Red’s up short again but a long term reality check needed?

Liverpool 1
Suarez (47)

Wigan Athletic 2
Maloney (pen) (30), Caldwell (63)

I don’t know what’s more depressing, this defeat or some of the so called Liverpool fan’s reaction to it.

Yes of course this result is a bit of a downer. However, I’ve been a fan for nearly forty years and I’ve had worse. That’s part of following your team occasionally they will produce something, like Saturdays’ result, that makes you balk. However, did you really expect following a football team not to mirror life and be rose’s all the way? We even had results like Saturday’s when we were winning silverware every year. This is nuts and bolts stuff but some people are bonkers, they have such unrealistic expectations, they have the wrong “hobby”!

Nonetheless after this result it’s difficult not to moan, but one has to retain a degree of perspective. That certainly doesn’t involve making knee jerk angst ridden public proclamations of disapproval by falling for “prick teasing” programmes such as “606” and “You’re On Sky Sports”. To do so is to walk straight into their trap, ratings want to see you pissed off and venting your spleen, ever feel you’ve been had? What sort of sad nutter would pick up the phone to these sort of forums anyway, someone who has no one to talk to it about….. oh erm bloggers are different !

It’s depressing but surely some sort of perspective is required and it certainly doesn’t involve moaning and groaning and spewing out acid into the nearest available phone “debate” or internet forum. Those fans who slag off the club this via these methods are not real Liverpool fans, they are fly by nights, May flies. They give the club a bad name, go away.

At the risk of being patronising let’s look at the facts, because God knows I feel I need to just to give myself a reminder of what planet I’m on after some of the adulterated cr*p I’ve heard after Saturday.

At the beginning of the season no one ever suggested we would win the league, or even qualify for the Champions League. It’s disappointing but look, European competition secured via a winning the Carling Cup when there was no European competition this season so logic would suggest an improvement? League form better than last season however, a small matter of being unable to convert this into an advantage, room for improvement in my book particularly from the new signings. Silverware, nothing won since 2006 however one trophy under our belt and a semi in the other and therefore, if we win, the chance of another in May, again improvement in my book. Out of the three possible trophies we could win we’ve secured one and are in with a chance or another. Two out of three wouldn’t be bad – given the circumstances WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT? Three out of three? Go away and support a team in your dreams!

It’s hard, it hurts, but next time we lose to QPR or Wigan or anyone else in the bottom three take a step back and think and, moreover, get real. If you are my age and have supported Liverpool you’ve been spoilt, you’ve seen your team win more trophies in a season that followers of other clubs can only dream of in the lifetime of support.

If we are lucky enough to get to the FA Cup final this season I hope those fans who phoned up and tweeted with the sole purpose of pouring acid on the club won’t be hypocrites. When it’s on, I hope they will do the right thing and go shopping or watch the Saturday afternoon film on BBC 2. If we lift the trophy no doubt they’ll say, just as they did with the Carling Cup, “yes that’s very well but we didn’t beat Wigan and we’re not in fourth place”. It’s the Olympics this year and no medals are awarded for forth place however, most athletes will be pleased with silverware and, if it happens, two pieces at that.

Oh facts. Wigan penalty from Maloney after Skrtel nearly decapitated Moses. Good goal from Suarez after Gerrard’s cross. Caldwell got the Wigan winner, from another set piece after more poor defending. Kenny then said the players were tired which I’m afraid is an insult to those of us who have to get up and put in a seven to eight hour shift five days a week? Far better to say that Wigan were better on the day and that we were flat?

Yes I know it was bad but I what is the point in moaning? Come on we’ve got an extra hour of daylight now and the sun always shines on Cup Final (semi final at least) day!

Liverpool: Reina, Jose Enrique, Carragher, Skrtel, Flanagan, Gerrard, Henderson (Carroll 46 ), Downing, Shelvey 73 ), Spearing, Suarez, Kuyt (Raheem Sterling 84 ) Substitutes: Doni, Aurelio, Coates, Raheem Sterling, Shelvey, Carroll, Eccleston

Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Boyce, Figueroa, McCarthy, Maloney, Moses, (Crusat 42 ), McArthur, Beausejour (Watson 62 ), Di Santo (Sammon 81 ) Substitutes: Kirkland, Stam, Thomas, Crusat, Watson, Gomez, Sammon

Att: 44,431