"It was assault" - Angry BR slams Gallas, 'diver' Dempsey, & 'embarrassing' ref...

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has lambasted the referee for poor decision-making during the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Spurs at White Hart Lane.

In his post-match press conference, Rodgers grossly overpraised the team once again with the usual unwarranted superlatives (outstanding! Excellent! Brilliant!), and then laid into William Gallas, Clint Dempsey and referee Phil Dowd. He raged:

"We never got the rub of the green. It was embarrassing to be honest.

"The challenge on Gerrard in the first half was bordering on assault, and it was frightening how we never got the penalty.

"And what about Suarez being kicked by Gallas? And for the second goal, Dempsey dived; he dived for the free kick".

I wouldn't be surprised if Rodgers gets an FA charge for his forthright comments (!), though it's good to see some honesty. It would even better, however, to see the same type of honesty about Liverpool's results instead of the usual sycophantic praise.

I find it incredibly ironic that Rodgers moans about Dempsey diving, but whenever he's asked about Suarez, he point blank denies that he dives.

The Gerrard non-penalty looked a little suspect but the team should not be relying on refereeing decisions to gain an advantage; the simple fact is this: if the players score goals from open play, then penalties (or lack thereof) are irrelevant.

To be fair, Liverpool were the better team in the second half but what does that matter if the club ends up losing the game?

The Reds are now in 12th place in the league, only 4 points above the relegation zone, but the margins are so tight that a win on Saturday could see the club move into the top 10.

Let's not forget that prior to the Spurs game, Liverpool went 8 games unbeaten in the league. Things are not as bad as they seem (IMO), and if the Reds get some good results in the next five eminently-winnable games, then the table will look a lot different.

I am still 100% behind Rodgers, but that does mean he is beyond criticism, and in my view, he is to blame for tonight's defeat:

* Poor decision to play Henderson and Downing, both of whom were culpable for Spurs' two goals.

* Made subs too late: Last week, Rodgers subbed off Suso in the first half against Wigan - why not make changes today at half-time, especially with the team 2-0 down?

* Gerrard played too deep. With Henderson and Allen on the field - both ostensibly defensive-minded players - why wasn't Gerrard instructed to play as high up the field as possible to support Suarez?

* Assaidi is clearly lacking confidence. In his appearances earlier in the season he looked energetic and alive; tonight, he looked lost on the field, and this is down to Rodgers too. The Moroccan has been constantly ignored over the last two months, and recently, even Enrique has been preferred to him on the left. That surely can't be good for his confidence.

Jaimie Kanwar