Jurgen Klopp was not allowed on the sidelines during our 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, after he was punished for his outburst to officials following our late winner against Tottenham Hostpur, leading to one pundit calling for harsher punishments to be introduced.
Writing for BBC Sport, Garth Crooks responded to comments from Howard Webb who called for more respect for referees – and wrote: ‘The solution for Webb is simple. Remove the technical area and don’t allow the coach to leave his bench, let them sit there with their coaching staff and forbidden to enter the field of play – everybody else is.
‘That’s the price they pay for their folly. Someone has to restore the standards of behaviour on the touchline’.
READ MORE: Neville backs selecting Pope over Alisson with dubious choice of stats
Although our boss isn’t directly mentioned within this argument, it seems clear that the 65-year-old is referring to his recent disciplinary misdemeanors and it’s fair to say that this punishment is excessive to say the least.
Officials certainly aren’t given the same respect as they were many years ago but at the same time, the standard of officiating is at such a level that we all feel so exasperated nearly every match we watch.
The behaviour of some managers, including the German, is not what we should be seeing but at the same time – how can we continue to accept such huge errors on a weekly basis.
Respect also works two ways and when we see linesmen elbowing our players and glaring errors made so often, these emotional reactions are always bound to happen.
The head of refereeing in the Premier League may be best to look towards his officials, rather than pinning the blame on anyone else for these outbursts.
Book Launch: Crossing the Park with Steve McMahon and Kevin Sheedy 🔴🤝🔵