Ray Houghton hits out at Liverpool owners

Former Liverpool star Ray Houghton has hit out at the club's American owners following the sacking of manager Kenny Dalglish.

The ex-Republic of Ireland international insinuated that the Anfield executives care more about money than trophies based on their decision to oust the Scot.

"These American lads don't mess about. Damien Comolli's gone, Ian Cotton's gone and now Kenny Dalglish. My advice to whoever is coming in is be careful," he told talkSPORT.

"Football has sold its soul to the Champions League. Winning trophies doesn't mean anything anymore. What you've got to do is finish in the top four, that's success nowadays [to owners]."

Houghton also said that he was "surprised" by the news of Dalglish's exit, admitting that he thought the Reds boss would have been given another year in.

"I know that the league form hasn't been great but he took them to two cup finals and that's a huge achievement," he said.

"The players he brought in didn't have the best seasons but there were signs things could have been better next year."

Dalglish's dismissal brought an end to his second stint in charge of Liverpool, having spent six years at the helm up until 1991.