KOP legend Phil Thompson has belted out a heartfelt message to Steven Gerrard: Winning a title away from Liverpool means nothing.
Gerrard has gone on holiday without officially committing his future to his one and only club with new boss Roy Hodgson hopeful he will stay.
But the test of that optimism will come when either Real Madrid or Chelsea slam hard cash down on the Anfield boardroom table.
Thompson is still fearful that Gerrard will do a runner as time runs out on his quest to win a title before hanging up his boots.
Gerrard, 30, is obviously deeply concerned that he won’t be able to fulfil that ambition at Liverpool.
That’s following a disastrous last season for the club and with major doubts now also hanging over the futures of his team-mates Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano.
Thompson, though, is adamant that picking up a champions’ trophy at another club will be tarnished.
Only winning one in the red shirt of Liverpool will mean anything, he insists.
That’s why Thompson would love Gerrard to give it at least one more year at Anfield where the prize he treasures can still be won.
The same goes for Torres and Mascherano to show loyalty and give something back to the club which has made them the players they are today.
Thompson, 56, said: “Stevie has held this team together with Jamie Carragher for the last six years.
“People say he deserves the chance to go elsewhere for what he’s done for Liverpool.
“But I hope he now says, ‘Do I need to move on?’ He will be thinking long and hard while he’s on holiday and wonder if he needs what’s happening to him at the moment.
“There have been smear campaigns about his private life on internet sites. I think that’s an absolute disgrace. That alone could have driven him away.
“He’s risen above that and thank goodness he has.
“Now I hope he feels that if he is to win a title he’d love to still win it with Liverpool.
“It wouldn’t be the same with any other club, whether that be Chelsea, Real Madrid or Manchester City.
“The medal would only mean something if he won it as a Liverpool player.”
Thompson believes Torres and Mascherano, both 26, should now come out publicly and commit to the Hodgson cause at Anfield.
He added: “I know it’s been frustrating for Fernando because of the injuries since he arrived at Liverpool.
“But he’s a top player who was welcomed with open arms when he came to the club.
“Liverpool and Rafa Benitez have made him into the player he is now.
“He was a big player at Atletico Madrid but now he’s a regular international footballer and one of Spain’s main strikers. I hope he shows loyalty too.
“Liverpool deserves another year from Fernando, Javier and Stevie.
“Let’s remember Mascherano was a reserve team player at West Ham when Rafa got him.
“Rafa resurrected his career and he was captain of Argentina in the World Cup.
“Stevie was captain of England. All this has come about because of their time at Liverpool.
“I would like to see them all give at least another 12 months to help Roy Hodgson get this club back to the Champions League.”
Hodgson, he believes, will never have had a tougher battle on his hands in his long-standing managerial career.
He is facing possibly the biggest rebuilding task since Bill Shankly walked through the delapidated Anfield gates 51 years ago.
Liverpool then was in the bottom half of the old Second Division.
They had been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by non-league Worcester.
Thompson said: “No one, not even Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Gerard Houllier or Rafa has faced a serious situation like this with players openly talking about quitting the club. Roy knows this is a tough test and he will need all his managerial skills to keep the club intact.
“This is the toughest since Shanks came to Liverpool’s rescue.
“This is still going to be a summer of turmoil and, to me, that is an awful prospect.
“I do fear for my club. That’s why we need to show the spirit of Istanbul and fight together.
“We need to get the fans firmly behind Roy and together we can turn around the fortunes of this great club.”
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