The sentences were short but the sentiment was clear: as Jamie Carragher spoke about his return to England duty, talk began to move forward.
“I can’t wait to get back to Liverpool, get back together again and try to put it right,” he said.
“I want the people who want to be there to come back. If they don’t, no problem. Nobody is bigger than Liverpool Football Club.”
And so the fightback begins. Another week has passed with speculation raging about the futures of Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres and, to a certain extent, Steven Gerrard, the three men whose sales could raise an enormous windfall for the Reds.
Throw in a story which saw Pepe Reina linked with Arsenal and Albert Riera’s latest outburst and it’s clear to see why the perception that Liverpool are vulnerable is growing and why some players might be tempted to consider their options.
First of all, it must be stressed the story regarding Reina is absurd; there is no way he would consider jumping ship just weeks after he has committed his future to Anfield for the next six years.
Another tale that, to put it mildly, raised eyebrows was the suggestion Manchester City were ready to offer Liverpool £40m plus Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland for Torres and Gerrard.
That sounds an attractive business deal, doesn’t it? One player whose mood changes like the wind, another who was told by his manager to “get his head right” and an amount of cash that can best be described as pocket change for the oil-rich club for Liverpool’s two finest players, the side with whom they will be competing for a Champions League spot next year.
It simply doesn’t add up but, sadly, such stories will become commonplace this summer, due to the state of flux in which Liverpool find themselves – vultures are circling and the club’s critics are expecting the star names to begin an exodus to more stable destinations.
Perhaps the most significant quotes were attributed to Mascherano, who, of course, was a target for Barcelona 12 months ago; read between the lines of the words that follow and you can see, possibly, he is hankering for a return to a Spanish speaking culture.
“I have no problem living in Liverpool,” he said. “But my wife and daughters deserve to enjoy each day to the full and live their lives, but they have to be home all day.
“My wife doesn’t speak a word of English, so she depends 100 per cent on me. I live here with them. That’s my world, that’s my life.”
In this city, though, many people’s lives revolve around Liverpool Football Club; their moods are affected by results each weekend and many have found the past 12 months almost intolerable.
These supporters deserve some respite from the misery Tom Hicks and George Gillett have induced, they deserve to see a team proud to play in Red and committed.
Carragher, not for the first time, is right; if there are people who do not want to be on the journey next season, wish them well, thank them for their service – unless they go by the name of Riera – then move on.
The next 12 months could easily be as hard as the season just gone and Liverpool’s rivals for a top four place are all going to strengthen their squads before the big kick-off on August 13.
For Liverpool to emerge from the doldrums, every single player, all the management and coaching staff, as well as the officials at the top are going to have to pull in the same direction – in other words, there is no room for selfishness, sulking or personal agendas.
Should certain individuals decide Liverpool is no longer for them, or they get a better offer from elsewhere, what more can be done?
Of course, it would be painful to see any of those who are idolised by the Kop playing in different colours next year but it can’t prove to be distractive: for Liverpool to have a chance of upholding their tradition, there must be a return to old-fashioned values of spirit and togetherness.
Those who no longer have the appetite for a fight know precisely where the door is.
