Football fans can be incredibly fickle. Take Wayne Rooney’s superb bicycle-kick against Manchester City, a goal worthy to win any fixture and at any level.
Cue fans waxing lyrical about how Rooney ‘is back’ after scoring his fifth goal of the season after months of indifferent form, fierce critcism from fans and the media, a subsequent transfer request and withdrawal and all of a sudden he’s top dog again.
Such a spectacular goal could have been scored by a lesser player and forgotten about but because of Rooney’s stature it’s a statement of ‘genius’.
Peter Crouch scored similar goals to Rooney’s and never enjoyed the same barrage of adoration.
Should Rooney go another few games without scoring again he’ll again suffer a volley of abuse from fans over his commitment to the cause.
Liverpool’s home draw with Wigan Athletic shows that fickle fans are not secluded to Manchester Utd.
After Liverpool’s obvious progression under Kenny Dalglish from the day and hour he took over, there are still that section of fans who feel that Liverpool, by right, should be winning every game comfortably.
Put simply, it is practically impossible to win every game. Even with a full strength team, Wigan can be tricky opponents on their day.
Liverpool went into the game with a line-up depleted by injuries and international fatigue.
Talisman Steven Gerrard was missing through injury as was Daniel Agger, who suffered an abductor injury prior to kick-off. Glen Johnson, Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt all played midweek against Denmark and France and Austria respectively.
Raul Merieles was the biggest casualty of fatigue following his international friendly with Portugal in Argentina, who after scoring the goal to put Liverpool into the lead was substituted shortly after half-time due to vomiting.
After Wigan’s controversial equaliser via Steve Gohouri, Liverpool battled on for a winner with Luis Suarez coming the closest. He hit the woodwork twice, once in the first half and again in the second from a wonderful free-kick.
It was the first time in over seven hours of football that Pepe Reina’s goal has been breached. The result brings an end to a run of four successive victories.
The cutting edge needed just wasn’t present. A tired and under-par team just couldn’t make the breakthrough, had luck been on Liverpool’s side it may have seen Wigan’s goal disallowed and Suarez’s efforts rippling the back of the net giving the team a comfortable win in a difficult fixture.
After the game Dalglish summed the game up perfectly, he said: “I think there were three or four occasions in the first half we should have been in but the sharpness was missing a bit, which is understandable.
“I think Wigan may have been a bit aggravated if they had gone away without a point but Luis hit the post twice and their goal was offside – these things happen”
Crucial point: ‘These things happen’, this isn’t a sign that ‘the honeymoon is over’ as some fans have so eloquently put it. Sometimes you have the rub of the green, other times you don’t. That’s football.
Liverpool are on an upward curve, this game is just a blip after a difficult week. On other occasions, under other managers Liverpool may have lost the game.
A return to a full strength, rested Liverpool team under Dalglish will see yield wins than draws and losses. The club as a renewed vibe and positive atmosphere, one that is synonymous with success.
It’s time to look forward to the coming games and give as much to Liverpool FC as the club can give to us, we are finally all in this together and everyone is pulling in the same direction. Something we must use to our advantage as it has been absent for too long.
In The King we trust.
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