The Scotland midfielder has a pleasing manner with a football, but has somewhat struggled to establish himself south of the border
A tidy, ball-playing midfielder who does the simple things well rather
than looking for the spectacular, Pearson started his career at
Motherwell.
Having played his way into the full Scotland squad, he joined his
boyhood heroes Celtic for £350,000 in January 2004, and his
performances for both clubs that season earned him the Scottish Young
Player of the Year. Injury hampered his progress during 2004/05,
however, and with the emergence of Stilian Petrov, opportunities became
scarce. He switched to Derby in January 2007 for £900,000 and scored
the Play-Off Final goal against West Brom which clinched the Rams their
Premier League place that May. But he struggled in the Premier League
and ended the season on loan at Stoke City. In summer, Paul Jewell
agreed to sell Pearson to second-tier rivals Birmingham, but the deal
stalled – apparently over injury concerns.