In all my years as a Liverpool supporter, a long-lingering thought, there since the last time we won the league, haunts me and, I suspect, many other supporters.

From Shankly through to Dalglish (first time), we'd got so used to winning the league trophy that we began to feel we had a divine right to it. (Perhaps a bit like Manchester United do right now.) That feeling became all the more entrenched in 1986 after the Reds won 12 of its last 13 games to snatch the league at the death from Everton. By then, basically we could walk on water.

However, the curse of the Premiership started in 1992 though in the ensuing years, that didn't stop supporters from believing that every time a Liverpool side went on an unbeaten run, it was going to be our season, only to see hopes collapse inside a matter of weeks. One season under Houllier, we were unbeaten by November and the chanting began. Then on the 9th of that month we lost at Middlesbrough and subsequently failed to win another league game until January 18th. Between November and March there were only two victories and the side had plummeted from 1st to 7th.

In nearly two decades of the Premiership, the false dawn syndrome has become almost a feature of life as a Reds' supporter. We string a run together and conclude we're set to win the league! More recently, the Kop has remained circumspect to a fault, though after that 4-1 Old Trafford victory even they couldn't resist a few bars of: We're gonna win the league! To no avail.

Why have we been found wanting and indeed, where is Kenny's side at now after eleven games unbeaten?

Houllier had some great successes, not least in 2001, but always he suspected a lack of mental strength amongst some of his better players. And if we reflect back under different managers following Kenny's resignation in 1991, it would be easy to pick out plenty of individuals who had promised much but so often fallen short.

The question of bottle is something which I've often considered, most especially in the emotional heat of the moment when the team has lost a decisive late goal. Conversely on positive days like Olympiacos, Arsenal, West Ham and Istanbul we would probably be eulogising over the sheer perseverance and tenacity of all concerned.

So how do we identify, let alone quantify, some of these strengths, especially from afar? It is this rhetorical question which leads me to harp on about the importance of what managers and coaches witness on the training ground; those little unseens; the idiosyncrasies of individual players which might not be reflective in their excellent footballing skills, but definitely play a crucial part in the overall make-up of any professional athlete.

In more basic terminology, the unanswerable question is what makes a winner?

Last weekend when Manchester pulverised Newcastle in those final few minutes, the sense of self-belief was almost tangible even though on this occasion it proved fruitless. Such conviction must come ultimately from the manager. Some automatically assume that a winner is one who can throw cups of tea, scream and yell or threaten blue murder. I doubt it. One of the greatest winners of all time was Paisley, whose worst show of nastiness was apparently his steely expression. Rafa was not noted for throwing fits and Kenny, both in this life and the previous one, is hardly considered a man of tantrums. But all three are winners; indeed ruthless if needs be. It's a bit like charisma, really; an indefinable quality and trait.

What I am convinced about, always have been since the first time I met him, is that Kenny Dalglish has both of these qualities. The man has fantastic charisma and is an absolute winner. What a combination! So that the impact on those who work alongside him must be massive and now, for sure, we are seeing increasingly the knock-on benefits within the playing squad.

Last night the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was in front of 40,000 people; a packed house and lots of atmosphere and tension. Yet, our slightly makeshift side appeared to treat the game almost as a routine exercise. They actually played like winners and even a missed penalty never seemed to jolt their self-belief. It's as if confidence is oozing out of every pore and spreading like a contagion throughout the whole squad.

So where are we at? Confidence is growing visibly on both the pitch and on the terraces. Dare I say it really seems like it is coming together and fast? Is this premature? Is the house only one of cards which will come tumbling down in the very next week or so, or are there some really solid foundations in place which will stand us in good stead for the New Year and beyond?

Kenny seems to take everything in his stride and, last night, that is what the players appeared to do, taking their lead from their boss. In his previous time as Liverpool Manager his teams were never out of the first two. No forthcoming fixture seemed to faze him. Tonight we'll discover our semi-final opponents in the Carling Cup. Should we be biting our nails and praying it's Cardiff and not one of the Manchester clubs?

One game at a time, says Kenny, so I'm not supposed to harbour ambitious thoughts like Carling Cup Finals and Champions League places. But after last night I've got such a conviction about moving forward that I'm honestly nonplussed at the thought of which semifinal opponents will emerge from the hat.

God forbid that this is another false dawn and that I should be overreaching myself with these sentiments, but I cannot get it out of my head that it is Liverpool that the other sides will be desperate to avoid; not the other way round.

Mike Hopper