Terrace Talk: Everybody is in pantomime mode regarding Liverpool now

Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin and Liverpool’s James Milner battle for the ball in Saturday’s Anfield clash. Picture: David Klein/PA

Just quit if you can’t be bothered. It’ll save us having to worry about what other teams are doing, which surely can have no relevance now.

Feels like actually qualifying for the Champions League is too much like hard work. Much better to have it handed to you on a plate, eh?

You probably shouldn’t ever write in anger, but this is me calmed down. I’ve had it with all the excuses over injuries, empty grounds, VAR, and whatever else that comes to hand.

It was the same against Real Madrid; chance after chance squandered. Opportunities to finish off Leeds and Newcastle were flicked at, half-heartedly and complacently.

Three certain wins turned miraculously into draws; alchemists in reverse.

Everybody is in pantomime mode regarding Liverpool now. T’was ever thus I suppose, but the Super League gave idiots shards of credence.

Last Monday’s result against Leeds, in isolation, was a decent point, they’re a good team that can be dangerous on their day, but Newcastle was inexcusable.

The hardest chance went in, and the subsequent lack of ruthlessness made you wonder if the title and Champions League seasons were hallucinations after all.

Newcastle are the classic example of an outfit run so badly it defies logic. How they can be near relegation is a scandal to a club that’s one horse in a big town. You wonder if even petro-billions are going to make any difference there.

But just like West Brom did, they simply stayed in the game and prayed for a late chance. Even after the good fortune of VAR nonsense and an equaliser quashed, the Reds said “have another go” –so they did.

The long ball over the top was all they had, but Liverpool kept their high line, stubborn and blinkered, dismissive of any notion that they might, just might, be in the wrong. That’s on Klopp. He even took off Thiago, having seen the difference the extra man Milner made in midfield and having no midweek football to raise concerns over withering stamina.

The missed chances and late recklessness, that’s another matter. He looked mortified. I know how he feels.

It’s alright saying that they miss the crowd. That chestnut is only ever mentioned with emphasis on us getting behind the lads, but it should also mean there’s no-one there to get stuck into them when they start taking the p.

Everything’s slipshod and half-arsed, cursory. Klopp took Jota off instead, so if some players believe they can do as they please, why should we be surprised?

In a way Liverpool deserve our heartfelt thanks. This shadow of a sport, this wisp of a season, can now finally dissolve into dust, but one day fans will return.

I’ve been writing for weeks about understanding and forgiveness, but it’s clear no iota of this genuinely matters to them. They regard us all as weak. Given excuses, they merrily grip them like drowning men clutch straw. Feel sorry for yourself on your own time, or on your own dime as our owners say.

Something’s not right with this club at the moment. There are lots of reasons, reach for them and quote them endlessly if you must. All that’ll produce is more gutless performances, greater arrogance, and no responsibility on the part of players who can do so much better than this.

I went conspiracy wild on Saturday night; does the club want to throw fourth place away, so Super League entitlement permeates through the fanbase after all? Even at blitzkrieg rage it seemed tenuous, petty stuff but they thought the ESL was a brainwave so I wouldn’t put anything past them.

The uberfans aren’t going to let even this farce perturb them of course. “These things happen”, they’ll say. Not this often, they don’t.

But keep looking the other way because that means it isn’t happening. Right?