| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Usher Pearson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1913-03-06)6 March 1913 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 2 March 1999(1999-03-02) (aged 85) | ||
| Place of death | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Murrayfield Amateurs | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1933–1947 | Newcastle United | 212 | (46) |
| 1947–1953 | Aberdeen | 84 | (10) |
| Total | 296 | (56) | |
| International career | |||
| 1939 | England (wartime) | 1 | (0) |
| 1945[3] | Scotland (wartime) | 1 | (0) |
| 1947 | Scotland | 2 | (0) |
| 1948[4] | Scottish Football League XI | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1959–1965 | Aberdeen | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Thomas Usher Pearson (6 March 1913 – 2 March 1999) was a Scottish professionalfootball player andmanager.
Born inEdinburgh, Pearson played for Murrayfield Amateurs, and had a trial forHeart of Midlothian, but signed professional terms withNewcastle United in March 1933. He played over 200 games for Newcastle before and after theSecond World War, scoring a total of 52 goals.[5] Pearson was renowned as a skilful and entertaining outside-left, although he won no major honours atSt James' Park.
Pearson made a guest appearance forEngland during a wartime international againstScotland in Newcastle when outside leftEric Brook was injured before the game. Pearson was at the match as a spectator, but agreed to turn out for England.[6][7][8] He was capped twice by Scotland in 1947, which uniquely meant that he had played for both Scotland and England.
In 1948, he was signed byAberdeen for £4,000, and quickly became a crowd favourite, renowned particularly for his 'double shuffle', which baffled opposing players and spectators alike. Pearson retired at the age of 40, and took up a career as a sports writer, often covering Aberdeen for theScottish Daily Mail.
In November 1959, Pearson was appointed manager of Aberdeen, in spite of his lack of coaching or managerial experience, and the six years he had spent outside the game, albeit as an observer. Unusually, his predecessor,Davie Shaw stayed on at the club in his former capacity as coach. Pearson's time in office coincided with the departure or retirement of a number of key players, and long-term injuries to others, alleviated only briefly by the emergence ofCharlie Cooke, soon on his way toChelsea. There were a sequence ofScottish Cup exits to lower league teams, and in spite of aSummer Cup final, ultimately lost toHibs in 1964, Pearson's reign ended with his resignation on 13 February 1965.
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newcastle United | 1933–34 | First Division | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 1 |
| 1934–35 | Second Division | 25 | 13 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 27 | 14 | |
| 1935–36 | 40 | 12 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 45 | 14 | ||
| 1936–37 | 37 | 7 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 38 | 7 | ||
| 1937–38 | 41 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 42 | 4 | ||
| 1938–39 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1939–40 | Competitive football cancelled due to theSecond World War | |||||||||||
| 1940–41 | ||||||||||||
| 1941–42 | ||||||||||||
| 1942–43 | ||||||||||||
| 1943–44 | ||||||||||||
| 1944–45 | ||||||||||||
| 1945–46 | ||||||||||||
| 1946–47 | Second Division | 38 | 4 | 6 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 44 | 6 | |
| 1947–48 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 22 | 4 | ||
| Total | 212 | 46 | 16 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 228 | 52 | ||
| Aberdeen | 1947–48 | Scottish Division One | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| 1948–49 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 | ||
| 1949–50 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6 | ||
| 1950–51 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 3 | ||
| 1951–52 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| 1952–53 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 85 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 116 | 16 | ||
| Career total | 297 | 56 | 30 | 9 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 344 | 68 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1947 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | Win % | |||
| Aberdeen | 1959 | 1965 | 229 | 84 | 89 | 56 | 036.68 |
