Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was disappointed with the young players he handed a chance to as they crashed out of the FA Cup at League One side Oldham.
Rodgers was left bemused by a below-par effort from a mixed Liverpool side in the 3-2 fourth-round defeat at Boundary Park as they were hardly in the game in the first half.
Things improved a little when he brought on added experience in the second period, but Joe Allen's 80th minute goal came too late to turn around a Sunday afternoon the red-faced Liverpool manager would rather forget.
"We are bitterly disappointed. We started the first half poorly and we started the second half and got punished," Rodgers said. "We've got a big week of games but our mentality in that opening period was poor and it ended up costing us.
"I was disappointed with the young players today I've got to be honest.
"We are trying to give them experience and let them see what it was like to play for Liverpool. It is not just about playing for Liverpool, you have to be competitive and be part of a group that is going to challenge for trophies.
"I thought how we reacted to that and how we performed, knowing that is what we are looking for, was disappointing.
"It is not enough to play for Liverpool and get up for the Arsenal and Manchester City games (later this week) because if we are going to win trophies you need to be able to come to places like Oldham and win and we weren't good enough for that.
"We were just too much on the back foot early on, you really have to be aggressive. These are different games to the Premier League: Premier League games are nice, you go in and teams will pass the ball and give you time to get your shape.
"These games are a different type of football, you have to roll your sleeves up be strong and aggressive and unfortunately for us there were too many who weren't.
"It is just a different type of football where you have to stand up and be counted. It is great to put young players in but you have to have personality and the young players disappointed."
Update:
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what do you think?
Diane Rogers
Well played Oldham. You wanted it more
shirley sutton
What we need now is the Americans to round on Rogers and get a manager who knows what he's doing and admits he got it wrong not blame the youngsters when he picked them
Diane Rogers
Sorry Shirley got to disagree Rodgers picked a team with plenty of experience the youngsters want a chance they had one today. I am a Liverpool supporter.
shirley sutton
Yes so am I and rogers is useless totally underestimated Oldham and it cost them dear
Mark Hussey
That will hapen. End of may
Diane Rogers
The team still had Sturridge, Suarez ,Skirtel. I don't agree Rodgers is ok we do not want to get like Chelsea and change manager every few months. You have to give him time I do get annoyed when the manager is always blamed the 11 on tbe pitch have to take some responsibility
Paul Gilbert
Blaming it on a weakened team
shirley sutton
He picked team so his fault
Paul Gilbert
and the massive changes were.....
Paul Gilbert
Your Mr Ayre says you have best squad in the country in terms of mix of youth and experience. Make two or three changes and the world falls in
Mark Hussey
We do have some good kids .just not coates borni and one or two others
Paul Gilbert
maybe but you can't blame a defeat to a 3rd division team on a couple of kids
Ben Ralph
Nothing to do with "youngsters". Jones, Coates, Henderson, Allen, Borini, Sterling and Sturridge utterly useless.
Martin Massey
Sterling & Sturridge are youngsters. Always play your strongest team winning any trophy matters. saf at united has learnt that. youngsters blow hot & cold.
endofastorm
Disappointed with Rodgers' comments about the youngsters. Carragher was on the bench and only last week Rodgers played Carragher because, in his words, "the team's too quiet, we need Carragher's influence". Rodgers bemoans the style of football in the lower divisions. He needs to get a grip. Its his style that he's imposing on the Liverpool squad, its pretty but it lacks options and purpose. The only person who needs to stand up and be counted is Rodgers. He's an average manager with big ideas. Reinventing football isn't an achievable goal.
endofastorm
Forgot to say... Well done Oldham.
frank.moon
be a man you did not play your strongest team rodgers you got it wrong not the kids
Bill Fleming
Kenny lost his job for a lot less than this shambles, I only watched it on TV and you could see Steve Gerrard and Jamie Carragher shaking their heads at how bad a performance they were watching. Most current Premier mangers would be doing better than Mr Rodgers. He's definitely no Shanks or Paisley that's for sure....but then again the current players will never be a Rush Dalglish Toshack Thomson Lee Smith either......no passion for the club just ££££ signs!
shirley sutton
8:08pm on 27/1/2013
Top and bottom is Rodgers underestimated Oldham and it cost them