Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina offered no excuses after reflecting on a "hell of a year" at the club.
A seventh-place finish was the Reds' worst performance in the Barclays Premier League since 1999, compounding early exits from the Champions League and FA Cup earlier in the campaign. Reina was one of few to come out of the campaign with credit and that was recognised with him being overwhelmingly voted the club's player of the season.
"I feel a bit mixed because when a goalkeeper wins this kind of award, it's never a good thing," said Reina, who also won his fourth golden glove for the most clean sheets, sharing it this season with Chelsea's Petr Cech.
"I am happy with the things I have done, but not one of us can be happy because of the season we've had.
"No matter what you do, it's about the team. All of us are really disappointed.
"It's been a hell of a year with injuries. Fernando (Torres), Stevie (Gerrard), Glen (Johnson), the centre-backs - we've been in a lot of trouble with injuries, so it's always difficult to prepare for a season like that.
"But it's no excuse - we should have done better and we didn't."
Co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett's decision to officially put the club up for sale has added to the uncertainty at Anfield, with the futures of manager Rafael Benitez, Torres and Gerrard all being speculated about. Reina has called for a swift conclusion to give Benitez a chance to plan properly for next season.
"It is vital [there is a quick sale]," said the Spain international. "It would be simple as it would mean we could start planning for next season earlier.
"We [the players] worry. It is a little bit of a concern and we need to sort out these kind of things, like the sale of the club and the thing with the owners. Once we settle all this then we can begin to look forward and improve the squad."
Source: PA
