Soccer: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard yesterday rallied to the defence of beleaguered chairman David Moores by revealing how the Anfield supremo's intervention convinced him to snub Chelsea and stay on Merseyside.

Moores came close to resigning his post at a rowdy annual general meeting on Thursday night which saw Steve Morgan, the club's third largest shareholder, press forward his claims to buy a controlling interest.

Despite Morgan now making a fourth attempt to take charge, chief executive Rick Parry yesterday insisted that Moores "is not going to throw in the towel".

Gerrard has now had his say, explaining how Moores had been a major influence on his decision to commit his future to Liverpool.

"He is one of the main reasons I am still at Anfield," said Gerrard. "I have no wish to get involved in the politics or financial situation at the club, but I can speak on behalf of the players about how we feel about David Moores. It upsets me see the chairman getting battered like this. He does not deserve that.

"He is 100 per cent committed to Liverpool, he has always given us his full support, and I think he should get a lot more credit for what he has done."

Gerrard looked to be on the brink of a switch to Chelsea last summer, and admitted he was tempted by the prospect until announcing in June that his heart had persuaded him to stay at Liverpool.

With former Valencia manager Rafael Benitez and a raft of new players now on board, Gerrard sees good grounds for optimism. Adding to his praise for Moores, Gerrard added: "He has bought a brilliant new manager here and he was definitely one of the main reasons I stayed at Liverpool.

"When I was having problems during the summer, it was the chairman who was ringing me up all the time and re-assuring me and doing everything possible to keep me here.

"He was in my thoughts when I reached my decision. It was a big influence on me. Okay, the last 12 months have not gone well, but you cannot just judge him on that. There are so many good things he has done for Liverpool.

"I do not think you will find another club anywhere where the players and chairman have such a special relationship."

Parry is confident that Moores will not walk away, saying: "He ain't going to throw in any towels. It has been a tough time, he didn't enjoy the a.g.m but he is still there and he recognises he has the support of a vast majority of our supporters."

Parry also claims there is another offer on the table, believed to be from a US consortium, which the board are discussing along with Morgan's latest bid.

Morgan's new bid is believed to represent a slight improvement on his offer from the summer - which collapsed during the period of due diligence.

He tried then to re-negotiate his £70million offer, with less than the proposed 50 per cent going to buy shares. Now Morgan is thought to have increased his offer per share to close to £3,500. The board want £4,000.

He said: "For the proud name of Liverpool, this has to come to an end. If this other offer is in the best interests of the club, and does bring wealth to the club, then they should do that.

"I want Liverpool be in the right hands, I happen to think I am the right hands for it, but if there is someone else who can bring more to the party they should do it.

Meanwhile, Benitez insists his players will not be distracted by the club's takeover battle.

The Spaniard said yesterday: "I have experience this sort of thing in Valencia, we had big problems with the shareholders. I believe that in such situations the most important thing you can do for the club is to continue to win games.

"I don't think players really worry about such things, in the end they will concentrate on the matches because that is their job."