One of the most revealing half hours spent on this craft was spent alone in the company of Sir Alex Ferguson. The circumstances are not particularly important but the subject was, at least in part, linked to the way the Manchester United manager treated the media.
Ferguson, still in his prime at the time, was particularly animated when it came to the issue of post-match television interviews, or “trial by camera”, as he called it.
“You have no idea what this could be,” Ferguson said.
“You just lost a game and there you are on camera with the whole world peering into your soul.”
Ferguson was a formidable opponent for anyone lucky enough to hold a camera, a microphone, or even a pen and paper within reach. The Scotsman could be an intimidating man, an aura that only grew alongside his success. He hasn’t needed friends in the media in recent years. All the allies he ever needed were packed into one trophy cabinet at Old Trafford. So it was interesting to learn firsthand that he was still feeling the stress of it all, but perhaps it wasn’t surprising.
A furious Jurgen Klopp stormed out of a post-match interview with Scandinavian television following Liverpool’s dramatic 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Man United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Klopp apparently took umbrage at a question criticizing his team’s intensity during extra time.
It was unusual from Klopp but not particularly surprising given the pressure managers face.
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Football coaches and, to a lesser extent, players are at their most naked, emotional and vulnerable when standing in the interview zone of stadiums, with adrenaline rushing and sweat not yet dry. Success doesn’t protect you from this.
And it was this sensitivity to pressure that arguably manifested itself in Jurgen Klopp’s impromptu decision to walk away during a post-match interview with Danish television after Sunday’s FA Cup disaster against Manchester United.
Klopp said he didn’t like questions. “Stupid,” he called. The interviewer in question – Niels Christian Frederiksen – later claimed that the Liverpool manager shouted at him as he fled down the tunnel and that is something the broadcaster may regret. There is an unofficial omerta when it comes to reporting such things and, as such, some members of the Premier League management community will feel that the code has now been broken.
But when it comes to Klopp and his conduct, it’s unusual but not particularly surprising to hear about it. The number of “flash” interviews – as they are called – that managers are obliged to give to domestic and foreign rights holders before and after big matches can reach double digits and is increasing every season. It is one of the prices to be paid for the torrent of television and radio money that continues to flow into the English game.
The environment can therefore be one of repetition, even of tension on both sides of the divide. Managers are stressed and haven’t had time to collect themselves like they often do when they arrive at a written press conference about 45 minutes later. Words can therefore be muttered in anger. It’s not an easy path for television journalists to follow, either.
Former Sky journalist Geoff Shreeves was probably the best at this and he said to me: “That’s not what I want to ask. This is what our viewers want to ask. What do they want to know? But it remains difficult to formulate this question in a respectful and rational way.
“It may have to be a challenge and then there may have to be follow-up. I don’t want to lose anyone after the first question, do you? Because then I let the viewer down.
“You can’t dodge a subject because you wouldn’t be doing your job properly. You know there’s going to be a tricky topic, so it’s a matter of pitch, tone, and wording of the questions.
“If you have the audacity to immediately ask a manager if they are worried about being sacked, chances are it won’t go well. So you need to find another way to ask it, but you still have to ask for it.
Sir Alex Ferguson once described post-match interviews as the “on-camera trial” for managers.
The journalist in question, Niels Christian Frederiksen, later revealed that Klopp “scared” passersby by “yelling” as he walked down the corridor after leaving the interview.
But while the situation could have been handled better, no one was hurt and it just goes to show how emotionally demanding football management can be.
“You don’t need to go with tedders. You just need to find a way to get where you know you need to go.
Managers can be difficult to read, regardless of the interview scenario. Some may take more than others. Likewise, sometimes it’s just irrefutable facts that they don’t like. Questions with open answers can be discussed. Concrete facts – such as the reminder of a league position or a lost point – can hit harder.
Klopp didn’t like the perfectly understandable suggestion that his team lacked intensity as Sunday’s epic cup match continued. A day earlier, after the defeat at Fulham, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was angered by a simple question about his side’s hold on the Champions League places.
Both will perhaps reflect on situations that could have been handled better. But no one was hurt. No rules of engagement were broken. Football management is an emotionally demanding activity and sometimes it shows.