Pearce to sign City deal despite lack of safety net

Chris Maume
Thursday 09 March 2006 20:00 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

It could be the start of an ethical revolution or it could be a glorious one-off, but yesterday the Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce confirmed that he will formally sign his rolling contract at some point during the next week. And with no compensation fee inserted into the deal, the former England full-back will receive no pay-off if he is sacked, while City will not receive any financial recompense if and when he leaves to take another job.

With his radical move - a gesture of extraordinary generosity in football's era of the bottom line - Pearce has risked the wrath of his wife, Liz. "It has been mentioned at home," he said yesterday of his deal. "My wife thinks I am an idiot."

A fortnight after confirming that he was working without a contract, Pearce will finally get round to signing the £900,000-a-year deal which was put before him by the Blues chairman John Wardle during the summer.

On Pearce's insistence the contract is "worthless" anyway because it ensures he could leave Eastlands at any point without City being able to claim compensation and will leave him without a penny in the unlikely event of the club dispensing with his services.

"Why should Manchester City pay me for not being their manager?" he said. "I have been fortunate to earn a decent wage as a player, and now as a manager. I don't want their money and I don't want to be wrangling with the chief executive for a couple of quid.

"You look around the country and see various ex-managers involved in legal battles with their old clubs months after they have been sacked. I do not want to be in that situation. If City no longer want me as manager, I would just thank them for giving me the honour of doing the job, accept I have not been good enough and go home to see the wife and kids and do a bit of mucking out in the stables."

Pearce went even further, saying: "If the chairman offered me more money I would say 'no'. I have not earned what I am getting yet. He has always been very fair with me and I am on a very fair contract, so I see no reason why I should be knocking on his door. We have won nothing. I do not believe I warrant any form of pay rise."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in