Pearce determined to fight on

Stuart Pearce has pointed Manchester City’s board in the direction of West Ham and Charlton as proof sacking managers in mid-season does not necessarily work.

Two years after succeeding Kevin Keegan as Blues boss, Pearce is under severe pressure after a run of four successive Barclays Premiership defeats, followed by an FA Cup quarter-final exit at Blackburn, left City staring at nothing more palatable than a battle to avoid relegation.