Nigel Pearson Lets Pressure Tell And NUFC Must Take Advantage

The chinks in Leicester City's Premier League armour are beginning to appear after their manager Nigel Pearson exploded at a journalist following their defeat to Chelsea - and Newcastle United must take advantage of this and secure their top-flight survival. Saturday will see 14th-placed Newcastle travel to the King Power Stadium to take on fourth-bottom Leicester in a crucial relegation clash - and John Carver's men should attempt to capitalise on the bizarre fallout from Wednesday night's match, when the pressure appeared to get to Pearson. With Chelsea coming from behind to beat the Foxes 3-1, former Newcastle assistant-coach Pearson verbally attacked a journalist in the aftermath of the game, calling him "absolutely stupid" and comparing him to "an ostrich" who must have had his "head in the sand".

Leicester had headed into the match on the back of four straight victories, but the Foxes' defeat to Chelsea and their manager's post-match meltdown offers the Magpies hope. Carver's side have lost seven in a row in the league and sit just five points above the dropzone - however they must take heart from Pearson's rant, because one win would all but guarantee the Magpies' survival. Indeed it is the not the first time season Pearson has made headlines for the wrong reasons - he was caught on microphone labelling a journalist a "p***k" last month, he allegedly told a Foxes supporter to "f**k off and die" earlier this campaign, and he also appeared to strangle Crystal Palace's James McArthur in a bizarre "joke" incident on the touchline in February - and this should boost Newcastle's confidence. If the Magpies could secure an early lead at the King Power Stadium then Leicester fans may begin to turn on their side in the wake of Pearson's latest outburst.

Following the defeat to Chelsea, Pearson stated that his side have had to deal with "criticism and negativity" throughout the campaign, to which a journalist responded asking him to clarify during the post-match press conference. But the Foxes boss did not react well, and went on this bizarre rant:

"Have you been on holiday for six months? If you don't know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich. Your head must be in the sand. "Is your head in the sand? Are you flexible enough to get your head in the sand? My suspicion would be no. "Listen, you have been here often enough and for you to ask that question, you are either being very, very silly or you are being absolutely stupid, one of the two because for you to ask that question, I am sorry son, you are daft." (After the journalist argued there had been been minimal criticism of Leicester, Pearson continued) "You are wrong. No, you are wrong. You have been in here, I know you have so don't give that crap with me, please don't give that crap with me. "I will smile at you because I can afford to smile at you. Now do you want to ask a different question, or do you want to ask it differently? Come on, ask it. Ask it - or are you not capable?"

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