'Soft' Liverpool need Cheick Tiote

Former Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock has said that Brendan Rodger's needs to 'harden up' his squad and states that Cheick Tiote is the man for the job.

In an interview with the Daily Star, Ruddock claimed that the Ivorian international, who plays for Newcastle, would be the ideal candidate to provide some backbone for Liverpool's squad.

Ruddock, who made over 150 appearances for the Merseysiders, was considered one of football's les forgiving defenders during his playing days as result of his hard hitting no nonsense style of defending.

Tiote has himself gained a similar reputation but Ruddock believes that Tiote's style will allow him to break up play and provide more space for Liverpool's more creative players such as Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.

Ruddock has urged Rodgers to try and capture the 26 year old's signature but he does not believe that Anfield is an attractive option for players any more.

"Liverpool are too nice, they don't have enough men" Ruddock claimed. "These days Anfield is a nice place to go and play - you're not going to get run around or kicked off the park."