Firstly, I'm hugely relieved that it isn't Gregory (with Walsh)
As for Pearson, from the early information about him, some things appear quite promising about him. A lot of management experience for a relatively young guy and was not just a player but the captain of his club for quite some years. As another poster said, someone really should check out the Southampton site and see if the fans really were disappointed to see him go (I hope it is the case, not saying it isn't). They did escape, but only by the skin of their teeth - what was the verdict of their fans? Do they think he saved them or that he nearly dragged them down? Has anyone checked?
His early statements refer to him feeling that players will respond to his management style. Whatever that is, I hope it is a hard one that trains the players hard (doesn't revert to the slack fitness & training regimes of Adams/Levein/Kelly) and that he is something of a disciplinarian in dealing with under-performing players.
All these questions not withstanding, I will of course give the man a chance, support the team, and believe he has every chance of succeeding at this club. I don't think I could have quite the same attitude with a Gregory appointment.