Reds poor season due to transfer bungles

London - Liverpool's half-baked pre-season transfer dealings have come back to bite them with Brendan Rodgers admitting his side have lacked the quality to finish in the Premier League's top four.

Monday's tepid 1-0 defeat by relegation-threatened Hull City left Liverpool in fifth place and all but ended their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

That represents a sharp decline from last season when the goals of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge propelled the club to within a whisker of a a first English league title since 1991.