NOTTINGHAM FOREST HAVE announced that former player Stuart Pearce will return to the club as manager on July 1.
“I am absolutely thrilled to confirm Stuart Pearce will become our manager on 1 July. Welcome home,” Forest owner and chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi wrote on Twitter.
Pearce, 51, has been out of work since leaving his role as head coach of the England Under-21s when his contract expired in June 2013.
He initially turned down the Forest job last week, citing personal reasons, but admitted on Thursday that the pull of a return to the City Ground was too strong to resist.
“I wouldn’t call it a U-turn,” Pearce told a press conference.
“We had discussions last week. At the time I suggested I had so much on in terms of a personal nature and from commercial aspects with work commitments.
“Fawaz then asked me to take charge in the summer and everything seems right. I have just signed a contract from July 1. This club probably has more of a pull than any club in the country.”
He added: “The pride and passion comes way before financial gain. I’ve represented five professional clubs and I would like to think I’ve given them good service.
The honour of coming back into this club is massive. By the time I’ve finished with management, if ever I felt I had the opportunity to become manager here and turned it down, then I would not be fulfilled.”
Nicknamed ‘Psycho’ during his playing days, Pearce played at left-back for Forest between 1985 and 1997 and won 78 England caps, scoring five goals.
Forest have been without a manager since Hasawi dismissed Billy Davies on March 24 following a run of eight games without a win, culminating in a 5-0 defeat by local rivals Derby County.
The East Midlands club, who twice won the European Cup under legendary former manager Brian Clough, are currently in seventh place in the Championship, two points below the play-offs with seven games to play.
Former youth-team coach Gary Brazil is in temporary charge of first-team affairs at the City Ground and is expected to remain in his position until the end of the season.
That’s forest screwed, he is a terrible manager
Crap manager…..cue managerial merry-go-round after 8 games of next season…..
That’s nuts, crazy, madness, psychotic.
So I take it the owners have given up on promotion despite only being 2 points outside of playoffs. Thought Hoddle might be a good choice for the job.
They’ll be fighting relegation next season
I’m a little underwhelmed with the appointment. It’s as if Fawaz has already written off the season, despite being only 2 points outside the playoffs. With 3 of our best players to return from injury in the next two games. I can understand why Psycho didn’t want to take the job now as he’s in the middle of a messy divorce. His record with City wasn’t great although he had a 56% win rate with England u21s, but you’d expect that. Mind you he didnt cover himself in glory in his final tournament in Israel last year.
Fawaz should have paid off Zola or Mackay’s “gardening leave” and gone for one of them instead I think. While I loved Psycho as a player, I really don’t rate him as a manager.
Please prove me wrong Stuart!
2 points outside play offs Reid Lansbury Vaughan Wilson and lichaij close to returning and not putting a full time manager crazy crazy crazy !!!
Nicknamed Pyscho hahaha
Things are looking ok for Psycho now!
He’ll drag David James out of retirement and play him up front again.