Remember Derby County? Well in August 2007 Liverpool were declared as title challengers after hitting the Premiership newcomers for six at Anfield.
Two years later and Liverpool have been at it again this time Hull City being the whipping boys on the receiving end of some ruthless attacking play.
Of course, back in ’07 the much anticipated title charge never emerged and Liverpool were once again left battling it out for a top four finish which has been pretty much the story of the club for the last two decades in terms of final league positioning.
Until last season that was, last year we pushed United as far as any Liverpool side since those that last finished top of the pile when Alan Hansen lifted the title for an 18th time in 1990.
In those 20 ears of course, many false dawns have been and gone on Merseyside, while down the M62 they have been collecting titles at the ratio of... well, erm, well Liverpool in the 70s and 80s I suppose.
The next time Liverpool line up against Hull in a premiership match, chances are Hull will be destined for the second tier of English football, but more importantly, and hopefully the Reds will be destined to be named Champions.
Hull City away and the final league fixture of the season, and if their performance at Anfield is anything to go by, Phil Brown wont be in the Tigers dug out by the time the Reds visit the KC Stadium in May.
Ryan Babel made people sit up and take note after arriving on Merseyside and netting against Derby two seasons ago, with an expertly taken goal, although since there have been very few moments which compare to his first goal at Anfield.
Now acknowledged by a local radio station as “Ryan Babel, rapper and Liverpool FC footballer” it’s quite worrying that the Liverpool FC footballer comes second in his career description. Although I do not want to be too unfair, as the last three occasions he has played, and ironically since his latest ‘outburst’ during International duty the Dutch winger has been very positive and looked more like the player Rafa Benitez valued at £11.5 million at just 21 years of age.
It’s a massive week for Liverpool and Babel, he is sure to play a part during two tough away games against Fiorentina and Chelsea respectivley. After two early defeats, a win or even draw at Chelsea would keep the Reds in the mix at the top, but another defeat at this stage could leave the Reds in the same predicament as the weeks which followed that thrashing of Derby County.
It’s paramount that this time around the demolition of relegation fodder is seen as a stepping stone to better things, and not merely a highlight on the season as was the case against the Rams back in ’07.
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