Garth Crooks believes that Brighton boss Chris Hughton was entirely justified for being unhappy with Jurgen Klopp on Saturday.
Immediately after Liverpool’s 5-1 victory over the Seagulls last weekend, there seemed to be an odd exchange on the touchline between the pair of usually affable managers.
Neither man was asked about the interaction in their post-match press conferences but Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright suggested that it was Klopp’s constant gesticulating and aggressive celebration of every goal, despite the comprehensive nature of the Reds’ victory, which irked Hughton.
Klopp’s immersion in his side’s performance is nothing new but one can see why it would irritate managers on the receiving end of Liverpool routs.
And former Spurs forward Garth Crooks has claimed that Hughton was completely right to be annoyed by the German’s behaviour, particularly if he was forced to wait to shake Klopp’s hand.
“Losing 5-1 is no fun, especially when Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is fist-pumping every goal and celebrating with his staff like it’s the final of the Champions League,” Crooks writes in his BBC column.
“I understand the importance of winning, but this was Brighton. What I do take exception to is any manager being kept waiting to shake hands once a game has finished, while his opposite number finishes hugging and kissing his players and staff in celebration of their victory.
“I sense this was exactly what happened after the final whistle, and why Chris Hughton tore a strip off Klopp immediately after the game and quite rightly.
“What is happening to the traditions of this great game? Has winning and money destroyed everything we hold dear.
“The convention is we shake hands immediately after a game because it brings closure to the occasion, and it starts with the managers.
“The game’s conventions are bigger than any manager or player, and if either can’t be bothered to perform the duty, I suggest they find another profession that can afford their bad manners.”
