Foxes manager unsure why Paul Konchesky was sent off late in the game at Villa Park
Monday 8 December 2014 09:45, UK
Nigel Pearson insists he is not worried about his future as Leicester City manager despite seeing his side’s poor run of form continue with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Leonardo Ulloa gave the Foxes the lead for the third game in a row but the hosts turned it around at Villa Park thanks to goals from Ciaran Clark and Alan Hutton.
The defeat is Leicester’s eighth in their last 10 matches and leaves them rooted to the foot of the Premier League table.
But Pearson told Sky Sports that the players are still behind him and he is committed to trying to keep the Foxes in the top-flight.
"There is no point me worrying,” he said. "Of course I am a proud man, I want to stay in charge, but there is no point allowing those added pressures to affect how I do my job.
"We have the players we have and I still have a lot of belief in them and likewise they are very much behind the staff.
"Most managers in this game and particularly in this division have felt the heat in terms of pressure to get results. I do my job in the right way for us and I will continue to do that until I am told otherwise.
“It’s about being rational about the situation we are in and also being prepared to continue to work through what is a difficult time, it’s how you deal with adversity which really is the most important and defining thing.”
I am a proud man, I want to stay in charge, but there is no point allowing those added pressures to affect how I do my job.
Leicester encountered some adversity at Villa Park when Paul Konchesky was shown a straight red card in the 80th minute following an altercation with Hutton.
It was not clear whether he was dismissed for the tackle on the full-back or for the following coming together of heads, and Pearson was also in the dark over the decision.
“Initially we were led to believe it was for the challenge, I think now it’s about the clash of heads,” he said. “If it is for the challenge I am not so sure it is a straight red at all, if it’s for the coming together of heads I accept there is movement but it is countered against Hutton who actually makes contact first.
“I’m not one for asking for other people to be sent off but if it is for that then I don’t think there is equality in the decision.”
Leicester face a tough task to turn their form around in the coming weeks as they next face Manchester City, West Ham and then Tottenham Hotspur.
But Pearson said they must continue to work hard and try to create the breaks they desperately need to lift themselves off the foot of the table.
“It remains very frustrating for us and the longer it goes on the harder it is,” he said. “But it’s about us getting back to work again and making sure we get our recovery from this game right and prepare for the next one.
“There’s no quick fix in life and the foundation for any side to be competitive is to retain the desire to work hard and there is a very strong team ethic within the dressing room and I have no doubts about that. But we have to find the answers ourselves.”
