Reverse Engineering The Title

With disappointment comes introspection. It's usually preceded by an interminable amount of anger and sadness but eventually the trail will lead inward. Sometimes it's unwarranted. Even after having exhausted every avenue and strained every sinew, thoughts turn inevitably to what could have been.

Hindsight can sometimes be nothing more than arrogance dressed in more appropriate clothes. Someone's own ego in formal wear. There are times when minor adjustments lead to obvious conclusions but when it comes to the unforeseen circumstances of a complex problem, the after the fact solution takes everything for granted.

A lot can happen in ninety minutes. Less so if you're watching the MLS. Every league game comes with a dissection and latterly entire seasons are given a thorough inspection. Within that scrutiny emerges a narrative that will then be pulled apart. Highs and lows are categorised into negatives and positives and while it's important to learn from the past in order to shape the future.

It happens frequently. Usually it hinges on refereeing decisions be they legitimate call or poor decision. On Tuesday night against Manchester United, Milton Keynes had a very good penalty shout turned down when the game was still in the balance. Had they gone on to lose that game it would no doubt have been dubbed the turning point, even though there was no guarantee of any spot kick being scored. Whenever a corner is given erroneously and subsequently scored, fingers often point toward the official rather than the defending. Again, the outcome determines the script from which we all work off.

The moment that a game – or even a season – potentially hinges isn't all-encompassing. It only exists at all because of that which preceded it and is only important because of what followed. To focus on it alone is to shut one eye. It will allow for closer inspection but ultimately prohibit any real depth. Fixating on the failure itself ignores everything that led up to getting close to success in the first place. Becoming infatuated with a winning goal may overlook the fact that it was fortunate. Without the scope for both, there will be no way to get anywhere near whatever ambitions that may be set.

Had Steven Gerrard not slipped, Liverpool would have been crowned Premier League champions last season. A fair assumption, if not a common consensus. It's not the act itself that needed changing but rather the response to it. Learning from the past is just that. Whatever repairs that are needed must take place in the present. Improvement cannot be made retroactively, it must come in the hereafter. Rodgers isn't coaching his players not to make mistakes but to be good enough to correct them.

We forget sometimes that the role of an opponent is to force defeat as much as it is to win. In order for a forward to do his job well, someone at the other end is very likely to be in the wrong. As much as anyone would like to eliminate deficiency completely, in sport it is an inevitability. Talent is not an equivalency and as such there will be an imbalance. Simply making those bad times vanish doesn't work.

When it's not singular instances that get scrubbed, results do. Remove all context completely and just change history altogether. “If only”. The ultimate in wishful thinking. Swapping two (very specific) scorelines around gives Arsenal the title last year, it's that easy. Only it isn't. One outcome affects the next and you very quickly enter a world of pure speculation. Had Sunderland beaten Manchester City, do they then go on to beat Chelsea that weekend? That one week, those two fixtures alone, a whole table thrown into chaos.

Southampton and Aston Villa at Anfield. Hull and West Brom away from home. Those the games in which Liverpool failed to win which they would have been favourites for. Visits to St. James Park and The Liberty Stadium could also have yielded more. Is it possible that the title could have been lost in October? In terms of pure mathematics, yes. In actual terms, no. Setback in those early games may have given Rodgers the catalyst to things on the training ground which led to the victories that were to come.

While it ultimately leads to nowhere, the theory is sound. More points gained on any season represents some improvement and in this case it would at the very least grant the Reds a shot at the title. In the tentative start already made, the opening day victory over Southampton already allows for a three point advantage over 2013-14. Getting to a greater total than last year is about being able to maintain the standard which saw so many victories, rather than micro managing those instances where it wasn't possible.

Ten from the first fifteen available. It's a more than creditable way to begin the Premier League toil. Seven from the next three is more than feasible and could also do more in terms of bettering past results when Aston Villa come to Anfield. In amassing enough points to be successful over the course of the next nine months some will always slip through our fingers. When that happens we just have to collect some from elsewhere.

That which will define this year is still far in the distance. The game to be dissected from every angle won't be played for some time. Any kind of real endeavour must be taken as a whole, which is why they say that the journey is more important than the destination. This trip has barely even started and already there's been a bump in the road. Spurs loom large on Sunday, waiting to make our passage even more difficult. We can't pick and choose what happens in a season any more than sections of a path can be skipped. Obstacles may seem immovable and we cannot close our eyes and ignore them. They have to be gotten through or around. Brendan Rodgers needs to find a way.

Begins. Falls. Rises.

Familiarity can sometimes be a trick of the mind. Know something for long enough and it's capacity to surprise seems to disappear while never vanishing completely. The capacity to change for the better is always there and while the challenge to simply maintain becomes ever greater, let the rest of them be duped into underestimating again.

In emerging from nowhere they became larger than life. Expectations were exceeded in a way that went above what most would have ever dreamt of. No longer was the idea of a nineteenth title consigned to the shadows. Challenging for the title wasn't new for this team but it was new for this team. This is all part of a story that's been told over and over. An old story for a new generation.

So how do you reignite the fire for a conflict that everyone seems to known inside and out? For most it won't take much. Off the field there has already been a lot of work in trying to breathe new life into that which we think we already know while maintaining that which worked so well. With the right attention to detail, a vision can be made reality. Only then can you take the kind of heritage that comes with LFC and make it your own.

Some interpretations don't work at all. When you have an entity that is so ingrained into popular culture that it becomes very clearly defined – by those who like it and those who don't – then there are parameters to work within. Even in those circumstances it's possible to be unique while maintaining that which people know. In certain hands however, these marks can be missed so much so that the end result then becomes like a parody of that which it once stood for. Roy Hodgson did for Liverpool what Batman and Robin did for cinema. In this instance, Brendan Rodgers has a little more of the Christopher Nolan about him.

Legacies are defined by what's left behind, long after the aspects that established it are gone. If everything crumbles to dust the moment that it's architect is gone, then the foundations weren't quite strong enough in the first place. The truly great can stand the test of time. At Anfield, those foundations have been rocked to the core over the last decade. At last there appears to be something with which we can build greatness upon.

Tomorrow will see the start of a new chapter. The third part of Brendan Rodgers' tenure at the helm. Year one gave us an introduction to this new incarnation, then came the much lauded sequel. Does the closing chapter of this trilogy end with Steven Gerrard lifting the Premier League trophy? We'll are thirty eight games and another emotional roller-coaster ride away from finding out.

Early previews suggest that hope is lost. More will have to be found. The stakes are higher now. There's a storm coming. Isn't that always the way? A resurgent Manchester United and a buoyant Arsenal; coupled with Chelsea and Manchester City whom Liverpool fought so hard last year and suddenly the rogues gallery appears very full.

Also, this time the battle will be as much internal as it is external. History doesn't get rewritten all that often. Every miskick and every dropped point will summon forth his name. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. He was once was the bane of Premier League defenders up and down the country; this time he will be Liverpool's reckoning.

For those on the outside looking in, Luis Suarez's departure will cast a great shadow over the club. He was born in the darkness after all, we merely adopted him. With that also comes the idea that last year was a fluke. Steven Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers won't be wallowing in a pit of despair, looking on as all their hard work is destroyed. There are bigger challenges that inevitably await, that must be met head on.

“Why do we fall?” asks Michael Caine's Alfred, in a voice just the right side of parody. “So that we can learn to pick ourselves up” comes the self supplied answer. It's a theme that echoes not just on the screen but as we strive to come up against whatever problems there are in our daily lives. A nice sentiment definitely - but also massively incorrect.

Ultimately there has to be a reason behind that fall in the first place. Simply continuing to stand isn't enough. Avoiding mistakes is as advantageous as learning from them. As far as Liverpool are concerned, such sentiments serve a dual purpose. Standing up in the face of adversity is more than honorable enough but this time around it's more about not letting anyone push them to the ground in the first place.

Whatever story there is left to tell and whatever ending we have yet to arrive at, everything looks much different now than when it started. In football it's often said that it's the hope that kills you. On the screen it was said that “there can be no true despair without hope”. That might be the way it felt in the immediate aftermath of the Chelsea and Crystal Palace games, but certainly not what those on Matthew Street would have said at 2am after the Newcastle game.

Faith can be poisonous when it is blind and unwarranted. But placed in the right hands and it will be rewarded. This team has just given us a season that even without a defining piece of silverware is unlikely to fade into the memory. Continuing in the same manor and trophies will not be far behind. There were not only incredible victories but the sheer scale and method of them, the likes of which we'll be looking forward to seeing again this year.

Maybe we've seen it all. Maybe we just think we have. Maybe the best is yet to come. Maybe they've given us everything. Well, not everything. Not yet.

Devil In The Details: Stop Telling Us What We Already Know

Little things make a big difference. For instance if you were to put the word modern in front of both football and art, it conjures up very specific imagery. Flocks of people gathered into overbearing, soulless hives; all looking to fill a void. Not all galleries are bad though.

Really honing a craft takes many hours of painstaking effort. Whether it be on the canvass or on the training ground, attention to detail is key. Everything that works well is there for a reason, so retroactively speaking it makes sense to assume that what's not there is just as important. Because the line between success and failure in sport is so incredibly small it can appear as though what would be needed to sway the balance is blindingly obvious.

From the outside looking in, even those of us that are well versed in footballing theory are only capable of reading any given scenario in a limited number of ways. Those with hands on experience and the physical ability to effect change get the full picture and there is no need for interpretation. Then again, the idea that someone watching from the stands can see something the manager can't isn't exactly a new one.

With more eyes on more of the game than ever before, with that comes more critics. Simply knowing – about any given subject – isn't enough for some people. Their insight has to be commended or opinions have to be validated. It's not enough to be right any more, it has to be illustrated and reiterated on a regular basis. Nothing happens on the football field with a hundred percent certainty.

There is very little that goes untracked these days. Mention a player and immediately there is a digital compendium available regarding every conceivable aspect. Judgements are made by both those on and off the pitch, after which only one group makes decisions. This process is too much for some, who will try and prove all sorts of things before the ink is dry on his contract. The reasons why we like or dislike a player don't have to be rational but when it comes to Liverpool, the very least they should be given is courtesy and respect. No-one ever knows for certain prior to a ball being kicked and regardless of any labels they may have, there won't be a consensus on anyone that isn't either lazy or too obvious.

The difference between players at the highest level are so small that when true quality shines through, that gap is large enough so that it doesn't need pointing out. Also, because of the minutiae involved in a single game, let alone a whole season; failure does not instantly validate any pre conceived notions. Look at the difference in Luis Suarez playing alongside Andy Carroll as opposed to Daniel Sturridge. In both scenarios the ability of everyone involved doesn't alter but they are regularly used to substantiate all sorts of claims. In the case of the former, it was once argued that Suarez would never be a prolific goalscorer at the top level.

Only over an elongated period of time – when a negative has been shown to be truly consistent – does the point have any real weight behind it. The problem now is that these valid arguments are being taken and manipulated into something else. Driven home to the point where conformation bias comes into play and all objectivity is lost. Glen Johnson is the easiest current example to use. For the purposes of this, it's only worth taking into account the time since Brendan Rodgers took over.

The statsheet reads like a horror story. One league goal and six assists in sixty five out of seventy two possible games. It would be cynical and easy to suggest that if he were playing for another club, under no circumstances would he be wanted here. That's understandable but Rodgers clearly does; for now at least.

Is it because of the sheer weight of information that someone will make the right choices or does it matter what is then done with that data? Coaches can know the game of football like the back of their hand but if they don't know how to effectively communicate these ideas then they are effectively sterile.

While in Johnson's case there may be enough evidence to suggest immediate exile from Anfield, whatever can be seen Rodgers is unlikely blind to it. Because of his history with the player and a lack of viable alternatives both in house and elsewhere, in the immediate future he will be a part of this team. Spending the following twelve months – after which he is likely to leave anyway – pointing out his flaws would be as valuable as alerting everyone to the colour of his shorts.

This also applies in reverse. Making a stand against popular opinion because it's widely regarded is very peculiar but not uncommon. A handful of good games and there will be calls of a “return to form” as well as other people reaching out, cherry picking numbers and passages of play that make it appear as though Liverpool suddenly have Phillip Lahm, Javier Zanetti and Lillian Thuram all rolled into one. Warts and all, he will always be Glen Johnson. If the manager doesn't know what he does or doesn't bring by now, this is a completely different conversation.

With the new season rapidly approaching, lines already being drawn. Dots being connected. Lovren, Sakho and Skrtel will each be both hero and villain every week. Every moment Rickie Lambert makes – from the dressing room onward – will be charted. It's not that these things are being said blindly but the idea that they're the only one noticing is. So many of us standing in front of a picture that Brendan Rodgers had made look so good last year, all arguing about subtext and conjecture. If we stop arguing, we may be able to appreciate the art of it all once again.

Points Make Prizes: Tackling The Anfield Wrap's 84 Point Question

Foresight tends to be as punctual as it is inaccurate. If something is to be proven right, chances are it will be too late. Seeing into the future is nigh on impossible and yet it's attempted with great regularity. The satisfaction that comes with knowing something – or at least perceiving to – in advance is very much part of the allure that comes with gambling and subsequently being rewarded for it. It doesn't matter whether they are long shots or dead certs, people can't get enough of being right.

To speak hypothetically about events that haven't occurred yet, is to flirt with fantasy. Even the most grounded and rational of responses bear only a passing semblance to reality for there are always dictating circumstances and unforeseen intangibles. These kind of scenarios are asked more because of their insight to a person's thinking as opposed to the accuracy or legitimacy of their answer.

The question – offered up by Neil Atkinson of The Anfield Wrap - that has been laid before everyone over the summer has been whether or not to duplicate last seasons net result. Nothing else, just a guaranteed eighty four points. The gamble being that it would probably guarantee Champions League football for the following campaign but potentially forfeit a title challenge in favour of stability. But before you place any bets, lets have a look at the odds.

First of all lets look at the minimum requirements. To finish in the top four next season and keep the wheels turning, over the last five seasons you would need an average of 71.8 (we'll call it 72 and from here on in, any decimal number will be rounded up). This is well below the established threshold and further proof that taking it keeps Liverpool in the Champions League for next season.

The established method of getting there was hitting the benchmark of two points per game. Win your home games, draw the aways; it was like a mantra. Since there have been quadruple places available, it would have done the job every single time until last season (Liverpool did hit this mark exactly in 06/07 so there may be an issue on goal difference but the point still stands). Over the last few years the Premier League has changed dramatically. The places that were on offer in Europe's elite competition used to be enough. Not any more.

Sky's baptised “Big four” were a glass ceiling for so long. There was very little chance of any side having the quality to break into that group and they had to be content with being better than most but nowhere near good enough. Liverpool have since fallen and risen at the same time as Manchester City's financially backed ascension. Even without looking at a resurgent United there's still Everton and Tottenham who can at least believe that they can crack into that category now. The belief is there and especially after what we've all collectively witnessed it cannot be ignored. Whatever the legitimacy of the claim, six into four doesn't work.

A decade ago the gap between third and fifth was nineteen points. It was the same the following campaign and seventeen after that. There was a definite chasm there. Two years ago Tottenham recorded their best ever Premier League haul and it wasn't good enough. Last season was the first in five in which third was double figures above fifth and even then Everton's tally was above the aforementioned average needed to qualify. It's become a whole lot harder simply to miss out entirely.

Simultaneously the quality at the front of the league has evened out a little or that the rest of it has become so bad that simply by dispatching of it consistently it's possible to bridge a gap in quality. Liverpool have done exactly that over the last twelve months and in spite of everything else, there's no reason for it to change. As such, while it's gotten harder to break into the top tier in English football; to win it has actually become easier.

Given that Brendan Rodgers' team earned enough last season to be runner up six out of the last ten, it's safe to say that any kind of repeat would be enough to put Liverpool in contention. From needing to accrue over ninety, the last five times the trophy has been lifted have all been under that mark. Over that space of time, eighty six would be enough and coincidentally that's exactly the number that was required by Manchester City. Quite simply, if there is any improvement at all, it could very well do the trick.

Even with all the prior knowledge in the world, football is never as easy as it seems on paper. A figment of my imagination playing out an alternate reality doesn't behave in quite the same way the real thing does, despite the amount of times they've been seen before. They look and feel very familiar but when the smallest detail can make the biggest difference, any kind of forecast disappears into the wind.

When the margin is so small between having the kind of success we've all waited so long for in winning the league and what would represent a massive backward step in finishing fifth or below, it's very easy to understand taking certain things for granted. Guarantees of anything – let alone a number of points – are very hard to come by in football.

Whether playing it safe or taking a chance at further glory, it has to be said that getting to the same mark again in the first place would be an achievement. Unshakable proof to the few doubters that remain that this team isn't just a flash in the pan. There are doubts that without Suarez, simply repeating isn't possible. With him in our ranks it wouldn't have been that straightforward. Easier perhaps, but who knows. When it comes to being underestimated, this team loves defying those kind of predictions.  

Football By Numbers: Why Stats Are No Fun.

On their very brightest day, facts and figures are encouraging. Nobody truly gets excited and punches the air in delight after discovering a particularly pleasing conversion rate, the reaction you're more likely to come across is one of mild appeasement. The emotional equivalent of being at a party with barely anyone you know only to discover an old acquaintance. Life isn't suddenly inexplicably perfect but it's better than it was a moment ago.

That's not to say that I'm some kind of Hodgeasaurus who doesn't believe that stats have any relevance, far from it. What can be gleamed from them is useful but no conversion rate discussion captures the excitement of Daniel Sturridge when he's through on goal. The problem is that by and large, numbers are cold and unfeeling. Mourinho-esque in their rigidity. They're a slap to the face of ambiguity, with the ability to instruct and inform but very little else.

Football is a deluge of numbers. Because of their importance, they're forever in the top left corner of the minds eye. After a period of very clearly defined seconds and minutes, all that matters is for one side of a hyphen to be greater than the other. Those on the pitch - the people we put all our faith and hope in – once they cross that line all at once lose their identity and assume that of something greater. There was a time – feels like an eternity now – when Fernando Torres' name was sung with pride. Anfield would bounce along in honour of Liverpool's number nine and while it may seem that it may now forever be the height of his fame, there was no real magic in that fabric.

That shirt has a lineage which makes it coveted, so much so that it's current occupant spoke of his pride in adorning it for the first time on Saturday against Preston. Having been associated with players of the calibre of Rush, Fowler and Heighway mean that there is expectation. Whether or not Rickie Lambert will live up to that at Liverpool is still up for grabs. One thing is for sure. He's much more worthy of such a label than El Hadji Diouf ever was. Iago Aspas' decision to take that shirt last year looked brave and endeared him somewhat but ultimately only ever added a pressure his ability wasn't able to cope with. I doubt he'd make that same choice twice.

It goes even further than that. People generate their favourite figure by any number of frivolous means. Sometimes they're even capable of wielding some kind of magic. I'm not sure quite how a symbol used to represent quantity was somehow conferred these powers but thirteen in particular has a reputation. For better or worse, our strive for individuality leads to this. Fondness can be found because of any remote connection. The reason that Liverpool have a relationship with the number five is not because of our collective worship of terrible boy bands from the nineties. Similarly United love 1999 because they're all massive Prince fans. Obviously.

I've been told that they never lie, but Shakira's hips tell me they're not telling the whole truth. A last minute winner numerically speaking is the same as any other goal. It's simply one more to the tally. There's no way what happened in the dying moments at Craven Cottage in February can be described as trivially as that. Three points may be all that were awarded that day, same as any other victory. The manner in which they were obtained and the momentum that followed will never be represented.

Brendan Rodgers and his team have over the last twelve months kept the scoreboard ticking impressively. Over a hundred goals. Eighty four points. In the end however, it didn't quite add up. Looking at the table at the end of the season made for joyless reading, if you focus solely on the numbers. What'll raise a smile in years to come will not be sums and tallys, but headers and volleys.

Endings are the perspective from which all history is written. Those that triumph – have and always will set the narrative. The final score becomes the point from which the story is told. Any previous events that do not fit that mould are either bent into shape or discarded altogether. Spain were moments away from going into their encounter with the Netherlands in Salvador. David Silva probably should have doubled that lead moments before Daley Blind's cross field ball and Van Persie's incredible leap. Five-one doesn't care about all that. The result will even gloss over the epic nature of the goal which ultimately turned the tide. Five-one remains unmoved.

As languages go, binary does not have the capacity to convey Coutinho's goal against Manchester City. It was a feeling that can barely be quantified into words, let alone digits. There was something very Shakespearian about last year. Old Bill at his uppermost grandiose. Often baffling, defying all convention and eventually turning to tragedy. To address it simply in ones and twos would be to ignore what joy there remains in football.

Only one team can ultimately be crowned Champions of England and just because Liverpool slipped on their way to the throne does not invalidate everything that went before it. A sequence of incredible adventures that stir the heart, not a series of complex equations that tax the mind. Last season wasn't about an upward gradient. It was poetry in motion.

The Duality Of Fan

Fandom is a very difficult thing to nail down. Primarily because it revolves around the reaction of a single individual to something and the collating of said individuals into a group, bound by a common bond.

Human beings are complex and contradictory by nature, so the idea that even those who share similar interests will have similar personalities is not so much a fallacy as it is impossible.

Some connections resonate stronger than others, which complicate things even further. Pointless competition arises, whereby devotion to something is measured in a points system. Two people can be connected by one thing and yet at odds with each other by how much it means to them.

Glen Johnson, why…Joe Allen, can’t…Luis Alberto, no!

All these and more, readily and repeatedly within earshot. This was even before half time, when the Liverpool team had a two goal lead against Notts County. I should say that saying these things were mostly the rantings of one bitter, bitter man—but those that share his attitude and how it completely contradicts with mine is what I need to get off my chest.

Not one ounce of encouragement uttered within the entire game. He even had an extra half an hour to find it within him. I’m not asking anyone to blindly praise anybody, but to stop and think about things for a second.

Shouting “OH YOU…!” several times at a 17 year old lad who’s not having the best of times on a football pitch, what is that meant to achieve?

The important thing is not even how good or how bad his individual performance was, nor how it fitted in line with the team. Jordon Ibe’s progress will not hinge on one League Cup game; win, lose or draw. What he can learn from his game against Notts County is, and I’m certain that the coaching staff and Jordon himself will take something and move forward.

The last thing we want is that the next time he gets an opportunity he is afraid. That he would play anything other than his own, natural game, for fear of being derided.

Daniel Sturridge had been put through on goal. His shot hit the keeper and then bounced over the line and Anfield celebrates a goal like with the kind of joy and relief you wouldn’t associate with a second round League Cup tie against Notts County. It should have been—at the very least—the instant where red blushes were almost certainly spared. What had been a collective show of emotion gave way to something different entirely.

Chants of “You’re not singing anymore” directed from the Kop toward the Anfield Road end at the deflated Notts County fans were drowned out by boos.

As a precursor, I would like to point out that I was part of them, so I am not trying to condemn them. But did get me thinking. These were jeers not aimed at an opposition player or trying to intimidate the referee, but at a section of our own fan base.

Who needs enemies?

Football has often been likened to religion and the comparison is somewhat understandable given its emotional power with the masses. Emotion and rejoicing go hand in hand. Volume doesn’t matter because it comes from the heart more-so than the vocal chords. Especially at a football ground, where you’re very unlikely to hear anything pitch perfect. One voice can stand out and make a difference; for both the good and the bad.

Anytime you’ve ever really tried to sing—and even those of us without any real vocal talent have tried—you feel something deep down, that’s what it’s about.

I’d heard it all before.

The lone gunman, intent on picking apart every little thing about a certain player, or the manager. It’s happened before and it will happen again.

Being at Anfield is something I have always taken as a responsibility. You’re there as a supporter, to be there for when they need you. However, having listened to such vitriol—and become increasingly irate—with the mindless criticism around, in particular a complete assassination of Luis Alberto, came a realisation. I had been so worked up and deflated with what was being said, my voice had been missing as a counterpoint and so I was as much to blame as he.

Chances are, if Alberto heard one voice that night, it was mine. It wasn’t a great performance by any stretch of the imagination, but boy do I want him to succeed.

For that last half an hour when things went wrong on Tuesday, there was a sense of inevitability and that it had all been seen before. That mass acceptance shouldn’t even be contemplated let alone tolerated.

This isn’t to let any of the players off the hook, as there was a drop off which Notts County took full advantage of, but the idea, the very birth of that capitulation, came from doubt.

It spread like a disease and quickly led to frustration, which in turn led to uncertainty. As such, mind and body were out of synch. They didn’t regain much of that until Toure’s injury, and out of it rose a cloud of defiance. That doubt needs to be exorcised.

Opinions are not all equal. All that is valid is that you possess one, but that doesn’t prevent them from being superior or inferior. Everyone has their own personal bias one way or another.

It matters little how they arrived at such a conclusion.

Past judgements inform, but rarely illuminate. If anything they blind us to things as we are determined to see through our own eyes no matter how narrow the vision may be. Some would rather something goes wrong, or a particular player messes up, just for the sake of validation.

Being there isn’t just a badge of honor you wear for the sake of it. It’s part of a coming together. At the heart of it is a community. Football is, after all, so incredibly—feel it deep down in your bones—tribal and, perhaps more than most, the identity of what makes Liverpool Football Club is reflected in the people of the city.

This isn’t to invalidate anything or anyone outside of the city limits. That debate is tiresome and nonsensical, so long as you feel. You don’t have to embrace it (some of the people I know don’t like the city they were born in) but you do have to understand it and respect it. If you have it in you, nobody can take it away.

Come for the love of that team and leave your preconceptions at the turnstile.

Afterward, we can give an honest account of ourselves. Leave it to the opposition to undermine us.

Brendan Rodgers’ job is hard enough.

Terry McDermott Interview

The UEFA Cup. A European Super Cup. Four Charity Shields. Three League Cups. Six-time champion of England. And three European Cups.

It’s a trophy haul that dwarfs many entire football clubs, let alone one that an individual player would be proud of. Then again, there is nothing diminutive about Terry McDermott; his presence lights up a room just like he would a football pitch and when he talks, it’s always worth listening too.

This is what he had to say.

KTTK: Firstly, how’s life with Birmingham City?

Terry Mac: Yeah, very good. Could be better I suppose but it’s been a difficult season for everybody. I feel like up until a week ago, ten days ago we had a chance of getting into the playoffs. You never say never but it’ll be very difficult to get there.

So what we’re trying to do is get as high up in the league as we can. Because there’s been a lot of changing over the last year and we just want to finish off with a little bit of a bang. We’ve got four games left; two away, two at home. If we can get maximum points from there you never know where it leads too. People say it’s mission impossible to get into the playoffs – it probably is – but you never give up hope and we just want to finish as high as we can which is hopefully round about the seventh/eigth/ninth, if we can finish around there we’ve had a great season.

KTTK: What did it feel like to sign for Liverpool and to play for someone like Bob Paisley?

Bob only took the job in – I think it was the – June, or July. He took the job when Bill Shankly retired. Though I didn’t know too much about Bob Paisley; I knew who he was obviously because I was a Liverpool supporter as a kid.

It was a big job for him to do, to take over from Bill Shankly. We played them in the FA Cup final in May and I played alright and I’ve sinced found out that they had me watched a few times during the next season. I think it was about the October that I got a phone call of Phil Thompson saying “how do you fancy coming to Liverpool?”

I thought he was winding me up. He wasn’t.

Before I know it I’m in a car, driving down there by meself with an envelope that they had sealed so I couldn’t look at it. The intrigue was “shall I open the letter” as I’m driving down the A1. Shall I open it or shall I not?, because it was sat on my passenger seat.

I thought bollocks, I’m gonna open it, I wanna know what it’s about. It was a fee. I didn’t know nothing about it [prior], I just had to go to Liverpool. It was £166,000. So I got down there, went straight down to my mother and father’s, who lived in Kirkby, and me dad came and met me.

I just remember going there, didn’t even ask about wages. Like there is now, negotiating all the time, sometimes it takes a day or two to cross the t’s and dot the i’s and it took me about thirty seconds to sign.

They just give us it “there’s your contract” and it was 55 – whatever it was I can’t remember now – 55/100 quid a week. “Thank you… that’s it. Finished! Thanks very much I’ll see you tomorrow.” So it was done that quick, we just done a few photos. It was never about money, there was never any negotiating, there was never an agent.

I never ever had an agent, there wasn’t really such things as agents only Kevin Keegan had one when I was at Liverpool. So there was no negotiating it was “that’s your contract, do you want to come?” I’m not gonna say no, am I? So I just signed. It took me two years to get into the team.

KTTK: Which brings us neatly onto the next question. It took you a while to become a regular fixture in the Liverpool first team, do you have sympathy for players who don’t hit the ground running (like Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Lucas etc.)?

No, I don’t have sympathy for them. I wish I was them, I wish I was in their shoes now. Playing for Liverpool in front of them fans. I don’t feel sorry for them at all but I think they’ve – and I’m sure they do – I remember talking to Henderson at a Bonfire night party.

I remember talking to him and saying “just dig in” because he was going through a bit of a rough time. I actually said to him what I had to do for two years. Two and a bit years when I wasn’t in the team, in and out the team, more out than in. He was going through that similar thing and I said “just keep going, it’ll turn because you’re a good player” and he is a good player. It’ll turn and he’s playing a lot of games now but it’s took him the best part of a season.

KTTK: With there being very little patience in the game these days, how much harder do you think it is now for someone to break through after they have been written off?

I think it depends on the character of the player. I mean when you’ve got the abilities like he [Henderson] has, you should never doubt them because you’ve had a bad game or two, three or you’re not in the team. You know that you’re a good player so you’ve just got to persevere. You can’t just say I’ve had two bad games and I’ve been left out for six weeks.

That’s what happens.

It takes time to blend in the way he wants you to play, that the club – Liverpool – wants to play. I thought I’d probably made it when I played for Newcastle before I went to for Liverpool. I was a big fish in a big sea but when I went to Liverpool I was a little fish in a big sea. You have to come to terms with that.

I got to realise what football’s really all about. When I was at Newcastle, it was fantastic for me. I was playing every week, loved living there. Loved being round the place but when Liverpool come I didn’t really know what football was really all about and what you have to do in terms of the way you play.

I could probably play two or three bad games at Newcastle and probably still play whereas at Liverpool if I had a bad game I knew I was in trouble or that I might be out of the team. I quickly… I say quickly, it took me two years to realise it.. but then I did. Even when I was player of the year, even then I never felt I was secure in my place. That’s ridiculous to say but that’s how it was at the time. I knew that you’re only a game or two from being left out again.

I realised then that you’ve got to do it every single game whereas maybe at the other clubs I’d been at – Bury and Newcastle – I could have two good games and three bad games or something like that and still play but at Liverpool I had one bad game and I might not be in the team for two or three months, so I realised you’ve got to really do it every single game. You’re not going to play well every single game but you’ve got to put the effort in every single game and that’s what my game was based on; giving one hundred percent, every game.

KTTK: The goal you scored against Tottenham in 1978 at Anfield…

Don’t know what I was doing there.

Don’t know what I was doing on the post for their corner. I was leaning against it because we were 6-0 up and then I don’t know what possessed me to do it. That’s what happens in football. I’ve gone from their corner – from being on the post – to heading the ball ten yards from their goal.

I just kept running. Why? No idea. I just done it.

The build up to it was just, well… Bob Paisley said at the time it’s the best goal he’s ever seen at Anfield. Now I don’t think it’s the best goal in terms of me because I finished it off, I think in terms of the build up to it. Where it come from, from their corner. From going out to Kenny gave it to Dave Johnson, he gave it to Steve Heighway, all more or less one and two touch. Heighway’s was certainly one touch. I don’t know what possessed him to cross it. I mean he was so far wide and there was acres of space for him to run into but he crossed it straight away. At the time I didn’t know it but having watched it since on television I couldn’t help but think “why did he cross it the way he did; so far out?” It was still an unbelivable ball. I just had to put my head on it.

KTTK: If that’s not your favourite goal for Liverpool, what is?

It’s got to be up there because if Bob Paisley says it’s one of the best goals for Liverpool, you’ve got to listen to him. Over the years I was very lucky to score a few top goals. Spurs away in the FA Cup, that was an unbelievable goal. I scored a goal against Aberdeen in the European Cup, away, we won 1-0. I chipped the goalie from the byline. That was special.

KTTK: chipped Everton…

I’ve scored a few goals haven’t I? Don’t know how but I did it. Yeah, Everton obviously because of the importance of the game; semi final of the FA Cup.

I’ve been very very lucky, I’ve scored a lot of good goals. I remember scoring a goal, I think we were playing Mönchengladbach in a friendly. It’s never been shown since, there might not even have been cameras there. The ball come over me shoulder from a long distance and as it’s coming down and I’m running onto it and just volleyed it and it flew into the top corner. I remember that one but because no-ones ever seen it… I’d probably rate that one as one of me better goals than the ones that are on television.

Because it was a team goal, probably the one against Spurs at Anfield.

KTTK: Is there a goal you’ve witnessed that you’d rate as on par with it?

I don’t know why but I always remember a goal that Alan Mullery scored. I think he was playing for Fulham at the time. It was a volley, the ball was coming across – he was outside the box – it came across him rather than at him. It absolutely flew into the net. Probably one of the best goals I’ve ever seen. That one was on televison a few times and I have seen it. That one sticks out but I don’t know why.

KTTK: You’ve been a coach now for some time, how has the game changed?

Funnily enough, I was asking [Birmingham manager] Lee Clark about this the other day. He’s only finished playing about five/six years and I asked him if he thinks the game is faster than it was six years ago. Because when I’m out there it watching them and they’re flying past, I’m thinking “did we used to run that fast?”

He said it’s not much different than when he was playing but that’s like six years ago and obviously mine’s 26 years ago. It seems quicker and it probably is slightly quicker but they’re more protected now; players. In our day anything went, they’d snap you in half soon as look at you and that was the more difficult part of it.

Now they’re so protected, it’s certainly a lot easier being a striker. We had people coming through the back of you and they wouldn’t get booked – they wouldn’t even get a telling off. You’d probably get away with three of them and get a warning.

Now an eyelash falls on the floor and they get booked.

It’s crazy, they’ve just took the art of tackling out of the game. I mean I was never a tackler so it probably would have suited me but the people make a living of winning balls and making tackles, they’re gonna be extinct because they’re just gonna stop them. A lot of the players who are playing now, it takes away from most of their game. Their game is winning the ball, tackling and giving the ball to the more skillful players but they can’t do that now because they’re frightened to death of getting sent off.

KTTK: As someone with European pedigree, bearing in mind that Champions League football is out of the picture for next season, should Liverpool be looking for a Europa League spot this season or would it actually benefit them to have a clean slate next year?

Garbage. Absolute garbage. If they don’t think playing in Europe is high on their agenda there’s a problem because Liverpool traditionally…like Newcastle now, we see it against Benfica the other day… the fans just love being in Europe, it’s a big thing for them. For anyone to say that it’s not a priority to be in Europe… they’ve got enough players to do what other teams do, not play the players every week…rest them or whatever, to say that they don’t want to be in Europe…I find that astounding really and I’m sure that Liverpool fans will as well.

I heard Phil Thompson on Sky Sports the other day saying exactly same thing and he’s right. They wanna be in Europe. As a player you want to play every game, you want to better yourself, to pit your wits against European opposition. That’s what it has been at Liverpool for donkey’s years. For someone to come out and say that they’ll have a better go at the league next year if they didn’t have to play in Europe, I don’t buy into that.

Of course they want to be in the top four, we all want them to be in the top four; I’d love Newcastle to be in the top four. It is very, very difficult but it’s doable because they’ve got enough good players to do it. There’s no reason why they can’t get in the top four.

Even if he has to or if he wants to rest one or two of them, there’s fringe players who are not playing every week that would love to do it. Chop their bloody finger off to play in the Europa League every Thursday, so I don’t buy into that at all. I think players, fans definitely want to be in Europe.

Maybe the sports science people don’t.

KTTK: Lastly, do you have any advice for Brendan Rodgers?

No.

No advice whatsoever because he’s a lot more of a manager than I’ll ever be. But what I will say is that he’s bought well. I think he’s got a few good players there. They still need strengthening and I think they’ll have a real, real go next year to get into that top four.

It’s been a tough season, they’ve done well in a lot of games but obviously like with Kenny they couldn’t get results at home – lost a lot of points at home – Kenny was exactly the same. If they can put that right well there’s no reason why not. It will be difficult. No reason why they can’t be in the top four, they’ve got enough good players to do it. They’ve proved that when they play against the likes of Chelsea and Man Uniteds and Arsenals. They’ve proved that they’re a match for them, they’ve just got to get that consistency.

(H) West Ham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 7th April 2013
                                                Anfield

                                  Liverpool VS West Ham

Another Sunday afternoon kick off, another encounter with a team that plays in claret and blue.  Following up on victory over Aston Villa last week, this one doesn't have quite the same edge.  For starters there is no need to look for any immediate redemption in that Villa may have beaten us at Anfield but our record against the Hammers makes much more pleasant reading.  Secondly, with the fact that they're perched in a relatively safe midtable slot there is no real danger of them coming to Anfield desperate for a point.  That's not to say they won't make it hard for us.  We only have to look to their manager for proof of that.

It would take a miracle or some other unforseen sign of the apocalypse, but I sense that we'll have a lot of the ball this afternoon.  Allardyce's men tend to take a hot potato approach to the game of football and if any of them hold onto it any period of time it will inevitably be followed by a demand to kick it high and long.  The middle of the park will need to be claimed as quickly as possible and I would be shocked if Henderson wasn't included to assist with that.  We saw in the game at Upton Park earlier on in the season how they can over run us if we back off, Diame in particular was spectacular that day and part of the reason why we got back into it was that he was forced off via injury.

More than anything we need to keep West Ham on the back foot as the precise thing they're very good at is our Achilles heel right now.  Defending set plays will be key and Carlton Cole will no doubt be looking to rough up our centre halves much as he did in the reverse fixture.  Hopefully Jamie Carragher's calming influence as of late will limit these moments to an absolute minimum.  Looking out alongside Carra in defence, it could be a good day for Glen Johnson to find some form again.  He was almost on a par with Luis Suarez in terms of effectiveness at one point - and let's be fair, no-one was ever really going to get close to him so that's a compliment in itself - but has cooled off as of late.  Johnson has scored against West Ham in our last three encounters with them.  Hopefully that's a trend which will continue today.

In terms of shape, because we're almost certain to be afforded a lot more space, I'm wondering whether Rodgers will opt to put Sturridge in there and go with the two in midfield.  If that were the case, it would require one of Coutinho or Downing to be benched to work properly - Lucas and Gerrard in a flat midfield could get outmanoeuvred very quickly - and it would be unfortunate if either one had to miss out.  Certainly the temptation would be there to go with the same team that won at Villa Park last week and given that I'm not sure how well Sturridge's injury is coming along then it's tough to gage.  I can certainly see the need for added attacking threat given how they'll sit deep and require a lot of work to break down but would hate to see it come at the expense of our shape in the middle of the park.

The temptation is there to say that with Everton playing Spurs, there are points to be dropped for those above us.  Truth is, that doesn't matter any more.  We simply have to get as many points as possible and whatever wants to align in front of us we will have to accept.  Even though this is likely to be a very attritional game of football and at times very uneasy on the eye - Allardyce will do that to you - I think we're doubly fortunate in that West Ham don't have that much to play for either and Andy Carroll isn't playing.  He would have something to prove and has been in decent form for them as of late.  Joe Cole meanwhile will try to come back and haunt us but I have a feeling this may be just one in a catalogue of limp performances at Anfield for him.  Some games have a lot riding on them or a multitude of angles that at any time could spark the match into life.  This isn't one of them.  Get the points and move on.

(A) Aston Villa - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 31st March 2013
                                                Villa Park

                                  Aston Villa VS Liverpool

It's been far too long since we last stepped off the pitch having been sorely brought back down to earth against Southampton.  Champions League football is all but mathematically ruled out and it's looking more complex than ever as to whether we'll be able to make European football at all.  It could come down to having to root for a some variation of an all English Europa League final.  I've even started looking at the fair play table!

Whatever run we were hoping to make had been blocked off before we could get into any sort of stride.  The international break has seen us have to stew over the fact that the season is more or less over with eight games to go.  That's no excuse for letting this one go today.  After what happened at Anfield in December, we owe them one.

Things may not have gone according to plan for Brendan Rodgers in his first season in charge but that's nothing compared to what Paul Lambert has had to endure.  Having taken the Premier League by storm last season with Norwich it was only natural that some of the shine would come off this season (the same can be said for Rodgers) but nobody would have expected Villa to be in quite as much trouble as they have been.  Having been dragged firmly into a relegation battle, at one point it looked like the League Cup was to be their salvation but even that turned into a morale sapping loss at the hands of Bradford.

They may be down at the wrong end of the table but have found themselves some form having beaten relegation rivals QPR and Reading in successive games.  Their victory at Anfield - which still rankles - will also give them the confidence to know that they can beat us.  As such it will be vital that we look after Benteke far better than we did that day.  We're likely to have a lot of the ball as despite being at home I expect they'll set up something like the away side.  If Rodgers has been trying to work on our vulnerability at set pieces this will be the perfect test to see whether any of it is paying off.

For once there is good news following an international break in that not only has no-one comeback with an injury but that it's given allowed Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher some much needed recovery time.  I'm hopeful in that Jordan Henderson will be able to inject some energy into the midfield now Joe Allen has finally been ruled out for the season with the club having actually opted to have the operation he needed.  No doubt when it's all over we'll look to certain games which became the fine line that prevented us from finishing even higher; the 3-1 defeat at Anfield being on top of that list.  If Villa are allowed to complete the double over us and we do go on holiday now that everything appears to have been lost, we may be looking far higher up the table than anyone would like.

(A) Southampton - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Saturday 16th March 2013
                                                St Mary's

                                  Southampton VS Liverpool


Tottenham was the platform. The stepping stone from which we could find our way to having a successful end to the season.  It's a game that could be remembered for years to come if it counts for something at the end of the season.  In that regard we cannot let that effort go to waste today.

Despite the joy and relief last Sunday, we've not really got anything to celebrate as of yet  and with the FA Cup semi final draw placing together Man City and the winner of Man United versus Chelsea, our route back into Europe just got a little bit harder.  At the moment fifth spot is the only guarantee of continental football. So while we're gunning for that, we may as well make a run at fourth.

Of all the teams down in the scrap for survival, Southampton are the one making the least amount of noise. They made their move in swapping Nigel Adkins for Mauricio Pochettino and are now seemingly calm enough to deal with the situation without grand proclamations having to be made about their end of season run in like Aston Villa or QPR.  The former Espanyol manager had and initial boost that saw them beat Manchester City but as of late has seen them only pick up one point in their last three.  It's a perfect collision of a team in great confidence meeting a team looking to find some.  Here's hoping Southampton are still looking at 5pm today.

If he does come back into the squad today, I'm hoping Pepe Reina is in the kind of form he showed in our last away game, although I'd like to hope he's not called upon to make as many saves, in spite of how good they all were.  The make up of the midfield will be interesting to see and with no sense of how Allen or Henderson will be used from here on in, I'd like to hope we get the energy from Jordan but would understand if we went for the same team that dealt with Wigan a fortnight ago under similar circumstances.  Just like in that game I'm really excited to see more from Coutinho. What he has shown so far is very encouraging and the longer he can keep contributing something, the more it will underline just how class he is.  Certainly Pochettino will know all about that, having had him on loan in Spain last year and was also keen on getting him to come to St. Mary's while we were after him.  Thankfully he'll be wearing the Liverbird today.

It's strange to be far less confident in this game than I was last week. I had this sense that it had been far too long since we had beaten Spurs and really felt like the game was ours to win.  Equally, I know that Southampton are desperate for the points and it would be just like us to fall at this hurdle.  We've won three in a row now and this would be a step forward in terms of continuity to get ourselves a fourth.  Today could be the day where we break the shackles of our inconsistency these last few years.  If we stay chained to them, European football will disappear over the horizon very quickly.

(H) Tottenham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 10th March 2013
                                                  Anfield

                            Liverpool VS Tottenham Hotspur


This is an occasion for football fans, not just those who follow the fortunes of either Tottenham or Liverpool. If you enjoy football then on show today are two of the Premier League's best players. Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez have respectively done wonders for their clubs and are always at the top of any defenders primary concerns. It's unfortunate in a way that they aren't going up against each other directly but it's safe to say that the team who deals with them better will be the one who comes out on top. They are both players who can change a game in an instant and as such it will require full focus for ninety minutes from whichever defenders that Brendan Rodgers decides to put out there.

After the emphatic victory over Wigan which now feels like an age ago, we're settling down to make the final push for the end of the season.  The good news is that Daniel Sturridge has been passed fit (and I never thought I'd be saying this) but it may come at the cost of Stewart Downing, who would be unlucky to find himself out of the line up after last week.  Sturridge may not be the only change as Martin Skrtel is fit again and I've a funny feeling he'll play as well as Jordan Henderson, whom I erroneously focused on last week only for him to not even make the starting line up.  Whoever does take to the field, we're in good spirits and - West Brom aside - great form at home.  This one would be far sweeter than any of those previous wins, three points against a top side in the league.  Both against Spurs and in terms of someone above us, we're due one.

While it's true that we will certainly have to be on our toes regarding Gareth Bale, ignoring the rest of the team could prove to be very costly indeed.  Today could very well be the day that will make a fringe player very happy. From Assou-Ekotto to Sebastian Bassong and Erik Edman, some of Spurs' lesser lights have a habit of saving their wonder strikes for games against Liverpool. I'm nervous enough as it is that Emmanuel Adebayor will awaken from his seasonal slumber and suddenly look like a world beater.

Spurs have played two full games over the last seven days and while their emphatic win over Inter Milan wasn't quite as tiring for them as I'd hoped it would be it's still very difficult for any side to win three games in a week.  Whatever tiredness is there will certainly help us in trying to keep them quiet, especially on the break where their pace can be deadly.

Defeat today would all but officially extinguish whatever faint hope there lingered in terms of finishing in the top four. If we do manage to win however, confidence will soar and the impossible may have got a little easier.  Away from home Spurs seem to have some kind of hold over us and managed to win in the last three seasons while we've not managed to inflict any damage on them whatsoever   This time has to be different, we have to show that even though we're unlikely to join them in the Champions League next year, we are still capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

Three Hundred and Sixty Degrees of Viciousness

Both in football and in life, there is no fixed point to which we might one day arrive at. There are differing levels of joy and accomplishment that everybody hopes to attain, and though it takes great perseverance to get there, it can all disappear in an instant.

Those that remain constantly successful must change and adapt as circumstances dictate over time. For the many that are not yet where they want to be, the journey is even harder.

Progress isn’t something that can be measured in a straight line.

Liverpool are at a point where right now where the attacking areas look to be finally firing and suddenly the defence is as leaky as it has been in years. Complications rise up from unexpected areas and solutions can be just as fortuitous.

On the field and in terms of the standing in English football, these are the worst of times that Liverpool Football Club has faced for many a year. That’s not meant to sound critical, but rather establish how things are right now. Champions League football – once a minimum requirement – is now all but a feint possibility.

We must learn to accept our position, but never accept it as our fate.

Liverpool Football Club didn’t fall away from greatness, it was held over the edge and then finally pushed.

Rafa Benitez did his best to dig his heels in and prevent this descent, Kenny Dalglish and FSG re-established some footing, so at the very least nobody is staring down at the abyss we were confronted with a couple of years ago.

Still, there now remains a mountain to climb simply in order to return to where Liverpool was but five years back. In an industry where a week is a long time in football, think how much damage can be done in that length of time.

Watching the way teams react to conceding a goal tells you a lot about the individual and team mentality. When there’s nothing left to lose Liverpool often come roaring back. Hulk’s goal at Anfield last week should have been enough to completely kill the tie but that was never going to happen. The problems occur against a team which has no business taking the lead in the first place. For years now, Liverpool have had this flaw with which they allow underdogs to dictate terms to them; it’s one of the reasons they’re so good when they are in that role.

Though it’s loathsome to hold them up as the perfect model, whenever someone scores against Man United the players are downright indignant. There’s an immediate backlash, which almost inevitably leads to them being level if not even leading before long.

Because this has been a concern for some time, however, both our players and fans as well as the opposition are fully aware of it. Coupled with the long-standing profligacy issue and you have the perfect storm.

Both identifying and acknowledging weakness is healthy and important for those that want to become better.

Unfortunately, right now Liverpool – both on the pitch and in the stands – are caught in a holding pattern. Whenever the signs are recognised, there is panic. West Brom at Anfield is the perfect example. The way things played out in the mind transmitted themselves onto the pitch like a horrifying self-fulfilling prophecy.

Right now, the problem isn’t so much that things can go wrong, it’s the acceptance that when there are a few indicators it then becomes inevitable. To win, sometimes a team or an individual has to be defiant, even in the face of what is in their very nature. Only then will these struggles with fragility start to become addressed.

For John W. Henry and Brendan Rodgers, the plan was to start again.

“Year zero”, it had been christened, and most fans bought into the idea of having a completely clean slate and starting again. The problem is that as a concept it’s completely untrue. It would have particular resonance were the playing staff entirely new but for the most part it was the same faces that had underachieved last season.

Discarding the last two years is to ignore all that which worked in the previous regime and much more importantly forget about the problems that so badly needed fixing. You can’t go into a situation with the same components and expect a completely different result, no matter how well they are put together.

In spite of the longing disappointment that surrounded Liverpool in the league last season, Kenny Dalglish did a better job with the team than he’ll ever likely get credit for. Even with that being said, the reminders of a once great footballing empire can be seen all over his face.

What Liverpool needed was something new.

The need for a fresh start, to forget how far the club had fallen, that was much more important in terms of managing short and long term expectation. However this current incarnation of Liverpool FC will be judged, it would do more harm than good to hold it up against the ghosts of the past.

Times change and people move on.

Steven Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Martin Skrtel, Jamie Carragher and Lucas Leiva were all present in the 4-1 victory over Manchester United. On the flip side, Jonjo Shelvey, Martin Kelly, Daniel Agger and Lucas again all played some part of the team that was dumped out of the League Cup at Anfield to Northampton Town. Those two games represent both the apex and nadir of Liverpool’s recent past.

The Northampton game is now over two years old. Year zero may have had a nasty side-effect in papering over the cracks from last season but it was necessary to lay down a marker and move on from the turmoil and in-fighting that’s gone on over the last few years.

Brendan Rodgers has come in and put his individual stamp on the team, yet the goal is so that a few years down the line a collective identity will be so strong that that the presence – or absence – of one man will not imbalance the team.

Last year, Lucas Leiva’s disappearance led to an almighty collapse in form, and there’s something to be said of the Liverpool team that contains Daniel Sturridge and the one that does not.

Wherever the club ends up finishing in the league, there is much hard work still to do.

Many believe that the quality of players Champions League football would attract to Anfield will help with the problems in consistency. If anything it’s the other way around. If Liverpool can find that consistency, top four football will not be far behind.