JAMES MILNER believes there is a Fergie Factor in the way Jurgen Klopp has transformed Liverpool.
The midfielders comparison between his boss and the man who promised to knock Liverpool off their ****ing perch may not go down well in most quarters of Anfield.
Yet he means it only as a compliment to the German, who also kept the promise he made when he succeeded Brendan Rodgers four years ago.
Klopp said he needed to have won the Premier League or the Champions League by now or the next job might be in Switzerland.
And he met that deadline with Junes Champions League win over tomorrows opponents Tottenham.
Klopp ramped up the pressure on Spurs yesterday, stressing that despite their poor start to the season they are still a big footballing force.
And Milner, who recently launched his book Ask A Footballer, told talkSPORT his manager uses press conferences to strike the first blows on the opposition just like Fergie.
He said: Hes the same as some older managers, like Sir Alex, as he thinks the battle starts there.
He gives 100 per cent every single day and has been fantastic for the club since hes been here.
Milner insisted there are plenty of smiles behind the scenes, too.
He said: The manager is pretty much what you see is what you get.
He doesnt have a front for the cameras where hes different behind closed doors.
He has that jokey side with us but he can also stick the boot in. He demands the best, the highest standards.
He has changed a bit since he came in and realised he can relax a bit more.
But the characters in the squad and the players hes got arent going to take the foot off the gas.
You see from him bouncing around on the sidelines how much it means to him.
Dejan Lovren, one of six survivors from the first squad Klopp picked from a 00 draw against Spurs this week told how when he joined the boss made players put their own plates away after eating.
Klopp has not only cleaned up the mess but given Liverpool a new appetite for success.
