“Just Did It” — The Jim Pearson Story

By Rob Sawyer   ::  24/03/2013 Jim Pearson is a “glass half-full” kind of person. From adversity has arisen opportunity — frustrated in his plans for further education, he blossomed as a professional footballer at St Johnstone, Everton and Newcastle. Once Injury curtailed his playing career, he went on to help make Nike a household name in the UK. Above all else, Jim gives thanks that he can call himself an Evertonian:

I was born in 1953 in a place called Falkirk — often known as 'Falkirk Nil'. Unlike many who are attracted to Celtic and Rangers, I watched Falkirk FC through thin and thin and wanted to play for them.

I played for my local team and school so club scouts spotted me. For two years, I trained with Hearts every Tuesday night, then Willie Ormond got in touch and ask me to come to St Johnstone. I went up to Perth and everyone was great so I signed straight away on schoolboy forms for £3 per week.

I was going to go to St Andrews University to study foreign languages (French and German — I still can't speak English mind…) but my father died so I couldn't afford it. So, instead of studying full time and playing football part-time, I swapped it around. I was on the wonderful sum of £17 per week but it was like a dream being paid to do something I love. I didn't have an apprenticeship but trained with the first team — after scoring a few goals in the reserves, I played for the first team and after that I was fairly regular in it.

We actually finished above Rangers in the league and played in Europe by the time I was 18. We played in front of 100,000 at the Bernabeu in a friendly which was amazing. In the Uefa Cup, we came up against Hamburg, who had Willi Schulz from the German 1966 World Cup team; they beat us 2-1 away then we beat them 3-0 at home — that was the biggest game ever at St Johnstone. Eventually, we came down with a bang against NK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo. Two years ago, we held a 40th anniversary reunion of being in Europe — it was fantastic with the same craic and now we're meeting up every year.

Muirton Park was an old fashioned ground but had the largest playing surface in the league — that's why I was always knackered... maybe that helped us a bit as we had a very good home record.

There was talk of moves for me to Norwich City under Ron Saunders and Bobby Charlton wanted to sign me for Preston. I thought “What's going on here… Bobby Charlton wants me?!” Every time I see him now, we talk about it — he's a lovely man. In the summer of 1974, I got the phone call from the manager to say a club had come in for me. As I sat in his car I asked, “Is it Everton?” to which he said, “Yes — how did you know that?” and I replied, “You've got the road directions for Liverpool on the seat!” I just hoped it was Everton and not the other lot...

Other teams like Villa were interested so I had no intention of signing on the day — I wanted to look at my options; but when I got down there I thought “This'll do me” and signed there and then. I met Billy Bingham and he showed me around; I met the backroom staff and saw Bellefield — the whole place was terrific.

I signed for £90,000 around the same time as Bob Latchford (£350,000) and Marin Dobson (£300,000) — because of that, no-one really noticed me which suited me fine.

I moved into digs in Formby with a lovely landlady and used to go home to visit my Mum every few weeks. It was a few months before I got a first-team call up — I had a couple of fall-outs with Billy Bingham so I didn't play as many games as I might have done.

I would never have been a “superstar” as I was not blessed with enough pace but I had other attributes that helped the team. At St Johnstone I had been the main striker but at Everton I supported Bob and the team — I actually played in midfield a lot in my last two seasons there. I often joke that I used to run about and Latchford used to score! Bob was the “main man” but such a quiet modest fella — I once said to him, “If I'd scored a quarter of the goals you did, I'd be unbearable!”

There were so many great players — Martin Dobson was a lovely fella, Mick Buckley was a funny guy, Mike Pejic was very quiet, and Andy King pretended to be thick but then you realised that he was taking the mickey out of you.

Later on, Dave Thomas was great on the wing. When he told me recently that he is registered blind due to glaucoma, I told him that his vision wasn't that great when he played with me — to which he replied, “I knew I'd get no sympathy from you!”

John Connolly actually played with me at St Johnstone and later again at Newcastle — we're good mates and stay in touch. Mick was Blue to the “n-th” degree. People may question his talent but what he had was better than that — he was a fantastic leader and he just used to lead the way. Mick Lyons lives in Australia but it's great to see him when he comes back over .

We got a good side together — other teams were just that little bit ahead of us — but we gave it a good go and came close a few times. I played in the FA Cup match against Liverpool as Latch was injured. I beat Emlyn Hughes in the corner and crossed for Duncan McKenzie to score; we played really well and then Bryan Hamilton scored. Not even Hughes put his hand up and you saw the expression on Ray Clemence's face. Yet for some reason Clive Thomas disallowed it and intimated it was due to handball, then later on he said it was offside. It sounds like sour grapes but it wasn't; it's nothing to do with money — he did the players and the supporters out of a trip to Wembley and that rankled with me.

Gordon Lee replaced Billy Bingham — he got stick up here in the Northeast for selling “Super Mac” but he was proved right. I love him as a genuine football man and a manager — one of the best actually after Willie Ormond who was the best anyone could ever have.

Bill Shankly used to come down to Bellefield two or three times a week and watch the five-a-sides; it was never a hassle and he never got over-involved — he enjoyed just being in the football environment. He was a great fella, irrespective of who he had managed — perhaps Liverpool treated him a bit poorly after he left... although I understand they didn't want him hanging about the place. My mother actually used to work with his brother Bob in Falkirk.

One day I was injured (again!) so the physio and I went for a little jog to see how my leg was. Bill said, “Can I join ye?” so I said “Of course you can!” I was in awe, to be honest to be jogging round with Bill Shankly. It was a lovely morning and Bill said, “Aye It's great to be alive… you know when I die, I'm gonnae die fit. When I'm lying in that coffin and people are walking round, I'd want to hear them say ‘Bill Shankly is looking well today'.” He meant it — he was actually being serious yet he was so funny.

After the 1977-78 season, I moved to Newcastle in order to play more regularly; Gordon Lee wanted me to stay and we talked it through but, in the end, it was the right time to move. I probably underachieved at Goodison but I did my best for the team and had a great time there. It was a fantastic club and I still go to every home game even though I live in Newcastle.

As it turned out, I got injured the next season — so it turned out Gordon sold me at the right time! I'd had medial ligament knee problems all my life and it just got worse; nowadays you would have a minor operation to fix it. It got to the point where I went to see the specialist and, when I got there, the Newcastle manager Bill McGarry was there... so I thought "Oh-oh..." I was finished by the age of 27.

It's not like nowadays so I had to go out and get a job. I played a bit of semi-pro — it was great: I stayed up front and let the others do the running around for me. It was the opposite of playing with Latch!

It was partly luck that someone at Gateshead thought I'd be good for a new role coming up at Nike — back then nobody had heard of Nike in Britain. I went to meet Brendan Foster, Nike's Head in the UK; and he gave me a blank sheet of paper and said “There you are, son — off you go”. I started from scratch and was there for 14 years — just getting Nike on the map which worked quite well — and they're obviously missing them now aren't they?! To be honest, I had a plan in my mind but never dreamt it would grow as quickly as it did.

I used to get players to wear boots for nothing and get them to make appearances — there was no money in it at all initially but gradually I started to get a budget. The first four players I signed up were Ian Rush, Maurice Johnstone, Charlie Nicholas and Glen Hoddle and every one of them was fantastic. Later on, there was Ian Wright who was brilliant.

There were Evertonians wearing Nike boots like Neville Southall, Derek Mountfield, Andy Gray and Sharpy — I like Sharpy; he's another one who has that will to win.

In the 1990s, I met David Dein at Arsenal — we had worked out a deal for kit supply (for peanuts by today's standards). I remember talking to David when we were close to finalising the deal and we went for lunch. He asked me, “Why Arsenal” and I said “Nike likes to think of itself as a top-end company and likes to be involved with top end teams… but they're all gone so we came to see you.” He looked at me for a moment and said “Jim, we're going to get on splendidly.”

I left Nike in 1997; when I joined it was just a few lads in American and even fewer over here — but it just got bigger and bigger and younger lads were coming in, then the opportunity to go abroad came up. It's great to see Everton with Nike now, albeit indirectly, as I love the company and the products.

It sounds like name dropping but Ian Botham was a big mate of mine and he asked me if I fancied going to Brunei. They wanted someone to look after the football — it was just the prince and his mates, so I went in and did training sessions once a day and played once per week. It was great for our kids and gave them a different aspect on life. Mick Lyons was coaching the national team which is one of the biggest coincidences you can get! I didn't see him that much and then he moved to Australia. Mick had them fit and running alright — I said to him, “They can run with a ball you know!”

I decided we should come back to the UK and took a call from Dave Whelan to set up his indoor football centres based in Manchester and Derby — so we lived in Newcastle and I drove over for a year. After that, we built our own “Soccarena” in Durham; I managed it for three years and still have a small financial interest in it.

Until recently, I spent 5 years working with disadvantaged kids — it was the best work I have ever done as I'm the same mental age as them! There are some sad cases but they've all got something and I like to think that, once they trust you, they open up to you. I've dealt with 20-odd of them and I just hope that something has stuck with them and they are getting on better than they would have done before.

I now host in the People's Club and Captain's Table lounges on Goodison Park matchdays — it's great because we just have a laugh; I always say that if you enjoy something you do it better. I also do a bit of chauffeuring at Newcastle Airport. Through going to the games, I see Martin Dobson and Duncan McKenzie and it's great to have a laugh and a joke with them — Joe Royle is also a great lad.

I'm the proof the Everton is a very special place; I left in 1978 yet I'm still there now. You just walk in the place and the feelings are there. “Good Old Goodison”, as you might say, has got a bit about it. I don't know enough about where the future will be — whether at Goodison or elsewhere — but there'll still be an Everton, I can assure you.

Jim Pearson Career Stats:

St Johnstone: 1967-1973 — 105 matches, 40 goals
Everton: 1974-1978 — 95 matches, 14 goals
Newcastle: 1978-1980 — 11 matches, 5 goals

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