Leicester boss Nigel Pearson insists 'I am not a bully'
Friday 1 May 2015 10:05, UK
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson has rejected the accusation that he is a "bully" but admits he cannot guarantee there will not be further outbursts from him in the future.
Pearson had to issue a direct and public apology to a sports journalist from the Wardle Whittle Agency on Thursday after subjecting him to fierce and personal criticism on Wednesday night.
Pearson called Ian Baker "an ostrich" with his "head buried in the sand" before storming out after defeat to Chelsea - and it is not the first time this season the Foxes boss has issued angry outbursts to reporters.
But he said: "Bully is a word that is very easy to use but I am not [one].
"Fundamentally, I am what I am. The model that is sometimes thrown at me as being dour and arrogant - people can have their views on that.
"But the people who work very closely with me know me a damn sight better, because I allow them to get to know me. It is about privacy and trust. I allow people who I trust to get to know me but outside of that I don't."
Asked whether he would remain barbed in response to questions he does not like, Pearson said: "Possibly.
"It depends on my emotional state but it would be wrong to change and wrong to recognise that we don't make mistakes - we are human beings."
The Foxes host struggling Newcastle as their fight against relegation intensifies with four games left, sitting just a point clear of the drop-zone.
And Pearson said: "There are ramifications and implications that come with not retaining our status that are clearly quite big on a financial level - so we fight hard to stay up.
"Where we could have been better is to pick up results against teams around us but there are no easy games."
