Nigel Pearson: Leicester City sack manager despite Premier League survival
A statement said that "fundamental differences in perspective" exist between Pearson and the club
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Your support makes all the difference.Nigel Pearson has been sacked by Leicester City, according to a statement posted to the club's website.
Leicester said that the Board of Directors recognised the success that Pearson has brought to the club, but added that "fundamental differences in perspective" had made his position "no longer viable".
The club's owners, Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, thanked Pearson for his contributions to the club, and wished him well for the future.
The dismissal follows Leicester City's remarkable turnaround in form at the tail end of last season which saved the club from relegation.
Pearson's side took 19 points from eight games, as many as they had achieved in their previous 29 fixtures, which earned him the Manager of the Month Award for April.
But he also proved a controversial figure in his second spell at the East Midlands side, in what was his first year in the Premier League.
In December, he refused to apologise after footage emerged of him appearing to tell a fan to "f*** off and die" during a home game against Liverpool.
Another bizarre touchline incident came in February when he clashed with Crystal Palace's James McArthur, appearing to put his hands round the player's throat.
Pearson was widely reported to have been sacked following the incident, only for the Leicester City board to issue a statement saying the claims were "inaccurate and without foundation".
The former Carlisle United, Southampton and Hull City manager then made the headlines again in April when he accused a journalist in a press conference of being an "ostrich", before later apologising.
Most recently, his son James and two other young players at the club were sacked after they appeared in a sex tape using racist language.
Despite these numerous high-profile incidents, Pearson was highly-praised for his stewardship of the club in the season's final months and his dismissal will come as a surprise to Leicester City supporters.
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