Leicester City lost 3-1 last night to Chelsea at home and remain 4 points behind Newcastle with four games to play, and Nigel Pearson after the game said that two of his players are now doubtful for the game at home to Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
Nigel Pearson – gets a bit upset at news conference
Andy King and defender Robert Huth are both doubts for the game and both were taken off in the first 25 minutes of the game last night, and Pearson has said that King has suffered a hamstring injury, while former Stoke center-back Robert Huth picked up a calf injury.
This is some of what Nigel Pearson said after the game:
“King doesn’t come off unless there is something wrong,” “They have got to be doubts (for Newcastle). Until we know the extent of the injuries it is very difficult to give an answer..”
“It is now Wednesday and we play Saturday early kick-off.” “We played well,” said Pearson. “Losing games is not something I am particularly pleased about but I think we gave a good account of ourselves.
“I think the game was difficult for us because we had to deal with having to make substitutions that were not necessarily something we would have looked at before the game.”
Pearson at his after match press conference then got a little bit testy with a journalist after he had talked about his players having to deal with criticism and negativity this season – it’s the same thing happening with Newcastle’s players for the last few weeks.
Nigel was then asked what was the specific criticism he was referring to and this is how Nigel responded to the journalist who asked the question:
“Have you been on holiday for six months?” “I think you must have either had your head in the clouds or away on holiday or reporting on a different team, because if you don’t know the answer to that question, your question is absolutely unbelievable.”
“The fact you do not understand where I am coming from. If you don’t know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich. Your head must be in the sand. Is your head in the sand?”
“Are you flexible enough to get your head in the sand? My suspicion would be no.”
That seems to be a case of Pearson being under extreme pressure – much like John Carver is – with both their teams being under the threat of relegation.
But with Leicester likely to be at less than full strength on Saturday, surely this is a chance to get our first win since the end of February and break our seven game losing streak?
Hope so.
Comments welcome.
28 comments so far
Thump
Apr 30, 2015 at 12:24 AM
Comment #1Sounds like Pearson’s response was perfectly reasonable given what he’s had this season, to be honest. The press like to stick the knife in early and get ready to twist it whenever things are down. When managers are asked (frankly stupid) questions like that, it’s perfectly reasonable to expect a reaction like that from time to time.
N1CK06
Apr 30, 2015 at 12:37 AM
Comment #2It’s actually good to finally read a quote from a manager on here that does not contain phases like “I just have to deal with it” and “I’m giving it all I can”
Blackley and Brownlie
Apr 30, 2015 at 12:44 AM
Comment #3Woo hoo. Ciaran’s been on the doobies again. Paranoia abounds. Because so many bloggers consider him to be an irksome little butterball, he can only suspect a conspiracy or at least that’s the idea that he’d like yo promote.
I’m still waiting for his objective evidence to support his claim that Ashley was just in it to flip the club and make a quick profit. And for him to explain how Ashley was going to pull off such a flip?
Blackley and Brownlie
Apr 30, 2015 at 12:55 AM
Comment #4“Ian/Pushy/Carl/Blackley whoever the hell you are – it’s pathetic. It already was pathetic. It’s now even more pathetic.”
You’re scaring me now. Go away. I’m calling the police. I’ve called the police. They’re on their way. They’ll be here in two minutes. I know you’re behind the curtains. It’s pathetic you guys. I mean guy. One person that is. Pathetic. Truly pathetic. You think I haven’t called the police. I’ll tell them the doobie’s for my personal use. Come out. It’s even more pathetic.
Blackley and Brownlie
Apr 30, 2015 at 1:06 AM
Comment #5Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Blackley? Or is it Brownlie?
“Or is it yet another creation backed up by a creation to give credence to a point of view?”
Being at the bottom of a dark box for long periods can play tricks on your mind, Ciaran.
“Feel free to continue though.”
Sav
Apr 30, 2015 at 3:06 AM
Comment #6Great stuff from Pearson. Pity we didn’t persevere with him. Those quotes are the Stuff of Legend
Canny in Canberra
Apr 30, 2015 at 3:29 AM
Comment #7not sure the loss is a good thing. Not likely to make their heads go down against us. Probably just the opposite. Few more injuries for them can’t hurt our cause any though eh?
Blofal
Apr 30, 2015 at 3:29 AM
Comment #8I must say all this linking with Jemez is getting me excited. I don’t want to be excited because then I’m always disappointed.
But his attack at all cost no respect to the opposition possession type football is exactly what I want us to play.
jimmysmith
Apr 30, 2015 at 3:36 AM
Comment #9I have two pet “theories or beliefs”. The first is that Ashley does want attacking affordable football and a consistent top ten finish, believing it will satisfy the fans and his own goals The second, he has little realistic idea of how to achieve it.
Canny in Canberra
Apr 30, 2015 at 3:42 AM
Comment #10Jimmy
I think you are being overly generous giving him credit for wanting anything beyond a good bottom line. The second I do agree with but owners aren’t meant to are they. That’s why they hire managers and coaches who tell them who they think we should buy etc. He just has to hire some one with a clue! and he couldn’t even do that.
Shot Bru
Apr 30, 2015 at 4:01 AM
Comment #11Paco Jemez would be great..this is a no brainer Plan A for Ashley and Charnley….
So he will end up as Brentford’s new Coach then!
Brutooon
Apr 30, 2015 at 4:46 AM
Comment #12doesnt matter who play for leicester, but this will definitely happen:
– they will score a goal, 99.99% for a mike williamson MISTAKE
– their defenders and goalkeeper would be doing nothing at all cos NUFC wont make any attack. JC will play “defensively” for this.
Last but not least – JC said he is confident he become manager !!!!!!!!
gonufc (Newcastle United Sports Direct Advertising Club)
Apr 30, 2015 at 4:59 AM
Comment #13Heard that Pearson interview on the radio and it was bizaare. He came acrosss as an incredibly arrogant t**t.
He seems to think he’s better than any journalist- it was weird.
Embarrassed that he ever worked for Newcastle!
@Sav (6) – Did you hear him? It was cringeworthy and horrible. He was trying to belittle the journalist but just came across as a total bell end. Listen to it and then decide if he’s a legend for it.
It was a perfectly fine question- what was the criticism which he felt was unfair? They just wanted his opinion but he couldn’t handle it.
Magpie Season
Apr 30, 2015 at 5:13 AM
Comment #14Remember when Venky’s appointed Steve Kean as interim boss?
Poll: who is worse, Carver or Kean?
Magpie Season
Apr 30, 2015 at 5:17 AM
Comment #15jimmysmith:
Because he expects the first two to come to fruition without spending considerable funds.
If you want to play attacking, possession based football you need certain type of players to do so. It’s not just about the manager.
SA Toon
Apr 30, 2015 at 5:35 AM
Comment #16Perfect game last night from a NUFC perspective. Just what we needed! Leicester played like they believed they could win almost until the end, and pretty much left everything on the field. It’s going to be tough for them to do it all again on Saturday – particularly if they have picked up some injuries. If our lads can get themselves together and play some positive football they should be able to get us to safety this weekend.
Canny in Canberra
Apr 30, 2015 at 6:09 AM
Comment #17SA
Here’s hoping!!
Maybe last nights loss took some of the wind out of their sails. They won’t need to play with anything like that belief though to beat us in our recent form.
Chris
Apr 30, 2015 at 6:16 AM
Comment #18For information
A bit of recent email correspondence which some of you may find interesting
—————————————
Thank you for emailing Times Feedback Re: Editorial complaint
Thank you for your email. The Times takes complaints about editorial content seriously. To read our complaints policy, click here. We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules and regulations and the Editors’ Code of Practice that IPSO enforces.
Rose Wild
Feedback editor
The Times
thetimes.co.uk/feedback
@TimesFeedback
—————————————————-
Dear Sirs
I wish to register a complaint against the article written on 27 April by your Football Editor Tony Evans which was titled “Emperor’s new clothes fit Ashley but the court of St James’ is left besieged.” The subject of the article was Mike Ashley, the current owner of Newcastle United Football Club.
I ought to point out straight away that I have no connection whatsoever with Mr Ashley or any of his business interests – I’ve never met the man, nor would I ever want to. I’m just one of the growing number of fans who are extremely dissatisfied with the way the club is being run under his ownership and I fully endorse the actions that my fellow fans are taking in an effort to encourage him to sell up and leave.
That being the case I should have been nodding my head in fierce agreement with what Evans wrote, but unfortunately his article turned out to be little more than a cheap character assassination job on Ashley, and contained a number of factual inaccuracies. It was the kind of diatribe that I regularly read in fans’ forums but I certainly don’t expect to read it in a so-called quality publication like the Times.
Let me draw this paragraph to your attention:
“Last summer, Newcastle needed to buy a top goalscorer. Alan Pardew, the manager then, knew that. John Carver, the manager now, knew that. They didn’t bring one in. They also needed a centre half. Managers past and present could see it. They did not buy. The intention was to muddle through and the suspicion was that tenth, 11th or 12th place diddn’t need much effort or expenditure to attain. So, £34 million was squirrelled into a separate account (for tax purposes, obviously) and left unspent.”
There are five comments that I’d like to make about that:
1. How does Evans know what Pardew and Carver knew, or thought? Did he speak to them? No, of course he didn’t. At the time, they were both suggesting that they were happy with the players they HAD brought in, so Evans is just making a number of assumptions and stating them as fact.
2. Evans is quoting a figure of £34 million which is supposedly the amount of cash that the club had in it’s bank account. That proves to me that he didn’t do his homework, because that isn’t the amount that appears on the club’s balance sheet as at 30 June 2014. If Evans had bothered to check, as I have done, he could have found that out for himself.
3. He alleges that £34 million was “squirrelled” into a SEPARATE account, so maybe he would like to explain where that other account is, because it doesn’t appear on the club’s AUDITED balance sheet. Maybe he should also explain to the club’s auditors (Ernst & Young) where he thinks it is, because they seem to have missed it as well. The only cash listed among the club’s assets is in the sum of £22.5 million – it’s clearly shown on the balance sheet so you can’t miss it (unless of course, like Evans, you couldn’t be bothered to look)
4. He is clearly implying that Ashley was somehow shuffling money around as some sort of tax dodge. Again, because he hadn’t done his homework, he didn’t understand that the club had substantial tax losses brought forward, so there wasn’t any need to transfer funds “for tax purposes” because the club wasn’t liable to pay any corporation tax anyway. I’ve no doubt there would have been plenty of (perfectly legal) tax minimisation measures being taken in his very profitable Sports Direct business, but that’s got nothing to do with the football club.
5. The final piece of classic misinformation comes with his statement that the £34 million was left unspent. Let’s just gloss over the fact that the figure he quotes is wrong and just have a look at what WAS spent. Again, if Evans had bothered to check the club’s financial statements he might have spotted this little item in the Strategic Report:
“Post balance sheet events
After the year-end the club invested £29.8m on 6 new players to strengthen the playing squad…”
So the club’s balance sheet as at 30 June 2014 shows TOTAL cash at bank of £22.5 million, and the club spends nearly £30 million on new players during the following few weeks, yet your Mr Evans boldly states that all the club’s money was left unspent.
Before I finish, can I also draw your attention to the final couple of sentences of the article:
“Survival will entrench the stupidity and make others think that Ashley’s way is the right way. Let’s hope Newcastle go down.”
Do you really think that’s an appropriate thing for the Football Editor of a “quality” national newspaper to be writing? “Let’s hope Newcastle go down” ? You might find that acceptable, but I don’t.
For me the only saving grace is that this shitty article was stuck behind a paywall, so hopefully not too many fans had the misfortune to read it.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Apr 30, 2015 at 6:18 AM
Comment #19So did it get fun last night on a multiple account 😉 lol
Haha! You cannot make this up!
We really do have a Hank and Charlie thing going on on here! Most people would just leave with dignity but not this one…he’s persistent little fighter.
Lilongwe Geordie
Apr 30, 2015 at 6:42 AM
Comment #20Chris,
No, the cash was £34 million. You are looking at the football club section which is a subsidiary of the whole Newcastle United Limited operation.
http://companycheck.co.uk/company/02529667
If you go to the subsidiary section on that page then you will find the entity which contains the £22.5million.
I do agree though that subsequently a significant portion of that was spent, although then partially offset by the sale of Debuchy.
sing in the corner
Apr 30, 2015 at 7:33 AM
Comment #21Nice to see Pearson throwing his teddies out again. There’s a big boxing match on this weekend. Can’t wait to see big Nige up against Carver. Hopefully he will knock Honest john into the Kingpower turf like a tent peg and he’ll be stuck there for the next few weeks.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 30, 2015 at 7:38 AM
Comment #22I thought Pushy Pardew had been killed off, was it a case of mistaken identity. Was it all just a dream. Is it the same actor playing him again.
Who shot PP ?
sing in the corner
Apr 30, 2015 at 7:39 AM
Comment #23Who gives a flying one?
Jail for Ashley
Apr 30, 2015 at 7:43 AM
Comment #24Good morning sitc.
Am I mistaken or were you slightly pro Ashley up until a little while ago ?
Jail for Ashley
Apr 30, 2015 at 7:48 AM
Comment #25Lilongwe,
Any news on how Adam Campbell got on in his trial for W Bron U21s they won 3-0.
jayphoto
Apr 30, 2015 at 8:30 AM
Comment #26Paco Jemez is crazy! Very similar to Martinez in only has one way to play. Likes more passes than a Guardiola team.
He also once subbed a centreback in the first 10 minutes for playing a long ball when under no pressure. When asked why he said he wanted to watch football and long balls make him sick….
If he was manager of this team he’d be out of subs by the 15th minute….
Moonraker15
Apr 30, 2015 at 11:10 AM
Comment #27We won’t lose at Leicester ! Never do !
HWTF !
Hughie_Gallacher
Apr 30, 2015 at 1:25 PM
Comment #28It just shows how far we’ve sunk when we take pleasure in the fact that a side nailed on for relegation for most of the season is going to be under strength.