GERRARD: BACK THE BOSS!

The Reds skipper slumped on his sofa last Sunday watching Manchester United claim their 10th Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson.

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And as United march towards an 18th crown to match the Anfield club's all-time record — realising Fergie's famous vow to "knock Liverpool off their perch" — Gerrard is DESPERATE to end the Merseyside giants' 18-year wait for league glory.

He said: "It hurts more and more when we get to November or December every season and have to accept we're out of the title race again.

Routine

"Every year seems to be following the same routine.

"The manager asks for more support in the transfer market in January, while we're all saying to ourselves this should have happened the previous summer.

"The time to act is now, not in January when we're already too far behind.

"Look at Chelsea. A day after they've lost the league, what do they do? They spend £16million on a full-back.

"That's the kind of ruthless approach to transfers the Liverpool fans and players want to see, making the signings the manager wants.

"The manager knows where we need to strengthen and the players and fans have faith in Rafa — but he needs the backing to act on his plans.

"There's no point us waiting all summer again and then possibly missing out on the players we need.

"If we do that we'll just end up going through the same experience as previous years.

"When the American owners came to Liverpool they told the players and fans they wanted the same as us.

"They wanted to get Liverpool back to the top of English football on and off the pitch.

"We all believed them when they made that promise and it's been repeated again since, so we're all desperate to see it happen.

"The only way to achieve this is to give the manager the kind of backing which gives us a chance.

Quality

"You only get better when you improve the quality in the squad.

"Everyone can see we've got a lot of very good players here. I honestly don't believe we're that far off if we can make two or three top-class additions.

"The spine of the side is definitely there. But we know United and Chelsea are going to go out and spend millions again this summer.

"You can see what Fernando Torres added to our team this season. He made a big difference.

"No one is saying we should be spending that kind of money on every player we sign, but if we're going to mount a serious challenge for the title we have to bring in proven quality.

"I'm not just talking or thinking as a player here, but as a fan.

"This isn't just about what I feel, but about what the fans, the players and everyone who loves the club wants.

"Our supporters deserve more of a challenge than we've put up — but they also need to feel we've a realistic chance of competing.

"Like all of us, they'll be watching what's happening at the club over the summer very carefully.

"They'll be reading the papers every day to find out what's going on, and desperate to feel positive about the future.

"The longer we go without good news, the more concerned we'll get.

"If we get to November and we're off the pace, people will be asking what's gone wrong again, and as in every season it will go back to right now.

Demands

"I've always seen summer as a really important period because that's when all the planning gets done.

"League titles aren't just won on the pitch from one week to the next, they're won by managers planning ahead and assembling squads which can cope with the demands of English and European football.

"Now is not the time for us all to be going on our holidays, forgetting about football and coming back in July hoping everything will be OK.

"We have to be doing everything in our power over the next few weeks to prevent another disappointing season."

Despite his obvious frustrations, Gerrard has made his ongoing commitment to the Anfield cause absolutely clear. He will fight on to realise his dream of lifting the Premier League trophy as Liverpool captain.

He said: "I've won every major honour at Liverpool except one. It hurts more and more not only to have never won the league, but to have never really gone close.

"It would be bad enough if we only narrowly missed out on the title, but we've never got to March or April recently and thought we were in contention.

"That's what we want more than anything at Anfield, but we'll only achieve that when everyone is working together for the same goal.

"I'm sure our rivals will love it if we have as many off-field problems as last year.

"I watched United last week and as a Liverpool fan it killed me to see them win the league again.

"They deserved to win it and I have the utmost respect for their achievement, but we've got to do everything we can to get it off them next season."