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His only other roles had been brief fire-fighting jobs at Carlisle United and Southampton; the former he had kept in theand the latter he kept in the Championship at Leicester’s expense. He is sure to receive a warm reception from the fans who appreciate the role he has played in Leicester’s rise from the dark days that followed their relegation from the Championship.
Pearson could be difficult, to say the least. He was prickly and surly with the media to the extent that, after an away game at Preston North End when he was particularly short and unresponsive, the local journalists approached me to ask if he was always like that. They then sympathised, pointing out their own difficulties with David Moyes at the start of his managerial career.
I then saw the other side to Pearson, beyond the public projection, as he invited me to Hull’s training ground where he apologised for having been so tough to deal with, which was unexpected but greatly appreciated. It was a decision Khun Vichai would never regret and their bond was close, despite Pearson’s eventual departure in 2015. It was Khun Vichai who stood by Pearson and reversed an initial decision to make a managerial change amid that first season in the Premier League, which became known as the phantom sacking.