Criticism’s Fine, But the Hysteria Isn’t

Criticism is part of the deal at Liverpool. Always has been. But there’s a difference between having a proper gripe and going full meltdown because a performance wasn’t up to the standards we all know the club can reach.

The frustration isn’t really with people pointing out what’s wrong. It’s the way it gets communicated too often: hysterical, exaggerated, and weirdly entitled, like the team owes every one of us a perfect afternoon on demand. It doesn’t help anyone and it certainly doesn’t improve the football.

Fourth place isn’t nothing

Let’s not pretend we’re watching vintage stuff. When the tempo drops and the play gets sticky, it can feel like we’re wading through games rather than driving them. But even with that, we’re sitting fourth midway through the season, with a big chunk of the league below us.

That matters. In a season where it’s clear there are a few sides above playing superb football, being best of the rest while looking a bit clunky can be read two ways. You can either use it as a stick to beat everyone with, or you can admit it’s actually not a bad platform at all.

Truth is, that league position suggests there’s a base level still there. Not always pretty, not always fluent, but a base. And in the middle of change, having that is huge.

Transition is real, even if you hate it

Whether anyone likes the label or not, this does feel like a transitional year. Sometimes transitions are planned, sometimes they’re messy, sometimes they’re forced on you. Fans can argue all day about how and why it’s happened, and I get it, especially when you feel like better decisions earlier could have avoided some of the slog.

But shouting at the screen doesn’t stop a cycle in football. Squads evolve, legs go, new ideas land at different speeds, and the same players don’t look like the same players forever. If you accept that much, the whole situation becomes easier to watch without losing your standards.

Save a thought for the matchgoers

The people I genuinely feel for are the local punters who pay their money, organise their day, and head to Anfield expecting to be lifted. That’s the real investment, week in and week out. The rest of us can be annoyed too, of course we can, but it hits different when you’ve spent your wages and your time on it.

I’ve been following Liverpool since 1977. I’ve seen the full spread: glory, drift, rebuilds, mad weeks, quiet years. So I can live with a scruffy spell if the direction is right and the floor doesn’t fall out. In fact, I’m grateful we’re still in a strong spot while the dust settles.

And maybe that’s the main point. Think before hitting send. Stop baiting reactions. Let the sensible analysis breathe, because when the room gets hysterical, the best voices go quiet. Sometimes the most Liverpool thing you can do is just take a breath and get on with it.

Written by delvecs: 31 December 2025