Nigel Pearson – A good-natured player prone to a PR disaster as coach

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DURING his playing days at Sheffield , played a practical joke on his famously dour manager Howard Wilkinson.

He drove to a pet shop, bought a goldfish, then deposited it in a water cooler by the gaffer's desk.

When Sgt Wilko noticed – it is safe to presume the famously dour Yorkshireman didn't laugh – he ordered the fish to be removed. Pearson waited until he'd left, then replaced the fish with a pile of shredded carrot. Cue mirth all round.

By all accounts, the stunt was typical of Pearson, a fearsome competitor but good-natured character. Ron Atkinson described him as the greatest skipper he'd ever worked with.

Yet, after his suspension by – and almost certain dismissal – it is increasingly difficult to imagine the former centre-back as anything but a chippy, aggressive bully.

Pearson, 44, in charge at Pride Park for just 12 games, was ordered to pack his bags after a blazing row with owner , reportedly over the direction of the club.

Coming hot on the heels of his infamous ostrich rant at journalist Ian Baker, touchline fracas with Palace's James McArthur and a confrontation with a Leicester supporter who was told to “f*** off and die”, the incident is another PR disaster for Pearson.

Those who know him insist a nice guy lurks there somewhere. “The way he looks on the TV and the impression he gives is totally different to the man I remember,” said Steve Vickers, Pearson's centre-back partner at .

“He was good fun in the dressing room. You'll hear that from everyone who played with him. But I suppose you've got to have two heads as a manager – one for the players and another for the public.”

Problem is, that public head is pretty distasteful. The notion that Pearson is a nasty piece of work has stuck fast. He may be a good manager, a laugh behind closed doors. But I doubt many owners will be willing to take the risk after this bust-up.

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