LIVERPOOL’S shell-shocked youngsters didn’t know what had hit them in Sunday’s bruising and humiliating FA Cup defeat at Oldham.

But while boss Brendan Rodgers laid the blame for the embarrassing exit squarely at the feet of the Reds’ younger players, Anfield legend David Fairclough believes the system which produces modern players is as much to blame as any attitude problems.

Fairclough came through the ranks at Anfield to win three European Cups, six league titles, a UEFA Cup and three League Cups.

And his development as a young player at Liverpool prepared him for most eventualities.

“There is a great responsibility playing for Liverpool which I don’t necessarily think exists at other clubs,” he said.

“It’s a huge responsibility because of what the club has achieved in the past and what the supporters expect.

“I don’t think that the Academy system has worked in helping modern players handle those expectations.

“I think footballers today are brought through in a very sanitised environment and as a result young players are not prepared for FA Cup ties like Oldham away.

“They start at nine years old and come through a system where they only ever play against players of a similar age and similar levels.

“In my career, obviously I didn’t start as young as that, but we were used to playing against hardened, experienced pros.

“When I played in the Lancashire League First and Second Divisions we’d play against Chester reserves and Rochdale reserves, who were full of senior pros who were at the end of their careers, and they didn’t want to be embarrassed by some fresh-faced kids from Liverpool or Everton.

“I think I played against Michael Owen’s dad, Terry, when we played Chester. I’m sure people will say that we should protect the kids, but if you do then you will find that it doesn’t prepare them for experiences like Liverpool had at Oldham.”

Fairclough’s own Anfield upbringing prepared him for the more physical challenges he encountered throughout a sparkling career.

“I didn’t run around tackling like Tommy Smith,” he added. “But I would certainly put my head in even if I knew I was going to get hurt. And that’s what Oldham’s players were doing on Sunday.

“It isn’t just Liverpool. It’s football overall. Those Liverpool players involved on Sunday won’t want a result like that on their CV. People ask me what the biggest upset was that I was involved in at Liverpool and there wasn’t one really.

“We lost 1-0 at Bradford City in a League Cup tie but it was a two-legged affair and we went through on aggregate.

“Oldham were just more aggressive on the day.

“Their players will all have had various disappointments throughout their careers which are character building. Jose Baxter has had to overcome the disappointment of being released by Everton.

“They will all have had different stories about why they are at Oldham.

“Liverpool’s players – and it’s not just Liverpool, it’s all the top clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham and Arsenal – have had things all their own way as they’ve developed and it just doesn’t prepare you for experiences like Liverpool’s young players encountered at Boundary Park.”