

    Imagine Lescott sitting in front of Pearson (as he did with Garde) and saying that he send that tweet by chance? I think not.

    It might not be pretty, but it would be damn effective.

  5. “MOMS is beginning to feel that Pearson could be just the man to deal with Gabby and co, and shake this pathetic excuse for a football team up.” – This is the line that hits the nail right on the head imo. I laughed at the idea of Pearson becoming Villa manager back in October but I am certainly not laughing now. We have tried the hand around the shoulder, softly-softly approach with Sherwood this season, and that has failed. Garde came in and tried to instill some discipline, he cracked the whip in training to some degree, he even called players out, just stopping short of naming names, but this has failed too. I feel sorry for Garde as he has been given a raw deal, the combination of a board unwilling to back him along with a toxic dressing room has proved too much for him and I honestly think he is better off leaving now before his reputation is ruined. I have suspected for some time now that a big part of the problem at Villa lies in the dressing room. There is clearly a culture of “player power” and you only have to look at the performances and attitudes of Lescott, Richards, Gabby, Richardson, Guzan, Bacuna and N’Zogbia to know who the chief culprits are, not to mention their contempt for the club and it’s supporters on social media. To think that some of these players are premier league winners boggles the mind. If only they had an ounce of the pride, guts and determination that Bournemouth’s less gifted squad have shown this season, then maybe we wouldn’t be where we are. Garde saw fit to discipline Grealish, but has stopped short of taking any measures against these players which shows where the power truly lies in the dressing room. I hope that come June these overpaid, pathetic excuses for “professional footballers” are shipped out for good. But if they are to remain then we will need a manager who will literally bash heads together and there is only one hard nosed SOB available to do just that right now. I can understand why fans have reservations about him as he is a loose cannon, no doubt a Moyes or Rogers would be a classier choice, but we must remember we are no longer a PL team. We need a man who has recent experience of success at that level, who knows the league inside out, will make the players run through brick walls for the club and who will take not one ounce of sh*t. And that man for me has to be Pearson.

      • It’s kind of horses for courses now and Pearson knows the course very well, and is a winner at it. Villa increasingly can’t attract the names we’d like, but Pearson isn’t a journey man, he’s helped built the foundation of a team that is likely to win the league due to their team spirit, effort and organisation – three qualities that Villa are crying out for.

  6. Very very harsh on Remi. Shame there seems to be such lack of respect in society these days. How would you like it if your co-workers/family/friends were openly talking about your dismissal before you were informed. Hope he sues Aston Villa for this debacle. Nothing happens at Villa park without it being in the press FIRST. This is a huge issue.

    Hollis is no savior, and Pearson might be able to deal with wild dogs, but Remi Garde managed in the champions league. I know what I would rather see on the CV of my prospective manager. Too fine a manager for Villa, hope he goes back to Lyon and makes a huge success of it.

    The players are to blame now for where we are, they haven’t gotten any better since the first few games and I think some are actively working against any manager that comes in. And not the newbies, I suspect Gabby is a huge negative influence at the club amongst others.

    • I would concur re: Remi. A fine manager betrayed by a loathsome board and a disinterested owner. I have nothing against Pearson, he would indeed be a fine manager. But all this talk of getting rid of Garde is so myopic, if there is one manager who could bring the likes of Gardner, Grealish, Green and co on, it is Remi Garde.

      The culture of bling and entitlement at Villa lies squarely with weak management and the board. How Agbonlahor and others have been allowed to underperform year after year yet still drive off in their white Lamborghini’s is the root. Pay related to performance needs to be the way – and at least Villa now have the perfect opportunity to implement it.

    • Cheers. There’s enough bulls**t in the world, especially in the football media that needs it for the advertisers.

  9. The holiday camp squad (money for nothing) is over the minute
    N P arrives. This group of players are toxic.

  12. Pearson has a decent footballing record at manager level and I think could do a job. I’d like to look further than the next 2 seasons and with Pearson not doing grately at prem level I’d like us to go for moyes if he’d come . He got Everton into the top 4 and is a top manager. I’ve a feeling a out pulls though. I’ve heard he’s u unhappy at Sandwell town and could be available in the summer.

    • Would Everton have Moyes back would man u his trip abroad how did that go for me I’d go with Pearson that’s his team at the top of the pile hard on his players look how our players treat us never mind remi we need a Ron Saunders type manager utv

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