With apologies to Kermit and friends, it's sometimes not so easy to be a red. Oh sure, it was easy all summer being able to say “European Champions.” Or simply basking in the reflected glow of the cup itself, now on permanent display at Anfield, and then seeing us ease our way through the qualifying rounds and into the group stages where we rightfully belong. We knew, though, that this season’s big test was not going to be in Europe but instead would be in the domestic competitions. We proved ourselves capable of competing with the best in the Champions League; but, last season’s premier league was a Jekyll and Hyde performance as we shone on some occasions (usually at home) and were humbled on others (usually away). Surely this season would see a drastic improvement.

After the loss to Chel$ki we started seeing reports to the effect that this is the worst start to a season in thirty-something years, as well as being the worst home loss since nineteen sixty something. Can it really be that bad? We started the week with a win at home against a stubborn Blackburn side that did everything possible to shut us down; they would have been happy with a scoreless draw. It almost worked until Cisse fired an unstoppable shot through the wall to take revenge for his shattered leg last year, and to take all three points for us. Another mid-week trip away in Europe against Anderlecht saw us pick up another three points (thanks to another Cisse strike) to virtually secure our spot in the second round. This season’s league form so far is a definite improvement in my view as we have picked up a point each against Middlesbrough, Man Ure and Birmingham. This is 3 more than for the same matches last year. We then take all three points at home against Blackburn, which is two more than last year. So, with these improvements, a trip to Fulham at the weekend should be an easy three points, right? This fixture last year saw us come back from 2-0 down to win 4-2. Fulham are not exactly a tough side competing for places in Europe, so a win should be a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way (which is one reason why I’m not a gambling man). The pattern is unnervingly similar to last year: play in Europe and put in a good performance, then come back and play worse than mediocre against an inferior side and lose. We only have one point in the three games following a Champions League match so far this year. If that’s not enough to get you down, how can you feel anything but severe disappointment at Tuesday’s League Cup match. It feels the same way today as it did after last season’s FA Cup loss to Burnley. It should have been a simple task to beat a club from a lower division, but once again it just wasn’t to be on this occasion. What is it going to take to stop this trend? The answer is that greatest of all healers: time.

Back in the mid-50’s, Liverpool were a team trying to claw their way out of the second division. Along came Shankly, and the rest is history. But wait, what history is that? Bill Shankly came in to take over a team that was past its prime. He evaluated his squad and brought in new players that he identified as being capable of not only promotion to the first division but winning the league. That took until 1962 to gain promotion, followed by a successful run as champions in 1964 and 1966. The club’s first FA cup came in between those two in 1965, the same year that we made an astonishing run to the semi-final of the European Cup. There then followed a few trophyless years. The next league championship, paired with the EUFA cup, arrived in 1973, and a second FA Cup in 1974. Shankly had put together not one but two championship teams during his term as manager, but it wasn’t easy by any means. The years of success were separated by six years without any trophies. It took time to build the first team and then took time to build the second. Souness and Evans managed to win one trophy each during their terms, with Houllier hauling in several in 2001 and then the league cup again in 2003. At the end of the 03/04 season, the league championship had been missing for 14 years and the last European Cup was a distant memory of 20 years ago. Neither of these “big two” trophies was looking like a possibility during most of those years. Then along came Rafa.

Rafael Benitez was given the task of taking over a team that was performing well below expectations. His first problem came with the loss of Michael Owen at the transfer deadline, followed by a string of injuries to key players. A few new players (including Alonso and Garcia) came in to the team but this was in no way Rafa’s team. We had hoped that this summer would bring in the needed players but that was not to be the case. The new players that we did manage to acquire are adding some much needed depth and are all playing their part in the improved results so far. But Rafa will be the first to acknowledge that we are still at least 3 players short of a competitive side. Even if those players are to be added in January, then it will still take time for all of the players to fit into Rafa’s system. I don’t believe that we’ll get the needed players that quickly, and remember that any players coming in mid-season may well be cup-tied and of less value. Does this mean that I’ve given up all hope for the season? Of course not, but I am realistic in my expectations. We may be trophyless at the end of the season but I do expect us to be at least in the top four and into Europe again next season. Am I pessimistic about the long-term future? Absolutely not! What I see in Rafa is a manager with a successful past in both the Spanish League (two championships in three years) and in Europe (EUFA cup with Valencia, European Cup and Super Cup with Liverpool). He has a definite plan of what he wants and what he needs to be successful and is backed by a board of directors that will support him all the way. He’ll continue to improve the results and show steady progress; but it all takes time. It may not happen for a few years but it will happen.

As a side note, just to make the weekend more interesting, Sunday’s mismatch of the season had Chel$ki versus Everton (first against worst). It should be considered a disaster for Chel$ki to win by less than two in this one, with the result being a sure-fire bet. The actual result was 1-1 (which is one more reason why I’m not a gambling man) giving them their first non-win of this premier league season. With all that’s happened over the past couple of weeks, all I can say is: "Football - it's a funny old game!"

This week’s newsletter article has been brought to you by the letters L, F, and C, and by the numbers 18, and 5.

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