SAM Allardyce has long known that playing the 'ugly' card is the last act of a desperate man. And Glen Johnson was feeling pretty desperate.

He and his Liverpool chums had survived late Blackburn Rovers opportunities to hold out for a particularly uninspiring 0-0 draw at Ewood Park.

His chances of winning the Premier League this season were now on a par with Republic of Ireland winning the World Cup.

In a momentary lapse of concentration, no doubt induced by such anxiety, Johnson forgot where he was and thought he was playing for Barcelona.

Those nasty Blackburn chaps, he concluded, had stopped his team's attempts to play the beautiful game.

“It's always difficult against Blackburn because they don't play much football and just launch the ball forward at every opportunity,” he said in a time-honoured, attention-deflecting, 'no disrespect of course' sort of way.

“They play an ugly game very well and play to their strengths. It makes life difficult for the opposition at times.”

Now we can only imagine what great sights we would have seen had Blackburn simply stepped aside and let Rafa's lot get on with it.

Maybe silky lone striker Dirk Kuyt would have dazzled the defence with stepovers aplenty before lashing an effort into the net from 35 yards.

Perhaps creative genius Lucas Leiva would have shimmied his way upfield before chipping Paul Robinson exquisitely.

Or perhaps, just perhaps, Liverpool's problem against Blackburn was the same problem they seem to have had in 11 other games this season - they don't have the creativity to beat teams.

Turns out they're not Barcelona after all.

Some might suggest that could be a result of spending £18m of their summer transfer budget on a right back. I couldn't possibly comment.

It is true that Blackburn enjoyed a slice of luck, although they do say it evens itself out. It just doesn't normally take 13 years.

When Johnson crossed for David Ngog, the ball hit the divot Robinson uses to take goal kicks and bobbled horrifically. Ngog hit the bar from only six yards and the mind flashed back to 1996, when Tim Flowers suffered the same fate as Stan Collymore's tame shot bizarrely leapt over his shoulder in the same fixture.

Rovers will argue that they were far from ugly in their thrilling Carling Cup win over Chelsea just days before this latest Liverpool clash, but in truth it does not matter whether Johnson was right or wrong in that respect.

Allardyce has always said that things are going well when the big clubs are moaning about his team's style of play, so it is likely that he felt altogether revitalised by Johnson's comments.

Indeed, although blind faith has never been in short supply at Anfield, it is Liverpool - not Blackburn - who are the team with the problems right now.

Problems that are becoming ever more ugly with each passing game.