Footballs like that, sometimes you get beat. Today though, the issue is, the manner of defeat. Is it better to go down scrapping to the last drop of sweat through a self-inflicted numerical disadvantage, or to meekly roll over and accept a drubbing? I think most would concur that Evertons defeat at the hands of Chelski had a touch of glory about it whereas ours today just left a bitter taste in the mouth.
Who's to blame? Is it the manager for choosing the wrong players, sending out the wrong signals, not throwing enough teacups? Is it the players, overpaid and overblown with their own self-importance, strolling through games with the casual diffidence of primadonnas? Is it previous regimes for purchasing the wrong players, squandering transfer revenue and leaving the club a legacy of destitution?
It's probably an all-three combo. Rafa needs to identify what it is that makes the team tick and do it quickly. He needs to find a heartbeat for the team, a player from somewhere within the ranks who can sweat blood in the engine room of midfield. Is it Gerrard? maybe, but its not happening right now. He and we need to find out why. If he's leaving so what? No excuse in my book, he should still be giving 100% for the cause. If he isn't then drop him, yes I mean drop him. As for the rest of them, I hope the walls of the dressing room were peeling off with passion of the aftermatch inquest. The players seriously need to understand what it means to play for the club. Whether it takes a lesson in the history of LFC or a lecture on the disasters that have befallen the fans of this great club in the last couple of decades I don't know. Houlliers regime? don't get me started.
Fact is though, there are fans who spend their hard earned, travelling the length and breadth of Europe to support this club and its time the players/management realised that a little bit of sweat and effort every game is a prerequisite. It's what we ask for, nay demand. It's also what we deserve.