"It was the same old things from our part. We concede too many poor goals at this level.

"Their first goal was an own goal, and even though Liverpool will say their third from Milan Baros was quality, defensively it wasn't great again.

"It all changed in the minutes after we scored. The own goal was followed by another where they worked the ball through us too easily.

"And when Baros scored, the ball was passed between our two central defenders. How often do you see that at this level? 

"That happened right in front of us and I don't think he can have any complaints about that. He has apologised to us and the other players - quite rightly so.

"We will be having words with him about that because he's not helped the cause in any shape or form with that.

"If we can strengthen in the January transfer window we will, but even if we don't, I believe we have enough good players in that dressing room to win more games."

Just another typical day in the history of Newcastle United then - losing our in-form striker in the warm-up, taking the lead, scoring an own goal and ending up with ten men on the field. 

Oh, and the club captain's injury isn't healing, an on-loan striker we can't recall scored a hat trick the day before and some of the players were in the Sunday papers for an off-the-field incident.

No wonder Souness feels unseen forces are working against him. I think the expression he's looking for is a demonic possession.

But perhaps the most depressing aspect of another fruitless trip to Anfield was the sheer bloody predictability of it all.

In our current slump we've come a cropper on the lowest of fences, so it was always odds-on that we'd fail at this Becher's Brook of a fixture. 

And shorn of Bellamy we lacked pace and tenacity in attack, with the docile duo of Kluivert and Ameobi ambling around in their own unique style for much of the game.

However, that didn't apply in the opening exchanges, with Kluivert netting and Ameobi at that point looking far more focussed than in his recent appearances. 

The brittleness of the defence had its usual debilitating effect though on the rest of the side and by the end of the half, even Milner was berating Shola for his lack of movement.

People talk about having nothing in common with the current crop of footballers, but as far as our goalkeeper is concerned, that's not true.

Shay Given may not be as innocent as painted during recent newspaper links with other Premiership clubs and let's not forget that he did get as far as submitting a transfer request three years ago; but it's hard not to feel sympathy for him at present.

Like a footballing Red Adair, he stands behind our backline capping leaks and doing his best to prevent disasters. 

Unfortunately, since he first lined up for this club in August 1997 - protected by a back three of Pearce, Pistone and Albert - he's endured countless unsuccessful combinations of defenders.

Today he was left exposed twice as Liverpool blasted a hole in the centre of our defence, saw Bramble beat him with an unstoppable header and picked the ball out of the net when fouled by Baros. 

At least the last one was rightly ruled out, but a thoroughly disenchanted Given was left to applaud the away section briefly at the final whistle before jogging off to the dressing room without so much as a glance at anyone else on the field.

If there had been a convenient wall nearby, there would have been writing on it....

The Magpie malaise shows no signs of abating - but then it was hardly ever likely to. A waste of a day and a waste of £30 (or £6 if you sat in the house and ordered in on the goggle box.) 

And were it not for the tasteless Chrissie deccies that adorned every second house on the outskirts of the city, then this would have been another day of almost unmitigated humour-free drudgery.

Precisely why we bother at all is a moot point - after all, the players don't look particularly bothered. Maybe this is the new way to stop away fans standing up - make their team perform so badly that people don't even bother buying their seat, never minding plonking their hindquarters on it.....

As someone said leaving the ground today; if Newcastle offered a full refund on season tickets now, how many people would take it up? A staggering number, one suspects.

People may still be buying slippers, shirts and pictures for their loved ones in the club shops, but out on the field and in the stands, the battle against indifference is being steadily lost.

At best this is another lost season - at worst, it could yet end in something unimaginable. How willing people will be in four months to stump up their hard-earned for another campaign remains to be seen.

Many supporters and media watchers seem to believe that the jury is out on Souness, but in our eyes there's a verdict to be delivered on the club as a whole - from the boardroom to the dressing room.

Something needs to collectively shake us up from our slumbers - and it's not Charles N'Zogbia, unkindly thrust into this game today after an enforced three month absence from competitive football - that doesn't say much for the likes of Brittain or McClen....