MP WANTS TO SEE FARE PLAY
FIGHTING: Allin-Khan IN THE RED CORNER: Jurgen Klopp and Virgil Van Dijk LIVERPOOL fans’ fury over the potential rescheduling of their side’s trip to West Ham in a fortnight is set to be discussed at government level.
Many supporters have already splashed out for train tickets to get them to and from London for the televised Monday night game on February 4.
But if West Ham need a replay following Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against AFC Wimbledon then the Premier League
VIRGIL VAN DIJK has lifted the lid on how Jurgen Klopp rules his Liverpool players with an iron fist in a velvet glove.
The Holland international has been immense since his £75million arrival on Merseyside just over a year ago, helping the Reds open up a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
And the world’s most expensive defender has revealed how the Kop boss has perfected his own one-man good cop-bad cop routine.
Klopp lets his team feel the love when they hit the heights but he is transformed into Mr Angry when they allow those standards to slip even a little bit.
Van Dijk thinks it is the perfect type of man-management and he explained how the German lifted the pressure of expectation placed on his shoulders when he arrived from Southampton last January.
He said: “I remember talking to the manager about the transfer fee Liverpool paid for me and he just said, ‘Listen, all good things cost a lot of money’.
“I thought it was a great thing to come out with – and it shows why Jurgen Klopp was one of the main reasons I came here.
“I remember meeting the boss for the first time. We had a really good talk and he just gave me the right confidence.
“There is something about Klopp that makes him stand out. It’s not just his energy, I think it is man-management.
“He makes you feel great and is genuinely pleased to see you in the morning and that has a big effect on the players who come in.
“Just look at the hugs at the end of a game that he gives to us.
“It is only a bit of affection but it makes you feel great and yet he can then be game will be brought forward and kick off at noon on Sunday so it can still be on TV.
With a lot of train tickets non-refundable, plenty of fans would be hit in the pocket.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow minister for sport, is intervening and is set to meet Andrew Jones, the Conservative minister responsible for railways, to discuss a new Fans’ Fare Scheme which would give football stone-hard the next day and put you in your place when you have made mistakes.
“He will do that in front of the entire squad but we all accept it because we know it is not something personal.
“Klopp has shown in so many moments that he cares about us – and that’s why he is able to demand so much from us all.”
The former Dortmund boss has been a tough taskmaster, placing huge physical demands on his players to make sure his heavy metal football doesn’t miss a beat.
Van Dijk believes he has become a better player because of it.
He said: “All the stories about Klopp are right. I’ve never worked so hard in training.
“In pre-season it was, what we call in my country, typical German. Running, running, running. And when you thought you were done, it was more running!
“I remember coming home after our camp in France and I was exhausted but now, in the hard weeks of the season, I feel the benefits.”
Van Dijk felt right at home at Liverpool when Sir Kenny Dalglish welcomed him to the club by giving him his phone number.
And the centre-back feels honoured to be following in the footsteps of legends.
Van Dijk said: “Kenny Dalglish gave me his number and told me to ring him at any time.
“It is unbelievable when he sometimes sends me messages before games. That is what Liverpool is about.
“Like most clubs, we have private boxes for players. I have my own and to get there you have to walk through the boardroom. “On match days it is like a museum, almost every club legend is there. “I love to hear all the stories they have. “When you have meant something here they will never forget you. “You will be Liverpool forever.” supporters greater flexibility on train tickets.
Dr Allin-Khan said: “Football fans in this country are often stung when fixtures are rescheduled for TV by missing out on the cheapest train tickets to away matches.
“I want to discuss giving supporters greater flexibility and preventing them from being priced out of watching the sport they love.
“Fans must not be at the mercy of billion-pound broadcasting deals. Without supporters football would not be the same.”