Liverpool Top of the League Table and Why I Am Proud of Them

I received a text message from a fellow "manc" friend just after we drew with the Hammers on Monday, it read: "You have just lost it mate."

Surely he must have been savouring the goalless draw at Anfield against a defensive West Ham, despite the fact that Liverpool went top of the league with a six and eight point gap over Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.

Despair

Disappointment would have been an understatement as we failed to grab three points from a team that has been at the wrong end of the table for most of the season. This was reinforced by the fact that West Ham got hammered 4-0 by Liverpool last season, despite the Hammers being in a better position than they are right now.

Nevertheless, we drew the game and now the same fans who rallied around the team against Man United, Wigan, Middlesbrough, and Man City are questioning the same team on their winning ability.

Booing was not the kind of response I had hoped for after the game, especially for a team that was still at the top of the table. If the performance against the Hammers was thought of as poor, then Man United's opening day draw against the Magpies or the Gunner's loss to Hull and Man City should be considered near dreadful.

A Better Position

The fact that a draw meant Liverpool stayed at the top of the league just goes to show the hard work the team has put in to be in that situation in the first place. If you witnessed the work rate of the players on the pitch, you could see they really were committed to grabbing the three points.

It's not just Kuyt, Gerrard, or Riera that do all the hard work, what some fail to see is the constant motion of Keane on the pitch. He definitely would have hoped for more goals at this stage of the season—as we all would have—but then it did take Crouchie 19 games to break his duck.

If Robbie's high work rate is taken in to account as a positive, then Berbatov is nowhere near him in that comparison. It reminds me of a comment from a commentator during one of Man United's games in which they were failing to dominate: "Same old Berbatov, hands on his hips when he can't get anything right."

From a personal point of view, I really love watching Robbie Keane play for Liverpool. Any boyhood fan getting to don his favourite club shirt and scoring goals would be a dream come true for anyone.

Where Robbie lacks in goal contributions, he makes up for it with his movement and positioning. But for me, Robbie will play a major role in the second half of the season.

Three Months Back

If someone had said to me at the start of the season that Liverpool would be top of the Premier League after 15 games and through to the knockout stage of the Champions League from a group containing Marseille, Atletico, and PSV, I would have said: "Yeah, and I'm going to star in the next James Bond film."

It's the belief from the players that gave us two great cup final victories in Istanbul and Wembley. But, in a campaign of 38 games, we need to have that same belief right through until the end of the season.

When Liverpool won the European Cup in 1984, I wasn't even born. When we last won the top flight title, I was only one. During the year of the historic treble, I was 13, but I had glimpses of the brilliance Liverpool are capable of.

I have memories that I will always enjoy re-living over and again because, in a way, along with other fellow Liverpudlians, I actually witnessed them unfold. Be it Olympiakos, Ataturk or Wembley, I will be forever proud to recall them and say out loud that ''I am a true Red.''

Liverpool on top of the Premier League—even though it might be short stay—happens to be one of those memories.