View From The Town End: Liverpool

How have you viewed Liverpool's season so far?

It's been another season of treading water, and it's hard to be certain if we've actually started moving or if all we're doing is working really hard at staying in place. There have been a fair few positives, though, from some at times very attractive football to stealing Philippe Coutinho and his glorious 'fro away from Inter for a relative pittance, and in my more positive moments I can see a side building towards a genuine top four challenge next term.

On the other hand, in my more negative moments I only see persistent defensive frailties and a terrifying lack of consistency when it comes to anything that doesn't involve being shaky at the back. Plus the last time Liverpool reached the end of an up and down season talking about it being a building block for the next year and suggesting missing out on Europe entirely could be a good thing we bought Charlie Adam and Kenny Dalglish ended up sacked.

Now that you've had nearly a full season under Brendan, how do you view his managerial style and do you think he's the right man to take you back in to the top four?

Like many, I think we're still about where we were when he was hired: We like his philosophy and think that if he can learn enough fast enough he could be a fantastic manager. And like so many of the players bought by the club since Fenway Sports Group took over back in 2010, we're gambling on potential coming good-and it's still unclear if it will, with a lingering question mark hanging around to balance every sliver of encouragement.

Reading were comfortably beaten up at Anfield earlier this season, what did you make of that game and of Reading?

It didn't make me want to rush out and put a tenner on Reading staying up, though I was mostly focused on Liverpool's inability to convert possession into chances and chances into goals-which continued to be a problem up until Luis Suarez decided it might be fun to win the golden boot.

Anybody that Reading should be fearing on Saturday, beyond Mr Suarez, Gerrard etc...

Philippe Coutinho is the obvious answer, and if I was Reading I'd be more worried about him than Gerrard. He hasn't been at Liverpool for long, but the only opponent he hasn't looked deadly against was West Ham-and they managed a convincing Stoke impersonation with ten behind the ball at all times. With Reading conceding more than any other side in the top flight this year, Federici will have to be man of the match to stop him and Suarez.

Anyone that Liverpool fans are slightly worried about from Reading?

Pogrebnyak in theory at least, though as the season has worn along the chances of him causing an opponent anything more than theoretical worry have steadily decreased. Adam Le Fondre, meanwhile, at least showed some promising signs earlier in the season, though the last two months haven't exactly done wonders for his strike rate.

Score prediction?

Something to something else, where that something else may or may not hold the same value as that first something.

Where do you think Liverpool will end up this season?

Sixth or seventh. Even if we take maximum points in the final six games the numbers say we can't pip Arsenal for fifth and a return to the Europa League if they maintain anything close to their current season-long points per game average.

Will you miss us from the Premier League?

Not nearly as much as Arsenal will, I'd imagine.

Thanks again to Noel and you can follow the guys from The Liverpool Offside on twitter @LFCOffside