Top four. I'm having trouble getting worked up over it, probably just me?

Possibly the lack of enthusiasm is because of the threadbare squad we have and the knowledge that we are in no way prepared for the qualification a top four place presents.

The manager has been criticised by some but the elevated status we occupy is largely down to him.

I get what you're saying Mick 'cause I felt the same during/just after January.

Maybe that was because I'd been caught believing that we could win the league (a bit like the 'nearly year).

Then the anti-climax of a pure sh*te January [results/transfer window]... Knocked me back quite a bit it did and if I'm being honest, I'm not fully over the malaise but...

A readjustment of target; a race with the scum & Arsenal (both of which I have no respect for) and I'm buzzing again. Even if it is to a lesser degree.

One last thing which helps me - the thought that, if Jürgen can get this team over the CL line; what can he do with a few more quality signings. [Okay I've always thought and 'said' that but you get my drift 😎]

If you can't get excited about LFC playing at the highest stage a place where we have had some of our most famous games then you are tired of watching LFC.

Take a break.

We are a club that under these new owner are treading water, but none the less are slowly drowning, While teams around us like Spurs,Everton,Stoke are season by season bring in decent players and are reeling us back in on the head way we have made on them while we struggle attract,No not attract (because we do that readily enough) we struggle to sign these player dew in large part to the owners unwillingness to offer either an acceptable rate in the transfer market, and if by some chance that rate is accepted we offer the player derisory sum of money in wages which drives the player elsewhere... It is not about being
"tired of watching LFC."... Hell if Liverpool dropped into the Championship during the next two seasons I seriously doubt that they would lose one single supporter world wide, and if that's what it took to get rid of these arse clowns (FSG) and getting in proper owners, one that love Football, and love Liverpool FC and where not just in it for the money,willing to invest in the players and the club, then I for one would welcome it... It is not about being "tired of watching LFC." It is about being tired about seen our beloved club being use and abused 
 

Can't win the Champions league unless we're in it! 😉 I'm disappointed with the trophy less season, everyone should be, but I'll be happy with the prospect of playing in the CL next

Someone needs to remind the owners that football is a very physical game without any fancy protective gears or carrying a bat without physical contact, plus 90 minutes non-stop running while players get injured along the way, in case they are still learning about the game. Therefore, we need a bigger but real quality squad.

If we can't finish Premiership Champions, then I would certainly settle for fourth. Only one team can win the premiership,and it isn't our God given right to be that one. As Orchard said above, how can we win another Champions League cup if we are not in it?

My immediate aim is to re establish ourselves back in the position Rafa had us for most of his time here. With Klopp we have a manager, like Benitez, who could make us fly in the CL once again. So yeah, I would say it is a big deal for me. Not a cause for celebration but so important.

The alternative of Europa League and having to go to some crumbling hole of a stadium in sub zero Russia on a Thursday tea time is enough to make me cry.

If we can't finish Premiership Champions, then I would certainly settle for fourth. Only one team can win the premiership,and it isn't our God given right to be that one. As Orchard said above, how can we win another Champions League cup if we are not in it?

I don't think that anyone believe that it is our "God given right" to win anything, i would just like to have a team that is on the same level (player wise) as everyone else because the owner are backing the manager without stupid proviso then if we lose we do so without being handicapped

This isn't a pop at anyone who is, as I'm sure every die hard Liverpool fan really OUGHT to be rattling the sabres and urging the lads onto top four glory. It's just a comment on where I am at the mo, and to be honest aside from finishing above Man U which would be nice as a load get in the pub, I'm having trouble getting worked up about the whole thing.

I know it's "progress" and all that, and I know it ought to make us able to sign better players, but for some reason it just ain't doing it for me. Maybe it's stuff outside football that is the reason I don't know, just ignore me (shouldn't be too difficult ).

I thought this was a very honest, transparent and concisely stated opinion. I think most of us have been somewhere in this neighborhood at one point or another in the past several years. He doesn't use this as a springboard to have a go at the owners or fans who are excited about the future under Klopp, he just shares that he's having trouble at the moment getting up for the run-in.

My best antidote for this is to remember following my team as a kid, pouring over every word of the paper or giddily waiting for the game to come on the radio or TV, or being excited for days before going to an actual game. Sure, we grow up and real life has a way of tempering our excitement because we know there are some things more important, but that kid is still somewhere inside each of us. Maybe there are some kids like that in your family or your neighborhood. They can serve as a pretty good reminder of how much love we can have for this.

Hang in there and I hope the team give you (and all of us) something to smile about in the weeks ahead.

My best antidote for this is to remember following my team as a kid, pouring over every word of the paper or giddily waiting for the game to come on the radio or TV, or being excited for days before going to an actual game. Sure, we grow up and real life has a way of tempering our excitement because we know there are some things more important,

 but that kid is still somewhere inside each of us.

Maybe there are some kids like that in your family or your neighborhood. They can serve as a pretty good reminder of how much love we can have for this.

Hang in there and I hope the team give you (and all of us) something to smile about in the weeks ahead.

This .

Brilliant Post Robby.

my disappointment is the fact that we couldve been challenging for the league but now we are fighting for top four. 

when you have such a great record vs the other top 6. if you can just grind out thebother games typically you would win as the top 6 games are almost like 6pt swings

the fact we are nowhere close to chelsea tells you just how badly we messed up our other games

For the first time in just under a decade, we will have a world-class manager leading us in Europe's top-tier competition. A man who took us to the Europa League final within his first 8 months here, beating the likes of United and Dortmund along the way. If the prospect of Champions League football for next year doesn't excite you considering all this, then you have a problem.

However pissed off i feel after a defeat and times when i feel dismay and wonder where we are going I still come back for more. The old saying you can put up with the despair but it's the hope that kills you is very apt. Bit of a tangent but it is like a drug that keeps pulling me back in.

I won't celebrate at top 4 finish because that is what we should be doing every year. I won't celebrate as if we won a trophy like Arse do but it is a sign of progress.

It should not be a prize but a sign of us wanting to be the best again. We should aim higher than top 4 finish (not for this season.).

Perhaps it's the fact that we have nothing to actually win this season that has you feeling that way Mick? Other than that I'm at a loss because the signs for encouragement are everywhere! (Apart from the owners but let's leave that for their thread)

Personally I'm buzzing with how Klopp has us playing and the progress we're making. When it comes to personal lows, in football terms, those came most deeply under Hodgson and then subsequently with Brendan for his final 1 1/4 seasons. With Hodgson it was embarrassing on every level so that's best left because I feel that's obvious but when it came to Brendan I was like Skip. I'd totally lost all hope and even though I didn't miss a match, watching us became like groundhog day, same mistakes, same problems with transfers, no clear system and so many square pegs in round holes that there was absolutely no way we could find even a glimmer of hope.

Thankfully Jürgen has come in and fixed so many of those issues, we can debate at length about how poor this squad is and how suicidal he was to go into this season with so few players but in truth when you look at what he actually took over, if you really look honestly without any bias then it's remarkable how quick he's turned us around. I have to laugh when I hear "missed opportunities" being mentioned when the above is taken into account. Sure we were in title winning form up to Christmas but those who expected total consistency and being able to sustain it for the entire season on the back of the squad he inherited and only one summer window are being horribly unfair.

We could still realistically finish near or over 80 points this season. Granted that over 80 is unlikely but to me at the very least we're looking like making up around 16 points on last season and finishing around 76 points, that in anyone's book is an enormous leap forward. Then factor in the circumstances of those gains, have we been lucky? No, in  most games we've actually been the best team, if I were to argue it any way I'd suggest we're on the low side of what we've 'deserved' in terms of performances. Have we been lucky in terms of injuries, no, again I think we've had it pretty rough. We've had few options up top due to injuries to Ings and Sturridge, in defence we've only been able to play our first choice pairing in about a 3rd of games (think we've not lost when they've played) and in midfield it's been a similar story. How often have Henderson, Lallana, Gini played together and when they have, what have the results been?

Then let's look at our attack, with all the above taken into consideration, we're still the top scoring team in the entire league. That's quite an achievement already, it's been thrilling to watch us in so many games this year. It's so easy to see where improvements can be made but even with that we're still producing this, for me that's what is so impressive. Yes individually we have weaknesses but as a whole we're still knocking in the most goals and that should be scary for our rivals because a couple of gems added into this line-up and we could push that number up a notch or two again next year and will other's really be able to live with that?

Defensively, as said, we've had our troubles through injuries and there's for sure work to be done in this department. The last time I was truly confident in our defence was under Kenny and Clarke and while it would be nice to get back to that solidity I've always preferred winning games in a "we'll score more than you" manner. So as long as it's tightened slightly in the summer I'll be happy.

Just as Dave says above, Jürgen has so far produced an outstanding record against the top teams, so I'm massively excited about how we will get on in the CL. I don't think for a moment we'd win it on our first stab back but I certainly think we'll have some brilliant nights again with end to end footy to thrill. That alone has me pumped for this run-in, sure 2nd is nowhere and all that but there is now a reward for 2nd-4th and that reward is getting to see our team and manager pit their wits against the best. There's no better measure of where you are in terms of the best around than in the CL and I can't wait for us to be back there.

Exciting times and I'm sure once next season starts you'll have your spark back again Mick.

This isn't a pop at anyone who is, as I'm sure every die hard Liverpool fan really OUGHT to be rattling the sabres and urging the lads onto top four glory. It's just a comment on where I am at the mo, and to be honest aside from finishing above Man U which would be nice as a load get in the pub, I'm having trouble getting worked up about the whole thing.

I know it's "progress" and all that, and I know it ought to make us able to sign better players, but for some reason it just ain't doing it for me. Maybe it's stuff outside football that is the reason I don't know, just ignore me (shouldn't be too difficult ).

It's incredibly important , just imagine how you will feel if we don't . For me the league is the one and only but we need to sign Champions league footballers to progress.

I can't be arsed listening to talk of CL football harming our league chance's , it is what it is . We need CL and we need better footballers or in 2 years we could be watching what we are watching now.

I can say I am exited as sadly this is what I ecpected  at start of season . The league is stronger and we have improved in points total . Coupled with the fact we have spent  very little compared with others I think this is a stepping stone to future success depending on what money is laid out this summer

Instead of thinking of it as finishing in the top 4 is somehow an achievement (no silverware for that) I think about it as finishing above all the other plebby teams, the more points difference the better. Everton f.off,  Arsenal f.off and Man u f. right off.
 It's shameful that Everton have been around us and finished higher than us in recent years.

I get what you're saying Mick 'cause I felt the same during/just after January.

Maybe that was because I'd been caught believing that we could win the league (a bit like the 'nearly year).

Then the anti-climax of a pure sh*te January [results/transfer window]... Knocked me back quite a bit it did and if I'm being honest, I'm not fully over the malaise but...

A readjustment of target; a race with the scum & Arsenal (both of which I have no respect for) and I'm buzzing again. Even if it is to a lesser degree.

One last thing which helps me - the thought that, if Jürgen can get this team over the CL line; what can he do with a few more quality signings. [Okay I've always thought and 'said' that but you get my drift 😎]

Understand what you're saying Mick. Same as bbb, January was like a serious kicking in the nads. 2016 we'd been excellent, and 1st month of Jan we were as bad as we'd been good before that. Massive disappointment. Nobody really wanted to say it, but from having so many possibilities before xmas, we were pretty much out of the running to win a trophy 4 weeks into new year. Painful. And the performances, against teams we should have been doing so much better against, made it worse.

But the CL has kept the interest going, we've improved in spite of injuries, we're ahead of Utd and Arse, and not out of getting 3rd. It's not a trophy, and for me the CL places have lost some of the sheen they had ... in that I don't think finishing in those places is as much of an attraction when it comes to signing players as they were even a few years back due to the amount of cash sloshing around the 'big clubs' (look who Utd signed without CL footy to attract them).
Still, looking to next year, the CL place can still help when making signings AND we'd get to play in the best footy competition on the planet. That would really be something to look forward to.
And finishing further up the table, and with the highest points we can, IS something we can measure progress against, and look to improve on next season, so it's important the players don't give up and pick upm every point they can.

And yea, personal stuff can put the footy into serious perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUsWxOZolVQ
but nothing a good 4-0 win from us can't help fix

Like I said above Mick its exactly how I've been feeling and for a while now.

I think the 'modern game' has taken its toll.

I don't think the ' modern game ' would be taking such a toll if we had been winning league championships. Lack of success is what grates , especially to older fans who witnessed our great teàms.

I get what you're saying Mick 'cause I felt the same during/just after January.

Maybe that was because I'd been caught believing that we could win the league (a bit like the 'nearly year).

Then the anti-climax of a pure sh*te January [results/transfer window]... Knocked me back quite a bit it did and if I'm being honest, I'm not fully over the malaise but...

A readjustment of target; a race with the scum & Arsenal (both of which I have no respect for) and I'm buzzing again. Even if it is to a lesser degree.

One last thing which helps me - the thought that, if Jürgen can get this team over the CL line; what can he do with a few more quality signings. [Okay I've always thought and 'said' that but you get my drift 😎]

Did you really think we could win the league in December ? If you don't mind me asking but are you old enough to have watched us through the 70's & 80's ? 

My wifes cousins husband is a Man Utd fan and when we were having dinner with them in early December i told him if you offered me 4 th place now i would bite your hand off.  He agreed with me that our defence was a joke  and could never sustain a title challenge.
The next day i had my two brothers telling me we could win the league and couldn't understand why i didn't think so.

So where you just getting caught up in it a bit or did you really believe we could win it ?

we could still win the league

This isn't a pop at anyone who is, as I'm sure every die hard Liverpool fan really OUGHT to be rattling the sabres and urging the lads onto top four glory. It's just a comment on where I am at the mo, and to be honest aside from finishing above Man U which would be nice as a load get in the pub, I'm having trouble getting worked up about the whole thing.

I know it's "progress" and all that, and I know it ought to make us able to sign better players, but for some reason it just ain't doing it for me. Maybe it's stuff outside football that is the reason I don't know, just ignore me (shouldn't be too difficult ).

It definitely represents progress, and is needed for the club to progress but yes, it's not something to get excited about and no matter where we finish this season, I'll be hard pressed to call it a successful season after having crashed out of the title race and two Cups in Jan.