Kenny Dalglish has not exactly been full of festive cheer recently. Mark Douglas wonders what he would make of the financial remit imposed on Alan Pardew at his former club.

YESTERDAY it was the media putting pressure on Andy Carroll.

The previous week it had been the Football Association for handing out a stiff sentence to Luis Suarez – and before that opposition fans for targeting the Uruguay striker.

Earlier in the campaign it had been referees, either for overlooking offences against Suarez, Craig Bellamy or, in September at Stoke, Liverpool’s whole starting XI.

Sometimes you wonder whether Reds boss Kenny Dalglish really believes his side are victims of a collective sporting witch-hunt or whether the wily Scot believes constructing a siege mentality is the quickest route to drive Liverpool back towards the elite of English football.

Either way, it is time someone had a quiet word and reminded him that things could be a lot worse for him at Anfield. After all, he has been handed unprecedented funds to rebuild his Reds – as tomorrow’s opponents Newcastle United know only too well.

First the mega-deal that took Carroll to Anfield, a £35million switch that continues to have a profound effect on St James’ Park. While Newcastle have not missed the goals that the Gateshead-born forward brought to the club, the nervy trepidation that abounds going into the January transfer window is a direct result of Dalglish’s January largesse.

If Newcastle felt they got a good deal over their homegrown striker, they were not quite so enamoured with the way business was conducted before the £4million transfer of José Enrique.

The Spanish left-back wound up at Anfield in the end but it was only after a tortuous summer in which neither player nor purchasing club emerged draped in glory.

Enrique’s decision to subject Newcastle to the silent treatment before a tiresome Twitter tirade forced their hand was regrettable given his fine service to the club over the previous two seasons, while Liverpool’s reluctance to buy him earlier in the summer hit United’s efforts to replace him hard.

It has added edge to the contest for some supporters, who resent the way Liverpool seem to be cherry-picking Tyneside talent.

Reports linking star names Fabricio Coloccini and Cheick Tioté with a Merseyside switch have only fed into a feeling that the Anfield club’s excellent North East scouting network are merely waiting for another opportunity to pounce.