I AM still learning my job as a football manager so it is interesting to see how the top managers in the Premiership conduct themselves as the season reaches its sharp end.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has come under fire in the last couple of weeks, mostly because of his criticism of Swedish referee Anders Frisk, but on a week-to-week basis in the Premiership, he is rarely out of the headlines.

I was sorry to see that Frisk decided he had to quit the game following threats against his family. He was one of the best in the business and the game needs to keep good referees.

Mourinho has certainly ruffled plenty of feathers but I think that is more down to confidence than arrogance and it is good to see someone who has the courage of his convictions, although I must admit he could be a little more discreet at times. Some of his antics could come back to haunt him if Chelsea's fortunes take a turn for the worse.

The important thing is that he has the backing of his players. The Chelsea striker Eidur Gud-johnsen and his father have been friends of mine since we met when I was running one of my football schools in Iceland, and Eidur was telling me the other day just how much the players admire him.

Every manager gets praise and criticism through a season, but it's the way you handle it which stands you apart from the rest.

I like the way Liverpool's Rafael Benitez handles the job. He is outwardly a very calm person but he does get excited when his team wins without going over the top.

He certainly has a more low-key approach than Sir Alex Ferguson or Mourinho, but the bottom line is that they are all doing a great job in their different ways.

At the moment I am having to learn my new trade the hard way. I knew it was never going to be easy and I took the Chester City job realising that we wouldn't be battling for a place in the play-offs.

Survival in the league was the priority as I have said many times and now we are in a relegation dogfight I believe the supporters can do much to help the players in the tough matches to come.

I know fans pay their money and are entitled to an opinion. I have no problem with that. All I would ask the Chester supporters is to get fully behind the team from the first whistle to the last and if they don't like what they see, get it off their chests at the end of the game.

At Wycombe on Saturday, the home crowd, which was a lot bigger than usual because people were admitted free, gave terrific support when their team went behind and they never gave up encouraging their players. It was almost like having 12 players on the pitch.

It makes a huge difference knowing your fans are 100% behind you and that's what we are going to need from now until the end of the season.