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Brendan Rodgers has sought to reassure concerned Liverpool FC fans that short-term pain will lead to long-term gain.

The Reds boss says he feels for supporters who have had to witness a succession of below par displays so far this season.

Just five months after coming within two points of clinching the Premier League crown, Rodgers admitted this week that the club is back in “a little period of transition”.

Nine games in all competitions have brought four defeats already – last term it was December before Liverpool suffered that amount of setbacks.

The bold summer declarations about challenging for the title have been replaced by increasing doubts about the Reds’ ability to retain their coveted top four status.

Life without Luis Suarez has been a slog with Rodgers trying to gel eight summer signings while battling against a crippling injury list.

The free-flowing attacking football which lit up the Premier League last term has been conspicuous by its absence.

“It’s hard for the supporters and I understand that,” Rodgers said.

“It must be so difficult at the moment to see a team that for 18 months has been so fluent and dynamic.

“Now they probably look and see a team with maybe no resemblance to that in many ways. I understand that and there is no-one more frustrated than myself.

“We look at our game which is based a lot on possession but we’re also a big threat in transition when we’ve won the ball back and we’re on the break.

“We don’t look a threat on the break at the moment. You could argue that we don’t even play in transition. We’re getting no-one in behind, no-one breaking lines.

“Our team dynamic was dominating the game with the ball but also without the ball. And without the ball means running and getting in behind people.

“We’ve done that for 18 months. We did it at Tottenham. But once we lost that movement and speed of Daniel Sturridge – and the link up of other people within that - that has broken the dynamic a little bit for us.

“We just have to persevere until I get the squad back – until we get Emre Can back, Joe Allen, Daniel and the others. Then I think we will return to that level.

“In the meantime it’s obviously been hard for the supporters and I totally understand that.”

Liverpool embarked on the biggest spending spree in Anfield history this summer when they splashed out around £116million on nine players, one of whom, Divock Origi, is spending this season on loan at Lille.

The Reds’ approach was in contrast to that of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who spent around £80million on three key signings in Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Felipe Luis.

However, Rodgers has no regrets about Liverpool’s transfer business and is convinced the new boys will come good.

“Chelsea obviously brought in a seasoned professional in terms of the Premier League in Fabregas and then Costa, who is someone we looked at a couple of years back as well. His profile suits the Premier League,” Rodgers said.

“For us, we lost a top class player and then had to bring in other players to help us now and for the future.

“We’ve had to put one or two in much quicker than we wanted because of injuries to other players.

“Once these players settle in and adapt and really understand how we work I think we’ll move back to where we were.

“There will be frustration now absolutely. No-one respects that more than me.

“But I think the pain is just for now. We have to work hard to get them settled and bedded in.”

One issue Rodgers has been grappling with is a lack of time on the training field to put things right amid such a hectic fixture schedule.

Liverpool arrived back from their Champions League defeat to Basel in the early hours of Thursday.

Friday was the players’ second recovery day and then it’s straight into today’s Premier League clash with West Brom at Anfield.

“It’s certainly a big factor,” he admitted.

“When I first came in here that first season was difficult with me being a new manager and having Europa League games. It was difficult to implement my ideas at that time.

“It was only after Christmas when we got the time that we started to flow.

“My natural environment as a coach is out on the training field.

“We’ve seen the progress with the team when we’ve had the opportunities to really put the philosophy in place.

“With so many new players coming in this year, even though they understand the ideas and the principles, you still want to work with them on the field and that time has been very limited.

“That won’t change so we can’t complain. We have to find other ways to put those ideas across.

“I speak a lot with individual players and have group meetings. We have to find other ways to analyse and study and make the team better.”

Liverpool will be up against a West Brom side who have won two of their last three visits to Anfield.

The Baggies endured a slow start to the season under new boss Alan Irvine but they arrive on Merseyside full of confidence after back to back league wins over Tottenham and Burnley.

“Alan’s a good guy and someone who has been around a long time in terms of coaching,” Rodgers added.

“He’s gone into a new club and his last two results have been excellent. We know it will be a tough game for us.

“But when we’re at home we expect to be on the front foot and we’ll look to win.

“We are in a difficult moment but that’s the great challenge for myself and the players.

“We just need to ensure we keep it simple and keep to the values and ethics of this team – hard work, honesty and concentrating on our performance.”