If the streets of London are paved with gold then the streets of Liverpool must be strewn with missing jigsaw pieces. Never before has one team been looking that final piece for so long.

Since they last won the league back in 1990 Nigel Clough, Stan Collymore, Nick Barmby, Harry Kewell, Djibril Cisse, Craig Bellamy and Robbie Keane have all come along trying to be that ellusive piece and all failed to finish the puzzle.

Now in the summer of 2010 enter stage left Joe Cole! Will he fill that final hole? Or has so much time passed by that Liverpool now rival Blackburn for holes?

Either way most Liverpool fans have that ‘Good Times’ feeling about them once again.

Love em or loathe em (most the latter) Hicks and Gillett made their shrewdest ever move earlier this summer when they finally released Rafa from his misery and brought in Roy Hodgson. A sensible no-nonsense manager who won’t waste millions of pounds on foreign imports you’ve never heard of, partly because that’s not Hodgsons style and partly becasue Hicks and Gillett don’t have millions of pounds for him to spend in the first place.

Without doubt his biggest and most immediate job since taking over as manager has been to stop Gerrard and Torres leaving the club. The only way to achieve this was to pursued them that Liverpool are still a club who mean business and will be competing for major honours again this year. But If you’ve got no money you shop in Poundland not Marks so you’ve got to be wise and pay the right price at the right time.

In Joe Cole he’s done just that, sure he might be taking a packet in wages every week but he cost nothing, if he stays fit and performs as expected he’ll be worth the salary. Cole has that creative spark, in one moment he can create the kind of magic that wins matches, but whether he’ll fill that hole still remains to be seen.

Gerrard has been convinced, Torres we still don’t know about. One down one to go Mr Hodgson.

Although when players come out with coments like Gerrards liking of Cole to Messi and Coles claim that Liverpool are the biggest club in the country, you can’t help wonder who they are trying to convince with such statements. You, themselves or Senor Torres.

This could be the year for Liverpool, the puzzle might finally be complete, then again somehow I doubt it!

Liverpool have turned the corner so many times now, they keep ending up right back where they started, looking down the side of the sofa for another piece to try.

Come on Liverpool fans, what do you reckon your chances are? Submit your views below…