Brash. Arrogant. Rude. Doesn’t get English football. Words to describe Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal following the 0-0 draw with Cambridge United in the FA Cup last month.

The reason? Van Gaal blamed the pitch and the referee for United’s poor performance and dismissed questions after about the way the team were set-up.

Rude. Childish. Cocky. Why is he there? Questions and comments made to NFL superstar Marshawn Lynch prior to the Seattle Seahawks’ defeat to the New England Patriots.

Last November, Lynch was fined $50,000 (£33,200) for refusing to speak to press after a match and the league also decided to collect a fine from the 2013 season for the same amount. In total the 28-year-old was fined $100,000 for not speaking to the media.

Because of this, he turned up to his press conference last week but answered every question with: “I am here so I don’t get fined.” After five minutes he looked at his watch and said “time” before strolling off to get on with his day.

He caused outrage in the US and on social media, with the public not understanding why he just wouldn’t answer a few simple questions.

But to Lynch, he doesn’t like talking to the media. He just wants to focus on the game and I don’t blame him.

He is a similar character to Paul Scholes, who very rarely spoke to journalists. He felt that a player’s job was to play the sport and all the extra media attention was unnecessary.

Some players love speaking to the press and with teams being made up of 10 or more players, it is not difficult to ask people who want to share their views.

It may mean speaking to the same players week in week out but why shove a microphone under someone’s mouth who is clearly not comfortable speaking in public?

Which brings me to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and how their recent run-ins with the media has been handled by the public and journalists involved with the respective sports.

It was Goodell who fined Lynch in November and threatened to fine him $500,000 this year if he refused to answer any questions. But the head of the NFL didn’t answer questions posed to him by US TV station NBC last Friday. Is he going to punish himself? Highly unlikely.

“I understand the obligation and my job to meet with the media. I don’t know whether I meet with them at a press conference every week but I’m available to the media almost every day of my job, professionally,” Goodell said after. “We try to make ourselves available on a very regular basis. It is my responsibility, it is my job, and I will do that.” Just not on this occasion it seems.

As for Mourinho, he failed to turn up to the press conference after Chelsea’s defeat to Bradford in the FA cup and instead sent assistant manager Steve Holland.

While that is not uncommon or against the rules, it was a ridiculous thing to do. 

The former Real Madrid manager was clearly upset that his side had been beaten by a League One club but he should have shown the media and the public some respect and discussed what went wrong.

A week later Mourinho cancelled Chelsea’s pre-match press conference because he was angry with the Football Association for banning Diego Costa for three matches for his stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can in the League Cup semi-final.

This is against Premier League rules but nothing at the time of writing has been done about it.

After the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Manchester City last weekend, Mourinho outright refused to attend the post match press conference and didn’t even send Holland to speak to the media.

What did he have to be angry about this time? They may have not played their best football but they didn’t lose and maintained their five-point lead at the top.

Has he been fined or spoken to? Not yet. And nothing has been said by the media because he is their darling.

Grown men swoon when he walks into the room for a press conference. 

These childish antics are part of the package with the Portuguese manager so no-one questions him.

Same way he is allowed to call referee’s fat or question their integrity. He may have faced a fine last week for saying there was a campaign against Chelsea but some journalists feel he did nothing wrong. 

Or that again, it’s just Jose being Jose and the FA should ignore what he said.

Contrast his actions to the Seahawks coach Pete Carroll after their loss on Sunday night. Carroll cost his team victory in the Super Bowl with a disastrous call, many calling it the worst play call in history, but still turned up to the press conference after.

Being in charge means you sometimes have to answer questions when you really don’t want to. 

Mourinho and Goodell need to get over whatever problems they have with speaking to certain sections of the press or perhaps think about seeking new employment.