UnwelcomeinPeru

Dalglish was asked to buy potential. British potential. Well that may be true, but either he's very far-sighted, or got it wrong. The British potential is now worth half at best what it cost and has not produced anything of note so far. There's a lot of salary been paid to players who haven't shown it yet. I think - and frankly I don't know and and just enjoy guessing - that he and the owners agreed at the start of last season that there was a realistic chance of 4th. It didn't take much - Spurs improved by 19 points a couple of seasons ago to finish 4th. I suspect that if Rogers can break 60 points this season that will be seen as success.

Same as most people I imagine - I looked at the teams that we'd most likely finish below and counted on my fingers. So a range of not higher than 7th and not lower than 9th.

Over-complicated? In the Rafa farewell season, Liverpool finished 7th with 63 points, 7 off CL. In the Hodgson/Dalglish porridge that followed, it was 58 points, although 6th place, 10 points off CL. Dalglish was asked what it would take to win an extra 10 points and was backed with money to buy in the players he wanted. The League season was a catastrophe. 52 points and 8th place, 17 points off CL. Whatever explanation Dalglish had for that - and whatever plan he had to put it right - didn't wash and quite rightly he was shown the door. Any manager would have been. The PL was poor last season and has been for some time - in the last three seasons, the team finishing third has done so with 9 or 10 defeats. Rafa only lost 11 in his swansong. The amount they had to get better by was not much - win an extra 3 or 4 rather than losing them. But Kenny went and won the fewest games we've won since something or the other. As for BR, well it is obviously too early to say really. He wasn't told to get 4th this season so he won't be moved on anytime soon. They look to me like couple of players off being able to compete so he - like Kenny - will get judged on his signings. Ultimately that's what did for Rafa.

I regret to say that I fancy Everton.

To have matched the first half of the season KK would have needed 15 extra points - the last 19 games included defeats to City, Bolton, United, Arsenal, Sunderland, QPR, Wigan, Newcastle, WBA, Fulham and Swansea. And the unforgettable draws against Villa, Stoke and Spurs. If that 15 points had included a win against Spurs that would have meant 4th place. If Arsenal, Spurs, Everton or WBA win their next game they will have 33 points, and you'd expect one of them to finish 4th. So 33/34 points is a decent launch pad to kick on for 4th, especially when you are not in Europe. If my auntie had balls etc but any manager would have been on very shaky ground with that scale of f-up, not least with the money given to him in the preceding summer.

The internet signal at Anfield is a law to itself. Why did Allen come on? I wasn't really paying attention. Shelvey had a nothing of a game though, would have preferred to see JH come on. It looked a great pass for the 2nd goal.

It is extremely wet here. Allen saved for the Stoke tussle on Weds night, that's more of his game. Cole not on the bench it seems?

I think you mean "you're all mad". Nothing pricks like a misplaced apostrophe.

That decision beggars belief. He put his arms up to stop the ball hitting him.

Er - how was that handball not a penalty? Astonishing.

Also those moaning about Macca, this really isnt the time. He's done more than enough for this city thrice over. Quite. Some off stuff in the other Earnest Bollocks thread. Which would have been just as earnest and indignant if he had declined to get involved I expect. Getting it off of iTunes is very simple.

If anyone needs large amounts of tinned food please let me know. I could do with freeing up some space now.

The way employment works is that it can be both commercially sound to fire someone and also unfair. Happens all the time. The only surprise is that the case has only just settled - the most likely explanation is that DC held out for an inflated settlement. Which would be ironic. He and KD presided over an outlay of 100m+ on players who are now worth less then half that and who cannot hold down a place in the team (or sometimes the bench). Mistakes that are casting as long a shadow as RB's mistakes with Alonso.