Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has washed his hands off the mess the club are in, claiming the current squad is not his own.
The former Fulham manager has endured a difficult start to his Anfield career since taking over from Rafael Benitez.
A start that saw Liverpool in the drop zone after losses to Blackpool and Everton in October.
While Hodgson has managed to drag the club out relegation troubles into the top-half of the Barclays Premier League table, the Reds continue to produce disappointing results - the last being the 3-1 defeat at Newcastle.
In his own defence, the 63-year-old has reminded critics that he is still picking up the pieces left behind by Benitez.
He said: "It is starting to feel more like my side.
"But it is still a team that I have not put together. I want to make that clear.
"I took the team over and I have not made that many changes. I brought in Paul Konchesky to play left-back, Raul Meireles to replace Javier Mascherano and Joe Cole came in at the same time as me, as did Christian Poulsen.
"The other players I have inherited. So to really call it my team, I would have had to make a slightly bigger impact on those who have been brought in."
Hodgson also hopes he can be given more time to make his mark in the team - starting from the January transfer window.
He added: "I am more than happy to take responsibility for this squad but it takes a coach more than five or six months to make his stamp on a club.
"I am hoping we will do some good business in the transfer windows to come and then I will be able say, 'If you don't like it then I have no one to blame but myself'."
Liverpool are ninth in the standings, nine points behind fourth-place Chelsea.
ESPNStar.com
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