STING IN THE TAIL
While the assist with which he teed up his successor Claudio Ranieri to win the title for Leicester was the managerial equivalent of Mike Fillery’s routine cross to Clive Allen ahead of that sublime triple drag-back and finish for QPR against West Ham on an Upton Park bog back in 1984, Nigel Pearson’s impressive feat in keeping them in the Premier League against all odds back in 2015 certainly paved the way for the footballing miracle that would follow 12 months later. When Watford sweep all before them and march to similarly unlikely glory next season, Pearson’s role should also be remembered. But for now fans have the more pressing concerns of hoping their under-performing team can earn the point or points they well need against Wounded Manchester City or Born Again Arsenal in their final two games of the season to keep them in the league ahead of next season’s title run.
With all available evidence suggesting that relying on the uselessness of Bournemouth and Aston Villa is as good a way as any to stay up, Watford’s owners appear to disagree and following an allegedly frank exchange of views between Pearson and his boss, Gino Pozzo, about team selection and tactics following Watford’s diabolical performance at West Ham, the decision was made to hand him his P45. In another twist, Pozzo is reported to have asked Pearson’s assistant Craig Shakespeare to remain in temporary charge, only to be politely – or possibly impolitely – told where to go. Hayden Mullins and Graham Stack have since been promoted from the Under-23s and will oversee Watford’s now customary shellacking at the hands of City before their final game of what has been a particularly weird season at the Emirates.
Nigel Pearson was too wedded to his formation and selections at Watford | Simon BurntonRead more
Having long resembled the kind of fearsome PE teacher type who would force players who displeased him to run endless laps of the training ground in their vest and pants, Pearson has been conspicuously more zen in his approach to management since his most recent appointment and, if his Social Media Disgrace Twitter account is anything to go by, seems to have taken this latest setback in his stride. In taking Watford from seven points adrift at the foot of the table to three points but just one place above the thick black line, he has certainly not done a bad job but still … that first half against West Ham.
“Although not able to finish the task I was brought in to achieve, I wish Watford all the best,” he tweeted on Monday. “I’ve been overwhelmed by the well wishes I’ve received from Watford supporters and the football community. Thank you all for your kind messages.” Having cancelled a planned 9,000-mile trip across India in a tuk-tuk to take the Watford job, Pearson is now free once again to go and find himself. If you thought his spectacles and gilet lent him an air of added serenity, wait until he rocks up to his next job festooned with beads and henna tattoos.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Rob Smyth from 6pm BST for hot MBM coverage of Sheffield United 2-1 Everton, before Simon Burnton guides you through Wolves 3-0 Crystal Palace at 8pm.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It eats at you. When I was appointed [as technical director] some journalists didn’t think I spoke English. They said I had never played the game. Some people said: ‘Why did this Russian owner, who knows thousands and thousands of people, confide in him? He’s African so he must have killed somebody for the owner.’ No one stopped to think it could possibly be because of my intellect or experience” – former Nigeria international Michael Emenalo talks openly about his time at Chelsea and why “the narrative that white is good has to change”.
View image in fullscreenMichael Emenalo. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
FIVER LETTERS
“Louise Taylor’s article about Nasty Leeds’ promotion party states that ‘beer was drunk by the Billy Bremner statue’. If it had been any other statue I wouldn’t have believed it” – Robert Blanchard.
“Re: reader John Myles’s brush with a young Stevie Coppell (Friday’s Fiver letters), I had a similar brush with Gary Bollan. Playing against his team in a summer pre-season friendly, I recall him starting off on the edge of his own box before zig-zagging, nutmegging and dribbling his way through all of my bewildered teammates and then chipping the keeper to open the scoring within five minutes of kick-off. With everybody mesmerised by his skills, I followed his progress (which was to professional football but not ever as a big star). It always made me wonder what it might be like playing against a Ronaldo or Messi? Frightening. I still recall his final nutmeg on me, it keeps me awake some nights” – Marc Meldrum.
Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Robert Blanchard.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
A police officer was seriously injured and a number of others hurt as thousands of people gathered to celebrate Leeds winning the Championship title.
Gareth Bale’s Mr 15% says his man will happily count coin and golf strokes for the next two years if necessary. “Gareth likes living in Madrid and he is going nowhere,” trousered Jonathan Barnett. “Of course there’s been interest but there’s hardly a club in the world which can afford him. Gareth is one of the best players in the world. The best players in the world do not go out on loan.”
View image in fullscreen‘Oh, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, moulded by it.’ Photograph: Sergio Pérez/Reuters
More chaos awaits as the Championship’s final day looms.
The Dortmund Finishing School has unveiled its latest scholarship winner, English teenager Jude Bellingham.
0:40’The perfect club’: Jude Bellingham signs for Borussia Dortmund – video
Fresh off his Arsenal side doing a number on Manchester City, Mikel Arteta reckons the time is right for bean-counters to resolve Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract talks. “The quicker we do it, for me personally, the better,” he tooted.
There will be now Ballon d’Or winner in 2020. “When in doubt, it is better to abstain than to persist,” sighed France Football magazine.
After sacking the Cowleys, Huddersfield Town fancy a bit of Bielsaball. He’s off to the Premier League, so they’ve gone for the next best thing: his assistant Carlos Corberán.
Premier League geriatricos Gaël Clichy, Robinho, Martin Skrtel and Demba Ba – combined age 422 – helped Istanbul Basaksehir win the Turkish title for the first time in their history.
And Al Sadd news: Santi Cazorla has left Villarreal to join the Qatari side.
STILL WANT MORE?
If only Romelu Lukaku had taken a penalty against Bologna, then Inter might still be in the Serie A title race, writes Nicky Bandini.
Simon Burnton details why Nigel Pearson’s fine start at Watford soon degraded into being given the Pozzo family axe.
David de Gea’s shift from world’s finest to dodgy keeper, dodgy keeper means Manchester United have a decision to make, reckons Jonathan Wilson.
View image in fullscreenHelping fumble Chelsea into the FA Cup final, earlier. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/NMC Pool/the Guardian
Sort Bielsa’s contract, sign a striker. Louise Taylor has a good idea what Nasty Leeds must do next to thrive in the Premier League.
Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!
