In Germany we have known this man since the World Cup semi-finals in 1990. Back then, Stuart Pearce failed legendary in the penalty shoot-out to Bodo Illgner. Today the English legend celebrates his 60th birthday – and in a few days the fans of Eintracht Frankfurt could get to know him in a special way.
It was one of those typical actions of the man they just call “Psycho” in England. At the age of 53, Stuart Pearce wanted to get back on the pitch. As a player. In the thirteenth English league, beautifully named Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two. By this time, AFC Longford had lost all of their nineteen games of the season and were posting an adventurous goal difference of 3:183. Pearce, it was said, should help the team back on its feet. But after just one game it was over for the former international. The whole thing had turned out to be a publicity stunt – and somehow things had backfired. And that, again, was typical of Pearce.
Coach Bobby Gould remembers the day he decided to sign Stuart Pearce for Coventry: “I went to Yeovil on a very uncomfortable night to see Stuart Pearce play for Wealdstone. After ten minutes he attacked an opposing player on the touchline so roughly that he landed on my wife’s lap. I said to her, ‘That’s enough. I’ve seen enough. We can go home.'” The next morning Gould stole the transfer with a clear conscience of the later 78-time England international with the meaningful nickname “Psycho”.
On the day of his last game, Pearce looked back on his eventful career and said: “There’s always a worm in there when I do something”. Pearce spoke the phrase fully aware of a memorable stoppage-time scene that was so characteristic of his entire career. Because just minutes earlier, Pearce should have crowned his career and his last game with a penalty of all things. 34,000 spectators in the stadium stared spellbound and full of anticipation at the penalty spot.
Portsmouth goalkeeper Dave Beasant seemed aware of this special moment. Everyone in the wide circle knew: The 43-year-old keeper will not want to ruin this moment. And indeed, Pearce will later say that Beasant whispered in his ear: “Look, I’m not going to move at all. Shoot that thing in any corner and it’s good.”
Even as a coach, penalty shoot-outs don’t work
It would have been Stuart Pearce’s 100th goal of his career and Manchester City’s 109th this season – a club record. But for “Psycho” this moment was once again too big. Pearce incredibly put the ball over the goal.
Afterwards he said, half smiling, half despairing: “It’s always been like that. It’s a funny ending, but typical for me. When I switched to West Ham I broke my leg twice. And when we were in the World Cup semi-finals in 1990 and I had this huge opportunity for our country, I blew it. That’s just me!”
Ben Redelings is a passionate “chronicler of football madness” and a supporter of the glorious VfL Bochum. The bestselling author and comedian lives in the Ruhr area and maintains his legendary anecdote treasure chest. for ntv.de he writes down the most exciting and funniest stories on Mondays and Saturdays. More information about Ben Redelings, his current dates and his book with the best columns (“Between Puff and Barcelona”) can be found on his page www.scudetto.de.
At the time at the World Cup in Italy, he shot the German national goalkeeper Bodo Illgner in the penalty shoot-out with a hard-hitting but completely misplaced shot in the middle of the goal. That was unfortunate, but he was never particularly offended in England because Chris Waddle nailed the decisive penalty into the Turin night sky. But since that evening, the blond giant Pearce and the England national team have been stuck with the stigma of penalty failures.
And so, 17 years later, as coach of the England U21s, the tough former left-back had to watch his boys fail in the host country, the Netherlands. In the longest penalty shoot-out in an official UEFA match, the final score was 12-13. Pearce commented smugly on the defeat: “At least we delayed the decision until the 32nd penalty, that’s a step in the right direction.”
The carrot at the end of the tunnel
Pearce should not let go of the subject of penalties even after his playing career. In his playing days at Manchester City, however, “Psycho” had previously shown that he was willing to take penalties less seriously. When team-mate Robbie Fowler missed the crucial penalty in a UEFA Cup play-off, Pearce hugged him and said just three words: “Welcome to the club!”
Many years later, when the London native did not have a fixed severance agreement written into his contract as an assistant coach at Manchester City because he saw the job as an honour, he only said after his dismissal with slumped shoulders: “My wife thinks I’m a Idiot”. That’s definitely not Pearce. He’s just a guy who’s always just off the mark in life. Whether he says funny things (“I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel”) or jumps into the audience when celebrating a goal: “I always look for a woman, but in the end I always end up on the same old guy.” The man whom everyone just calls “Psycho” is perhaps an English legend for that very reason.
Stuart Pearce is celebrating his 60th birthday today – and in a few days the West Ham United assistant coach will meet Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semifinals. It remains to be seen whether he will then influence his players in a possible penalty shoot-out. But football is known to write the most unbelievable stories. And the story of Stuart Pearce is definitely far from over.