Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish hopes there is not “an agenda” against Craig Bellamy, who has been cautioned in his last four games.
Dalglish believes that Bellamy did not deserve the bookings against Fulham, QPR, Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic.
The Welshman, who faces his old club Blackburn Rovers at Anfield on Monday, has been in good form for Liverpool and the club would be loathe to lose him to suspension for a fifth caution. “He has been booked four times and he hasn't deserved any of them,’’ said Dalglish.
“You would hate to believe there is an agenda against him from anyone. You would like think if you had been unlucky four times, you would not be unlucky for a fifth. Mind you, you might have said that after the first two. Four on the spin is pretty consistent though!
“One of the bookings was at Fulham when (Clint) Dempsey put his head in Craig's face. When we asked the referee why the wee man was booked he said "Craig knows" - but he didn't know. There was another against QPR when Joey Barton approached him.
“I don't know why he has been booked but I haven't seen anything in any of them. The other night, (Wigan’s Antolin) Alcaraz gave five free-kicks away and there was no yellow card. If he is going to get five chances, does that mean everyone else is? Gary Caldwell got booked for near enough his first foul.
“We just need a wee bit of clarity. It's all well and good having rules but the rules should be the same for everyone, not split up for different people.”
Dalglish will not be asking the 32-year-old to tone down his feistiness. “No. He is experienced enough to know. If Craig needs to play, he will play. We have just got to take that chance. He is experienced enough to get himself through it.”
Dalglish admitted to having some “sympathy” for people at Rovers, whom he led to the Premier League title in 1995 (with the trophy lifted on the last day of the season at Anfield).
"He can see the pressure that the current manager, Steve Kean, is under. “It is a results-driven business and if you are at the wrong end of the table then you expect a bit of criticism and - if it is that bad - your P45,’’ said Dalglish.
“Blackburn was a fantastic club when I was there but I think as a club it has changed. Obviously the ownership has changed for a start, there were fantastic people there but I don't think there is many of them left either.
“It is sad to see somewhere where you enjoyed working in the position they are at the moment, but we won't give them any sympathy on Monday. We will try and be as professional and ruthless as we can.’’ (
telegraph.co.uk/sport/football)
