Dumped out of the FA Cup in spectacular fashion by an unspectacular Crystal Palace side that is almost as far away from being promotion material as Liverpool are of clambering into the Champions League qualification places. In the process, the result has added more evidence, right or not, to the increasingly more vocal anti-Houllier brigade.
With our cup runneth deservedly over, the deep reverberations of discontent emanating under the surface of the Liverpool faithful have returned. This latest defeat hurt, It hurt like a punch to the guts, despite (I will explain later) a resistance to a loosing Liverpool that was beginning to develop within me.
With a desperate need to be amongst my people at such a dark time I was soon at my PC making a beeline for the LFC online forum. My head was crying out for the opportunity to rant and moan, yet my heart wanted nothing more than to offer solace to fellow reds and preach that me must ‘keep the faith’.
However, our holy forum to my dismay, was jammed. My computer, apparently in the same semi-dejected mood as myself was unable to grant me access into the most discerning of cyber pubs. Almost a hundred Reds were logged on, it was clear that the events at Anfield that night had caused quite a stir.
Many believed that we had walked through the storm, traversed the swirling bitter wind, shielding our eyes from the harsh stinging rain. Emerging, head held high, ready to fight another day. Yet, instead of turning the corner, Liverpool’s incessant manoeuvring looked more like an odd attempt at a U-turn.
Yesterday we came face to face with Middlesborough at Anfield, a side that had not scored away from home for what seemed like an eternity. The reds, apart form looking fairly bright early on failed to deliver, again, drawing 1-1 while heaping more pressure onto themselves after the shock cup exit. Liverpool’s sordid winless run began against the very same team 3 months ago when Liverpool, unbeaten, arrived at the Riverside in a ridiculously defensive mood. 90 minutes later, Liverpool were no longer unbeaten. It is an irony not lost on many. Fate it seems is not without a sense of humour.
It is immensely difficult to accept the nature of the midweek defeat in the cup. That niggling realisation that such a thing should not happen to Liverpool, a supposed team of ‘genuine’ champions beaten by a poor Crystal Palace; yet although the Reds produced sustained pressure on them, at times they were poorer.
What’s perhaps just as worrying is how I have started to react to a Liverpool defeat (forgetting if you can the Palace debacle) A lack of a higher denomination score-line in Liverpool’s favour used to send me into fits of depression and deep analytical scrutiny of what went wrong. It is now, shock horror, mellowing. Not only has defeat become less painful but also, dare I say it, acceptable!
It has nothing to do with the notion that I’m growing up, or that I have acquired a life in the past six months (no chance of that my friends). No, the reason is simply that we keep loosing because we are fundamentally not good enough. When you have accepted this, defeat, usually such a bitter pill to swallow for a Kopite, becomes easier to digest. It does even pain me as much as it admittedly should that we lie in a poor sixth place in the table.
The problem with that however, is as a fan, your commitment for the season as a whole begins to wane. Half of you say’s “Write it off mate. The season is a lost cause” even when there is still comparative success awaiting us for this season. It creates huge conflict within you especially as you can’t help but feel any achievement this season will function only to hide flaws and actually persuade Houllier that his Liverpool team are playing the ‘right’ way and that they were all along, subsequently vindicating all his decisions. That would be disaster, as would getting into the champions league in the state that we find ourselves in. Yet we need CL football to evolve and progress, this Ladies and Gentlemen is the great conundrum.
Gerard Houllier has an immaculate Liverpool CV, one that resonates with pride and the unmistakable beauty of football success. He knows what he has achieved and infinitely more important so do we, the fans. He handed us an era, after such mediocrity, which has restored this club to the highest echelons of English football.
His efforts at lifting Liverpool from the footballing mire have rightly drawn comparison with Bill Shankly, and in keeping with the great Scot, we will cherish the Frenchmen the ‘outsider’ forever more.
But now, the dense, priceless gold bullion promised by King Houllier is in serve danger of becoming fragile blocks of fool’s gold.
While an increasingly agitated Houllier gives a longing stare towards the dual targets of the Premiership and the Champions League, whispering ‘what if?’ he speaks of outside influences and grand conspiracies against his Reds. Houllier has arguably been affected. The shock of Black November, December and January or the exertion and trauma of his illness or perhaps a combination of the two have taken their toll. He is certainly not the same astute leader he was.
The Liverpool manager must refocus, refrain from moaning so vigorously (it’s not the Liverpool way Ged), admit that certain aspects of the team are wrong and then he and the back room staff must do everything in their power to lead us to the Promised Land of an eventual title. (How long will he be given? When do we say you’ve had you chance Houllier, time to move on?)
In the summer dead wood (a lot of it has accumulated) must be got rid of and heaven and earth must be moved to ensure that squad strength is dramatically increased. Certain industrious players must be replaced by skilful yet still hard working (they do exist) alternatives. I will take a leap of faith that Houllier is very much aware that changes need to be made. We can only hope.
For now, it is going to take a monumental effort to displace Newcastle and Chelsea to attain CL qualification, and do we even have enough in the tank to maintain such a rescue mission?
Houllier still has 100% support from the core of the Liverpool contingent, but it is not indefinite, it just cannot be. Gerard’s Liverpool may become a ‘good’ side once again, but they will never become a ‘great’ side.
Personally, unless everyone continues to pull together, I fear this season will end in a whimper and Houllier’s reign will eventually end in heartbreak, with no title added to his impressive list of honours.
I have never wanted to be more wrong in my entire life. YNWA.