VIEW FROM THE STANDS: Liverpool’s title winning style

Dec 3 2007 by Rob Jackson, Liverpool Daily Post

FIVE straight wins. 21 goals. Third in the table. The same goal difference as leaders Arsenal. And, of course, still unbeaten.

I was wrong about yesterday, though. It was more Newcastle than Fulham. Sam Allardyce must be the common denominator – coming or going, the effect is the same. I certainly can’t remember Bolton being as easy as this.

In fact, I’m not sure how much of this ‘hot streak’ is us being good and how much the opposition being bad. Or even if it’s a streak at all. It may be the norm now. Normal service resumed again after about, what, 17 years?

Half the battle of winning leagues is dispatching inferior teams. The other bit is beating the other teams who can do it as well. We’ll know more about that in two week’s time. For now, as they say, let’s accentuate the positives.

And what are they, specifically? Torres, of course. The way he glides across the turf reminds one of the greatest Liverpool striker of all. And I don’t mean Roger Hunt. The partnership with Crouch needs a bit more work, but this is where consistency of selection comes in. Babel scored too – second week running – so this may spur him on to better things now.

Harry Kewell was good again, making a second important goal in two games, and almost deserving the standing ovation he came off to. Steven Gerrard was, well, Steven Gerrard, which is also a big improvement on a few weeks back. It may have something to do with not having to bother with England.