Anti-climax

After two great Premiership wins, a fortunate Cup win (followed by a fortunate draw), it is hard to deny that tonight's second half was a huge anti-climax to a great fortnight. It certainly sounds like we got what we deserved, but after heading to the interval at 1-0 one hoped that we had the guts and guile to stick it out, at least for a draw. I've just seen the goals on Fox Sports World, and Bryan Hughes' mislaid pass wasn't quite as bad as it sounded on BBC London but it obviously gave Liverpool the impetus to not only draw the game, but go on to win it. To be fair to Hughes, the finish was world-class and it is hard to imagine Shaun Bartlett finishing with similar aplomb (though three goals in four games is promising). The final half-hour sounded like one-way traffic and it was only a matter of time before Liverpool sealed the three points.

Those last 45 minutes can potentially be a negative turning point in our season given the difficulty of our forthcoming fixtures, so let's hope Curbs can prove (again) that he has the motivational and tactical ability to get a result at Newcastle. It's hard to see him changing the 4-5-1 formation given that a point would be a reasonable result, but it is potentially becoming a bit stale. Moreover, I don't see any benefit of playing Thomas on the right with Konch on the left - it has to be one or the other in the side, with Rommedahl or Hughes on the right. We've gone down the route of playing players out of position before and in my opinion, it's a flawed concept. I've never seen Hughes play for Charlton, but given that Kish did a great job before he got injured, I can't imagine that Hughes (who I always visualize as being skilful but lightweight) has more to offer currently. I think the midfield three of Murphy, Holland and Kish provides stability, with the option of Euell coming on from the bench to provide some attacking thrust.

At least 'Boro and Spurs lost (though Bolton are now on our shoulder). I still believe Everton will drift back to the pack and hence we have everything to play for despite today's result. Occasionally you have to pinch yourself that one is bemoaning a point lost at home to Liverpool.. It was barely ten seasons ago that a Cup trip to Anfield was a highlight of the season, not just another League game. Indeed, I recall Kim Grant scoring there with a late goal - now there's evidence of how far we've come!