OK so on paper we have a shot, but if you go back and look at the first half of the season, 'on paper' we should have won more games at home, should have beaten those lower half clubs, shoulda coulda. We are generally our own worst enemy, the only team LFC needs to beat is LFC. If we make 6th I will be happy.
The problem is not those matches-- it's against teams below us in the table. Slur Alex, to his immense credit, long ago realised that you can win the title even if you lose points to traditional rivals as long as you gain more than they do against the lower-in-the-table teams.
Wow, really? I mean I'm all for being realistic, 4th is going to take a serious turn around, but you'll be happy with 6th?
Is that so difficult to believe given where we are? Take a look at our: 1. Track record of playing lower half teams 2. Our goals scored 3. The number of draws at home 4. Our current performance It is not disloyal to be realistic about our chances of obtaining fourth. You make it sound like I am being a heretic. By that logic we're all disloyal if we don't expect to win this season. Given that a losing streak of 3 games would see us slide dramatically the other way down the table then yeah 6th whilst not what I want would be acceptable. Obviously if we win every game this season and somehow everyone above us loses every remaining game and we win the league I will be happiest, if we put together a great run and everyone else sucks but wins one or two I'll be seriously happy but not as happy as winning the league, if we do very well and win most of our games making third and others lose most of their games then I will be a little dissapointed but happy to have done more than expected, ... etc... etc... etc... do you get my point? Will I be happy with 6th? Well obviously not as happy as finishing higher but given the current state of play and the number of goals we're scoring right now, yeah, yeah I'll be happy with 6th. Throw a cup final in there and maybe even two and that will be the cream in my Twinkie. If we win one of them then you may well see me streaking through the streets outside of the Arndale in Manchester naked and painted in a Suarez number '7'.
Didn't say anything about being disloyal for being realistic. Trust me, I don't expect us to finish above 6th either. I just read too much into your being "happy." I don't like thinking anyone would be happy with us finishing outside of a CL spot and winning at least one cup this season; but hey, that's just me.
I get where you're coming from, every day that we under perform and every season we aren't in serious contention for the title is a major disappointment for me. It's just that given where we are I am happy to be making in roads. For me, the positive this season is the defensive turnaround. Hopefully we'll crack the goal scoring next.
I'm not sure happy is the right word. It would be understandable considering all that has gone on to finish 6th, so acceptable may be better. However, most of our problems this year have been self made, so while we may accept finishing 6th isn't the end of the world, and decent progress has been made, there is going to be that nagging feeling that we failed to take advantage of the opportunity to finish higher.
yeah - we simply don't/can't score much - so that also one of the reasons that I have trouble seeing us get 4th. yeah suarez is back + gerrard and some others who seem to be getting into some form - but we didn't score a lot when suarez was playing (though I'd say that ever since the Evra lies - his form dipped understandably).
Maybe we're saying the same thing but arguing semantics. I do not find it understandable or acceptable to finish 6th, I think we have had every chance to finish better, bought better and performed better but given that if our performances do not improve we could easily be looking at 8th I would be happy with 6th. It's a strange mixture of disappointment and a desire to find some happiness in the half full glass that we should have fully poured by the end of the season but most likely won't have. That for me is the biggest issue - form; when I look at the squad I wonder who is looking like they are about ready to hit their best form? The answer is nobody. Poor Suarez is a shell of the potential he has because he now knows he will always be a target, that the press will always hate him, that he will get no protection from refs and that life would be better in Spain. Bellamy is the highlight of this season for me and ironically enough our poor performances have only served to motivate him because if AC, DK, and LS were on top form he would likely have been played a lot less. So far he has shown more heart and passion that most.
Fair enough. Considering last season we finished 6th and we were all saying "oh well, we fell short this season but NEXT season we'll break the top 4." Now it's once again, "oh well, 6th, but NEXT season we'll be back to where we were under Benitez." Hard to believe we fell just short of the title a few years back and we swore up and down that NEXT season we'd be hot contenders again. Of course, we didn't anticipate losing Alonso.
Bloody Hell. I guess i'll be alone in the corner of the forum celebrating our #fingers crossed# League Cup win at the end of the month. Looking at the English teams this year in the CL and our own form in the Prem makes me think that we are not ready for competing in both next season. A year of Europa will give opportunities to some of our promising kids. When Kenny does get us back in the CL I dont want it to be a case of us just making up the numbers but actually challengers. Next season may be a season too soon and playing Europa football gave Juves weaker squad the chance to lead Serie A this season.
This quote comes from Kevin Sheedy in 1983 (after the team lost in the grand final and won a reserves comp. He's pretty much the 'Ferguson' of Australian Football, while he may be lacking in tactical nous, but he was able to create the best football club in the 100+ years of the competition. 27 years at one club, 61% winning percentage, second most wins in history, 4 league premierships (a massive amount given the salary-cap structure of the league) and 6 cup wins. What he did was create a winning mentality, a 'we will not be satisfied until we are the absolute best'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Sheedy_(Australian_footballer) This is the kind of attitude we need to re-discover at Liverpool.
Well said. Pretty soon people begin to accept mediocrity, such as your Hodgsons, and simply being in the Premier League like some of our players seem to be doing.
Well if mediocrity is not winning the EPL we have been there for some time. But if "winning" is coming in 4th not 5th or 6th then I guess I was out of class the day winning was re-defined. Being the last one standing in a Cup competition is "winning" and the aim of Liverpool Football Club is to be there in every competition it enters. I will always define a completely successful year as the League title and at least 3 Cups. However, if one admits that the two thieves completely halted a decade of progress, albeit slower than desired but with some really peak spikes, under Houllier and Rafa then one must acknowledge that we need to build up again. In that context progress must be measured in progress that is incremental. So again if we can bring home a Cup it is progress. We have not done so yet this season and have not since Cardiff and Stevie's wonder goal. There will still be wind and rain before the lark sings lads but lets walk on together
FFS I can't believe so much crap can be argued over a simple f*cking word like 'Happy'. I am happy when we're winning. I am happy when we are not sliding down the league. I am happy if - when I think we are playing like a middle league table team - I am surprised by a better than expected finish, oh I don't know...say... 6th for instance. I would be disappointed at that very same moment that we did not achieve a higher position but 'happy' we were not lower placed. You can quote motivational speeches all you want but tell me you feel the same whether we end up in 2nd or last and I'll call you a liar. Clearly being in 2nd is better than ending up being relegated even though we didn't win the league and it's ridiculous to say otherwise. It is possible to be happy and disappointed at the same time based on where we should have been, are currently and where we could have ended up.
I like the word 'Happy' a lot as it happens ... Happy Gilmore...Happy Christmas...Happy go lucky...Happy Days...Heeeeyyy...Happy birthday...Happy Mondays...Happy endings...As happy as Larry...and of course...Happy endings ...
Surely you're confusing us with some teams who may or may not come from London. For them, coming in the top 4 is the be and end all. For Liverpool, getting top 4 is only the beggining- we normally strive to win the damn thing.
All you needed to do was clap your hands you dufus. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrsM9WggCdo"]If you are happy - YouTube[/ame]
When I saw the bright shirts I assumed it was The Wiggles. I miss The Wiggles. I miss the car. Now I'm not so happy.