THEY say the world is divided between those who see the glass as half-full and those who see it as half-empty.

If this is true then there’s no doubt as to which category Liverpool FC manager Kenny Dalglish resides in.

As most of us trooped away from Anfield on Saturday with a sense of disappointment that we had failed to inflict a fourth successive home defeat on Man United, the King himself helped us place it all in perspective by reminding us that this in itself was a sign of significant progress.

After all, we were feeling upset about being unable to finish off the League champions, Champions League finalists and current unbeaten league leaders, having forced their keeper to make two tremendous saves and missed two decent chances in the last 10 minutes alone.

A sense of proportion is not a familiar part of a football fan’s make-up, but sometimes you just have to take a step back and tip your hat to the realities of the situation.

For in truth there was much in this match to indicate that we may be establishing a solid foundation on which to mount a sustainable effort to restore us among Europe’s elite, notwithstanding Ian Ayre’s earlier ill-advised comments which threatened to turn us into pariahs within our domestic footballing community.

I’ll certainly be turning up my collar when we go to Bolton this season.

The Old Curmudgeon’s team selection was the first indication that our nascent resurgence may have more substance than previously, being the first time for many years that he has picked a team against us with the opposition in mind rather than just send out his regular crowd-pleasers.