Liverpool Fans Don't Take Deadline Day Failure to Sign Yevhen Konoplyanka Well

Liverpool went through the January window without making a single signing as their bid for Ukrainian Yevhen Konoplyanka fell through on deadline day—and fans weren't happy about it.

The team has surpassed expectations as they push for a Champions League place this season, but supporters were hoping that Brendan Rodgers would be able to welcome in reinforcements for the final months of the campaign.

A frustrating window means that did not materialise, and left fans taking out their frustration on managing director Ian Ayre in particular:

"

Haha this is class of Ian Ayre #taken pic.twitter.com/oZ6EbmAPSH

— Jack Abe (@Jack14Abe) January 31, 2014"

"

Harsh to blame Ayre for the collapse of a complicated deal. It's not as if Liverpool have kept missing out on player after play...oh

— Dion Fanning (@dionfanning) January 31, 2014"

"

Mkhitaryan, Willian, Salah and now Konoplyanka. Coincidence no, how that incompetent clown Ian Ayre is still employed is beyond me. #LFC

— That Guy (@SirLeonP) January 31, 2014"

"

Ian Ayre forgot his PayPal password and doesn't know his mother's maiden name

— Matt Jones (@matt_jones92) January 31, 2014"

Despite that, it was suggested that the failure of the Konoplyanka deal was in fact not down to Liverpool's failings at all by the likes of BBC journalist Ben Smith:

"

Ian Ayre is an easy target. Collapse of this particular deal was not his fault. He was dealing with an impossible owner

— Ben Smith (@BenSmithBBC) January 31, 2014"

Whether Smith is right or not, it doesn't seem to have appeased certain elements of Reds fans. And it was no coincidence that late on deadline day evening Ayre's Wikipedia page had been modified:

Wikipedia

At times like this it would be easy to forget that Liverpool are in pole position to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2009-10 season, and have just beaten Everton 4-0 in the Merseyside derby.