Time to crack the whip

KENNY DALGLISH’S flaming of his hapless Liverpool players is long overdue. For months now their failure to deliver has forced Dalglish into ever more agonised public contortions as he tries to defend them.

Mostly, he’s had to defend Andy Carroll, whose touches were laughed at by the home fans at the Reebok, but Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson have also needed his support.

Dalglish has been telling us Carroll’s lifestyle is fantastic and that Downing is an even better player than he thought he was when he paid £20m for him, and every time he has to say something like this a little bit more of his dignity drains away.