Bellamy has collected a yellow card for debatable reasons in Liverpool's past four matches and is on the brink of a one-match suspension. His latest booking came within minutes of appearing as a substitute against Wigan Athletic last Wednesday, as was the case against Queens Park Rangers, and the Liverpool manager believes the striker is being judged on his reputation and not his actions.
"One of the bookings was at Fulham when [Clint] Dempsey stuck his head straight in Craig's face," Dalglish said. "The wee man got booked for that. Against Wigan when we asked the referee why he was booked, he said: 'Craig knows,' – but he didn't know. There was another against QPR when Joey Barton approached him and Craig got booked. I don't know why he has been booked but I haven't seen anything in any of them being reasonable bookings.
"At Wigan, [Antolín] Alcaraz gave five free-kicks away and there was no yellow card. If he is going to get five chances, does that mean everyone else is? Gary Caldwell got booked for near enough his first foul but never got booked for the handball. We just need a bit of clarity. It's all well and good having rules but the rules should be the same for everyone, not split up for different people."
Dalglish insists he has no intention of advising Bellamy to change his feisty approach. "He is experienced enough to know [how to behave] but he has been booked four times and he hasn't deserved any of them. You would hate to believe there is an agenda against him from anyone. You would like to think if you had been unlucky four times, you would not be unlucky for a fifth. Mind you, you might have said that after the first two.
"If Craig needs to play, he will play. We have just got to take that chance. He is experienced enough to get himself through it. Four on the spin is pretty consistent, though."
Liverpool entertain Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day with Dalglish full of sympathy for the plight of the club he led to the Premier League title in 1995. "I think it is a disappointing time and you have sympathy for everybody in that position," he said.
"Certainly the pressure that everybody at the club is under, it is a results-driven business and if you are at the wrong end of the table then you expect a bit of criticism and if it is that bad your P45. Blackburn was a fantastic club when I was there but I think as a club it has changed. Obviously the ownership has changed for a start. There were fantastic people there but I don't think there are many of them left either.
"It is sad to see somewhere where you enjoyed working in the position that they are at the moment but we won't give them any sympathy on Monday. We will try to be as professional and ruthless as we can. It is just fortunate that it's not us who are getting the stick."
