Already On Red Alert

David Fairclough believes Liverpool is already in a fight for their Premier League survival.

Wednesday night's 3-1 defeat at Blackburn has left them just four points above the drop zone and has led to increasing speculation that Roy Hodgson may lose his job.

The club have refused to make any official comment on his future but Fairclough, 'Super Sub' in the club's glory days of the '70's and '80's, says the club is in real trouble already.

"It (relegation) has to be in our minds," he told Sky Sports News HD.

"No Liverpool fan will believe that will happen, but there is a real fear that we have fallen into that cluster of sides who are all haunted by relegation.

"At this time of the year we expected Liverpool to be further up the table in a position to challenge, but it hasn't happened and now they are probably one of eight or nine sides who will consider they are in a relegation battle. Liverpool can't be ruled out of that group."

Former Reds skipper and Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson believes the problems at Anfield are 'deep-rooted'.

And while all eyes are on Hodgson and the club's new owner, John W Henry, Fairclough agrees that the issues may well go beyond who is or isn't in charge.

But he agreed a change in mood at least, is needed - and fast.

"It certainly is deep-rooted," he said. "The atmosphere has to change; the players now have to find a feel-good factor, find a real spirit.

"At the moment there are signals that one minute it's up, the next minute it's down. We saw that when they beat Bolton but couldn't follow it up, we said it earlier in the season when we beat Chelsea and a few days later went to Wigan and threw in a lacklustre performance.

"Clearly there's something in the dressing room, something in the training ground environment that needs addressing. It is worrying.

"We've had a few moments this season when we thought it couldn't get any worse and then there were a couple of bright signals, but now we're falling and falling, I'm afraid.

"I thought the Wolves situation was as low as we could get last week, but last night was so poor. I am sure all Liverpool fans are very depressed."