Heskey: It's time to stand up and be counted

Heskey, whose paltry tally of six goals this season hardly points to much self appraisal on his part, believes the players must pay back the Reds boss for his constant support during the season.

Heskey said: "This is a time when the players have to stand up and be counted. But we are willing to do that for the manager as much as anything. The manager has stuck by us, me in particular, this season and I am really grateful to him for that.

"Now we all want to stick by him. Even though people may criticise and have their opinions, the main thing is we will always give our best for him."