GERARD Houllier's condemnation of Lucas Neill smacks of double standards.

The Liverpool manager's attack on the Blackburn defender, using words such as 'cowards challenge' and 'appalling' are well out of order.

Let me take you back to December, Gerard, when Steven Gerrard lunged two-footed at Everton's Gary Naysmith. That 'tackle' earned him a three-match ban after an FA hearing.

Gerrard publicly apologised later, and admitted: "I did go into the challenge two-footed and with my studs showing. Tackling is a big part of my game, but I did not set out to deliberately hurt him."

And what was Houllier's reaction to the lunge, which could so easily have broken Naysmith's leg?

"It was practically an accident. It was a mistimed tackle. It was an action that happens in football, a collision, that's all," he said after the FA hearing.

So what's the difference, Gerard?

I'll tell you the difference - the injury that resulted from the tackle. Jamie Carragher broke his leg, Naysmith didn't. Liverpool lost an important defender for six months - Everton didn't.

I was at the post-match press conference on Saturday, and Houllier was perfectly calm.

In fact, I spotted him give Graeme Souness a friendly tap on the shoulder as he walked in to face the media.

Although, he was angry with Neill's tackle, he conceded that these things were part of the game.

His exact words were: "I feel sorry for Carra, but at the same time, as a manager, you understand those things happen. At the same time, I don't want to blame Neill for that. He deserved to be sent off, and he'll agree when he sees the replay."

That's a far cry from calling Neill a 'coward'.

It wasn't until Sunday, when he found out Carragher had broken his leg and was out until next year, that Houllier changed his tack, and started firing out the accusations.

Carragher's loss is a huge blow to Liverpool - and they can't even recall their on-loan fullback Markus Babbel - because he's at Blackburn for the season! That must have been like a kick in the wotsits for Houllier, whose reaction to the tackle has been well over the top. Lucas Neill is a headstrong player who headed the 'bookings chart' last season - but no way is he malicious.

The Frenchman's suggestion of an 'eye for eye' sentence - when a player should serve a suspension in line with the time his 'victim' is ridiculous. How can Neill be suspended for six months for one tackle? That's almost the sentence Eric Cantona got for his kung-fu display at Crystal Palace.

Not content with his initial blast in the media, Houllier came back for more with another lengthy rant, labelling Blackburn's apologies as 'pathetic' and claiming it was Souness's 'bad feelings for Liverpool', which was behind it all.

That was a cheap shot by Houllier. Souness was one of Liverpool's greatest players, and he's still got a lot of affection for the club. Trying to paint him as the 'big bad wolf' in all this is way off the mark.

Ask yourself this: If it was an Arsenal player who had broken Carragher's leg, would Houllier attack his old mate Arsene Wenger with such ferocity? I don't think so.

We'll have to wait until March for the return match at Anfield, and now it's inevitable the focus won't be on Liverpool v Blackburn. Unfortunately, it will be Houllier v Souness - the rematch.

And I blame Houllier for that.