Ange Postecoglou disagreed with the idea that his side could have failed in their ambitions of finishing in the top four. Photo: Getty Images/Sebastian Frey
Jurgen Klopp was gracious in defeat after Liverpool's epic FA Cup quarter-final, at least speaking to ITV, but he wasn't always so calm when he was beaten. Soon after, a hapless interviewer on Swedish television got both guns fired when Klopp called a mild question about the intensity of the match a «dumb question», suggested the ashen-faced Scandinavian journalist was «not in good shape» and walked away. Zero points!
It was the latest strong display from the man who has become one of the best we've ever seen in a passive-aggressive post-match interview. Partly an outlet for irritability, partly a calculated distraction from other performance issues, these sharp, intense dialogues have become an integral part of the circus.
Ange Postecoglou was also in attendance this weekend, putting on a masterful display of exasperated self-pity in the face of fairly reasonable questions from a reporter, in this case Sky Sports' Emma Saunders, after Ange's Spurs side were pumped up by Fulham. “How much does this hurt your four best hopes?” she asked. “Yeah, look, it's over, so we'll just go to sixth place,” Ange grumbled. — What should I say to this? Bonus points for the aggressive, breakneck accompaniment, as if he was bouncing for apples while plugged in.
«Bad day at the office, but don't accept it» ❌
Ange Postecoglou recalls a disappointing visit to Craven Cottage 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/rflGefuRzQ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 16, 2024
He is not alone. North of the border, Ange's successor at Celtic, Brendan Rodgers, recently put himself on display when interviewed by BBC reporter Jane Lewis.
“History has been written about this group, but we will write our own,” Rodgers declared gnomically after the 3-1 win over Motherwell. Lewis asked if he wanted to say a little more, Rogers replied: «No, no, you know exactly what I mean.» Lewis said, um, no, she didn't do that, and B-Roge brushed it off, saying, «Done, good girl.» A spokeswoman for the Scottish Feminist Network said: «We thought dinosaurs were extinct.»
Only Postecoglou and Rodgers could say whether they would have reacted differently if the questions had been asked by a real footballer, but we can all learn a lot from the inclusive approach of David Moyes, who told the BBC's Vicky Sparks: «You can still get spank, even though you’re a woman.” It's impossible to say more honestly, is it? Three cheers for equal opportunities.
To be fair, this doesn't mean managers don't understand that male interviewers do too. Klopp made this part of his gimmick, attacking Amazon Prime Video's Marcus Buckland for daring to make a minor, even microscopic, joke about match congestion («You're going to Crystal Palace at your favorite kick-off time this weekend, Jurgen .») Der Kloppster completely spat on the dummy and said: “You don’t understand this either, even when you work in football. Why should I try to explain again? You are just leaving completely ignorant comments. But it's good. Football is fun and I understand that.» Klopp also recently nagged Sky Sports' Patrick Davison, telling him: «We can stop the interview because I only want to talk to people who know a little bit about football.»
You can certainly sympathize with the frustrations of failed managers: most people wouldn't want to be grilled about workplace failures and disappointments while their blood is still boiling. But there seems to be a common element of pressure in all these cases: powerful names and multimillionaires intimidating and humiliating reporters who are often much younger than them and certainly not as powerful. After all, men and women with television microphones are unlikely to be treated like Jeremy Paxman. The big clubs have an army of online fans willing to jump up and call interviewers disrespectful, mean-spirited journalists and so on, which doesn't really seem fair given that the Premier League soap opera is so much dependent on the personalities and quirks of the players. managers and the way they behave.
Because it is a curious role of the post-match TV interviewer: on the one hand, these people are at the top of their chosen profession, and they are presumably well paid. do what they like while on TV. You could view this as a big event, a coveted and status concert. On the other hand, your work life consists of having to go toe-to-toe with people who look at you, at best, as a necessary evil. And most of the time they intervened as if something was unpleasant. The closest analogy that comes to mind is the job of a zookeeper caring for large animals: great to watch up close, inspiring and a privilege, but a significant chance of getting your head bitten off at any moment.
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