Stuart Pearce

Early career

Pearce failed a trial at Queens Park Rangers and then rejected an offer from Hull City, instead settling into a career in the non-league game with his local side, Wealdstone, while training and working as an electrician. For almost five years, he was the first-choice full-back for the team, then amongst the biggest names of non-league football in the Alliance Premier League.

Coventry City

In 1983, Wealdstone received an unexpected offer of £30,000 (then a very large sum for a semi-professional player) for Pearce from top-flight club Coventry City. Sky Blues manager Bobby Gould had been to watch Wealdstone and was impressed by Pearce's determination and combative attitude. Pearce agreed to the step-up in clubs reluctantly – making his professional debut for Coventry immediately. He established himself as an uncompromising left-back who played in a hard but fair manner.

Nottingham Forest

Two years later in 1985, Pearce was brought to Nottingham Forest by manager Brian Clough in a combined deal which also saw Coventry centre-back Ian Butterworth move to Forest. Despite the transfer, Pearce was still unsure of his prospects in the professional game and even advertised his services as an electrician in Forest's match-day programme. Pearce spent twelve years at Forest, with the majority of the time as club captain. During his playing career, he won two League Cups and the Full Members Cup, while also scoring from a free-kick in the 1991 FA…

Throughout his career, Pearce was given the nickname of "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play. This was initially a tag afforded to him only by Forest fans, though later it was adopted by England supporters as well. Of the nickname, Pearce later commented:

The Psycho nickname was just a bit of fun. In the 80s everyone was called Psycho or Rambo. It doesn't represent what I'm like away from football. You've got to be a bit more cute than that. If you're an idiot and try to live up to your nickname, you won't last very long. I'd like to think there's a little more about me than that. A lot of journalists were pigeonholing me as a lunatic who shouldn't represent England because I'd get sent off all the time. But in 78 games for England I've been booked five times and never been sent off. I've only been sent off three times playing for my club, which in this day and age is quite an achievement. Roy Keane, who played with Pearce from 1990 to 1993, is quoted as saying that Pearce was "a man amongst boys" at Forest. Former England teammate Matt Le Tissier has since described him as his scariest opponent in his autobiography, Taking Le Tiss. Pearce was also well known for his prowess from set pieces, being a designated penalty-taker for club and country. As a specialist at direct free kicks, renowned for his powerful left foot, Pearce scored from several of the free kicks that he took, famously including the first goal in the 1991 FA Cup final against Tottenham. He was also a…

Pearce made his debut for England against Brazil in a 1–1 friendly draw at Wembley on 19 May 1987 at age 25. Replacing Kenny Sansom as the first choice left-back for his country, injury prevented him from playing in the 1988 UEFA European Championship. Following the tournament, he was consistently picked as left-back and scored his first England goal in his 21st senior appearance for England on 25 April 1990, scoring in a 4–2 friendly win over Czechoslovakia at Wembley. Pearce played at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, setting up a goal for David Platt in the quarter-final win against Cameroon and operating as a more attacking left-back than normal as England deployed a sweeper system. England progressed to the semi-finals, and Pearce was one of two players (the other being Chris Waddle) to miss a penalty in the shoot-out against West Germany after the match had ended in a 1–1 draw. Pearce left the field in tears. The following summer, on 8 June 1991, Pearce scored his second England goal in a 2–0 win over New Zealand during the England side's tour of Oceania. This game was his 40th appearance for England. The Euro 96 games had been England's first competitive matches since the end of the World Cup qualifiers nearly three years earlier. They had not been required to qualify for the tournament due to being hosts. All of the matches played between November 1993 and June 1996 had been friendlies, including the clash with Switzerland on 15 November 1995 in which Pearce scored the last…

Born in Shepherd's Bush, London, Pearce is the youngest of four children. He has two brothers, Dennis and Ray, and a sister, Pamela. Dennis was once a member of the far-right British National Party and was third on the BNP list for London for the 2009 European Parliament election. Ray was formerly a referee, and in September 1986, was a linesman in a League Cup match involving his brother. Pearce first attended Fryent Primary School in Kingsbury, North West London, before attending Claremont High School in Kenton, a locality contiguous to Kingsbury.