Out of the Cup.. now for the rampant optimism.

So that's that then... another presumably trophy-less season for Liverpool. If this season doesn't end trophy-less then I will undoubtedly wet myself with joy and the subsequent World Cup will barely register to me as a thing that is happening as I will most likely be in hospital getting my stomach pumped. 

That is one thing I have never done actually.. celebrated Liverpool winning the League by getting hideously drunk (I was a few weeks short of my 14th birthday the last time it happened). But given my usual reaction to any sort of Liverpool victory (or defeat) then I suspect it will be carnage when it eventually happens.

I'm getting off topic ever so slightly.

Defeat to Arsenal on Sunday wasn't great.. I'm not going to go on about the cock-jockey referee because it changes little other than having something to bitch about in defeat which is handy in a way - Arsenal didn't beat us, Howard Webb did etc. - but it achieves little.

Losing yesterday frees up the schedule although it didn't need very much freeing up in fairness.

Sunderland (h) to be rearranged due to FA Cup.

Liverpool now have 12 games left this season. With a bit of luck, 12 increasingly important league games. If we are still playing very important league games in May - well, this boys and girls is progress. 

So how important they are depends obviously on the results - we have 12 games left and a lot of the trickier away matches have already been played.

We're on 53 points so far. In broad terms this means we need 20 points to get in the top 4 - 70 points usually does it, and for the slightly more optimistic among you 30 points and we're going to very much be in the mix for the league.

If we can actually win all our home games - very tricky with City and Chelsea still to come - that is 18 points.

The away games don't look too taxing with all the games to the other sides in the top 6 already having been played. Now this is a pretty thinly veiled dig at Man Utd, but I can't ever remember looking forward to a visit there with such optimism. Our away form is sketchy, but I do think we can gain quite a few points out of that lot. Say win 3, draw 2 and lose 1 of those 6. That's 11 points, added onto my wildly optimistic 18 home points. Well that's 29 - to put us on 82 points for the season.

That's not very far from winning the league.

With City and Chelsea to play, 6 out of 6 at home is probably a stretch.. especially if Chelsea park the bus, but you've got to dream big. If we are actually going to do this thing then we have to win all our home games. 

It's more likely that we'll have a little wobble (possibly another Kolo Toure inspired wobble), but I think third is definitely achievable, which let's not forget is the actual Champions League qualification spot.

I don't fancy an early season qualifier in Fowler knows where with the potential to fuck next season up before it's begun.

And if we can finish in the top three.. well that gives any potential signings less doubt about which competitions they could be playing in next season.