Dalglish rant 'justified' says Gerrard before big cup clashes

LIVERPOOL skipper Steven Gerrard has taken the side of manager Kenny Dalglish after he gave his team a rare public dressing down following their moribund performance against Bolton at the weekend.

"It was definitely justified," said Gerrard of his manager's rant, during which he suggested that some players might not have a future at the club.

Dalglish expressed disappointment with his players' commitment after Saturday's mauling, and Gerrard admitted: "The manager has been critical to our faces. When you put in a performance like we did, you expect criticism, especially off your manager."

The players particularly under fire are thought to include Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, three signings that cost Liverpool £75m, but have so far shown very few signs of paying back any of that investment. While Gerrard didn't single them out for criticism, he made it clear that some of the squad were under pressure. "Those players know themselves," he said. "They know how they are playing. They know what form they are in."

The Reds skipper, who recently signed a new contract at Anfield, also defended Dalglish's position at Liverpool  despite rumblings of discontent. The team have taken just six points from their last six league games and, for some, success is not coming fast enough at Anfield.

According to the The Daily Telegraph, Gerrard said: "Our targets were to get into the top four and go on two long runs in the cup and it's still possible... We've got a fight on for fourth but we had a fight on at the start of the season, when we were telling people our aims for the season."

The next four days are key for Liverpool. They host Manchester City in the Carling Cup second leg tonight and Manchester United in the FA Cup on Saturday. Come next week the Reds could have knocked the Premier League's top two out of two cups. But if not, as The Guardian puts it, they will have to watch as "City and United move further into the distance while hysteria attaches itself to Dalglish's rebuilding work." ·