West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has slammed calls for the sacking of Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson.
Pearson is underfire after branding a journalist an "ostrich" in a tense exchange.
Allardyce wrote in the London Evening Standard: "Nigel was assistant manager with me at Newcastle and I know how passionate he is about football. It's his life.
"I enjoyed my time with him and I was surprised he hadn't been a manager before then.
"As a manager, his reaction probably wasn't the right thing but it happens. He has to learn from it. Having had time to calm down, Nigel did at least apologise to the journalist during another press conference yesterday.
"Some people, though, have been suggesting it was a sackable offence, which is ridiculous."