Portsmouth & Lee Mason United 2 Liverpool 0: Are we shit?

The 2009-2010 season has been a nightmare. Result after result has disappointed. It has been one of the most wretched and demoralising seasons I have endured in my time as a Liverpool fanatic. In terms of results, it is down there with the seasons of 1997-98, 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2004-05.

What is notable about those seasons I listed is that two were the first seasons of new managers and two were the last seasons of established managers. Is this the last season of Rafa’s reign? Should it be?

Interestingly, in terms of points accrued after the same number of games, this season is extremely close to those other seasons. After 18 games, in 1998-99 we had just 25 points; in 2003-04 we had 26; this season we have 27; in 2004-05 we have 28 and in 1997-98 we had 31 (by comparison last season at the same stage we had 39 points). However, before concluding that because this season is sandwiched between four shit seasons in terms of points accrued by games played, it should be labelled alongside them as another shit season, it is worth noting that in the following seasons we also had 31 points (the tally we would have had if we had won today) after 18 games: 1995-96, 2006-07, 2002-03 and 2000-01. 2002-03 was ultimately a shit season despite us winning the Worthington Cup as we finished fifth and missed out on Champions League qualification. 1995-96 was a pretty decent season as we finished third after years in the wilderness setting a record for our highest proportion of points in a Premiership season (previous seasons involved 42 League games) and reached the FA Cup Final. 2000-01 turned out to be a dream season as we won the League Cup, the FA Cup and UEFA Cup as well as finishing third to achieve Champions League qualification. In 2006-07 we also finished third and reached the Champions League Final.

In other words, we are three League points short of some seasons that were considered either decent or outright successes - seasons in which we mostly finished third and always at least reached a Cup Final.

What’s nagging at me is that having lived through the seasons of 1997-98, 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2004-05, I know what it is like to watch a team that I can see is clearly not good enough but to my mind (and maybe I just haven’t accepted it yet) this season’s team is better than them. In terms of personnel and potential based on previous evidence, I believe this team is capable of far more than it has achieved so far this campaign. By comparison, I felt that in those other seasons we pretty much got what we deserved. This season I really feel we have been undone by ill fortune and unjust refereeing decisions that have not, as yet, evened themselves out.

Today we lost to Portsmouth who were, going into today’s game, bottom of the League. We can legitimately complain that the referee Phil Mitchell (a.k.a. Lee Mason) sent Mascherano off in the first half for an offence worthy of a yellow at worst just after Pompey had taken the lead against the run of play. Even then we dominated possession in the second half only to again concede against the run of play.

In isolation, this was a game in which we were desperately unfortunate. Had Liverpool taken the first half lead our play deserved or had Belhadj not benefited from the sheer incomprehensibility of the off-side rule before uncharacteristically hitting an inch-perfect wonder strike past Reina at his near post or had Lee Mason not sent Mascherano off for little more than a “feisty challenge”, Liverpool probably would have won the game. Even after those three outrageous kicks in the ghoullies by Fortune, we might have levelled had we taken one of our chances but then Piquionne miscontrolled the ball in our penalty area to fortuitously loop it over Carra and then hit it on the volley into the tiny speck of the goal Reina could not cover. In winning 2-0 Pompey profited from fortune of Lottery-winning proportions while we got nothing like what we deserved.

In isolation it was a hard luck story of epic proportions. “We were robbed”, we cry. The trouble is, this season, we seem to be crying that a lot. How many hard luck stories can we put forward this season? Allow me to list them...

Tottenham Hotspur & Phil Dowd United 2 Liverpool 1

A defender yet to score hit a wonder strike against us to give Spurs a 1-0 lead after an unimpressive first half performance by both sides. Then within minutes of us equalising, a player who should have been suspended headed in the winner before we were denied a blatant penalty by Mr Phil Dowd.

Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 3

We failed to convert first half dominance into goals and then scored an own goal against the run of play. We then conceding a second 2 minutes after the first half should have ended. After dominating the second half and halving the deficit, our “Captain Fantastic” (© SKY Sports) conceded a penalty after an uncharacteristically reckless challenge. Then Ashley Young who missed his previous and next penalty scored from the spot. The penalty was correctly awarded but then how many times this season have penalties that should have been correctly awarded in our favour not been given?

Sunderland 1 Liverpool 0

After the Villa defeat, we had picked ourselves up and gone on a winning run and become the League’s top scorers. Then came an International break that resulted in injuries to our three most effective outfield players: Torres, Gerrard and Johnson. Meanwhile, our central midfield pairing travelled all the way around the world resulting in Rafa selecting a severely weakened team for the away trip to Sunderland. In the event, the weakened team dominated possession only to lose the game to a goal scored by a beach ball thrown on by a fat kid who had travelled all the way from Merseyside only to cost his team 3 points.

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

We were denied another clear penalty at 0-0 when Drogba fouled Skrtel. We were good at Chelsea – not great but good enough to merit at least a point. Mascherano made a mistake and we lost.

Fulham & Lee Mason United 3 Liverpool 1

After Chelsea, we beat Man Ure at home and everyone thought our luck had changed. That was until Lee Mason was appointed referee for Fulham versus Liverpool. Despite our injury problems, we dominated the game at Craven Cottage only to concede twice against the run of play. The first was a joke; the second came from a terrible error by Dirk Kuyt. In between Torres had levelled for us. At 1-2, we might have pulled one back and even gone on to win but then Mason sent off Degen followed quickly by Carragher. The red for Carra was debatable; Degen’s was not: it was never a red card. For Carra’s, Mason showed the red because of the furore over Carra’s clash with Michael Shithead in the previous week’s game. All week Fergie had orchestrated a media debate over whether Carra should have been red-carded for tangling with Shithead after the Judas-bastard had first pulled the Liverpool Legend’s shirt. Having no ability to judge situations in real time, Mason flashed his mind back to that debate and concluded Carra was owed a red on the basis that there can be no smoke without fire (I hope there is fire and smoke in his house tonight with him in the midst choking and burning).

Liverpool 2 Birmingham City 2

It’s debatable how lucky or unlucky Liverpool were in this game. Having to play our bogey team (Birmingham) in our bogey slot (Monday night) without our best attacking players (Torres and Gerrard) being fit enough to start and with Carra suspended was pretty unlucky. As it happened we started well, dominated and took the lead. Then against the run of play we conceded an equaliser from a set piece and late in first half stoppage time, went behind to a wonder-strike (wonder-strikes by their nature are flukes). We dominated the second half but realistically created few clear chances and then profited from a debatable penalty. Through my red-tinted spectacles, I believe the penalty should have been awarded as, to me, Lee Carsley’s challenge made no contact with the ball yet prevented David Ngog from progressing towards the goal in the penalty area. Some (Andy Gray, Paul Merson and other Liverpool FC-hating twats) thought it shouldn’t have been a penalty because Ngog dived. The same twats think Man Ure deserved to win the League ahead of Liverpool last season despite the crucial penalties awarded for dives by Cristiano Ronaldo and those awarded in Man Ure’s home games against Bolton and Spurs where neither foul nor dive was committed but the referee thought a penalty might be well-received by the home crowd. On the basis on that one decision, it could be argued that Liverpool were fortunate to draw 2-2 but on the balance of the full game we should have won by a cricket score.

Liverpool 2 Man City & Phil Dowd United 2

After a spirited start by Liverpool, the momentum of the first half was sucked out of the game by a series of stoppages – mainly resulting from fouls by City players. One such foul involved a reckless two-footed challenge by Nigel De Jong on both Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard in City’s penalty area. Firstly, the two-footed challenge should be rights result in a straight red card. Secondly, given that De Jong succeeded in missing the ball and fouling two separate opponents in his own penalty area, a penalty kick should have been given. It wasn’t. We just ended up with two injured players. Later on De Jong was hailed by SKY Sports’ commentators and pundits as City’s best player. Imagine how the game might have turned out had he been sent off in the first half. As it happened, we took the lead after half time, then conceded after a defensive error; then conceded an off-side goal that was wrongly allowed to count before pulling one back. We should have won it late on but missed our chances.

Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2

When your luck is out, your luck is out. Just to really rub salt into the wounds, pretty much every other result had gone our way before this match kicked off. We then dominated the first half and, despite being denied yet another clear penalty when Gallas fouled Gerrard, we took the lead and deservedly led at half time. Then inexplicably we didn’t get going in the second half; conceded a calamitous own goal, and then conceded from another wonder-strike. After that we have only ourselves to blame for the lack of effort and quality that allowed an unimpressive Arsenal side to canter to victory but perhaps all those other games had taken their toll on the players’ confidence and belief.

Liverpool 2 Wigan Athletic & Phil Dowd United 1

We won this game but I still had to list it as Phil Dowd's performance was utterly disgraceful. It becomes clear after a point that certain referees are not having poor games but are actually deliberately attempting to influence games against certain teams. Thankfully on this occasion, we beat the bastard and Wigan to boot.

Portsmouth & Lee Mason United 2 Liverpool 0

Finally today we dominated; should have scored; didn’t; conceded against the run of play to a fortuitous goal struck uncharacteristically well; had a man wrongly sent off (by Lee Mason again); missed more chances, and conceded another uncharacteristically well-struck fortuitous goal against the run of play.

That amounts to nine games – half of the 18 we have played – in which I feel we have been hard done by. The ill-fortune in those games has included uncharacteristically good goals scored by players who do not normally score such goals; penalties not given when they should or could have; penalties given against us when, whether deserved or not, they might not have been given; own goals; missed chances; highly contentious red cards, and a goal scored by a beach ball. This is all without mentioning the horrendous injuries we have had this campaign. With the possible exception of the beach ball incident, the other misfortunes could befall any team and, over the course of the season it would be considered extremely fortunate if a team did not concede at least one wonder strike or uncharacteristically clinical strike from a player who would normally not be so clinical or an own goal, or receive a contentious red card or miss chances to score, etc. However, how many team experience these scenarios in 50% of their League games (sometimes a few within the same game)?

Forget the bullshit about decisions evening themselves out over the season. This season has been the equivalent of flipping a coin 100 times and it landing on tails 90 times. You would call it a 50/50 chance but it is possible if not improbable that each flip of the coin could result in tails. Similarly, any team can experience an unlucky result but the probability is that these will be rare. In our case, we have struck tails virtually every time.

It’s horrible right now but we have to stick with the team because the probabilities suggest that our miserable luck cannot hold out much longer. Sooner or later, things will start going for us. We will win some penalties whether they are deserved or not; we will get away with a few challenges that should have resulted in penalties or red cards; our opponents will be reduced to 10 men for a change; we will score the odd wonder goal or deflection against the run of play, and Phil Dowd and Lee Mason will be jailed for match-fixing.

I believe. The day I don’t is the day I stop following the team and walk away from football altogether.