Mourinho and Moyes – are they proof that managers should be given time to think before they speak?

Former Norwich City boss Bruce Rioch had a clear message for Iwan Roberts! Picture: Archant Library (Image: COPYRIGHT ECN 1998)

It brings back the question – should managers be forced, straight after a game, to talk to the press when emotions are high or should they be given 30 or 40 minutes to reflect on their team's performances before having a microphone pushed in front of their face?

I think David Moyes was silly and naive in his remark to BBC's Vicky Sparks when he jokingly said to her after she'd finished interviewing him that he thought she was a bit naughty with her last question to him and that he might have to slap her if she did it again. I have listened to the interview and you can tell in Moyes' voice that he's having a joke with her and Vicky took it in that manner, as you can hear them both laughing about it afterwards.

I was shocked and quite saddened when people started slaughtering Moyes after this, calling for Sunderland to sack him, which is ridiculous in my opinion.

If people think for one minute that he was serious about the slap comment then they really need to go and find a sense of humour somewhere. Moyes has apologised, and, to be fair to Vicky Sparks, she's come out and said that he needn't apologise as she had taken the comment in the manner it was said, as a bit of banter.

After having a pop at BBC Five Live commentator Connor McNamara last weekend, because he didn't like the first question Connor had asked him, Jose Mourinho really has put the boot into left-back Luke Shaw because of his lack of fitness, weight issues and remarkable a lack of knowledge and understanding of the position that he plays.

Connor is a top journalist and very professional and didn't mean anything by his question when he asked Jose if Manchester United and West Brom had cancelled each other out after the 0-0 last weekend. However, I can understand why Jose felt the need to respond as he did.

United had 75pc of the game but just couldn't score, and West Brom didn't muster a single shot on target. So, it wasn't a case of both teams cancelling each other out, it was the case of United dominating the game but just not able to break down a very organised West Brom defence. Connor will know he probably could have worded his question better and I'm sure he will have learnt from this.

Mourinho isn't the first United manager to have a pop at England international Shaw – Louis van Gaal did the same when he thought the young left back was carrying a bit of excess weight, and I think they both have a point.

I've seen Shaw on TV in recent weeks and he does look chubby and, yes, I know the old saying that TV puts 10lb on you, but when every other player looks like they aren't carrying an ounce of extra weight it's quite clear that Shaw needs to sort himself out physically or his United career will be over before it's really begun.

Mind you, these two incidents involving Jose could be him trying to deflect from lacklustre performances from his players in their last two outings. It wouldn't be the first time he's done something like that to stop people criticising his team's performances.

I was lucky that Bruce Rioch didn't slaughter me publicly the way Jose has slaughtered Shaw for being overweight in my second season at Norwich – I'm not sure how I would have responded to his criticism.

Bruce did, however, get his point over to me that he wasn't impressed with my condition in his very first team meeting when, in front of all the staff and players up at Colney, he simply looked at me and said, 'you're looking well, Robbo – obviously had a good summer'. I knew exactly what he meant.