Houllier set to shoot down fading stars

GERARD HOULLIER has issued a thinly-veiled threat that he will soon have to show a nasty streak, and claims Liverpool stars who show weakness now “will disappear”.

Liverpool have gone 11 Barclaycard Premiership games without victory and face a trip to Southampton who have not lost a league game at St Mary's Stadium all season today.

Houllier has tried hard to deflect the wave of criticism away from his side, who have dropped from the top of the table to seventh in two disastrous months.

He said: "I haven't needed to be nasty because I don't think the players deserve it.

"There's a fine margin between losing and winning. If the effort, commitment, dedication and quality wasn't there then yes, I would be nasty but that hasn't been the case.

"I prefer to be positive, we were united when we went on a run of 12 games without defeat and we are as united now."

But Houllier's softly-softly approach to his side's difficulties may not last much longer, especially with Champions League qualification slipping from their grasp.

Houllier insists he still believes in his players, but added: "The strong characters and the strong personalities and the top players will emerge even stronger and bigger. Some will become more clever in terms of their football and will learn something.

"The weaker ones will disappear, sometimes you need that sort of crisis to sort things out.

"At the end of the season the strong will be even stronger and the weaker will have to go.

"But put things into perspective, I've told the players they haven't just turned into a bad side.

"Ideally we should be second or third, but it hasn't gone our way.

"We have to keep strong and this is an ideal opportunity to tell you that the stronger will be even stronger and the weaker will have to go. When we finished with three cups I said my priority was third place to get into the Champions League, and that is still a priority."

The Frenchman has called on some of his under-performing stars to learn a lesson from James Beattie, who has gone from fringe player at Southampton to the verge of an England call-up.

He said: "We have a good side, what we need is to be patient with our strikers. Look at Southampton's James Beattie, he's a good example of being patient.

"Last season and before, and even earlier this season, the boy was not doing that well but he seems to have picked up confidence and scored some good goals."

Liverpool will be without Salif Diao at Southampton through suspension, while his Senegal international team-mate El Hadji Diouf can expect an extended run out wide.