Carragher says players have to deliver

Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher says the players have no excuses now that the club's ownership looks set to be settled.

Current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett's attempts to block the sale were rejected by a High Court judge today, paving the way for New England Sports Ventures' acquisition of the club.

Roy Hodgson's arrival in the summer to replace Rafael Benitez has so far failed to improve the club's fortunes on the field - they are currently in the Premier League's bottom three - and defender Carragher admits it is time for the players to do their bit.

He told talkSPORT: "We have changed the manager, we have changed the board and if things don't change now then the players will go, too. Everything else has changed - it is just the players who have stayed the same."

With the Merseyside derby against Everton to focus on this weekend, he added: "I hope we can look forward now. I don't think the protests have affected things too much, because the protests and marches were usually before or after games.

"The atmosphere has not been great at Anfield recently because the performances have not been that great, but a lot of supporters will be delighted with the outcome today. I am sure that will give us a feel-good factor and we hope that will help us."

Source: ESPN Soccernet, Oct 13, 2010