Pearson spares thought for beleaguered Carver

LONDON (Reuters) - Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson, who has been at odds with the media himself this week, offered a vote of support for beleaguered counterpart John Carver on Saturday after his side left Newcastle United flirting with relegation. After a turbulent week off the field in which he apologised for insulting a reporter only to be taken to task himself by a radio correspondent, Pearson could at least celebrate an emphatic 3-0 win over Carver's free-falling Newcastle. Having won five of their last six games in the Premier League to move beyond the relegation zone to 17th place, Leicester, while still far from safe, now find themselves only a point behind Newcastle, who have lost eight on the bounce. It left Pearson, who has been the subject of media criticism for several incidents in a difficult season, recognising the plight of Carver, who had to ask for more protection from the club after being confronted by angry fans following last week's defeat at Swansea. "Someone of John Carver's integrity has to try to find solutions that are proving difficult to solve. I feel for him -- he cares so much about the club," Pearson told reporters. "You've got a better chance if you have people who have a feel for the club. They still have more points than us. They've still got work to do but so do we." Pearson has been learning the pressures of Premier League struggles himself, turning on a reporter after the midweek defeat by Chelsea, calling him an "ostrich" and "stupid". Then, after apologising for his outburst, he was told by a radio reporter in an equally widely-circulated argument that he was "in danger of appearing a bully". None of which has apparently had any effect on Pearson's ability to inspire a tremendous revival from his team. They eased to victory after Newcastle, who had Mike Williamson and Daryl Janmaat sent off, succumbed to a brace from Leonardo Ulloa and another from Wes Morgan. "With a couple of months to go our season was in danger of not happening as we'd like. But we've kept our destiny in our hands. Goal difference will be important. Days like today help," Pearson said. (Writing by Ian Chadband, editing by Ed Osmond)