Reds defender in war of words

Published Jan. 8, 2011 11:05 p.m. ET

foxsports

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson's frustration at a disappointing season for the club boiled over on Saturday in a Twitter tirade against Paul Merson, the former Arsenal midfielder-turned-TV pundit.

Merson questioned the attitude of Johnson recently as a Sky Sports program discussed Saturday's departure of Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson.

But Johnson hit back on Twitter by referring to Merson's addiction to alcohol, cocaine and gambling in the 1990s.

"Comments from alcoholic drug abusers are not really gonna upset me and who is Paul Merson to judge players," Johnson wrote. "The only reason he's on that show is coz he gambled all his money away. The clown!"

Despite later deleting the comments, the England defender stood by them.

"I dunno wot all the hype is about," he wrote on the social networking site. "People who give their opinion all the time should accept that 1 day someone else will give their own opinion."