Friday interview: City boss stays firmly in focus

Focusing on the only thing that matters – an instant return to the Championship – is the hallmark of Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson's regime so far and, sitting on top of League One at the halfway mark, that is never going to change.

Pearson admits the repetitive nature of his comments can sound boring.

But the importance of that target cannot be over-emphasised both on and off the field, and Pearson does not feel the need to apologise for sticking to the same theme.

The transformation Pearson has effected has been brilliantly successful, sparking off an incredible upsurge of enthusiasm and optimism after too many seasons of the complete opposite.

So do not mistake his refusal to trumpet the achievements so far for any lack of delight or satisfaction with how things stand.

There have been many halfway leaders who did not stay the course and Pearson does not want City to add to the list by becoming distracted.

Reflecting on his reign so far he said: "Look, right from the word go, the goal was to get promotion.

"That has not changed just because we are halfway through the season and just because things are going relatively to plan so far.

"It is the same answer every time the question is asked, I'm afraid. The job is only half-done and that is the top and bottom of it. Nothing has been achieved yet."

Not so. Pearson has achieved a dramatic reversal of fortunes. Being in the third tier of the game for the first time, far from diminishing the success, actually created more pressure to pull off the change from a losing team to a winning one.

Pearson made it a fresh start for everyone and said: "I would like to think that anyone who remains here from before – players and staff alike – has got a fair crack of the whip.

"There have been quite a number of changes and that in itself means it is difficult to quantify things.

"But where we are at the moment is testimony to the hard work everyone has done, in whichever job they are in.

"We are where we want to be but it is where we want to be in May that really matters."

Pearson has certainly managed to produce the goods – only two league defeats so far and a healthy seven-point advantage over third place. After the break for the FA Cup tomorrow, it is very much back to League business.

Pearson said: "Halfway in, we have done pretty well.

"We could have had a few more points, we could have had a couple less. But we are doing well and the onus is always there for us to maintain it and improve on it.

"That is the expectation of sides like ourselves. We saw that on Boxing Day at Leeds, a club who are under the same sort of pressures and they have had a change of manager."

Now the transfer window is open, City are not hard pressed to take any big plunge because their success is based on a very strong squad, both in quality and quantity – and, as befitting their ambitions, they will have no wish to lose any of their best players.

On that matter, Pearson is again characteristically low-key, saying: "We are always looking but I am not predicting there are going to be comings and goings. It is a case of us always looking for the edge, whatever that might be. If and when something happens, it happens.

"It is important to look at strengthening if we can and most clubs at the moment have financial restraints.

"However, what I would say is that I as a manager have received nothing but great support from above. But I also understand that, like most clubs, we are facing a testing time financially.

"Our position is, to a certain extent, down to the strength and size of our squad so I am not in a desperate hurry to let people go. But it depends on circumstances and I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

"It is the last opportunity to do anything and there are four-and-a-half weeks of opportunity if we think it is right to do something.

"I don't know how things will pan out in that time. We might get a few injuries and we have to prepare for any eventuality.

"We want to be competitive and it comes back to our ambitions for promotion and the rewards that go with it, which are big."