Come on you Reds - why the UK economy is like Liverpool FC15 October 2010
Saddled with debt, in unfamiliar relegation territory, new manager untested in a really big job, and about to have their financial fate decided.
Liverpool FC and the UK economy are in a similar place right now.
Few people think the UK economy will collapse, just as no one really thinks Liverpool Football Club will drop through the leagues.
But Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Man City and Newcastle were all considered too good to go down - and did.
The UK economy could still go the way of Greece or Ireland.
Five routes to recovery
So, from our Green Match of the Day team, here are five measures the UK economy's new owners should field at the Comprehensive Spending Review on 20 October.
1. Bring on a properly capitalised Green Investment Bank
This will attract billions of pounds of private investment into rapidly growing green industries - which will be a major engine of the UK's economic recovery.
It's like Liverpool building a new 60,000 stadium to compete with Man Utd and Arsenal.
There's a danger the bank won't be given a clear enough role to play, or enough capital - like staying at Anfield and taking a few rows of seats out.
2. Ditch the expensive and ineffective £5bn plus road-building programme
It's the equivalent of selling Liverpool's underperformers on £50,000 who play fewer than 10 games a year.
3. Keep a strong Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed-in Tariff
These will bring in hundreds of thousands of jobs and support hundreds of new renewables and energy-efficiency industries.
They're the engine of the green economy. Like the contract for Steven Gerrard - try and water it down and watch him leave.
4. Keep the Carbon Trust and Energy Savings Trust
They help save households billions through energy efficiency, and help businesses innovate.
Scrapping these would be like Liverpool getting rid of its youth team and training facilities.
5. Play fair in the Spending Review
Big spending cuts look set to hit the poorest households hardest.
Liverpool's financial troubles look set to hit ordinary fans hardest too - there needs to be a firm commitment to keep ticket prices low.
Odds on success?
Who'd have thought Roy Hodgson and George Osborne had so much in common?
But who will see most success?
With these green measures in place helping a strong economic recovery, Mr Osborne could be the gaffer for longer.
But only if he gives the environment 110% come the Spending Review. Please email now to make sure he does.
You can't ask more of the lad than that.
