Leicester City have a different manager now – Claudio Ranieri – but their team is still very much Pearson’s.
And they go into today’s home match against Aston Villa with an unbeaten record in this campaign, having started where they left off last season.
Seven wins in their last nine matches saw Leicester – led by Pearson – pull off the greatest of great escapes, after winning promotion a year earlier.
But when this season got underway, Pearson, 52, was not in charge.
After a controversial season in which he was sacked then almost immediately re-instated following a touchline clash with the Crystal Palace midfi elder James McArthur, Pearson finally lost his job in June.
His dismissal followed three young Leicester players – including his son James – being sacked after being involved in a sex-tape incident in Thailand, home of the club’s owners.
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SPEAKING OUT: Nigel Pearson
The Pearson family strongly deny any suggestion of racist comments being made by James, 22.
Since then, Pearson has said nothing publicly – until today.
In his first interview since a sacking which was not based on results – a rarity in football – he stresses: “I’m pleased for the players, staff and fans at the start Leicester have made. They have carried on where they left off last season.
“It shows I left the club in good condition. People are saying positive things about the team and some of the players in particular and that’s a bit like a back-handed compliment to me.
“But I think my track record speaks for itself and now, I’ve got to look forward.
“I’ve got a clear conscience. It was a shame, after I got the club into a good position, that I was then unable to take it further.
“But it’s not my style to be in a hurry to put my side of the story and some things still have to remain private.
“All I will say is that this has been a really difficult summer for the whole family.
“But I’m ready for a new challenge and I’m open-minded about where that will be.
“So I wouldn’t rule out working abroad or taking a national job.”
Pearson has just been to Sweden to do a presentation on football’s coaching pro-licence.
And on the international theme, his successor at Leicester is Italian – former Chelsea boss Ranieri, 63.
Pearson says of that appointment: “It’s not for me to speak about other coaches, but I’ve got no axe to grind with him. He’s a genuine, likeable man.”
The former Leicester boss is more interested, though, in looking ahead rather than back.
He says: “I’ve had time to reflect, including areas in which I could improve.
“When you come to the end of a chapter, you look at what happened, but you have got to move on.
“And when the next opportunity comes, I need to be clear in my mind it’s the right one to take.”