Commentary on the games through the season....

[Kopite999]

With spurs losing at the moment we've missed a chance to get a step closer to the pack. I don't think 4th is unachievable yet but its going to take one hell of a run to make it happen. And we're going to need everyone to stay fit because the other squad players aren't up to it

[Juan]

Well done Suarez by the way, easily our best player on the pitch. I think with Carroll beside him they could be a formiddable partnership.

[Ageing Stick Insect]

Several mitigating factors today. 1) Several players played midweek and were probably a bit knackered. 2) Wigan goal was offside. 3) Suarez hit post at 1-0 and later had another shot hit bar. 3) Lost Meireles to illness in 2nd half.

Plus no Gerrard or Agger. Can't win them all. If we'd drawn last week at Chelsea and won today people would still be saying we're in with a chance of 4th. It can still happen.

We'll get stronger when Carroll is fit and the defence will be better with Agger there.

We're only 10 pts behind City and we have to play them at Anfield. Have belief!

[barticus]

I always seem to remember that Wigan are a pain to play anyways...sometimes you have games that you just don't win...i think its positive that at least we were all over them and unlucky not to beat them...rather than scraping a draw by playing negatively for example...
not a good result though...but hey one of those things...

[Tes]

Let's also remember that the two teams (possibly three) we are chasing for fourth have been up there all season. We've had to come from a much lower base and will have to hit a better run of form (at least points wise) than they've been achieving all season.

All things considered, 5th or 6th and the UEFA Cup would be a terrific season and give a real platform to build on.

We've had to sell to buy for a while, whilst the teams that were comfortably below us when we previously finish in the top four each season, have been spending (in City's case especially) large sums of money. We are competing now with four financially strong teams where previously there were only three and Spurs always have enough cash to at least improve a player or two within their squad each season and have been building consistantly for a few years now.

The biggest thing that will come out of this season is not a trophy or a league position, but hope.

[Kopite999]

Well said Tes.

Dublin in may though is suppose to be nice?

[the dude abides]

excellent post, Tes.

re today's game.....a bad day at the office.  We should have gone on to win.  But we allowed Wigan back into the game.  Their goal had been coming.  It was a poor goal to concede....sloppy.  I thought we stood off their players too much at times.  Maybe the midweek internationals, and the travel involved, played a part in tired legs.  We also kept conceding poor freekicks around our 18 yard area.

a different day, and we'd have won 3-0.

suarez and mereless continue to look superb. 

[Kopite999]

Meireles and Suarez are the great positives of the season so far. If carroll can bed in this season and theres a couple of real quality additions in the summer, then I think we'll have a top 4 team next season.

There's going to have to be people going out aswell.I Wouldn't be surprised if kyriakos maxi poulson jovanovic and konchesky all leave in the summer. These will all have to be replaced so I'm a expecting a very different squad photo next season.

[the dude abides]

[the dude abides]

Bandit surrenders

[Martinmarx]

It's the same old "Liverpool disease" we've suffered from since 1990. It'll take something extraordinary to cure. Lifting the likes of Lucas to worldclass labes by the mere fact they play for Liverpool ain't gonna help us realise what's the problem.  We've seen this for quite a few years now, one weekend we score an incredible result against all odds, only to drop silly points the following weekend at home to relegation fodder.

The reason we'll miss out on 4th this season doesn't spell Roy alone, it spell accumulating a mediocre squad over the past 12 years. The reason we'll miss out on 4th isn't the ineptitude of Roy alone, it spells losing/drawing at home to Blackpool, Wolves and Wigan. These are sides that are so poor the quality of the manager doesn't come in to it, these are sides our allegedly strong squad should brush aside regardless of who's occupying the dugout.

Maxi - so lame, so weak, so what have you. A nice flich and pass here and there but I'd much rather we had Riise instead. 

Lucas - good at passing the ball sideways at the halfway line. Other than that he has no surge, no nothing that can see him break the pattern.

Aurelio - I think is a good player in bottom but features to regurarly to contribute.

Jovanovic - usually break the pattern with his irrational style of play. Yesterday he was dreadful. I think he's forgiven tho. One PL start since September and only a handful of substitions making up to half a game. Quite rich to ask of him to come in and change the game.

Ngog - don't know where to start. Winning a corner here and there seems to have some people claming he's good enough to be part of a side that challenge for 4th, instead of realising he'd probably don't hold down a spot regurarly for any other PL side. To think he was our 2nd striker for over 18 months.

I think Kenny got it wrong yesterday. He should've stayed with 3 centrebacks playing Johnson to the right and Aurelio to the left. That way we would've kept the continuity from the other games alive. Now we looked lost and disjointed for large periods of the game. I don't know, I don't see us challenge for 4th on this side of 2015. It'll take many years to repair the damages done by GH and Rafa.

[Kopite999]

We haven't done too badly with a mediocre squad for 12 years. A European cup, a uefa cup and a couple of FA cups. Other clubs only dream of that.  I get what your saying about the squad now but as I've said before I think the rot has set in after we finished 2nd.

[Gurdeep]

We haven't done too badly with a mediocre squad for 12 years. A European cup, a uefa cup and a couple of FA cups. Other clubs only dream of that.  I get what your saying about the squad now but as I've said before I think the rot has set in after we finished 2nd.

Well said Kopite.  I don't think many other mediocre teams have achieved what we have over the last 12 years. 

We were'nt at the races yesterday, however, had Suarez's two efforts that hit the post and bar gone in...then we'd have been applauded for grinding out a result with a below par performance.   All in all, we're heading in the right direction and gaining valuable points.  Hopefully the summer transfer window will see us acquire some young talent ready for next season.

[Ageing Stick Insect]

Martinmarx,

You're a really cheerful bloke aren't you? Football has always had surprises and it goes a lot further back that 1990!

I was at Anfield in Jan '81 when we lost at home to Leicester City. And our goal was an OG!! Here's the team that day:-

Clemence, Neal, Cohen, Thompson, R.Kennedy, Irwin, Heighway, Lee, Johnson, McDermott (Case 78), Souness

Presumably most of them were crap too according to you. OTOH, they could have had an off-day like we all do and were outplayed by a team who rose to the occasion. Leicester were applauded off the pitch by the Kop. I was there and did too.

I ignored your tirade yesterday but this one needed responding to. For a Liverpool fan you should know better and have a more positive attitude to the team and the club you support. 

[Kopite999]

We didn't do badly in that year either ASI. May of that year was one of the 5 vintage ones!!!

I was disappointed yesterday like everyone but there's been a lot of positives recently so like you say we need to get behind the team. If we can have a real go at fourth place and pick up good results a long the way, whether we get there or not we'll be able to take plenty of good things into next season.