Nigel Pearson, oh dear

Baker: What criticisms .. do you not think are right?

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

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

Pearson: I think you must have been either head in the clouds, away on holiday or reporting on a different team because if you don’t know the answer to that question, I think 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.

Baker: Probably not.

Pearson: I can, you can’t. You can’t.

Someone: Any more questions, or shall we wrap it there?

Pearson: 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, but you are daft.

Baker: There hasn’t been much harsh criticism of the players.

Pearson:  You are wrong. No, you are wrong. You have been in here, you've been 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?

Baker:  I just don’t know what,  you, erm…

Pearson: You don’t know, 'what erm?'

Baker: I don’t know how you’ve taken that question...

Pearson: Well you must be very stupid. I’m sorry. 

In my opinion Nigel Pearson started off just the right side of the line but crossed it with his flexibility comments and descended into bullying with his 'Now do you want to ask a different question or do you want to ask it differently.'

I've heard that tone of voice from bullying teachers and supercilious bosses over the years, albeit not aimed at me. It says I'm superior to you and my understanding of the English language is so much superior to you that I'll help you out by emphasising the difference between two similar words. It reeks of, I am so much in control of you that you have no chance of winning this argument.

As for the impersonation 'what 'erm'' that was just plain nasty. Like the nasty teacher at school who everybody hated.

I had a lot of respect for Nigel Pearson before last night, the way he's dragged Leicester City back from relegation, but after that interview...