It pains me to say this as a Liverpool fan, but I'm rapidly coming to terms with the fact that, yet again, this is not going to be our year.
The same old politics, the same old frailties and the same old ludicrous tactical decisions are weighing us down like an anvil.
And all the while the well-oiled machine that is Manchester United is gathering pace. Sir Alex Ferguson's men are gearing up for the momentum in the second half of the season that traditionally powers them to the title.
To be fair, Chelsea and Arsenal have had similar nightmares inside the boardroom and on the pitch this season.
But as a Liverpool fan I felt a real tinge of excitement when Robbie Keane - who had scored 100 goals over six years at Tottenham - was captured last summer.
When we powered our way to victory over United without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres there was, again, a real sense that we had the squad rather than the team to do the business.
Yet Rafa the Gaffer has allowed the pressure to get to him. Since Raf Rant early in January the Reds have not won a single League match. It has been an implosion of Kevin Keegan-esque proportions.
In mid-December, when United boarded the plan for Japan and a World Club Cup they clinched to global indifference, Liverpool had 37 points and United just 31.
That six-point deficit, however, has turned into a two point lead for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
After just ten goals away from home in the League up until last Tuesday night, United unloaded on West Brom to give further evidence of why only a fool would bet against them to retain the title.
Liverpool, no, sorry Rafa, by comparison is way too negative. United would never have taken off Gerrard - the hero of Istanbul, Olympiakos and the FA Cup Final against West Ham - with the game in the balance against lowly Wigan.
Rafa did.
United would never have left Keane on the bench against Wigan with Chelsea to come at the weekend.
Rafa did.
United would never have left Keane on the bench against Stoke with Torres not fit to play.
And United would never have left Keane on the bench against Hull with the Tigers proving ultimately too difficult to break down.
Rafa did.
The former Valencia boss stubbornly sticks to his insistence of playing two strikers at home and one away.
It has brought seven draws from Liverpool's last ten games and after the latest draw against Wigan it was particularly annoying to see Benitez branding the game 'crazy', but not saying why. We all had to guess.
It was simply an attempt to distract attention from yet another shocker.
Rafa still has his supporters, and has managed to convince them it is everyone's fault but his.
But if he doesn't win the Premier League this season, it will be five years and a small fortune that he has wasted in trying to prove he is not much of a muchness.
He won the Champions League with Gerard Houllier's team. Gerrard pulled that FA Cup victory from the jaws of defeat and all the while the trophy that Reds fans really want to win has eluded us.
It's now time for Rafa to prove he is worth this new megabucks contract he is trying to get out of the Anfield board.
It's time for him to start fighting for this title and stop trying to blind us all with science.
It's time for Rafa to either play Robbie Keane regularly or give the guy a break and just sell him.
It's time for Rafa to put his petty spats within the boardroom to one side and focus on the job in hand.
In short, it's time for Rafa to strap on a pair and prove he IS all he is cracked up to be and not simply cracking up.
The same old politics, the same old frailties and the same old ludicrous tactical decisions are weighing us down like an anvil.
And all the while the well-oiled machine that is Manchester United is gathering pace. Sir Alex Ferguson's men are gearing up for the momentum in the second half of the season that traditionally powers them to the title.
To be fair, Chelsea and Arsenal have had similar nightmares inside the boardroom and on the pitch this season.
But as a Liverpool fan I felt a real tinge of excitement when Robbie Keane - who had scored 100 goals over six years at Tottenham - was captured last summer.
When we powered our way to victory over United without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres there was, again, a real sense that we had the squad rather than the team to do the business.
Yet Rafa the Gaffer has allowed the pressure to get to him. Since Raf Rant early in January the Reds have not won a single League match. It has been an implosion of Kevin Keegan-esque proportions.
In mid-December, when United boarded the plan for Japan and a World Club Cup they clinched to global indifference, Liverpool had 37 points and United just 31.
That six-point deficit, however, has turned into a two point lead for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
After just ten goals away from home in the League up until last Tuesday night, United unloaded on West Brom to give further evidence of why only a fool would bet against them to retain the title.
Liverpool, no, sorry Rafa, by comparison is way too negative. United would never have taken off Gerrard - the hero of Istanbul, Olympiakos and the FA Cup Final against West Ham - with the game in the balance against lowly Wigan.
Rafa did.
United would never have left Keane on the bench against Wigan with Chelsea to come at the weekend.
Rafa did.
United would never have left Keane on the bench against Stoke with Torres not fit to play.
And United would never have left Keane on the bench against Hull with the Tigers proving ultimately too difficult to break down.
Rafa did.
The former Valencia boss stubbornly sticks to his insistence of playing two strikers at home and one away.
It has brought seven draws from Liverpool's last ten games and after the latest draw against Wigan it was particularly annoying to see Benitez branding the game 'crazy', but not saying why. We all had to guess.
It was simply an attempt to distract attention from yet another shocker.
Rafa still has his supporters, and has managed to convince them it is everyone's fault but his.
But if he doesn't win the Premier League this season, it will be five years and a small fortune that he has wasted in trying to prove he is not much of a muchness.
He won the Champions League with Gerard Houllier's team. Gerrard pulled that FA Cup victory from the jaws of defeat and all the while the trophy that Reds fans really want to win has eluded us.
It's now time for Rafa to prove he is worth this new megabucks contract he is trying to get out of the Anfield board.
It's time for him to start fighting for this title and stop trying to blind us all with science.
It's time for Rafa to either play Robbie Keane regularly or give the guy a break and just sell him.
It's time for Rafa to put his petty spats within the boardroom to one side and focus on the job in hand.
In short, it's time for Rafa to strap on a pair and prove he IS all he is cracked up to be and not simply cracking up.
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