DRAWN TO ONE CONCLUSION...AND IT'S NOT A NICE ONE

BE positive, look on the bright side and leave it to the national newspaper snides to drown our hopes in a sea of negativity.
That seems to be the unwritten rule if you're a fan and you dare to express your opinion in the public domain.
And it's the same if you write for a paper local to the team you're covering - only that's worse because you need them more than they need you.
But in Internet world, if you are at all negative, if you point out a shortcoming, a failure or a mistake you risk being shot down in flames, or worse, being labelled a knee-jerk (oh, the horror).
Well, this ain't knee-jerk. I try to be positive, look on the bright side, do the maths and dream up scenarios where we romp away with the title.
But right now if you flew me to the sun and shone a torch in my face I wouldn't be able to see the bright side.
And so the negatives...where to start.
I'll kick off with Rafa Benitez.
Love the guy, he's brought me joy, provided me with one of the most treasured moments of my life in Istanbul and undoubtedly moved the club forward.
He's made progress year on year, he's bought some great players and he seems like a genuinely nice fella.
But he makes inexplicable team selections and substitutions, seems obsessed with the next game before the current one is won and has a blind spot to certain players.
He was at it again tonight at Wigan.
The moment I heard the line-up I feared the worst. Lucas in, Alonso out. Kuyt out, Benayoun in.
OK, Benayoun had a go - he scored a decent goal. But he's not good enough for a title-chasing team. End of.
Lucas let the side down - again. Three decent games ever is no use to anyone. Not just a dozy tackle tonight but another missed chance - his football is worse than his haircut - and that's some going.
And Ryan Babel. Well how he got anywhere near the first team after his performance against Everton on Sunday, I'll never know. If Rafa is trying to make him play his way into form, it's not working.
We all know Rafa likes to freshen up the team. But the squad is limited. And we're at the business end of the season.
So let's have a go. Play the strongest team. And if they are tired, they are tired. At least we had a go.
While we carry players like the trio mentioned the draws will continue. And they could easily start turning into defeats.
We lack matchwinners. I hate to agree with the outsiders looking in who say we are a one man team. We're not, but when it comes to inspirational figures who can turn a match you are talking two men - Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.
And Torres is struggling. He's not putting away the chances and only showing flashes of the brilliance we know he possesses. He is of course coming back from injury.
So fingers crossed the real Fernando Torres stands up - and soon.
In the meantime it's down to Stevie. And he was substituted the moment Wigan equalised tonight. Why? He was tired, according to Rafa. So tired he couldn't play another seven minutes and try to pull us out of a tight spot. Please.
With our two best players off the pitch we looked a shambles. We couldn't even get a decent ball in the box.
Earlier in the season Dirk Kuyt hit a purple patch and moved into the matchwinning class. But his goalscoring touch has deserted him (or should that just be 'his touch' has deserted him?).
So what other matchwinners did we have out there? Robbie Keane? If he had a Spurs shirt on, maybe. In the red of Liverpool - not yet.
Mascherano? Well he'll try his heart out - but that's not his game.
So anyone else? Nope...
It's that lack of players to step up and take the game by the scruff of the neck that will cost us dear.
It's horrible to say - but look at Manchester United. Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez. All can make the difference.
And even their fringe players can step up and do something when need be. Yes, even Darren Fletcher. Even John O'Shea.
For Liverpool to have a chance of the title, we have to play our strongest 11 more often than not from here on in.
Torres has to hit form, Stevie has to stay fit and Lucas has to sit in the stands.
And players like Albert Riera, Kuyt and even Xabi Alonso need to add goals to their game - fast.
A shock world-class signing before the transfer window closes wouldn't go amiss either and failing that, what about the lads in the reserves? Are they really that bad??

HOODIE MARVELLOUS

And now for a commercial break...
I was recently contacted by the Trev fella at SoccerPro See their site here in the US of A who kindly offered me the pick of their wide range of Reds stuff in a return for a plug for their site and a review.
After a millisecond of considering this request, I agreed (come on, credit crunch and all that!) and selected the hoodie above Adidas Liverpool Essential Hooded Top
It duly arrived and is now essential for those can't-be-arsed-to-get-dressed-properly moments.
Nice one Soccer Pro! They sell some other LFC trackies (or Liverpool jerseys as they say) Like these and they also wanted me to tell you all they sell England stuff (jerseys) too! See here
I know what you're thinking, we don't give a shit about England. Me neither. But that last link is worth clicking for comedy value alone - check out the really bad trackie top! Dare you to buy it and wear it in town!

BITTERS HAVE RUINED THE DERBY

Believe it or not, this is the Gwladys Street - what chance a Liverpool fan wearing colours in there now? Equally, I remember Blues standing on the Kop - and celebrating their goals. No chance of that now.

THERE'S no doubt in my mind now - the Merseyside derby now has the dubious honour of being the most bitter, vile and spiteful match in English football.
We've had the well-documented catalogue of shame from both sets of supporters: songs about players' children, spitting at players, assaulting stewards, Heysel references - from songs to "wall pushing" gestures, Munich songs directed at Phil Neville and so on...
But tonight I witnessed some new sights, unprecedented in my 20 years of following the Reds.
Following Everton's late equaliser, Blues and Reds spilled onto Anfield Road.
Given the increased bitterness of the derbies perhaps this was naive from a policing and stewarding perspective.
Manchester United fans, for example, would have been forced to stay behind to allow the crowds to disperse and dilute the opportunity for trouble.
The same happens when Liverpool fans go to Old Trafford.
That didn't happen at Anfield tonight - but that doesn't excuse the behaviour.
As I made my way out having been in the upper tier of Anfield Road, I was confronted by jubilant Everton fans. To be expected - especially given their near pitch invasion after Tim Cahill's goal.
What I didn't expect was to see an Everton fan pulling at a Liverpool fan's hair and calling him a "paki". I didn't expect to see an Everton fan screaming "slag" in the face of a girl wearing red. And I didn't expect to see a brawl break out between Liverpool and Everton fans yards from the memorial for the Hillsborough disaster.
Other so-called fans tried to provoke and intimidate - one screaming, and I'm not exaggerating, "YES" in the faces of any fan he could identify as being a Red.
Disgraceful.
The moron count at the match seems to be getting ever higher. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a bit of "banter". Always have done, always will do.
But this isn't banter. Banter is funny, a laugh - clever, witty.
Quite honestly I don't see it returning, not to the derby - because to be witty, you need wit.
And wit is, and I quote: "a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter."
Not much evidence of that at derby games these days.
Finally, I heard rumours of "planned" attacks on Liverpool fans in Stanley Park for Sunday's FA Cup clash.
Two words: sad bastards.

JUST LIKE THAT...

TOMMY COOPER & BRIAN WOOLNOUGH

RAFA RIGHT TO FINGER FERGIE

SO Rafa Benitez has pointed the finger at Fergie - and rightly so.

"Sir Alex" has played his games for long enough and it's about time someone turned the tables - Rafa has done just that.

And he did it a calm, considered and humourous way - not bad, considering English isn't his first language.

But some of the media "analysis" of this so far has been laughable.

Don't get me wrong, as a journalist myself I fully expected Rafa's actions to be described as a "rant", that he "blasted" Fergie, "stunned" journalists at the press conference and "launched an unprecedented, stinging attack on Fergie".

Of course, what he actually did was unfold a piece of paper and reel off why Taggart gets away with murder time after time.

But I'm not getting into the semantics - especially having written the Daily Sport's backpage headline for tomorrow - RAFA BLOWS HIS KOP (in case you were wondering).

Some people take offence at this kind of thing. It wasn't a rant, they'll say, he was cool, calm and collected. He was.

But are you really going to pick up a paper tomorrow expecting to see the headline: RAFA COOLY REVEALS HIS RESERVATIONS ABOUT FERGUSON'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS REFEREES.

No. Well, unless you read the Telegraph of course...anyone?

But that's not my point. No, what got me was that before you could say "overpaid annoying tw*t", Brian Woolnough from the Daily Star was on Radio Five delivering his "expert analysis".

Now if an argument is well thought out and can be backed up with facts (like Rafa's about Ferguson for example) then I'll listen.

Woolnough's wasn't. His point? Rafa's lost it. He's cracked under the pressure, risen to the bait and done exactly what Ferguson wanted to him to do.

Really?

And why's that, Bri? Bri? BRI????

The high-haired hack couldn't expand on his argument, instead reeling of a series of cliches and frantically bringing the old 'rotation' chestnut into it.

Desperate Mr Woolnough, desperate.

I'm not saying I'm an expert either - but I believe I can offer an argument that holds more water than Daily Star's Mr Rentaquote.

And it's this. Rafa, with his considered attack on Ferguson, is showing he is ready to take on Fergie (to "knock him off his fucking perch" if you will).

Because let's be honest, who else is going to do it? Phil Scolari? Nope. He's too busy batting away speculation about his future and in-fighting at Stamford Bridge.

Arsene Wenger? Hardly in the position is he?

So it's up to Rafa. He has to show Fergie he's on for the fight. So he has. And he is.

Woolnough started to drip on about the effect on the Liverpool players. Again, he, and I, can't possible know. But we can speculate.

And my speculation is that they are thinking pretty much what every Reds fan is thinking right now: "Well in, Rafa, now let's show them bastards and win the thing".

I can't imagine Carragher and Co. shaking their heads, shrugging and saying: "Well, that's that boys - the boss has risen to the bait - may as well throw in the towel."

No, they'll be thinking, we're top of the league and we're bang up for it.

The other lazy analysis is comparing Rafa's rant to Kevin Keegan's collapse in front of the cameras (you know, 'And I'd love it, love it if we beat them.')

Sorry, nothing like. Keegan flipped because the pressure was getting to him - on that occasion Fergie's "mind games" HAD worked.

With Rafa - he's just turned the tables. He's said what every manager, player and fan not connected to Manchester United thinks.

And now, just maybe, officials will be ready for Fergie's attempts to sway them.

And perhaps the big wigs at the top of the game will, for once, develop a pair of plums and tell the Scot to do one when he comes calling with his complaints.

And maybe, it will wind up Fergie, Man United players and get the media salivating - leaving our players to get on with the most important thing - winning.

For me, it's a no lose.

The Spaniard hasn't made outrageous claims about his team's ability like motormouth Mourinho. He hasn't thrown his toys out of the pram like Wenger did ("I refuse to speak anymore about that man"). And he hasn't emerged steaming from the ears like Keegan did.

Nope, he's turned the spotlight on Fergie - said "the pressure's on you bollocks" and called for officials to be stronger when dealing with United.

And all, I might add, 48 hours before United play Chelsea at Old Trafford.

The actions of a man who's "lost it"? Don't think so!