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Joe Allen believes it was only right that Liverpool kept faith with Brendan Rodgers this summer as he insisted: “We let the manager down.”

Rodgers found himself under intense pressure after the Reds suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat at Stoke on the final day of the season.

The campaign fell to pieces after the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa in April with Liverpool collecting just five points out of the last 18 on offer as they trailed home sixth in the Premier League.

However, owners Fenway Sports Group decided to stick by Rodgers and Wales midfielder Allen says the players owe it to the boss to “set the record straight” and make up for the events of last season.

“The players we’ve got here are all honest players who take responsibility,” Allen said.

“At the end of the day we were the ones who let the supporters down, the manager and the staff down and ourselves down.

“It’s as simple as that. It’s up to us to get back out there and get back to the levels we know we can reach.

“The start of last season was disappointing for us. We didn’t start the way we would have liked but turned it around at one point and had a good run from December through to March.

“In the last two months we dropped off again. To allow the standards and the levels to drop like that was what hurt the most.

“When you end on a low like we did at Stoke then it’s a really long summer. But, thankfully, we’re back in now and everyone wants to set the record straight.”

No time to dwell on poor season

Allen says there has been little time spent dwelling on the events of last term following the start of pre-season.

It’s a fresh start and with a host of new signings on board - as well as a completely new backroom staff - he’s optimistic about what can he achieved.

“It takes a while to get over disappointments like that but our mentality now is to look forward,” he said.

“There’s a lot of work to be done between now and the start of the Premier League season.

“The players we’ve got here don’t need extra motivation when they go out and wear the shirt.

“I wouldn’t say there’s added incentive after what happened at the end of last season but we certainly want to make sure we hit the ground running this time around.

“Pre-season has been tough so far which you’d expect.

“It is different with the new staff and there have been changes to what we do - new faces will bring that.

“But everyone is enjoying the sessions. Players and staff alike have been putting in the effort to ensure we start this season well.”

Allen played the second half of Tuesday’s 4-0 rout of the Thai All Stars in Bangkok as Liverpool had to contend with Thailand’s monsoon conditions before flying on to Brisbane in Australia.

“It was great to get back out there having not played for a while. There was a good atmosphere for a pre-season game and everyone got 45 minutes which is going to help us,” he added.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played in conditions quite like that.

“You could hear the thunder rumbling when we were warming up and then when we came out for the second half it was lashing it down.

“It was okay at first but then the pitch got really difficult. Thankfully, we came through it unscathed and now we’re looking forward to playing in Brisbane.”