Nigel Pearson is doing well, very well but he could do so much better. Take the case of Dawson. He's not as quick as he used to be if he was ever that quick. He should be doing shuttle runs to increase his pace. There's an app you can get for this. I've only got the free version but the reviews are very good. Soon he could be getting down to the byline more and getting in those crosses like he used to. Now Rosenior he has the opposite problem. He's got pace to burn that lad. That guy is just too quick. He's getting down that wing sometimes and crossing it and there's nobody there. They're trying to get there but Rosenior is just too quick. Now he should play with weights in his pants. Slow him down so he'd be able to put in his cross and Fryatt and Mclean are waiting there hungry to put the ball in the net. Now take Anthony Gerrard. He's had a great start but when are we going to see the best of him? That guy gets a quarter of his DNA from the same biological source as Stevie Gerrard. What Nigel needs to do is get Anthony to draw on that rich source. Anthony needs to "zone" Stevie G. Guzan? He's a promising lad. But how much better would he be if he changed his name to Gordon? It's not too many changes of letters. To Gordon Banks. If he changed his name by deed poll it would inspire him to improve 10 or 15%. That could make all the difference. Cairney, for me should only play the first 45 minutes at this time of year. He's ok in daylight but once the floodlights take effect he has a problem with artificial light. So get him off at halftime at least until the clocks go forward. Barmby can come on in the second half. He's played in epic games in the Champions League and in the UEFA cup under lights and is more adapted. I'm thinking for maybe the first ten minutes we should play 3-5-2. It was very in vogue during the 90s but not used much now so it'll catch teams out but after about ten or fifteen minutes these coaches on the bench they'll see what's going on and make adjustments. So at that point we should revert to a traditional 4-4-2. Or possibly with Mclean in the hole behind the striker in a 4-4-1-1 would be equally as good. This can utilise best the strengths of Koren who can switch between the wing and the middle of the pitch. If with 10 minutes to go we're losing, which we shouldn't be doing with my system, but if we are we can switch to 2-3-5 the old system which Raich Carter used for City to great effect. We'll go hell for leather bring on a couple of strikers, that's centre forwards to you old boys, and really go for it. And say if with 10 minutes to go we're winning we don't go 2-3-5 we go 5-3-2. If we get the goals late on under 2-3-5 then the strikers we'd brought on they'll become utility centre backs and play in defence. The full backs will go up to be the two in attack in the 5-3-2 and the goalkeeper becomes the libero. Now defending corners there's a lot Nigel should have worked on there. I think we can utilise Belaid here. He should go on one of the posts, probably the near post and of course coming from Tunisia he's a fluent Arabic speaker. He should start chatting at corners to the opposing number 9. This should spook him as it spooks everybody these days hearing Arabic and he'll wonder what the **** Belaid is saying. Is he talking about my mother or my wife or my sister? Koren he's from Slovenia or somewhere like that I think he speaks Arabic so he can go and do the same on the other post. Doing this we're taking out a couple of key opposition players at corner kicks. I think it's about time Nigel learned something from Grand Prix racing. When it's wet they wear wet weather tires. Well City should wear the latest studs that can cope with wet weather. But should it stop raining they should go for what in Grand Prixs they call a pitstop, run over to the bench and change their studs. City might concede a goal in this time but they could make up for it with a supercharged performance using the right studs for the rest of the game while the opposition are flailing around all over the place. Mclean for me is getting too separated from Fryatt in matches. In training they should play together using an elasticated "bungee" rope. But use one that's not very elastic so they never get more than ten yards apart. So if Mclean decides to go off on one of his sorties, which are so stupid I don't know why Nigel hasn't spoken to him about it, then the string will just bounce him back so they can do those little short passing interchanges. They need to do this in extra afternoon sessions. There's a bit of a debate going on on the forum about who should City play out of Stewart or Devitt. People say oh Devitt should be given a go. Well this can be sorted out by getting them to play Championship Manager. Before you snort I learnt a lot from this football management training programme. Jay Simpson. He's not playing at the moment. Some people think he's not good enough. I thought that indeed I said he was s**t on the 606 forum but then I'm flexible and when he scored those 4 goals in 2 games I completely changed my opinion. Anyway while he's still on the bench he's black let's get him doing some good rap sessions and he could really fire up the other subs so that if one is called into action he's ready. For me we still look vulnerable after we've scored. They say it's the worst time to concede just after you've scored. But not if you use my system. The ten outfield players after City have scored and the opposition have kicked off again when City regain possession they encircle the ball like the pre-match huddle with their arms round each other and they make sure the ball stays in that circle a bit like a scrum when the ball is not released quickly. The players tell each to calm down we've just scored we must get calm again, keep the ball in the circle for a minute or so and when the captain determines that the players are sufficiently calm again the ball should be hoofed up the pitch and the players revert to their normal positions. Also Nigel can you smile a bit more? You far too dour. I was one of the ones in the autumn who when the results were bad was saying we should sack Pearson because he's so dour out there. OK there's a bit more to management than whether you smile or wave your hands around a lot but it's a very important part of the game because if he can smile a bit it communicates a feeling to the players of being loved and wanted in this world. And it's been proved performance on the pitch can improve 10 or 12%. A word of warning to Nigel. You're doing better but read the posts on not606. There's people out there who could do your job much better. Why are you doing better now? You were "s**t" 3 months ago. Your sugar daddy has bailed you out that's why with all these better players. Anybody could manage better with these better players. I've still got my doubts about you I still think you might be a s**t manager. You ought to come on here and read some of the posts and well, you might learn something. You really might Nigel. You could improve things 25 to 33%. I may not have my UEFA coaching license but I've watched telly for years. If there was a UEFA TV License Coaching Badge then I'd have the "A" badge. I've concentrated listening to people like Hansen and Andy Gray. Ok Andy Gray is completely out now because he's revealed himself to be the sexist, male chauvinist pig he is. There should be no place for people like him in football. Now you might say how am I qualified Nigel. I never kicked a ball professionally in my life. In fact I never made the school team. And who else has never kicked a ball professionally in his life? Mourinho that's who. He inspired us all. What did he do apart from watch a lot of telly in his youth? And it was only probably Portuguese telly then. It was probably crap without even Jimmy Hill on there. And yet look at Mourinho. You can learn from TV. There's a lot of frustrated unutilised football brains out there posting on forums and having a Skysports subscription. Some of us have even got ESPN. You know with sky+ we can rewind important incidents as often as we like. So, you might not have got sky+ Nigel. You should get it. I advise you should get it. It's bloody good and get HD as well because you might learn something.
Love it, except the parts where you have a go at NP and McLean. I realise it's done in jest but still. They're both doing their jobs.
I can't be bothered to read it but I would guess it could be summarized in the following sentence 'I play too much Football Manager'
Well I emailed Nigel and he said he'd "bear my comments in mind." I didn't really email him. God give me strength.
I like it a lot that Pearson doesn't smile, its one of his best attributes. People will be telling him to go on a sunbed next, and do karoake on the pitch! No thanks.
I have to agree with the above poster Nigel's tongue in cheek attitude and the fact he doesn't smile at all really does make me like him more, god knows why.... On the article, well as some of these are well known coaching methods god knows why Nigel isn't using them. Maybe you should move on from FM to FMLive give yourself a break...
I'm fine with the way NP handles himself. These personal things only get picked on when a manager is a manager of a losing team. Then however he behaves it's wrong with people. Too quiet/dour on the one hand or too passionate/extrovert on the other. I have never played a football management computer game.
This is what happens when you give the world a gift i.e. Associatoin Football Everyone beats us at it and everone knows more about it then we do. A fine effort Febbos. Nigel should read this. He will pleased to know that someone out there cares.
