Last night, Nigel Pearson's turbulent reign at Leicester City came to an end when the club's board revealed it had cut ties with Nigel Pearson due to "differences in perspective".
Read between the lines, or rather sports websites, and it appears Pearson's sacking was spurred by his son's involvement in a racist orgy which was filmed by a trio of now sacked players on the club's recent 'good will' tour to Thailand - the same country the club's owners hail from.
Pearson had previously been sacked by the board but weirdly was then quickly appointed again by the club during its topsy-turvy campaign last season. Then following his side's terrific late season run which saw them defy the odds and survive relegation from the Premier League, it was largely believed that his job was once again safe. Not so.
Still, what a season - and we don't just mean the football. Wild dog fighting, touchline skirmishes, ostrich analysis? We'll always have the memories, Nige.
So here's our opportunity to recap on all things Pearson.
Enjoy…
Nigel Pearson vs. A Pack Of Wild Dogs
Before we recap on his mad Premier League season, we need to set the scene with a mind-blowing bit of context: Nigel Pearson once fought off a pack of wild dogs in the Carpathian Mountains.
Though incredible, it’s actually a slight downgrading of the original rumour. Only when football journalist Henry Winter asked him directly was the myth that Pearson had, “once wrestled a bear” finally dispelled.
Big Nige had found himself cornered by the pack of wolves while on a walking holiday in Romania in 2011. He got free by poking them in the eyes with his walking stick until they got bored and went away.
In this context, it sounds like the journalist at the centre of Ostrich-gate got off quite lightly.
Nigel Pearson vs. The Fans
Onto the 2014/15 Premier League season, now. During the 1-3 home defeat to Liverpool on 2 December, some fans took exception to Pearson’s tactics.
His response? “F*** off and die.” Classic.
Pearson was fined £10,000 by the FA and issued with a one-game touchline ban. He has consistently refused to apologise for his part in what happened.
Nigel Pearson vs. James McArthur
Another home defeat, this time 0-1 to Crystal Palace on 7 Feb, threw up a controversial moment.
Pearson - a wolf-batterer, remember - became tangled with Palace's James McArthur when the midfielder accidentally fell into him on the touchline. Though he initially seemed to laugh off the collision, Pearson then appeared to "strangle" McArthur.
Pearson avoided punishment for the incident, though rumours that he had been sacked persisted for days afterwards.
Maybe the board tried to terminate the contract, but Nigel told them otherwise? Seems plausible. REMEMBER: THE WOLVES.
Nigel Pearson vs. Ian Baker, of Wardles Press Agency
Last night, following the 1-3 home loss to Chelsea, Pearson's post-match press conference took a turn for the absurd.
Reporter Ian Baker, of Wardles Press Agency, asked Pearson to explain what he meant about "the amount of criticism and negativity" surrounding his players this season.
Obviously, that sort of question deserves a counter-question. And when isn't it a good idea for any counter-question to be, "are you an ostrich?"
Clearly, Nige is a rampant surrealist with a lovely sense of humour, and not a great big bully who acts all weird when he's in the wrong.
Well, at least it's more interesting than the usual media-trained fare. And Ian didn't get poked in the face with a walking stick, either.
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