Football: Leicester boss launches bizarre rant following defeat

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson gives instructions to his players from the touchline. Photo / AP.

There was a bizarre postscript to Leicester City's 3-1 defeat by Chelsea this morning (NZT) when the home manager, Nigel Pearson, launched a prolonged verbal tirade at a journalist during his post-match press conference.

This season Pearson has already called a journalist a "prick" and told a fan to "f*** off and die" and he showed his prickly side once again when a journalist, Ian Baker from the Wardles press agency, queried the manager's suggestion that his players had received unfair criticism this season.

After Pearson spoke of "the amount of criticism and negativity [his players] have had to endure over the course of the season", Baker asked him to specify what criticism and the following extraordinary exchange ensued in which Pearson repeatedly belittled the journalist.

What criticism are you talking about?

Have you been on holiday for six months? Have you been away for six months?

I am not quite sure what specific criticism you are referring to?

I think you must have been either head in the clouds or away on holiday or reporting on a different team because if you don't know the answer to that question your question is absolutely unbelievable the fact you do not understand where I am coming from. 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.

Probably not.

I can, you can't. You can't. 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.

There hasn't been much harsh criticism of the players.

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?

I just don't know what you, erm...

You don't know. What's erm?

I don't know how you've taken that question.

Well you must be very stupid. I'm sorry.