17 Oct 2009

REVEALED: How Liverpool WON the title after losing 4 of the first 9 league games

Today's Sunderland defeat is clearly a devastating blow to Liverpool's title chances, after all, no team can win the league after losing 4 of their first 9 league games...right? WRONG. During the 1963-64 season, Bill Shankly's Liverpool team did just that!

I personally don't believe Liverpool can win the title this season, but as history proves, it IS theoretically possible, and it HAS been done before.

In the 1963-64 season, Liverpool lost 4 of their opening 9 league games. Defeats to Nottingham Forest, Blackpool, West Ham and Sheffield United left the team langushing in mid-table obscurity. And after the previous season's lamentable 8th place finish, I'm sure Liverpool fans of the 60s were feeling as depressed about the team's title chances as we feel today.

Bill Shankly wasn't having any of it though and, somehow, Liverpool summoned up the strength to turn it around. How? The club won 23 and drew 2 of the next 30 league games, which put Liverpool in pole position for the title.

If the 2009 Liverpool team is to go and win the title this season, a similar run is essential. So what situation would the club be in the team DID go in such a run?

Played: 34
Won: 28
Lost: 4
Drawn: 2

POINTS: 86

Interestingly, the team would match last season's points total with 4 games still to go. Not a bad position to be in!

Of course, this all seems very unlikely, and as I sad at the start, I do not think it's possible.

But it's not IMPOSSIBLE.

Liverpool did it once before. Perhaps we can do it again...?

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26 comments:

  1. Wasn't it W23 D2 L5 of the next 30 games.  If you include the 5 loss it same as last season.  Still 86 points will win the PL this year.

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  2. you must be dreaming if you think Liverpool still can win the title.  HAHAHA

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  3. Yes, there were 5 defeats.  Having said that, the league was 42 games a season back then, so that has to be factored in.

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  4. I personally don't believe we'll win the title; the point of my article is to prove that it is not impossible.  It has been done before.

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  5. So in that case you need to factor in us losing 1/6 of the remaining 29 games = 4+ that would not just put the PL out of reach but put serious pressure on our CL place.

    What worries me is that we've managed to reduce the draws by losing more.  Got to pick it up for Lyon this week.

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  6. I cant see it happening now :(  . A hugh amount will be how well Aquilani does in the premiership, if he settles and is as good as the hype on our day we will beat anybody, once again though i think our squad is to weak. A few injurys and we struggle.

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  7. No - I'm merely making a slight comparison; I'm not actually comparing the team's performance in both seasons!

    The point here is that a Liverpool team lost 4 of its first 9 league games and went on to win the title.

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  8. The most important thing is that we keep in touch with the leaders (i.e. 4-6 points behind the leader - max) by the end of Jan. Then we are in squeaky bum time.

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  9. stupid scousers will never learn! lmfao

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  10. While I love the positive spirit, I would feel the same if we didn't totally stink today. We have many major problems to deal with this season and it's not going to be until next season until some of them are solved. Best just to cheer for a win each game and get the idea of trophies out of your mind.

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  11. Forget the bleedin' facts! Back in the day players knew what it really meant to play for LFC. With donkeys all over the pitch for us, it's not gonna happen. People, it pains me so much to see liverpool take great strides to close the gap between us and man utd and claim our status as title contenders, only to take 10 steps back. Rafa caused the imbalance of the squad for first, killing our Alonso and second, not replacing him IMMEDIATELY! We've lost the heart of the team, people. It was Alonso and Mascherano but now even Masch doesn't have his heart here. It's a shame...this was meant to be our year.

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  12. DALGLISH IS THE MAN!!! YOU SHOULD WRITE SMTHNG ABOUT HIM MAN! HIS CV IS EXTRAORDINARY!

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  13. jamie i normally find your stance very negative but this goes to show that there is light at the end of every tunnel. Hope is what i needed after today and you ve given me some thanx

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  14. Jaime putting a positive spin on Liverpool (even if it wasn't that serious)! What has the world come to?! :)

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  15. The league is over for us Liverpool fans!!! Let's not blame the beach ball we were 2nd best today. Every major test Liverpool have had this season we have crumbled. Lfc made the right decision selling Keane but we never replaced him with a quality back up player. This has come back to bite us this season. I still can't understand why a replacement was not found for him this summer! Then rafa made a horrible decision off loading Nemeth to Greece on loan as he has the potential to be the best of our 2nd string. This season will unfortunately will have to go down as a transition season. We can still win a domestic cup but unfortunately rafa is finished if he doesn't at least finish in the top two with a trophy. As he signed on a five year plan. Despite taking us near last year and blowing our best opportunity I think he is not the man to take us over the final yard. I have a strong feeling he will be managing Madrid or a spanish side next year. We have to face facts that very few of yesterdays the squad created by Rafa over a 5 year period yesterday would get any where near the squads of the other top four.(unfortunately) rafa has had to steadily improve the squad each season however we lack depth. I think that outside forces such as mancity , spurs and Aston villa all improving have put us in a very vunerable position. Rafa has given us some great moments but I think there are too many problems with the thin squad we have. The major new issue is that carragher will have to be replaced as he cannot cope with playing in the expansive manner we are currently playing in. In addition Gerrard will be facing more injuries over the next few years we really need aqualani to step into his shoes in the next 18months. The solutions many fans may disagree but we need to do all of the following to have a chance qualifying in the top 4: Drop Carragher!( face facts if we want to play expansive football he does not have the pace to cover the gaps. Buy a quality winger and a back up striker for torres. Sell off babel ,voronin and
    unfortunately either relegate Lucas to 4th choice midfielder or sell him on. Despite his improved season we will not win the league with him anchoring our midfield. Pray for a miracle regarding aqualani. For next season bring Nemeth back.
    Sent from my iPhone

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  16. there is not a chance in this world liverpool are going to win the title.  No torres and gerrard and liverpool are a mid table team at best.  Liverpool played really shite yesterday.  The likes of manu, chelsea, gunners have atleast 2 exceptional players and other very good players, however liverpool have 2 exceptional players and the rest of the team is shit. Simple as that!

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  17. i agree with the above comment 100%

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  18. i know im not refering to the issue above but i have to point something out..
    i saw liverpool's match in the stadium of light and one thing was shouting to the sky above all the rest: how the hell is a player in the caliber of lukas playing for liverpool???  LIVERPOOL!!!
    it was embarrassing, seeing lukas and spearing trying to do what they dont have the gift for. i can forgive spearing for his shameful performance but the brazilian had all the chances a player can ask for.
    later in the evening, i saw real madrid play, alonso played a mediocre game but still, the difference was so huge...
    how can we expect the team to compete with man u and chelsea when we have players in our line up who should be playing in Belgium???
    im not going to talk about JM and his thoughts about leaving or staying,
    i just hope alberto will recreate his good times with de rossi on roma's midfield...

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  19. Let's be realistic and its time we fans have to admit. The Reds are just not good enough to win any titles. If we're lucky, we could still be playing champions league next season. I personally think Rafa has nothing up his sleeves to bring this current team forward. I think its time he goes and the sooner the better. He is not getting it right at all .....i'm sad as a Liverpool fan but I think Rafa should go...

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  20. have to agree with you on that one. The squad's way to thin. We have a poor "plan B". The gaffer thinks he can tinker up a win by playing a 3-4-3 out of the blue. In the end, the defenders struggled to keep up with Sunderland's firepower, the midfield lost most of the battles and up front we seem to be running aimlessly. Although the last 10 mins were better, over the 90 we did not even deserve a draw. poor show; me thinks the manager isnt as good as he thinks he is!

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  21. As i've predicted liverpool lost to sunderland when Lucas played.Rafa is so stubborn n i honestly think he should go.Without Gerro n Torres,the team would be fighting against relegation.

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  22. I don't see what purpose it serves to compare football then with football now. Liverpool won the title with 57 points that year!

    Still, if Liverpool could do now what they did back in the day, they wouldn't be looking at a 20th year without winning the title. That's the whole point isn't it - Benitez isn't Shankly? Out of interest, are there any Liverpool fans who still talk about 'the Rafalution'? :D

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  23. 1963-64?

    Sounds about right. That was the last time you won the league isn't it?

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  24. Liverpool-kop should do some research on the number of goals our defenders score in matches(especially our CBs). I cant think of any other top 4 team(and Spuds and the Villains) who have so few goals from defence.
    Surely something can be done about this, no?

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  25. On the lighter side, I was quite impressed with Rafa's composure following the red beach ball debacle. If there was ever a time for him to blow his cork, I thought that would be it!

    Look at the replays on that shot and you'll see that Pepe actually went for the beach ball rather than the football. Now THAT worries me. :-P

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