Don't write Liverpool FC off - even now

And if they do happen to beat Fiorentina, I would back us to do all that is required to get out of this situation - as Pepe Reina said after the game in France, miracles and Liverpool go hand-in-hand.

But if we do not get through, that does not mean we should be looking to change the manager. Far from it. Rafa Benitez has not suddenly become a flop overnight and the last thing we need is another element of uncertainty.

It's hard enough at the minute, given the state of the club with the debt and the problems with the owners, but in Rafa we have a top class manager, who has engineered some fantastic triumphs for us since he has been here.

Of course, he makes some decisions that baffle us and 99.9 per cent of all supporters know he is showing faith in a couple of players who are simply not good enough to play for Liverpool but his record is still top quality.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What we need now is a win against Birmingham to ease some of the pressure, restore a bit of confidence and give us all a positive to go into the international break after so many recent setbacks.

While it was terrible to draw a game we should have won in Lyon, there was enough quality in the performance to suggest things are about to turn and once we get all our big players back, you will really see a difference.

We need Brum break

BIRMINGHAM will do what every other team does at Anfield on Monday night and make themselves difficult to break down.

Having an extra 48 hours to prepare for the match, though, might just work in our favour. If Rafa Benitez can get a couple of senior players back, our chances of grinding our a win will improve. It doesn't matter how we do it - three points are all that matter.

Hoping to halt the Merseyslide

GIVEN the way our local teams have played this season, I'm surprised nobody has written the headline 'Merseyslide' yet.

Hopefully, though, it won't be long before we are all on the rises; please God Peter Johnson will make the right appointment at Tranmere and Everton have a top manager in David Moyes, who can be relied upon to get good results.

And, last but not least, Rafa Benitez will get the change of luck he needs to get things moving for the Reds again - remember it is still November and there is hope for us all.