west ham manager sam allardyce has defended nigel pearson and admires the leicester city boss for being ` his own man .
pearson has been involved in several controversial incidents this season , including grabbing crystal palace 's james mcarthur by the throat and losing his cool with a reporter during a press conference .
the pair will be reunited when west ham face leicester at the king power stadium on saturday .
pearson has been involved in a number of controversial incidents this season .