MANY football fans, and not only Liverpool supporters, approve of their manager Jürgen Klopp.

They love his enthusiasm, his energy and the way he wears his heart on his sleeve.

But I have a different view.

I remember his snarling in the face of the referee as he walked off the pitch earlier in the season, because he gave a penalty against his team that only the most rabid Liverpool supporter would have considered not deserved.

This is, of course, the old tale of blaming someone else, preferably the referee, for your team’s failure.

I remember one of Klopp’s predecessor’s and former Reading player and manager, Brendon Rogers, decrying the referee because they failed to win a match after his strike force of Louis Suarez and Raheem Sterling missed between them, three open, and I do mean open, goals.

Now Klopp has been called by the FA to explain his derogatory remarks about Kevin Friend, referee of his team’s dismal display against West Ham last week.

I accept football management is a precarious occupation and jobs depend on results, but there is another aspect to all this.

I read an article recently, which claimed players' abuse towards referees was the fault of coaches.

I have to say I agree.

Only last week I reprimanded a coach of an academy team from one of the Premier League’s top four clubs, for his continual shouting from the touchline, criticising every decision against his team.

‘Your job,’ I told him, ‘is to shout at your players, not the referee’.

To be fair, he kept quiet for the reminder of the match and shook my hand at the end of the game.

As I have said to other coaches, at other matches, they have influence over the players, especially the younger ones who look to them for guidance.

If they see and hear their coach openly criticising the referee, they will think this is the thing to do and the referee is fair game.

I hope their improved behaviour lasted longer than just the one game.