Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish says Rafa Benitez must be backed by the club's American owners.
"But when it's not going so well, that's when he really needs his allies to get round about him, stand beside him and help him. Because that's the least he deserves.
"He deserves the help of a lot of people because he's brought a lot of happiness to an awful lot of people here.
"Over the past couple of months things have not been as good as we hoped they would be.
"But this is when they need to stand up and be counted and get shoulder to shoulder with their man - and their man's Rafa - and stand beside him.
"He needs it - he needs the help, he needs the confidence in himself." He added: "I think it's a disappointing phase when Liverpool Football Club, who have never washed the dirty linen in public, have contributed over past two or three months to a lot of headlines which really you had never seen before.
"I don't know who is right and who is wrong. I don't know the arguments or what goes on behind the scenes. But it certainly does no one any favours whatsoever.
"It affects the players, because they are looking for confidence.
"It affects the manager, because he's looking for confidence - he doesn't need the added pressure of this.
"I thought the line had been drawn under it in November when Rafa was frustrated and came out with words that maybe he wished he had never come out with.
"But maybe his frustration got the better of him.
"I don't know what would have caused Rafa to come out and say something like that if he didn't have cause to say it. He must have been really frustrated about things.
"It might not have been the wisest thing to do - but you can understand his frustration.
"The man's been a magnificent servant to Liverpool Football Club and it certainly showed in the aftermath of that in the support he had from the fans of the club."
