owners are actively examining candidates to replace Roy Hodgson and will be prepared to move when the right man becomes available.
Having a ball: Fitness is the best medicine for Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard
Fenway Sports Group have reached breaking point with the current manager after a series of poor results and performances culminated in Wednesday's woeful 1-0 home defeat by Wolves, a result which leaves Liverpool three points off the relegation zone.
Hodgson, who yesterday issued a grovelling apology following comments he made after that game about Liverpool's support, is now effectively a dead man walking, as FSG are running the rule over young coaches who will be able to take Liverpool into a new era.
An online petition asking FSG principal John W Henry to sack Hodgson had more than 12,000 signatures last night, while the respected website Red And White Kop also published an open letter to Henry pleading for Hodgson's removal.
Marseille coach Didier Deschamps, Andre Villas-Boas of Porto, Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp and Bolton's Owen Coyle, who takes his side to Anfield today, will all be considered.
Deschamps was a candidate to replace Rafa Benitez last summer and he made what insiders described at the time as a 'fantastic' impression when he met with
Liverpool officials.
A proven track record of success wherever Deschamps has been — not to mention experience of the Barclays Premier League from his time with Chelsea as a player — would appeal to FSG.
Deschamps is also familiar with working under a director of football strategy — in this case Damien Comolli, who was appointed by FSG in November.
Villas-Boas is an intriguing candidate. He learned everything he knows from Jose Mourinho and while his age — 33 — may raise eyebrows, FSG showed youth is no barrier when appointing Theo Epstein as general manager of the Boston Red Sox as a 28-year-old in 2002.
Where do I go from here? Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson avoids looking at the scoreboard
Despite mounting pressure, Hodgson, who signed a three-year contract in July, has no intentions of quitting but it is now a case of when, not if, the axe will be brought down on his ill-fated reign.
He said: 'It has taken me a long while to get to this elevated position, coaching one of the best clubs in Europe. I was very pleased to get the job and I left a very good job to take it.
'So the last thing in my mind is walking away from a club like this or walking away from football. I want to be here, I want to change things and I want to turn it around. I want to help the club and the new owners get the success they want. There are an awful lot of people who would like to be standing where I am today.
'There are a lot of people who believe they can do the job better. But you believe you can justify the faith of other people who have appointed you.'
Hodgson, however, has a number of problems, not least that the men who appointed him in July — Christian Purslow and Sir Martin Broughton — no longer have an influence at the club and Liverpool's form since he took charge has been lamentable.
Hodgson has also alienated himself from the vast majority of Liverpool's fan base and the 63-year-old is bracing himself for a hostile reception this afternoon, as the appetite for managerial change on Merseyside continues to grow.
'I have been very, very disappointed and hurt that comments I made which were mere statements of fact and which were in no way meant to be offensive have been made offensive,' said Hodgson.
'I thought I did quite a good job to disguise the hurt, the sadness and, to some extent, the anger that I was feeling, to take the stick from the crowd and then to stand up at a press conference and say I understood and I sympathise with them.
'It is always going to be the case as manager when things go wrong, you are going to get flak. I think it was unfortunate for me that it has been turned around and the fans think I have gone into a press conference to attack them. Nothing could be further from the truth.
'I fully empathise with our supporters. There is no way I would want to upset them as Liverpool fans are the best in the country. It is our job to give them football that is worth supporting. We need to get them behind the team again.'
It is difficult not to feel sympathy for Hodgson as he has worked hard in trying circumstances but despite being conciliatory and contrite, the olive branch he held out is unlikely to be grasped and he looks more exposed by the day.
Mike Kelly and Sammy Lee are dressing-room allies but Hodgson is suffering from not having an assistant manager to help share the burden — he wanted club legend Sami Hyypia to be his No 2 last summer but failed to look elsewhere after that offer was rejected.
'It is a lonely job being the manager of a top club — you can't expect people to help you too much. The staff are very good and supportive and so are the players,' added Hodgson.
'But your family is very important at these times. They try and encourage you that life isn't all doom and gloom and there might be a bright spot somewhere along the way. That is what you have to cling on to.'
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