Headlines NEWS
Everton Only Fifth Best Post-Christmas
Published by Ben on March 10, 2008
2008/10 Official Liverpool FC merchandise in stock now - home shirts from £25.49 - order now for Christmas delivery - Black & Gold European training tops just £24.99
During the last few weeks of the 2006/2007 Premier League campaign we were, to quote a late Alan Curbishley phrase, “in no-mans-land”. We weren’t capable of catching the run-away leading pair of Chelsea and Manchester United and nor did the tracking pack, fronted by Tottenham Hotspur, pose a realistic threat of sacrificing our Champions League place for the following season.
Aside from Arsenal we couldn’t be caught, and aside from fourth our position of third was unlikely to fluctuate - remembering, as we all know, the ramifications of either position are, in reality, the same. They force you to enter the qualifying stages of the Champions League, in order to attain a status within the tournament proper.
From this point, post-August, once the qualifying stages have reached completion, these ‘ramifications’ should have ceased - yet they didn’t. Why, I wonder? Because, to try and refrain from certifying blame unto one party, either UEFA or the FA made the blunder of scheduling Champions League qualifying matches and Premier League matches on the same midweek period. When we should have been hosting the West Ham United of London on the Wednesday, we were in France, Toulouse, to play the first leg against the French club. It annoys me, more than anything, that such idiocy should exist in football governing bodies such as the aforementioned… Year after year they do it, knowingly congesting matches for no apparent reason. Alas, their logic is lost on me (and a rant of such merits a wholly new article entirely). Whilst that shows poor organisation, the brunt of the FA’s hapless actions are still to come. Indeed, we weren’t the only club to be forced behind a match; both Arsenal and Blackburn had European games versus Sparta Prague and MyPa-47 respectively. They however, for some inconceivable reason, were given their game in hand to play in early December, whilst we had to wait just under 7 months before we could battle it out with the Hammers, and for the first time since the opening weekend of the season be level on matches played with our Merseyside rivals Everton. In fact, it was our comprehensive 4-0 game in hand win on Wednesday that prompted me to wonder what depiction the table would have presented had we had our rightful game played in August, or at the very least, December 5; like Arsenal. And after doing some brief research, the results are quite interesting.
The statistic that I’ve managed to conjure is as thus: had we of played our game against West Ham United, as intended, and summoned a result akin to the one midweek, Everton would never have achieved 4th place in the Premier League post-Christmas and nor would we have conceded it at any moment. In reality, the only way Everton have managed to sustain a position above us in the league has been through playing more matches than ourselves (albeit i haven’t worked it out for pre-Christmas, but if my memory serves me correctly they seldom if ever managed to attain, let alone retain, fourth ahead of us). They resided in the final Champions League position for a total of 44 days over the January/February/March period, yet whilst the table has been fair, i.e. having both teams on the same ‘Games Played’, it has concurred with the notion that we are the better side - with us always featuring above the Blues - and they harbouring the bragging rights for a total of 0 days.
Of course it is all hypothetical, and we may not have even beaten the Irons had we played them back in August, but we have a plausible case to assume three points would have been ours… And as such, the ramifications of having to wait until March to even have the chance of earning the same points as our rivals cannot go unnoticed.
On one occasion (December) it was the difference between being ahead of Chelsea and being behind them; at another moment in time (January) it was the difference between being fourth and being seventh. The psychological effects of which are drastic, and that is before it’s applied to our already ‘unstable’ squad. Watching the matches, I’ve seen panic loom within our players, as they’ve slowly slipped lower and lower down the table - confidence seeping away at a rapid rate. Whether the reality of having a game in hand plays on our players’ mind is debatable, but the reality of our position is inevitably going to have consequences. We’re seemingly more susceptible to pressure than certain other sides, and the lower we fall the greater the pressure becomes; in turn, creating a more desperate predicament. It’s been visible in their play.
But regardless, we can take heed in one thing - that trepidation should not be a factor in our cause for fourth place. We’ve fended them off so far and can continue to do so from now until May. As shown above, the only way Everton can breach the superiority complex we hold over them is by playing more games than ourselves, which tells its own story.
(37 votes)
Loading ...3,691
33 so far
'El Nino' Torres Merchandise Range Now In Stock!
Clutching at straws?
Whilst we are being hypothetical, why don’t we imagine that Dirk Kuyt got sent off in the Derby (Liverpool’s penalty taker), and Lescott had won the two penalties that he deserved in the game. Then Everton would be above Liverpool by 6 points. Furthermore, why don’t we imagine that Everton had scored the goal that was never offside against Blackburn and won that game instead of drawing, adding two more points. Add to that the penalty Chelsea should have had when they played Liverpool recently, eroding a point from Liverpool’s total (although this may be balanced by the corresponding result in August). In short, Liverpool could be a lot worse off than they currently are, so articles like this are a bit rich.
It is interesting reading this post how you can make a hypothesis chat about it for a while then concede that it may not be correct and then promptly dismiss the alternative.
If you had played the game earlier in the season you more than likely would have got yet another draw.
But moving on let me say that if it was not for the shocking display by the referee in the derby that at best you would have yet another draw (to add to the list).
Any of the two above possibilities put Liverpool below Everton. As it is these things did not happen same as the result against West Ham happened when it did and not before. It is like trying to predict the butterfly effect.
All in all I think the race for fourth place will be interesting as Everton have nothing to loose and everything to gain. Liverpool on the other hand has everything to loose and only time will tell what, I wait with baited breath.
more like stating facts Gary
Maybe we played more league games than you the last time we finished fourth too?
If my Aunty had boll0cks…
OMG i have never read so much dribble in my life , talk about being blinkered ! At the end of the day liverpool should have bene challenging for 1st place not moaning about a posponed game that kept you from 4th place - amazing
sad murdering bastard
Thought you’d come up with a slightly better article than that. Without trying to spark a mass riot I can honestly say Id thought you would be more worried with the number of points you’ve achieved at this stage in the season, and more worringly that us blues are on level points for a fair bit less. You say only 5th but we’re level on points with fourth…as you said yourself this time last season it never really seemed in doubt you’d get champions league
…In all fairness with the amount of money Liverpool have spent this season they shouldnt be level with Everton on points at this point in the year..Some times it is obvious that Liverpool are starting to become a two-man team, which i suppose is quite an improvement because before the start of the year it was a consistent reliance on Gerrard to keep Liverpool anywhere near the likes of Chelsea.
We love Clattenburg!
Clattenburg loves us!
Thats not even true. Everton were 4 points clear at one point! Go away and come back when you’ve written something half true.
Lost for words.
The next time a loveable describes Evertonians as bitter they’re getting a link to this article.
Hahaha.
What shite! We are level on points despite having some shocking decisions given against us in games this season. The truth is we have progressed this season and the RS despite Benitez given plenty of money from the Yanks ( who get slated? ), have stood still if not gone slightly backwards.
Great artical all about nothing!!!
What a load of crap, We will finish higher than the rednecks!!!!
Umm…last time I checked the table, the Reds and Everton were level on points having the played the same amount of games!! Your logic is flawed…
What shite.
http://www.rightresult.net
Everton have been the better Team this year, Liverpool for all their Cash have been Abysmal.
Could I have large fries with my meal, and no ice with the drink please…..oh and a sachet of mayo….cheers!!!
Great site lads
Barry Hooooooooooooooooorneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I could while away the hours, conferring with the flowers, consulting with the rain, and my head Id be a scratchin while my thoughts were busy hatchin If I only had a brain
This sentence says it all,
“The statistic that I’ve managed to ‘conjure’ is as thus”
you’re only tricking yourself, !!
Why do a lot of Evertonians get their kicks by visiting an LFC site?
I am a fat spanish waiter who whinges when he can i spen endless amount of yank cash on players who play for a team of followed by murderers!
We visit because it’s linked from the NewsNow website. I’m glad we did because this article has given me the best laugh of the week!!!
If Liverpool fans are proud of the fact they sit 4th on goal difference from Everton then they need to get a life. They spend £40M+ in the summer and should have been closer to Man United and Arsenal than worrying about Everton.
What a sad state of affairs, when your whole season hinges on beating our “small club” into 4th.
Shouldnt you be looking up and not down. 5yrs ago you where fighting for 2nd, whilst Everton where relegation fodder…now Everton challenge you for 4th place…whos kidding who.
18 years of hurt and still counting !!!
So, the fact that we gained 9 points on you is completely irrelevant? This season you were supposed title challengers, however, you are struggling to match the top THREE. At what point does Liverpools below par performances and Evertons above par performances become the normal run of things. You have been poor for a long while, claiming that your form has dipped. Form is temporary, class is permanent, as is the lack of it. Liverpool are not good enough, simple as that. Why blame the yanks when it is the Manager who has failed so spectacularly. He lost his staff and bombed, Moyes lost his staff and flourished. Now, who is the better manager? Maybe you could write an article on it.
In answer to WGBR. It’s because it’s bloody hilarious. Blaming the FA and UEFA? It couldn’t be the fault of the team could it, oh no…………. sorry, yes it can.
A typical red shite “We can still win the league. We are only 25 points behind the leader”
What a load of shite-rename this channel crap t.v. WE ARE LEVEL ON POINTS WITH YOU RIGHT NOW,nothing else come into yet whatever theory you deluded nutters come up with.
We don’t visit your pathetic sites randomly you idiot! It came up on NEWSNOW - Everton!!! Thats why you have 70% voting that you’ll get hammered at the San Siro!!! By the way, do you still think you’ll win the league this year??!!
it makes me laugh that so,eone has even bothered to write this article.
back in August after thrashing Derby you were going on about how you would win the league, now you have switched your focus on finishing above Everton who quite frrankly spent a pittance in comparison to the under acheivers accross the park!
what a success it will be if Liverpool finish above Everton - thats what you aim for nowadays - so funny………….