PATIENCE is one of the seven heavenly virtues, originally devised as the antidote to the equivalent number of deadly sins.

Looking down the respective lists, it’s hard not to believe that some of them have changed sides over the years: chastity and temperance don’t sound much fun these days, while pride and lust generally get a much better press than of old. In general, however, football supporters can still be firmly aligned with greed and envy rather than humility and charity.

And so the reasoned acknowledgement that the transformation of Liverpool’s fortunes under Kenny Dalglish would take some time has dissipated faster than you can say ‘Andy Carroll’, the phrase ‘work in progress’ sacrificed on the bonfire of unrealistic expectations.

It’s not that long ago that spirits were high, Chelsea were beaten twice and the consensus was that Kenny was ‘getting it right’. Now the phone-ins and the internet blogs are full of bile and vitriol once more, saying he’s lost the plot and he should move back upstairs to let a younger man take over. It’s a reaction I feared when he was appointed; his legendary status is proving no protection against those with short memories, who must point their fickle fingers at those they deem to have let them down. For such people, waiting for the toaster to eject must seem like an eternity of unimaginable suffering.

When Kenny publicly criticised the attitude of the players after the Bolton game, he was entering firmly into Catch 22 territory. An unusual event in itself, it aroused the interest of the media and begged the question about his own motivational powers.

Yet if he had chosen to defend them after a clearly unacceptable display, he would have risked the opprobrium that was heaped on Roy Hodgson when he praised a similarly inept performance at Everton.

Of course Kenny has made mistakes. It may well turn out that several of his big buys turn out to be half the players he thought they were.

He’s baffled us with some of his tactical moves and team selections, picking players out of position and adopting inappropriate formations.

His usually sure handling of public relations deserted him during the Suarez affair.

But those of you with longer memories will confirm that many of these supposed aberrations occurred during his earlier reign, but now lay forgotten in the wake of multiple trophies.

The challenge Kenny is facing is much greater this time round and however frustrating it might be, it is going to take time and many false moves to put us back where we belong.

Loyalty may not be listed among the seven virtues, but if one person deserves ours, it’s Kenny Dalglish.