WHEN you have to go back to 1953/54 in the club’s history to find a comparable run of results, it’s fair to say Liverpool are in a rut.
Six defeats in seven league games have triggered an avalanche of criticism with losing becoming a habit Kenny Dalglish’s players are struggling to kick.
There is no escaping the fact that last Sunday’s reverse at Newcastle made painful viewing. Having seen their early dominance go unrewarded, the Reds’ reaction to going behind was poor.
For a club famed for its fightbacks, the manner in which they accepted their fate in the second half was unacceptable.
The players’ body language laid bare just how brittle confidence has become and a growing sense of frustration boiled over with the indiscipline shown by Andy Carroll and Pepe Reina.
Predictably, Dalglish has borne the brunt of the anger. Radio phone-ins and social media networks have been demanding change.
But this is no time for knee-jerk reactions. Dalglish was the right man for Liverpool when he returned to the job 15 months and he remains so today.
Of course there are problems at Anfield but they aren’t going to be solved by more upheaval. What’s needed is unity and stability.
The vocal minority forget just how far the Reds had fallen before Dalglish took over. Only 18 months ago this was a club on the brink of administration and teetering above the relegation zone. Hopes were pinned on the likes of Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen.
That was a crisis, not what Liverpool are facing now.
After a major overhaul of the squad, this was always going to be a season of transition. Having finished seventh and sixth in recent years, John Henry’s target of Champions League qualification was a tall order. For that to be achieved the new arrivals had to click instantly but too many haven’t lived up to their price tags.
Yet this rollercoaster season has already yielded a first trophy for six years and the FA Cup could join the Carling Cup in the trophy cabinet come May.
The Reds currently find themselves in a storm but it’s a time for players and fans alike to hold their nerve as they go in search of that golden sky.
