From F365
10 - They're an attractive candidate for investment...
In theory, Liverpool with their militantly loyal fanbase, 45,000-seat stadium, star names and grand history should be next in line for whichever oil billionaire decides he wants a Premier League club as a plaything. The catch of course is that Tom Hicks and George Gillett can't stand the sight of each other, and obviously can't agree on anything.
This becomes a problem when each partner has a veto over whether the other can sell their half of the club, but if the two can at least settle their differences for long enough to get the hell out of there, they will most likely make a profit on their investment, Liverpool fans will get a new figure of hate and maybe Rafa Benitez (assuming he's still in charge by then) will be given some money to spend. Everybody's happy.
9 - The stiffs...
Liverpool's reserve side currently sit atop the Barclays Reserve North table, with a record of seven wins and one defeat from eight matches, three points ahead of Manchester United. It might sound flippant, but it does at least suggest there is something beyond the first team, and some good young players coming through.
8 - Pacheco, Kelly and Mavinga...
While we're discussing youngsters at Liverpool, this trio are highly thought of by the Anfield staff. Martin Kelly made an impressive first-team debut at right-back against Lyon in the Champions League before injury forced him off, Chris Mavinga is a defender who can play on the left or the middle, who Liverpool signed ahead of Arsenal and a number of European clubs last summer, and Dani Pacheco is an attacker that many believe should have already been given his chance in the first 11. The present might not be that rosy, but the future could be bright.
7 - Fernando Torres's knee injury...
It might sound like a slightly curious thing to count as a positive, but the news that the Spaniard faces knee surgery could afford Liverpool the chance to solve another long-standing problem. Torres is suffering from a hernia that has limited his appearances this season, an injury that has been 'managed' in the words of Rafa Benitez, but one that has meant he has been playing in pain for the majority of the season. With the knee problem likely to keep Torres out for up to six weeks, this could be the perfect chance to operate on the hernia and clear it up for the remainder of the season and beyond.
6 - The finances aren't that bad...
While it's not ideal to be £200million in the hole, at least the finances aren't as bad as that lot up the road. No annual interest payments of £47million for Liverpool, eh?
5 - Torres is staying...
The more flippant commentators will say and have said that Liverpool are a two-man team, and while that might not be entirely true, they would be in some trouble without Steven Gerrard and Torres. Both are arguably too good to have never won a domestic league title, and the way things are going it doesn't look like either will do it at Anfield in the near future.
Fortunately for Liverpool, it doesn't look like Torres will leave the club in the near future. There are inevitably stories written by 2+2=5 rumour-mongers that Chelsea or Manchester City or a European superpower want the Spaniard, but as yet there is no indication that he actually wants to leave. In any case, Liverpool will not be keen to sell to another club in the Premier League, and the number of European clubs who could afford him is limited, even more so when you consider that Torres will never play for Real Madrid.
4 - The derbies...
October 25: Liverpool 2 Manchester United 0. November 29: Everton 0 Liverpool 2. Always nice, isn't it?
3 - The Europa League...
It may have been characterised as a consolation prize, but the rebranded UEFA Cup is not for chumps. Consider the teams Liverpool will have to get past in order to win it - Marseille, Juventus, Roma, PSV, Galatasaray, Benfica, Villarreal, Valencia, Ajax, Atletico Madrid and Everton. It's not the Champions League and Liverpool fans will no doubt be mocked should they celebrate victory too enthusiastically, but a trophy with such a high standard of competition is not to be sniffed at.
2 - Nobody seems to want fourth place...
While a point against Stoke this weekend wasn't the best result in the world, at least Liverpool didn't lose ground on their rivals for the final Champions League spot. Spurs and Villa both drew despite dominating inferior opponents, while Manchester City were beaten by a team who, as The Observer put it, 'know how hard breaking into the Champions League elite can be'. The inconsistency of the teams around them could yet be Liverpool's greatest hope of making the top four. And remember that Liverpool have a history of holding their nerve enough to make it to the land of plenty, while their rivals do not. Despite the stalemate at the Britannia, Liverpool still finished the weekend closer to fourth place than at they were on Saturday morning.
1 - Hell, it could be worse...
In the wider scheme of things, seventh in the league and just four points away from fourth place is not a calamitous return. Sure, Liverpool will have started the season looking for a hell of a lot more, and their title challenge last season may have inflated expectation above what can realistically be achieved, but in comparison to the fate of some, things really aren't that bad.
Put Liverpool's 'plight' next to, say, Portsmouth, a team who 20 months ago won the FA Cup, and are now stone bottom of the league and barely able to pay their players. Or Reading, who were in the Premier League in 2008 and now sit fourth bottom of the Championship. Consider QPR, a basket case of a club who have just parted with their 14th manager since the last time they won an FA Cup tie. How about Stockport, at the foot of League One and paying administrators £300 an hour to decide how the club is going to be wound-up and whose manager confirmed last week that the whole squad is effectively up for sale. Or Notts County, whose fans were promised success on streets lined with gold, but are now just another League Two club struggling to scrape the pennies together.
In short, Liverpool have a 45,000-seat stadium, players that are the envy of the world and - most importantly - football to watch every week. Some perspective would be very welcome.
