When Nigel Pearson took over at Watford back in early December, the Premier League club were in a dire situation, bottom of the league with no hope in sight.
And yet the former Leicester manager turned things around almost immediately, with hard work and improved performances culminating in the 3-0 win over Liverpool.
That came crashing down a bit on Saturday when they lost to Crystal Palace, but there was still a decent performance behind it all, which will have encouraged Pearson in some way.
That’s the mentality he’s trying to instil at Vicarage Road, a hard-working one where one result doesn’t define everything, ensuring players keep their heads held high regardless of the outcome.
He’s tried to do that wherever he’s gone, and it was no different at OH Leuven in Belgium, where he spent a season and a half before being sacked in February 2019.
One man who was with him throughout that time was Joachim Mununga, who is now the Proximus League club’s assistant manager and who built a strong relationship with Pearson during his time at the club.
“The win against Liverpool was the cherry on top, but also the reward for all those times when they made a mistake at the end of a game that cost them three points, or the posts they hit many times. It’s a success that brings three points, prestige and confidence in the squad”.
And all that comes from Pearson’s personality, as Mununga explains.
He added: “On a human level, Nigel Pearson is one of the fullest people I’ve met in the world of football. He made me understand the difference between a coach and a manager. He dealt with the players’ egos well, but also the squad as a whole in order to bring serenity to the club.
“He had a very special approach. I wouldn’t say he was close to his players, but there to listen. He multiplied the individual talks and his leitmotiv was honesty. He told players what he thought by looking them straight in the eyes. The boys appreciated that, they had a profound respect for him”.
That appears to be the case at Watford these days too, and only time will tell if it will be enough to get help the club avoid the drop back to the Championship.
For that, they’ll need more results like the one against Liverpool, but time is running out, meaning the next nine games will feel like nine finals for the players, and Pearson will have to manage that as best he can.
