Former England boss Graham Taylor says Liverpool have insulted Bolton Wanderers with managing director Ian Ayre's comments yesterday.

Taylor wrote in the Daily Express: "I am surprised that Ian Ayre, the Liverpool managing director, should have gone as far as to name other clubs when he argued as to why Liverpool deserve a bigger slice of the current £1.4billion pie.

"Liverpool might say they are not being disrespectful to Bolton, but by basically saying no one watches them in the Far East, they are.

"From being a club that had yo-yoed in and out of the top flight, Bolton have established themselves as a fixture in the Premier League, a team that has been challenging for Europe and reaching the latter stages of the cups.

"Yes, they are having problems this season and are in a battle, but what Bolton have done - largely thanks to Sam Allardyce when he was in charge - constitutes a fantastic achievement.

"They deserve their rewards, and overseas monies are part of that."