Harley Pearce was described as a “cherished son and devoted brother”
The son of ex-England footballer Stuart Pearce has died in a tractor crash.
Harley Pearce, 21, from Marlborough in Wiltshire, died in the crash in Gloucestershire last week, police said.
Harley’s family have issued a tribute to him saying: “Our family is truly shocked and utterly heartbroken at the loss of our cherished son and devoted brother, Harley.”
Harley’s family described him as “a golden boy with an infectious smile”.
“A soul who left an unforgettable imprint on all who knew him,” continued the tribute.
“This shocking tragedy will leave a huge hole in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to have known him.
“With a quiet, understated strength and deep kindness, we are so proud of the young man he had become, exhibiting a wonderful work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit in the farming industry.
“He will always be our shining star. Rest in peace, our beautiful son and brother. You will never ever be forgotten.”
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Stuart Pearce is an English professional football manager and former player
Harley ran his own farming company, Harley Pearce Agricultural Services.
His father, Stuart Pearce, played more than 400 games for Nottingham Forest. He also played for Coventry, Newcastle, West Ham and Manchester City.
The former electrician won 78 international caps and later managed Forest, Manchester City and the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics.
He also had a stint as England’s caretaker manager.
HE IS the English striker formerly of Stoke, Yeovil and Weymouth in a shootout for the MLS Golden Boot with Lionel Messi.
Sam Surridge, now of Nashville SC, is on 23 league strikes, just one behind the Greatest Of All Time — as well as LAFC’s Denis Bouanga — in the Stateside goalscoring stakes.
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Sam Surridge has been prolific since moving to MLSCredit: Getty
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Surridge is battling it out with Lionel Messi for the Golden BootCredit: Getty
The ex-England Under-21 international has the odds stacked against him as he has only one game left to take the crown, as opposed to Messi’s two and Bouanga’s three.
And, in an exciting twist of fixture fate, that solitary match is at home to the iconic Argentinian’s Inter Miami a week today.
Yet Surridge, who played in the Premier League with Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, told SunSport: “I’ve probably got to get a hat-trick so it’s not going to be easy.
“But at the same time I’ll always back myself to score and it would be an amazing achievement.
“We’re fighting at a really good point in our league. We just won the cup and we need to get into the top four to get a good play-off spot.
“I’ll do as much as I can to do it.
“It’s great. Just to mention my name along with his is a huge achievement.”
Berkshire-born Surridge came through the ranks at Bournemouth under Eddie Howe and had formative lower-league loans at Weymouth, Poole Town, Yeovil, Oldham and Swansea.
He had a half a season at Stoke before moving to Forest, where he played 20 Premier League games in 2022-23 but netted only once.
His world has changed completely, however, since moving to the other side of the Pond in 2023.
Emotional Lionel Messi wipes away tears as fans chant his name in latest retirement hint
He is now the main man with Tennessee side Nashville.
Though he has Messi to thank for convincing him to make the revitalising switch in the first place.
Surridge will hope his upcoming meeting with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner goes better than the last one, when Miami won 2-1 thanks to Messi’s double — including a sublime free-kick.
The 27-year-old added: “At first I didn’t want to come here because I just wanted to stay in England.
“But then I saw Messi join Inter Miami and I knew they were going to host the World Cup and the size of the league was going to grow.
“Since I’ve been here, the standard has been getting better and better every year.
“Going into that game against Miami in July, we were on a ten-game unbeaten streak, I was on 16, he was on 14.
‘IT WAS CRAZY’
“I remember we gave a foul away on the edge of the box and you just knew he was going to score from it.
“It was crazy — you knew exactly where he was going to put the ball. And he did.
“You’re trying to focus on the game but at the same time you know he’s playing. It’s not easy.
“He is coming to the end of his career but he only won the Ballon d’Or two years ago.”
Surridge has been relishing his role as Nashville’s go-to guy up top and recently scored the match-winning goal to clinch the US Open Cup — America’s equivalent of the FA Cup.
It was the first piece of silverware in Tennessee in a long time, although Surridge was sent off right at the end of the game for two late yellows.
Surridge puts his inspired form in part down to the recent birth of son Noah.
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Surridge turned out for Yeovil Town during his time in EnglandCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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The forward has banged them in for NashvilleCredit: Getty
He added: “In the past, I’ve probably let it eat me up when I’ve had a bad game or not scored a goal.
“But now as one game is gone, I’m straight on to the next, back home with my family and being a dad.
“That’s a massive factor (in my form) this season, giving me that renewed focus.” Surridge is experiencing week in, week out the soaring temperatures that Harry Kane and the rest of the England team will have to deal with at the World Cup next summer.
And forward Surridge, who played with the likes of Marc Guehi for the Young Lions, said: “I know England are going to find it hard to cope with the weather over here because it’s not easy adjusting to it.
“There’s going to be a lot of South American teams that are used to it.
“Especially when you go to places like Miami, and places more south of Nashville, it’s not easy to play in the heat. There’s going to be a lot of toing and froing, sitting off and trying to break teams down.
“They should be pushing the games back because we play at 7pm most games and it’s still ridiculously hot.
“At the Club World Cup, I’ve seen them play at games at 2pm and 3pm in the 30-degree heat and it’s almost impossible.”
‘PICKING THE MOMENTS’
So what would his advice be for Thomas Tuchel’s side braving the heat?
The striker replied: “It’s not saving yourself in games, it’s more about picking the moments.
“Because as soon as you get into a full-on sprint in that heat, it’s hard to get your breath back.
“I think managers will set up their teams differently for that reason.
“You see pressing teams where they’re full-on pressing and, as soon as they break down, they’re going to struggle.
“It’s about conserving your energy where you can.”
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Surridge was at Nottingham Forest before heading across the pondCredit: Getty
Potter joined West Ham refreshed and with his reputation intact, a highly regarded, measured individual who was in the Football Association’s post-Southgate calculations and who had also attracted the interest of Everton when they dismissed Sean Dyche.
He had risen steadily, a considered constructor of clubs and teams rather than a quick-fix problem solver that made him an ill fit for clubs as demanding – on and off the pitch – as Chelsea.
After waiting so long for what he believed was the right club for his managerial and coaching talents, Potter walked straight into a hole at West Ham.
He came to prominence at Ostersund in Sweden before being appointed manager of Swansea in June 2018, and his development and attractive playing style earned him a move to Brighton a year later.
Brighton was the perfect platform for Potter, home to patience and planning under owner Tony Bloom alongside technical director Dan Ashworth, with a smart recruitment team that uncovered gems such as midfielders Moises Caicedo and Alex Mac Allister.
Potter was at his best on the training ground, leading Brighton to ninth in the Premier League the season before he left, leaving them to join Chelsea when the Seagulls were fourth after winning four of their first six games, including an opening-weekend win at Manchester United.
He can point to leading Chelsea into the last eight of the Champions League while at Stamford Bridge, but – as at West Ham – Potter seemed at times to be overwhelmed by events before being consumed by a ruthless sacking.
Potter’s downfall has come from joining two clubs with polar opposite approaches to Brighton, where Bloom never lost faith even after an early run of only two wins in 19 games. Potter had the trust and faith of the hierarchy in a manner which has never been replicated since.
Former England defender Martin Keown told the BBC: “Potter was at Chelsea not so long ago. He could have been an England manager.
“Now you look at his career and his win percentage at Chelsea and West Ham. His next job now in the Premier League, if he gets one, is really very important for him.”
Potter has not actually dealt in high win percentages throughout his Premier League career.
In 120 games at Brighton he won 34 and lost 42, with a 28% winning ratio. At Chelsea it was 32%, with seven wins, while at West Ham he won six games or 26%.
Potter’s strength as a coach was always organisation and tactical discipline, yet he even looked lost in this context at West Ham, especially at set-pieces.
Keown said: “I watched them play Spurs a couple of weeks ago and you saw the set-pieces.
“They have conceded seven goals from set-pieces this season. It looked like a set of schoolboys out there – no real direction. Eventually that has to come back to the manager.”
The usually calm Potter exterior was replaced by a personality who looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders as a second high-profile Premier League failure unfolded.
Where Potter goes next is purely guesswork.
The continent may call, where he could find a set-up that suits him, but the notion of a big Premier League post is fanciful in the extreme.
Potter’s ending at West Ham caps a spectacular fall from grace from the territory where he was once a live contender in the conversation of those with the qualities befitting an England manager.
Former England captain Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving after crashing into a central reservation, police said.
The ex-Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder was arrested after a black Range Rover crashed at 17:00 BST on Saturday on Chester High Road in Neston, Wirral.
Cheshire Police said the 57-year-old has been bailed to appear at Chester Magistrates’ Court on 18 July.
The former Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool manager, who also played for West Ham United and Inter Milan, won 53 caps for his country and played at Euro 96 and the World Cup in 1998.
He became the first black footballer to captain England in 1993.
After retiring, he moved into management, most recently working for Reading between 2022 and 2023.
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said officers “were called following reports of a collision on Chester High Road, Neston”.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier,” the spokesperson said.
“Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man.”
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