Jurgen Klopp Debate: The Reds boss should be celebrated and not mocked - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp took his team to thank the Liverpool fans, after the Reds drew 2-2 with West Bromwich Albion.
Moments later, social media were flooded with reactions from all over the world – two camps divided – Liverpool fans supported his gesture while he was criticised by pundits and fans of other clubs.
It was a hard earned draw, and it took Liverpool 94th min to find an equaliser. So, when Klopp took his team to say ‘thank you Kopites’ in hand-in-hand ‘take a bow’ salute, it created a shockwave among the English fans.
Many thought it was a celebration and mocked Klopp for this gesture.
No better way to celebrate a 2-2 draw against West Brom than this. http://pic.twitter.com/kmzEs7fcaX
— John Brewin (@JohnBrewinESPN) December 13, 2015
Well actually it was not a celebration at all. It is a common practice in Germany and other European countries, where clubs thank their fans for their tremendous support irrespective of the results after their match.
Mocking it just shows how some Premier League fans are out of touch with reality when it comes to anything outside of the England bubble.
— Rafael Hernández (@RafaelH117) December 13, 2015
Iain Macintosh, a journalist I like very much, wrote in his column,
“Look, we like Jurgen Klopp in these parts. He’s enthusiastic and he seems to mean well. But we’re not sure about him orchestrating that jubilant, hand-in-hand mass salute to the Liverpool fans. It’s nice that he wants to improve the relationship between the supporters and the players. It’s nice that he wants to inculcate the Premier League with some of the Bundesliga’s more heartwarming traditions. But this is Liverpool. This is Anfield. They have seen the best of the best there. You do not gleefully salute them when you salvage a point against West Bromwich bloody Albion.”
Klopp said after Liverpool’s defeat to Crystal Palace that he felt alone, after a major section of Liverpool fans left the stadium, when there was some 10 mins left to play.
He said at the day of his unveiling that “Liverpool are a special club”. He didn’t mention about the club’s legacy in details, as other previous managers have done before him, but he spoke about the famous Liverpool fans.
And that’s why he was and still is so loved by Borussia Dortmund fans. If Liverpool fans have seen best of best at Anfield, the same goes for Dortmund too at Westfalenstadion, but he is loved not because he won two trophies – the fans felt an identification with him.
This gesture goes to the fans to show what Rory Smith said “You need us, we need you, sort of thing”.
Klopp’s approach to football has so far been refreshing, devoid of all elitist dogmas. It is no wonder he won’t be bound by the formal shackles of English football. That’s why some of his acts may seem at odds with the standard roles of a manager in English football and how a football man should communicate in the hallowed portals of English football.
However, one cannot stick to age-old ideas and be open to new winds of change and be ready to accept some honest communication, howsoever weird it may seem at first glance.
From Soccerlens.com - Football News
