The reason I mention this is that despite the football there was never a second then or in 2002 or even with ten minutes left of the Coventry home game in April 1997 that I believed we were going to win the League. Sure 2002 looked good but we fought only Man United to second rather than Arsenal to the title. This observation isn't based on a natural cynicism or fear of success but just a gut feeling of "no, this isn't going to happen."
So does the current team inspire me to book a week off in May and start painting either the number 6 or 19 on every available wall space? Sorry, but it doesn't. Yet. Yes, we've started well enough in terms of results but I'm yet to see the swagger necessary to be champions. True, Chelsea won their last league with some dire football under Mourinho but they could pass anyone into submission when they fancied it. This isn't to say I've given up and I'll be cheering for the ball to remain in the centre circle for the Chelsea-MU game tomorrow but I'm still too cautious to talk about a glory to come.
The Man Utd game was fantastic and, if anything, the over-analysis of Fergie's failings, now stretched to Europe, understated our team performance. This week Rafa called Gerrard the greatest midfielder in the world and I believe he has been just that but now he shares the centre circle with a man who deserves that title more. Javier Mascherano is an astonishing player and I can't think of anyone else in the world who can play like that for so long. I love watching a Liverpool player convince an opponent that they're only borrowing the ball from him. I'm not a fan of "Torres is the new Dalglish etc" comparisons but there if Masch grew a perm and 'tache he could be Souness - the greatest central midfielder ever to grace our pitch. That man plays for Liverpool. So does Gerrard. And Torres. And all four of our centre backs. Let's not forget that.
Can we win the league? Yes, we can. Can we win it this season? Well, it's too early to say. Today's result with Stoke may have the nay-sayers pointing negatively to the table but results like these happen. Comparisons are going to be made with the Birmingham and Wigan games last season but I think we're a better team. Following a great result with a bad one has been part of our pedigree of late. The great 4-3 Newcastle game in 1996 was followed by a 0-1 with Coventry (them again) and we finished eleven points behind United. The 1997 4-3? Well, the next home game was the Coventry game I spoke of earlier. In both instances we played great football but were never confident enough to kick on. At the moment we've got the reverse but even that looks shaky, as if we're walking tentatively on ice. As usual I can't work out if we're average and lucky or unlucky and good. I told a fanzine editor at half time at the United game that it was the best we've played this season. He replied "Compared to what?" Hmm…
I'm not criticising here as, for once, the effort and the talent is there. I doubt we'll lose many (only four last season - two to United, a last minute pen and a surrender in December) and the personnel are good enough to make the others think but we need to get used to the idea of being confident as well as being capable. I'd like to have seen Stoke praying for the final whistle after ten minutes but I somehow saw the result coming.
We're not ready yet, but we're getting closer and things, although not the ability to play beautiful football, are on the up.
The Derby next. Despite what I've said here I don't want to see beautiful football as they'll kick us to pieces as usual. Sometimes you have to win by attrition rather than by ability.
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