LIVERPOOL STRIKER Dirk Kuyt has apologised to his club’s supporters in the wake of his side’s disappointing start to the season, which took another turn for the worse yesterday as the Reds were beaten 2-1 at home by newly-promoted Blackpool.

Charlie Adam and Luke Varley were on target for the Tangerines as they led 2-0 at half-time, with Sotirios Kyrgiakos’s second-half header not enough for the home side to rescue a result.

“It was really, really disappointing. It’s probably one of the hardest defeats I’ve had to take since I’ve been here,” the Dutchman said. “We’re sorry for the fans.

“The first thing we have got to do is make sure we start winning games again and then we can begin to take things from there.

“It is still early days for the manager [Roy Hodgson, appointed this summer] and we have to keep working,” he added, “but one thing I do know is that we will come back stronger for this experience.”

The odds on Hodgson still being manager at Anfield come the end of the season have shortened considerably in the wake of the defeat, with bookmakers Victor Chandler now offering odds of 4/7 that Liverpool will have a different manager on May 22nd.

Yesterday’s defeat not only leaves Liverpool lower in the Premier League table than their bitter rivals Everton, who grabbed their first victory of the season away to Birmingham on Saturday, but also – embarrassingly – in the relegation zone, albeit only seven games into the season.

The Reds will not have a chance to remedy their precarious situation for a fortnight, as their next match – away to Everton – comes after the international break.

Hodgson himself has admitted he is concerned by his side’s current form, though he told the BBC he was more anxious about the team’s inability to play to its full potential.