book the senior players also appeared not to want to listen to him and may have resented his disciplinarian approach to their behaviour, and also claimed a number of players – including Peter Beardsley and Steve McMahon – asked for improved terms in their contracts or they would move elsewhere. In the end, Beardsley, McMahon and Houghton were sold, seemingly before suitable replacements were found and these key components of Kenny Dalglish's great side were not adequately replaced. Souness claimed Ian Rush and Ray Houghton had also demanded to know why new signings like Mark Wright were earning more money than them, despite not yet having won any trophies. The sale of Peter Beardsley to local rivals Everton was a controversial move, and the player did well for Everton in his two seasons there, and continued to do well despite his advancing years during four seasons at Newcastle United. Souness also claims Liverpool chief executive Peter Robinson at the time had warned him this was a Liverpool team in decline and that they only had one player who was still "great" - John Barnes. Souness was left disappointed by Barnes as he was at this time frequently suffering from injuries, and in particular suffered a ruptured achilles tendon which was to eventually affect his acceleration therefore affecting his playing style, and not giving Souness what he wanted from a vintage Barnes at his peak, which was what he saw as a "devastating winger with pace and goalscoring touch". He had also claimed Barnes was once the "best player in Britain" but unfortunately only saw flashes of his brilliance. Rumours about squabbles in the dressing room between the players and Souness were rife, with Ian Rush telling a Sky Sports interviewer that "teacups being thrown" were nothing new. Souness also fell out with former Liverpool teammates Tommy Smith and Phil Thompson during his time in charge at Anfield. In his autobiography, Souness said that Thompson, the reserve team manager, was overheard angrily criticising his tactics and purchases behind his back. This was overheard by Manchester United assistant manager Brian Kidd and relayed to Walter Smith, who was so alarmed by Thompson's behaviour that he drove from Scotland to Liverpool to tell Souness what had been said. Souness dismissed Thompson as a result and the two have remained bitter towards each other since, with Thompson claiming in his own book he would