Sorry Liverpool there for the taking

Last night's terrific result for managerless Reading at Anfield has proven another unforeseen headline in a season which has so far been full of them. The Europe-hogging 'big four' have already lost a staggering 28 games between them in all competitions, and it fastly becoming the most puzzling campaign in recent memory, not better summed up than by another head-scratchingly negative non-performance from Liverpool.

Quite simply, this Liverpool side is completely spineless bordering on embarrassing, even for the neutral. The waiter has repeatedly been allowed to spend on sub-standard players yet their squad is, by top four, even six standards, inadequate. The two world-class players they do have both look bored rigid and unfit, and it wouldn't surprise if either began itching for a move come the summer.

Who takes Liverpool's place in the top four is by no means a forgone conclusion, there are still plenty of games for anyone to mess up just as badly, including us, but going off the first half of the season you'd have to say that the bin-dippers must improve drastically to even be in with a shout of Champions League qualification. They're bloody awful. They were outplayed in every department yesterday, again, Reading should've scored at least five.

The malaise in the quality of the 'big four' this year doesn't just end there, over the road them lot are doing their best to imitate a pub side most weeks, getting away with it a bit more than their pals from along the M62. Both clubs are saddled with enormous debts, owned by yank muppets who seem to have little clue about the game or real interest in the clubs beyond financial ones, and both are being just about ran by bitter red-faced old fools unravelling week-by-week.

It's hard to feel sorry for Benitez, though i'm sure he's an amiable enough bloke. He's spunked a fortune (now north of £250m gross) largely on complete and utter shite. He's absolutely no leg to stand on trying to defend himself, barring a spell of about six weeks towards the end of last season when they played extremely well they continue to go backwards at a rib-tickling rate.

The phone-ins since have been a particular delight. The owners, who this summer allowed the Spaniard to spend £18m on a full-back who can't tackle, and £20m on a midfielder who when fit can't pass, 'aren't backing Rafa enough'. The squad players 'aren't matching the drive of Stevie G & Carra', which from what i've seen is completely at odds with the truth as captain fantastic repeatedly fails to make an impact and Carragher continues to look a shadow of the player whose form once made him fourth-choice England centre-half.

In a way the general consensus of the Liverpool fans that the board should stand by Rafa is admirable, if deluded. They call it 'loyalty' and point to a night four years ago when they fluked some trophy or other. The reality is the powers-that-be have absolutely no choice but to stand by their man given ousting him would cost the club a further £15m+ of money they simply don't have, and especially won't be able to generate on Europa League football.

This evening's humbling by one of the worst sides in the Championship was played out in front of a stadium over 30% down on capacity, the 'most passionate fans in football' opting not to bother with the world's greatest competition. Some opted to go dressed as red plastic seats, most who did attend chose to boo their own off the field as the club exited their third, by all intents and purposes fourth competition of the season.

Our fate is very much in our own hands, struggle against Salford in the League Cup or an off-day at Glanford Park or Goodison and the pressure would be very much back on, that's how quickly things can happen. The season so far has been encouraging, though. Our 'bad run', assuming there isn't another to come, saw us not lose in ten games, and since then having only thirteen or fourteen fit senior players has coincided with five successive victories.

In my opinion almost every side in the Premier League this season is weaker, or at least no stronger than they were by last May. Ourselves and possibly Arsenal are the only real exceptions. Though the chances of those above or around us continuing to wobble are slim we absolutely must now press on and ruthlessly stalk them. There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Ultimately, the table doesn't lie. We're still some way off the leading pack because for a time we were defending like clowns, but providing there isn't a return to that sort of abject uncertainty there's no reason why we can't now go on and finish at least fourth. It's hardly a new thing a side from outside the usual bunch getting to this stage of the season and looking on course but then wobbling, but then the club hoping to achieve it have never already had a squad as strong as there is in the league, and the usual suspects have never been so mediocre.