Players Rally to Pearce's Support

Trevor Sinclair has come to the support of under-fire manager Stuart Pearce and has urged the rest of the players to ease the pressure on Psycho with some better performances, starting tomorrow against West Ham.

Quashing rumours that Psycho has lost the dressing room, Sinclair went on to say:

'There is no loss of faith in what the manager is doing. He works tirelessly on all aspects of our game and is trying to take pressure off the players, as all good managers do.

After the Chesterfield defeat, he said the blame lies with him. We all know that is not the case. As players, we have to respond. After a result like that, people will be looking at us.

We have to shut them up, shed the sweat and produce a performance of grit which will prove we are 100 percent behind the manager, fighting in his corner for the benefit of Manchester City.'

That's fighting talk from Sinclair and will be very welcome by Pearce, but it's one thing talking the talk, it's now up to the players to walk the walk against an equally under pressure West Ham, whose recent Argentinian signings seem to have upset what looked like a very tight-knit and happy ship. The Hammers need a victory just as much as City do and the game is likely to be an extremely tense affair.

Perhaps the best indication of City fans strength of feeling about the current situation was summed up by my visit to the local barbers today. It's normally bedecked in City photos and memorabilia, but all was missing today in utter frustration and despondency with recent events and amidst newspaper rumours linking Glenn Hoddle as a potential replacement for Pearce.

It was the view of the guys in the shop that if that were to happen it would be the final straw and there would be mass defections to other local teams such as Macc Town, Altrincham and Stockport - I wouldn't quite go that far.....yet, but the Board should take note !

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