Stuart Pearce C or D?

- starting pro footy at 23, thus having an understanding of the 'real' world beyond any of his contemporaries, let alone his cash-laden charges

- being a proper punk fan and introducing the 90s Pistols reunion gig - ok, not exactly the last word in cool, but it beats Lionel Richie, steak and chips and Only Fools and Horses hands down

- starting at Wealdstone, my (and Daniel's !)then local team, in their glory days of the early to mid 80s

- being unfailingly honest and avoiding football speak

while he isn't dud, unfortunately his media image has a dud-like sheen due to him being unfairly painted as a bit of a caricature - viz: the Mirror's 'Achtung' front page in Euro 96, the Beeb going on about him being potty and eccentric (ergo: not like their anodyne selves).

He's such a child of Brian Clough. His matter of fact interview style (no matter how bizarre the utterance), and the way his players don't backchat the ref, to name just a couple of examples of the top of my head.

Plus, he's so hard that a dustbin lorry landed on his car and he WALKED AWAY.

So classic, then,

for some reason this piece gave me a fit of the giggles. edited highlights:

"He was never a world-class player. But by god when it comes to playing the British red tops, he is world class."

"(His friends in the media) are like his minders. They would have you believe that he is the leader of the moral crusade of British football. This is a bluff!"

"The contract also allows him to join any other club with no compensation. It really means that if a better job comes along, then Mr.Goody Two-Shoes will be off to a bigger or better club, with the Man City fans scratching their heads, and the club left in the lurch."

"It's amazing what you have to do these days to be a hero. Stuart Pearce has sold out."

"Good old Stuart Pearce - what you see is what you get blah, blah, blah."

"Let me tell you - he's no hero of mine. I hate hypocrisy. Stuart Pearce has sold out to the media - he has sold out at the expense of his own players"

"I would have to agree with his missus - he has messed up. He may be the accaptable face of the new celebrity age of football, but he is not a hero - he is just a guy trying to survive. Mark my words, the people who have seduced him into being somebody he's not would make Brian Clough a very disappointed man."

erm...ok...

Watching Pearce and Pardew dance around their technical areas last night is somewhat more interesting than shots of an unshaven Portuguese man in a scarf.

It was an extraordinary tirade yesterday: http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/sport/football/s/209/209692_pearce_blasts_players.html

Today, he's a bit calmer, but still seething: http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/sport/football/manchestercity/s/209/209734_stu_we_must_learn_our_lesson.html

psychotastic!

surely that's enough.

when i first read that i thought he meant he would be leaving (for england job or sommat)

Isn't this a line from a song by UB40?