Rafael Benitez's dealings with the Romanian press won't have come as a surprise to Gabriel Tamas.

The Liverpool boss was quizzed about his weight during a bizarre press conference before his side's Europa League clash against Unirea Urziceni.

Tamas will sympathise. You may recall a series of stories about the Romanian's off-field activities when Albion were in the process of trying to recruit the centre-half.

Stories about late-night drinking, booze-fueled karaoke sessions (where the then Dinamo Bucharest loanee allegedly belted out rude songs about Steaua Bucharest's president) and other such sorry tales.

Not true in the slightest, claimed Tamas. And a conversation with one of Tamas' representatives last week backed this up. He recounted an occasion where he and Tamas were eating in a restaurant in Romania. A call came through from a journalist demanding money. And if Tamas didn't comply? Then a story would be printed later that week which would cast him in a bad light.

Tamas declined to respond to the blackmail threat and continued the meal with his representative. A few days later...you've guessed it. A story about Tamas being involved in another drunken episode. All made up. And, by all accounts, this wasn't an isolated incident. Late night calls or knocks on the door from journalists demanding cash are common place for the higher-profile Romanian players.

It's no wonder Tamas described the Romanian media as 'my friends'...