Premier League Preview: Blackburn vs Liverpool

Since the shock sacking of Sam Allardyce, Rovers have averaged one point per game. The previous regime had a healthy 1.5 points per game average; a tally that would safely stave off relegation.

This has seen owners Venky's discard an expected 57 points finish for the new - far less comfortable - target of just 43 points.

For Kean to stand a chance of stay in good grace, this 33.3 per cent drop must be corrected. Unluckily for him, Rovers have only tasted victory once in this fixture in the last decade.

The executioner's sword may still be hanging over his head, but Joe Cole's last gasp winner has kept the wolves at bay for a few days at least.

Six points off the relegation zone, 11 points from the haloed Champions League places and a huge 16 points from Premier League leaders wasn't on the Anfield hierarchy's agenda when they gave Rafael Benitez the boot, though.

Much of the blame for this disappointing start can be placed on an away record that reads one win, two draws and six defeats. If the final category ticks to seven after Wednesday night, time could finally be up for Hodgson.

TEAM NEWS

Blackburn

The absence of defender Christopher Samba has cut the heart out of interim manager Steve Kean's team. Thankfully for the Scot, the centre-back could return from an ankle knock.

Ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson is still sidelined with a calf strain, while the match has come too soon for Jason Roberts' hamstring pull to heal. Keith Andrews remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury, with Phil Jones likely to be out for the rest of the season with a similar ligament problem.

Striker Nikola Kalinic will begin his three-match suspension after he was dismissed in the 3-0 defeat to Sunderland, while Brett Emerton is away at the Asian Cup.

Possible starting XI: Bunn; Salgado, Nelsen, Givet, Olsson; E Diouf, Hanley, Dunn, Goulon, Pedersen; M Diouf.

Liverpool

Steven Gerrard's enforced 70-minute appearance in the 2-1 victory against Bolton means the captain should be ready to start. The man he replaced, Raul Meireles, is likely to be out with an ankle knock.

The Portuguese joins Jamie Carragher on the sidelines due to the veteran's dislocated shoulder. Manager Roy Hodgson will hope injury-prone pair Fabio Aurelio and Daniel Agger came through their weekend run-out unscathed.

Possible starting XI: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio; Maxi, Gerrard, Lucas, Cole, Kuyt; Torres.

Roy Eyes Cole Boost

Roy Hodgson is hoping Joe Cole's match-winning goal against Bolton Wanderers will kick-start his Liverpool career.

The former Chelsea and West Ham man has endured a slow start to life at Anfield after being sent off on his league debut for the club against Arsenal.

Injury has also curtailed his availability and form, although Hodgson insists the England international has never lost faith in his own ability.

Cole scored his first Premier League goal for the club on New Year's Day with a crucial last-gasp effort against Bolton which also eased the pressure on Hodgson.

Hodgson now hopes Cole's inauspicious start to his Liverpool career is in the past and that he can start replicating the form that earned him his Anfield move.

"The goal will do a lot for him, but he's quite confident at the moment," said Hodgson.

"Joe is a very confident player. He always thinks he is playing well, so he doesn't have any great worries about that side of things.

"But, of course, one of the things he knows he will be criticized for, I guess, is that he doesn't score enough goals.

"If we think of his time here at Liverpool, we can all think of goal chances which were there to be taken which he didn't.

"So I'm sure he is delighted to have put that behind him by scoring a very, very important winning goal against Bolton."

Agent Confirms Contact For "Next Van Basten"

Sport.co.uk can confirm that Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have enquired about the availability of FC Utrecht forward Ricky Van Wolfswinkel who has been compared to Dutch great Marco Van Basten.

The starlet has been monitored closely by the aforementioned Premier League duo, while Arsenal and Newcastle United have also kept a close eye on the striker, however the player’s representative has confirmed Roy Hodgson and Harry Redknapp are considering bids for the forward.

“At this moment it is unlikely Ricky will move because I have not received an concrete offer from either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool.” Louis Laros explained to Sport.co.uk.

“I cannot say at the moment if it is serious interest, an enquiry, or just rumours. We are waiting for calls from both clubs, as we need an official offer from Liverpool or Spurs to proceed."

Laros did stress that his client was keen to leave FC Utrecht and seal a move to the Premier League.

“He is eager to move and he finds Tottenham and Liverpool both very interesting opportunities.

“In the game against Liverpool he got injured, and he is still a couple of weeks off being fully fit, but everything has gone well. But as I said, I have not had an offer from either club, so we are waiting.”

Van Wolfswinkel, a regular starter for the Dutch under-21s and recently capped at full international level, is regarded as one of Europe’s hottest young talents having been closely watched by the continent's top clubs since making his debut for Vitesse Arnhem in 2008.

The hitman has since moved to FC Utrecht where he has established himself as the club's leading front-man and helped them to a seventh place Eredivisie finish. The striker has scored 17 goals in his last 24 appearances in all competitions.

Liverpool’s new Director of Football Strategy Damien Comolli has highlighted the Dutchman as a great prospect for the future, while Newcastle United under manager Chris Hughton were keeping regular tabs on the impressive youngster..

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has kept a close eye on the striker but has admitted that he will only move for a player in January in “exceptional” circumstances. Harry Redknapp is a big admirer of the forward sending regular scouts to watch van Wolfswinkel but reports this morning suggest the North London club are closing in on a £17 million move for Ajax striker Luis Suarez.

Liverpool Express Interest In Emmanuel Adebayor

Liverpool has made an enquiry to sign Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

After falling out of favour at Eastlands, and getting involved in a training ground bust-up with team-mate Kolo Toure, it is understood that Adebayor will be allowed to leave club, and Liverpool have expressed an interest in him, according to Sky Sports.

The former Arsenal striker has fallen behind Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli in the pecking order, and will struggle further as the arrival of Edin Dzeko appears imminent.

Liverpool would be in the market for the Togolese forward on loan, given that City would be keen to recoup most of the £25million fee they spent on him just over 18 months ago.

However, the club is not the only team interested with Tottenham, West Ham and Real Madrid linked with a move.

Liverpool Target 6ft 8in Forward

Liverpool are considering a January bid for FC Cluj striker Lacina Traore, according to reports on Tuesday.

The Reds are desperate for another striker to help propel them back up the table after a disappointing first half of the season, and boss Roy Hodgson has now identified 6ft 8in Traore as a possible solution.

The 20-year-old Ivory Coast forward was linked with Arsenal last summer and Fulham and Newcastle are also thought to be interested.

Aquilani Expected To Stay

Alberto Aquilani's agent expects Juventus to sign the Liverpool midfielder on a permanent basis.

The Italy international is currently on a season-long loan at the Serie A club and has been one of the stand-out performers this season.

Juve have the option of turning Aquilani's spell into a long-term deal and the 26-year-old's representative, Franco Zavaglia, reckons the Bianconeri will honour their agreement with the Merseysiders.

Zavaglia told Radio Sportiva: "The release from Liverpool depends only on Juventus but I think there will be.

"Alberto is very, very happy in Turin and has found an environment where he can express himself."

Zavaglia believes the former Roma schemer benefited from his brief time at Anfield, adding: "The English experience has been good, it has enriched his international background."

Aurelio - We're Behind Roy

Fabio Aurelio has backed Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson and claimed that the whole team are behind him to succeed.

The Reds boss has endured a difficult time in charge since taking over six months ago, seeing boardroom tussles, poor results and performances on the pitch and a lack of popularity with the fans going against him.

With the team sat ninth in the league following a late winner by Joe Cole against Bolton on New Year's Day at Anfield, the veteran boss was afforded a brief respite on the growing pressure on him.

But nothing less than victory over former club Blackburn at Ewood Park on Wednesday will prevent tensions from starting to rise once again, and despite appealing for time, Liverpool's new owners may be forced to take action.

Aurelio, who came back in place of the under-performing Paul Konchesky on Saturday, insisted that he had confidence in Hodgson, and that they would work hard to right the wrongs of what has been a miserable past year.

"We are all behind the manager and we have to try to get out of this situation together," Aurelio told the club's official website.

"We all know the coach is the first person to have the pressure on. He tries to make the team play, but it's the players who have to go out on the pitch and do it.

"Hopefully there will be no more setbacks and beating Bolton will be the start of a good run of results.

"We need to play every game at the kind of level we played at on Saturday and try to improve further.

"There was a lot of pressure on us as we really needed a result. When you are playing for a big team that pressure is always there and we are the first ones to put pressure on ourselves when we are not doing as well as we could.

"The character we showed to come back was good. We left it late but we played better football, created chances and it was a deserved victory.

"The performance was very good. You could see an improvement and that win gives us the confidence to go forward into the next games.

"We've started the New Year well and hopefully we can keep going like this. If we win our two games in hand we could be sixth and things will look better."

Agger Issues Anfield Quit Threat

Daniel Agger has given Roy Hodgson another headache by threatening to quit Liverpool if he is not handed a regular starting berth.

The two have not seen eye-to-eye since Hodgson took over at Anfield, with Agger criticizing the Reds' direct style of play earlier this season.

That row was defused when Agger was ruled out for three months with a damaged calf but, after returning to the team for the 2-1 win over Bolton, he has again taken issue with his boss.

"I still have three years on my contract but it's not me who decides if I'm playing," he said. "But if I'm not playing and I'm not injured, I have no reason to be here. I'm 26 and I feel I can play regularly at this level at this club. So if I'm not going to play and be on the bench for a while, obviously I'm not interested in being here. Then I must see what options I have."

Elsewhere, Hodgson has called for his players to show more belief as they bid to turn their season around. The Reds are currently in tenth place, just five points clear of the relegation zone.

"We've got to build up our sense of belief in ourselves and what we're doing," he said. "We need to have more faith in our play - but I thought that was very evident against Bolton. Taking the game to them and not getting hit in the counter shows a lot of character, faith and belief.

"Football is technical and tactical quality but there's a third dimension - spirit, guts and determination."

Rangnick Interested In Reds

Former Hoffenheim boss Ralf Rangnick's agent has claimed he would love the opportunity to manage in England, though no offers have come his way so far.

The German, who had significant success in guiding his former club from obscurity into the Bundesliga, left on New Year's Day, and has been touted as a potential candidate for Roy Hodgson's Liverpool job.

Rangnick originally demonstrated his potential by leading Ulm from the third tier into the top division in the late 1990s, before embarking on wealthy Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp's ambitious plan to take his boyhood club to the top in 2006.

He duly obliged in delivering that success, however due to differences in opinion with Hopp after the sale of key player Luiz Gustavo to Bayern Munich, he parted ways.

Commenting on the Liverpool job, in which Hodgson is coming under increasing pressure, agent Oliver Mintzlaff acknowledged that the position was "very interesting".

"Ralf Rangnick is very interested in the Premier League and Liverpool is certainly a very interesting club with a great tradition," he said.

"Ralf is a great fan of English football and he has followed it a great deal.

"The English Premier League is something which interests him very much, but there have not been any discussions with Liverpool.

"Of course if you don't have any ambition, then you cannot be a football manager.

"Hoffenheim was an exciting, unique project and he led them into the Bundesliga in only two years, and they were never even close to a relegation berth.

"Now, in the third year in the Bundesliga, it is only understandable that he has the ambition to play in Europe.

"Unfortunately, his aims and those of Hopp were not entirely compatible.

"After four-and-a-half years (with Hoffenheim), it is only normal that he takes a short pause to catch his breath.

"But he is, of course, really burning to get a new job."

Roy Hodgson To Be Sacked Despite Victory

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is believed to be heading for the exit door despite the recent victory over Bolton Wanderers.

The Reds saw a mini-revival of sorts during the encounter at Anfield, as the side initially went down and mounted a comeback as Fernando Torres and Joe Cole scored as the Merseysiders took all three points.

However, The Mirror reports that this will only delay an imminent departure for the former Fulham boss, with the upper echelon of the club looking towards the potential appointment of Kenny Dalglish as an interim manager until a long-term replacement can be found.

Dalglish was previously interested in managing the club before the job went to Hodgson, but recently came out voicing his support for the 63-year-old gaffer.

It has been reported that former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez - who recently parted ways with Inter - could be in line for a return.

Kenny Dalglish Tipped For Liverpool Caretaker Role

Speculation surrounding the future of Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson refuses to die down despite Saturday's dramatic late win over Bolton, with Kenny Dalglish yesterday reported to be on the verge of returning in a caretaker role until the end of the season.

The legendary former Anfield player and manager, currently employed by the club in an ambassadorial role, had been keen to take on the manager's job after the sacking of Rafael Benitez and remains a hugely popular figure with the club's supporters, who have largely become disenchanted by Hodgson.

The club's owners New England Sports Ventures are reported by The Sunday Telegraph to be considering a stand-in position for Dalglish until the summer when they will be in a better position to appoint a permanent successor to Hodgson.

Dalglish, for his part, had made a pre-match call for the club to rally round Hodgson, telling the Liverpool Echo: "Three points for the club is more important than any single person and how they feel. It is about Liverpool Football Club right now - not about any individual."

Hodgson himself said after the game: "I know all about the negativity but it does not affect me."

Nevertheless, Hodgson retains the backing of the players, according to match-winner Joe Cole. The former Chelsea player, who tapped home from close range in added time to snatch three points against Wanderers, says the squad is doing their best to ease the pressure on the manager. "We are all behind him," said Cole of Hodgson.

Liverpool Target Hamburg’s Eljero Elia To Support Fernando Torres

Liverpool are poised to move for Dutch international Eljero Elia of Hamburg as Roy Hodgson looks to find a striker to take some of the goalscoring burden off Fernando Torres' shoulders.

Elia was part of the Dutch squad at last summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa and at 24 years old fits in to Liverpool director of football strategy Damien Comolli’s plans of injecting youth in to the squad.

Hodgson would like to add a host of players to his underperforming side though doubts exist over both his future at the club and the new owners’ willingness to free up funds during the January transfer window when value and depth is absent from the market.

Elia would cost upwards of £10m and Hodgson would need to raise at least part of that through sales before New England Sports Ventures would sanction the move. Ryan Babel is almost certain to leave should Liverpool receive an acceptable offer with Birmingham City set to renew their interest in the Dutchman.

Should the move break down Liverpool are also monitoring Ivory Coast international Lacina Traoré, Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge and Ajax forward Luis Suarez.

Liverpool’s bid for Elia might be compromised, however, by Manchester City. Roberto Mancini is poised to lavish around £30m on Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, with the German club intent on spending some of that windfall on a move for Elia.

Liverpool Fear They Will Lose Out On Top January Transfer Target

Liverpool fear they could miss out on top January target Ricky van Wolfswinkel, with Napoli in pole position to land the Utrecht striker.

The talented Dutch striker is on Roy Hodgson's radar as he desperately scours the market for January reinforcements for his struggling squad.

Van Wolfswinkel first came to Hodgson's attention when Utrecht played Liverpool in the Europa League at the back end of last year and the 21-year-old's progress has been monitored ever since.

Hodgson was ready to press ahead with a bid for the Dutchman but talkSPORT has learned that Napoli are now ready to hijack the move and launch a bid of their own.

Utrecht were keen on creating a bidding war for van Wolfswinkel as they look to cash in on their star asset and Napoli's interest could spark Liverpool into action.

Hodgson Wants To Stamp His Mark On Liverpool Team

Roy Hodgson has underlined his ambition to make changes to the Liverpool squad in the transfer window and "stamp his philosophy" on the team.

Hodgson has come under heavy pressure in recent times, with Liverpool failing to deliver consistent performances and the manager having failed to secure the support of a significant number of the fans.

Liverpool has made a number of signings since Hodgson replaced Rafael Benitez, with Milan Jovanovic, Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, Raul Meireles and Paul Konchesky all having arrived in the summer.

Hodgson, though, has not had full responsibility for signings at the club and previously indicated that Poulsen, Meireles and Konchesky were the players he had been "happy to bring to the club".

The arrival of Damien Comolli as director of football strategy suggests Hodgson will not have full control over any transfers in January, either, but he has asked the owners to show faith in his judgment.

"Being honest about it, I am hoping that one day I will get a chance to stamp a little more of my authority and philosophy on the team by choosing some more of the players," Hodgson said.

"It is not often mentioned, but I have not been that active in the transfer market since I have been here. The players who are playing are the ones you have watched playing for the past few years.

"They have done exceptionally well for me in accepting a new manager, with a new style and a new training method, and giving the performances they have given, albeit that unfortunately we have been guilty of inconsistency."

Hodgson's difficult tenure at Anfield has been made more difficult as a result of the injury problems that have plagued Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

"If we are going to win games, it is the Torreses, the Gerrards, the [Pepe] Reinas, that are going to be the ones to get us up the table and lift us above the rest," he said.

"Fernando had a very serious knee injury, which - touch wood - seems to be in the past, but when you have had an injury there is always the little risk of recurrence, and Steven, of course, is susceptible to muscle injury if he plays too many games one after the other.

"I have just got to hope that the ones who just seem to keep going - the Duracell bunnies like Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva - can keep us going and give me a chance of giving a rest to the others.

"But it is the same for all the teams in the league. We have got a couple of matches [rearranged], which doesn't help, but a lot of teams do.

"But going into it our squad seems quite big and we probably have a little bit more chance of changing things around than some other teams do."

Jürgen Klopp Denies Approach From Liverpool

The Borussia Dortmund manager, Jürgen Klopp, has played down speculation linking him with the Liverpool job. "There has been no approach and there's no point talking about it," the 43-year-old said.

Dortmund, runaway leaders in the Bundesliga with 14 wins from 17 games, started a six-day training camp in Jerez, Andalucia this afternoon amid reports that their coach has been sounded out as a possible candidate to succeed Roy Hodgson at Anfield.

Their chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke, said there was no possibility Klopp might be persuaded to leave the Signal Iduna Park by the Liverpool owners, New England Sports Ventures. "There's been no official approach because it would be a waste of time," Watzke said. "Everybody knows there's no chance we'd let him go. We can but laugh [about this story]. Jürgen is a friend of mine and he has a contract until 2014. He would never break it."

Klopp has been in charge of Dortmund since May 2008 and carefully rebuilt the club to emerge as the surprise package of this season. After sixth- and fifth‑placed finishes in 2009 and 2010 respectively, the team are 10 points clear of Mainz 05 and Bayer Leverkusen. Dortmund will travel to Bayer on 14 January for the second half of the season curtain-raiser.

Klopp's excellent results and attractive football saw his initial deal with the 1997 Champions League winners extended by two years at the end of November, at a time when newspaper reports in Germany linked him with Bayern Munich and the national team. The Germany manager, Joachim Löw, is convinced that Klopp would be up to that task, too. "[He] would be able to lead the national team in his own way, of course," Löw told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung last week.

Liverpool has also been linked with Didier Deschamps, the Marseille coach, though the French club were not returning calls today. Liverpool had made an initial approach for Deschamps in June, when Marseille's chairman, Jean-Claude Dassier, was quoted as saying: "Liverpool's managing director, Christian Purslow, called me. He asked me if I would allow him to meet Didier. I told him I wouldn't stand in the way of anyone meeting whomever they want. But at the same time I politely told him there was not the slightest chance he could nick our coach."

Reds To Loan Out Striker

Skysports.com understands Liverpool are prepared to loan out highly-rated striker Nathan Eccleston during this month's transfer window.

Eccleston is regarded as one of the most promising players at Anfield and has made seven appearances in the first-team this season.

The 20-year-old, who enjoyed a loan spell at Huddersfield last season, will be allowed to go out on loan again in order to increase his first-team experience and get some action under his belt.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson is happy to loan out Eccleston in January in order to further his education as he is regarded as one for the future at Anfield.

The news has alerted a number of clubs in the Premier League and Championship to Ecclestone's possible availability this month.

West Brom and Wigan are both thought to be interested in the jet-heeled forward along with Championship pair Queens Park Rangers and Burnley.

Liverpool will now decide what is the best option for Ecclestone so that he can get some valuable first-team action in the second half of the season

Paul Konchesky Vows To Show The Best Of Himself To Liverpool Fans

Paul Konchesky is determined to win Liverpool fans over after admitting how difficult it is to shrug off the criticism in the city.

Roy Hodgson signed the left-back over the summer for a substantial fee from former club Fulham, but the player has failed to live up to the hefty price-tag, and has come under fire from sections of the Anfield faithful for sub-standard displays, which resulted in the home fans cheering his departure from the pitch in the defeat to Wolves.

The defender was dropped for the Reds' vital 2-1 win over Bolton on Saturday, with re-signed Fabio Aurelio replacing him for his first Premier League start of the season.

Konchesky has shrugged off suggestions he is not good enough to play for the club, vowing to gain the respect of the stands with a string of good performances.

He said, according to the Liverpool Echo: "The fans have not seen the best of me yet. Hopefully, I can kick on in the new year. Liverpool is a big club with a great history.

"We must try to get the club back to where it belongs."

Before Christmas, Konchesky’s fragile status on Merseyside was damaged by derogatory comments about Liverpool fans made by his mother on Facebook.

The 29-year-old admitted the city is so passionate about football, and the Reds especially, that it is difficult to escape the criticism.

"It is so small up here," he said. "There are two teams and most of the people support Liverpool – so there’s no hiding.

"In London, though, you have four or five good teams. You can go out there and not even think about it."

Match Report: Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolves

Liverpool's lack of match practice cost them dearly as they lost an eighth Barclays Premier League match of the season as bottom side Wolves won away for the first time since late March.

Snowy weather had forced the postponements of games against Fulham and Blackpool, meaning the Reds had not played in the league for 18 days.

That showed as they lacked invention and energy - even with the return of Steven Gerrard from six weeks out - but the visitors did have that spark and ended a run of six successive defeats away from home thanks to Stephen Ward's first Premier League goal.

The last time Wolves won at Anfield was 27 years ago next month when Steve Mardenborough scored the only goal of his Wanderers career.

But there could be no complaints from the home side who did not do nearly enough to extend a six-match unbeaten home record stretching back to their fateful loss to newcomers Blackpool on October 3.

Those were the dark days of the Reds' campaign, when they were lingering in the relegation zone after their worst start for 57 years.

Roy Hodgson cannot afford a return to those times with his side 12th in the table and owners New England Sports Ventures still deciding how much money they are willing to give the manager to strengthen the squad in next month's transfer window.

All but Martin Skrtel, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Dirk Kuyt, had not seen any competitive action since the 3-1 defeat at Newcastle on December 11.

The aforementioned trio had played small parts in the goalless Europa League draw at home to Utrecht but the rest had spent the last two and a half weeks training at Melwood.

It was not apparent from this display as there was a lack of cohesion and fluidity which Wolves were only too happy to take advantage of.

The minute's applause for former Liverpool defenders Avi Cohen, who died aged 54 after a motorbike accident, and Bill Jones - grandfather of Reds right-back Rob Jones - who passed away aged 89 - had barely faded away before Raul Meireles had a chance to put the hosts ahead.

Maybe the lack of match practice contributed to his failure to open the scoring after just seven minutes but it was a poor excuse if so.

Fernando Torres' quickly-taken free-kick left George Elokobi floundering but the Portugal international shot straight at goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and Richard Stearman cleared the loose ball.

Liverpool's strikers fed on scraps throughout - Torres did not have one opportunity - as Wolves pressurized the man in possession and defended solidly.

David Ngog's left-footed shot from 25 yards was easily claimed by Hennessey as Liverpool struggled to break down Wolves, who were enjoying plenty of possession themselves.

With the visitors finding room on their left it prompted a tactical switch, with Gerrard moving to the right and Meireles returning to the centre where he had enjoyed his best performances.

It lasted only until half-time as Gerrard reverted to the middle.

Again the Reds could have taken an early lead as Dirk Kuyt's pass to Glen Johnson inside the penalty area set up Ngog but he hooked wide from six yards.

Wolves defender Ronald Zubar was slightly closer with his shot on the turn as he at least forced Jose Reina, on his 200th Premier League appearance, into a low save.

It was an omen of things to come as in the 56th minute the visitors took the lead after a mix-up between Skrtel and Kyrgiakos allowed Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's through-ball to squeeze between them.

Ward raced in behind to poke home the first goal conceded at Anfield in 478 minutes in all competitions.

Ngog was replaced by Ryan Babel just past the hour, a decision met with derision by the Kop - who not for the first time this season briefly chanted the name of Kenny Dalglish.

Liverpool was wobbling and only a last-gasp block by Johnson prevented Jarvis making it 2-0.

Hodgson's final two substitutions sent on Joe Cole and Fabio Aurelio for Meireles and Paul Konchesky.

Two minutes from time Skrtel headed in Gerrard's free-kick but he was well offside.

Wolves fans sang "How bad must you be? We're playing away" and on the night it was difficult to argue with that.

The Kop appeared to be in agreement, responding with "Hodgson for England".

Hodgson Hits Out At Anfield Crowd After Liverpool Loss

Under-fire Roy Hodgson has blasted Liverpool's supporters for not supporting the team after his side suffered another humiliating defeat at the hands of Wolves.

Mick McCarthy’s Wanderers heaped further misery on the Anfield club after Stephen Ward’s goal condemned them to their eighth defeat of the season.

The home fans were understandably angry about the loss to the side who, before the match, were bottom of the Premier League, and made their feelings known during the game and at the final whistle.

Chants for Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish rung around Anfield and a chorus of boos greeted the defeat but Hodgson insists it is nothing new and asked the fans to keep supporting the club in the bad times.

He said: "I'm getting used to the negativity. Kenny [Dalglish] was a rival for the job and it was given to me. He's a Liverpool legend.

"But I don't like it. It's the Kop's way of showing they are not happy with what the team is doing. We've had to live with negativity ever since I came here.

"The famous Anfield support has not really been there – there were problems with the owners and they have been singing for Kenny.

"I can only hope these 'fans' become 'supporters' as well because this is a time when the club needs support.

"The negativity does affect confidence."

Hodgson revealed he was disappointed with how his players reacted after an extended break because of the winter weather disruptions.

"Disappointing is the buzzword at the moment. There is not a stronger word than that," he added.

"We came here hoping we would fly around the field and play well but we did the opposite. It's as bad a team performance as we've given, certainly here at Anfield.

"Rather than a disappointing 0-0 we let them in to score for an even more disappointing 0-1. That compounded the problem.

"Credit to Wolves, their gameplan was good. They won challenges. I don't think we had the tempo to our game to say we deserved anything more than we got."

Despite the lackluster defeat the former Fulham boss insists his side are desperate to show the fans they can move up the table.

He added: "It's a sad way to end 2011. We were desperate to show the supporters we can move up the table and we let them down.

"They made that perfectly clear to us. I can only empathize – if I was a supporter I would be extremely disappointed.

"But I've seen times like this. I have belief in my own ability, the players are working hard to bring me and the club success.

"It's going to be picking them up after they didn't do the job last night."

Liverpool Set To Sack Roy Hodgson And Turn To Frank Rijkaard Within Days

Liverpool are set to be sack Roy Hodgson and replace him with Dutchman Frank Rijkaard after the current Anfield boss was left bemoaning yet another limp display as his side lost to a struggling Wolves side at home. The club’s are ready to axe the 63 year old former Fulham boss and will do so within the next 48 hours.

Hodgson’s cause will not have been helped by his slamming of Liverpool supporters after last night’s game and owners New England Sporting Ventures will act fast to prevent the club from slipping further into the mire. The Merseyside club are now just three points from the relegation zone having lost an unprecedented eight matches out of their opening 18 fixtures.

Bookmakers William Hill have cut their odds on Frank Rijkaard becoming the next permanent boss to just 8/15 and Liverpool owner John W Henry will know that handing January transfer funds to embattled boss Hodgson makes little sense if he is then removed from his post shortly after so therefore the club will look to swing the axe in the very near future.

With the games coming thick and fast during the busy holiday period, with games against Bolton and Blackburn on the 1st and 5th of January respectively, the board at Liverpool will decide whether to wait until after those fixtures are completed or look to act in the next 48 hours. Their main fear being that having no one at the helm for the crucial upcoming games could be even more damaging than sticking with Hodgson.

Therefore it appears that the club is in deep deliberation as to whether tp wait until those two games have been played and then act to replace the former Fulham manager with former Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard who is on the look out for a new post having been sacked by Galatasaray earlier in the season, or instead axe Roy Hodgson within the next 48 hours, which currently appears to be the more likely scenario.