Liverpool bosses tell Benitez to stop whingeing and start winning

Angry Tom Hicks, under fire from Benitez over the growing uncertainty surrounding transfer funds, ordered the fuming Spaniard to deliver on the pitch before demanding more cash to sign players.

Hicks closed a devastating broadside response to Benitez's bizarre comments the previous day by warning: 'It is really time for Rafa to quit talking about new players and to coach the players we have.'

Speaking from Dallas, Hicks said: 'After the Champions League final in Athens, Rafa made certain demands of us and we responded to those demands in the summer.

'We brought in some good players and spent more money than has ever been spent before at this club.

'We now have some crucial games coming up in the Premier League and the Champions League and we want to see if we can win these with the players we have.

'This was the message we gave Rafa recently and I think during the international break he must have grown a bit frustrated about this.

'We told him to concentrate on the games coming up and nothing else and I guess he didn't like that. But, for the time being, we just need to be focused on what happens on the pitch.

'George Gillett and I will be over in mid-December and that's the time to talk about other issues. It's really time for Rafa to quit talking about new players and to coach the players we have.'

At his sulky press conference on Thursday, Benitez repeated in response to almost every question: 'As always I am focused on training and coaching my team.'

Benitez is particularly frustrated that Hicks and co-owner Gillett are dragging their heels over sanctioning the £17million deal to permanently tie on-loan midfielder Javier Mascherano to Anfield.

Barcelona and River Plate are hovering, but Liverpool have first option.

But the Americans, their grand spending plans hit by escalating costs and the weakness of the dollar, are loath to throw more money at Benitez's squad with a painful Champions League exit a distinct possibility.

So Benitez, whose immediate concern is today's lunchtime match at Newcastle, faces Porto next week and, crucially, visits group leaders Marseille on December 11 needing two victories to go through — and with the scale of his January transfer budget also hanging in the balance.

Hicks and Gillett fly in the weekend after the Marseille match but if hostilities continue to escalate, the clash with arch-rivals Manchester United threatens not to be the only showdown at Anfield.

The Americans are already committed to a new £400m stadium and also expect Benitez's £40m summer outlay to fuel a stronger challenge for the Premier League title than Liverpool are mustering.

The Spaniard holds the whip hand. His contract provides for a £6m settlement should he be fired and the Americans would risk a Kop rebellion should they consider that radical step.

His popularity is such after a European Cup win and another final two years later that Liverpool fans will not hesitate to back their manager against men who will suddenly be seen as foreign owners.

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has re-ignited his war of words with Benitez and accused the Liverpool boss of sour grapes after Bolton's win last season.

Benitez dismissed the Bolton of the Allardyce years as an ugly, dirty, long-ball team and that was before Liverpool lost 2-0 at the Reebok.

Allardyce said: 'Our relationship is average — a bad average. He doesn't like me because we beat them. Bolton weren't supposed to beat a team like Liverpool.

'We played a different game with different rules apparently. He criticised Bolton's style, saying we played outside the rules. I didn't see any referee's report saying we played outside the rules.

'When you get criticised by a fellow manager, you take it in the spirit that it comes and for me I find it a great compliment because I won when I shouldn't have.

'I used that kind of criticism as a big positive because I'd rather them moaning about the way I beat them than how well we played in losing 3-1 or 3-0.

'But I don't see why I won't be inviting him in for a glass of wine after the game.

'I went in for a glass of wine when Liverpool beat us 2-0 and he spoke about me in the papers. But I was big enough to walk in and test how good his red wine is.'

Michael Owen's absence for another month with a thigh strain has presented Obafemi Martins with the opportunity to partner Mark Viduka in Newcastle's attack, although Allardyce also has Alan Smith waiting for an opportunity to play up front.