Leicester manager Nigel Pearson returns to Newcastle on Saturday aware of the pressure and expectation on the shoulders of fellow ex-Saints boss Alan Pardew.

Pearson knows all too well the demands that come with running a club such as the Magpies as he spent 16 months on Tyneside and worked for three different managers.

During his short tenure that started in October 2006, which included spells as assistant manager, first-team coach and two week-long runs as caretaker boss, Pearson saw Glenn Roeder and Sam Allardyce sacked.

Pearson then spent a week working under Kevin Keegan prior to his own release in early February 2008 and joining Southampton.

More than six years on and Pearson now takes Leicester to the north-east where Pardew is under enormous pressure, with Newcastle in the relegation zone and without a Barclays Premier League win from their seven matches to date.

''I've still a lot of very good memories from my time there, although being caretaker was not a good experience because I was replacing someone I had worked with,'' recalled Pearson.

''The initial appointment came out of the blue. I had just left West Brom as Bryan Robson had gone and I did not expect to be in work so quickly.

''But it was a great experience for me. It's a big club and there were a lot of good things about it.

''It was unfortunate, probably because of the expectation and a few other circumstances, that as first-team coach there I worked for three managers.

''It shows you the volatile nature of football and the expectations that go with big clubs.

''It's the nature of football that sometimes the expectation can be used as the opportunity to make changes, but change is not always the best thing.

''Sometimes if you make an appointment and you think the person is the right person when you bring them in, it's then about having the right amount of time and support to get the job done.

''I've had times here (at Leicester) when it has not been easy for either myself, the staff or the players, so I understand what it is like to work under those sorts of pressures.

''When it becomes personal it's never nice.''

A quick start from Leicester during the game could work in their favour as the crowd may then turn against Pardew and his players.

Looking ahead to the clash, Pearson added: ''We all come under pressure at certain times. Dealing with that sort of pressure is never easy for anybody.

''I'm sure Alan and his staff will be working hard to try and turn the situation around, and the only way you can do that is by getting enough results.

''I would imagine Newcastle fans will remain very supportive of their team during games.

''What happens outside of that is none of my business. I am manager of Leicester City, and my focus is very much on us and how we approach games.

''Whether we can harness any situation that may or may not be there will depend on whether we play well enough.

''That is the first and most important thing for us. We have to go there and play at our best.''

Pearson has virtually a full squad to choose from, with only defenders Matt Upson (foot) and Zoumana Bakayogo (anterior cruciate) sidelined.