Dirk Kuyt apologises to Liverpool fans after Blackpool humiliation

Dirk Kuyt has apologised to Liverpool's supporters after the club's troubled season hit a new low at Anfield yesterday with defeat to Blackpool. The 2-1 loss – which led to a large section of the Kop chanting for Kenny Dalglish to replace the embattled manager Roy Hodgson – left Liverpool in the Premier League's bottom three and condemned them to their worst start to a season since 1953-54, when they were relegated. The tension at Anfield was also increased by another protest against the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, before the game. "It was really, really disappointing, probably one of the hardest defeats I've had to take since I've been here and we're sorry for the fans," Kuyt said. "We had all worked so hard in training and we thought this was a good opportunity to try and climb the table but unfortunately it didn't turn out that way." The striker has now joined up with the Holland squad for their Euro 2012 qualifiers against Moldova and Sweden – but is already calling for a response in the Merseyside derby at Everton on 17 October. "It's frustrating that we have got the international break now because we will have this result hanging over us and everyone in the dressing room wants to put it behind us as quickly as possible," Kuyt added. "We know this result has not helped but we just have to try and focus on the spirit we showed in the second half. We have got to make sure we show it in the next game." Asked whether he saw Liverpool as relegation contenders, Kuyt replied: "I'm not worried that we will finish towards the wrong end of the table because we have lots of quality here and we have got to have confidence that we can take a lot of points. The biggest disappointment at the minute is that already we are so many points behind the teams at the top of the table and we have got to change that. "It is still early days for the manager and we have to keep working but one thing I do know is that we will come back stronger for this experience."