I'm not kidding myself into thinking that the Middlesbrough result is the end of our season, but neither am I going to dismiss it as a one-off. Yes, Bolton have been a cracking little side this season, but we should not be coming away with nothing from games against teams of their ilk. Same with Birmingham, same with Middlesbrough.
I'm completely clear on the point that this season is a transitional one. But let's not forget that teams like Middlesbrough and Everton have had significant changes in personnel going into this season, and for some reason they're getting results and we're not. I can dismiss this as irrelevant or a coincidence to a point, but the reality is that teams that are in good nick don't need the bulk of a season to find their feet. I'm not going to jump all over Benitez for clearing out too hastily, and I'm not going to moan excessively about the Owen affair. I'm not even going to winge incessantly about the injuries we've had, but the sum of these things has equated to LFC - a third of the way through the Premiership campaign, let's not forget - being 13 points off Chelsea at the top.
Yes, players take time to bed in; yes, new tactics take time to work out. But let's not f*ck about here - if we're no closer to the leaders in points terms come the January window, it won't be because we've been unlucky with injuries. Top sides have squads, not teams, and we've got more than enough very well-paid players on our books (both at the club and loaned elsewhere) to get us a result against any team in the Premiership.
So why aren't we?