You'll Never Walk Alone?

They're more than just words, but have some fans forgotten this?

Now, I know this might seem like an inflammatory title for some. I understand. It's not the kind of article with which I want to kick off AR1892 but, there has undoubtedly been a shift in the way former players are spoken about.

I can't remember the exact point at which the change happened. Perhaps Fernando Torres' move to Chelsea. That really stuck in the throat. Inevitably, one of the greatest strikers most of us have seen in a red shirt leaving to one of our closest rivals at that point was never going to sit well with fans. But things were changing before that. Steven Gerrard's flirtation with a move away from Anfield a few seasons earlier prompted protests. Weeks after he'd led the team to European Cup glory against the odds in Istanbul, fans were burning shirts bearing his name outside the Kop.

At the time, the fans' reactions baffled me. As hurt as I was, I kind of got where Gerrard's head was at the time. Liverpool Football Club was not living by the 'You'll never walk alone' mantra, sticking to their guns with the 'no player is bigger than the club' line was, to some, admirable, but in reality was ignorant of the fact that in this case and at that time, Gerrard was pretty much all that was stopping Liverpool losing its 'big club' status.

As fans, we can often fail to appreciate that the grass can be greener elsewhere. Even Mr Liverpool himself could see it.

Fortunately, we all know that story ended happily for us. But the seeds of doubt had been sown in the minds of many fans. Could the players be trusted not to jump ship when things got uncomfortable? After all we don't. We're not Chelsea fans...

The Hicks/Gillett era was more than just financially damaging for the club. Players were treated as commodities for much of their tenure and to them this was a merely a business and, dare I say it, an ego-trip. This upset the fans and the players felt it. Wherever they play, they want to be loved. Uncaring owners, frustrated fans, the players were undoubtedly feeling isolated. The club was not the club they had watched as kids and as much as it angered us at the time, Albert Riera's "sinking ship" comment, was, in hindsight, correct. Yet he was thrown under the bus by club and fans alike and has never been forgiven. How dare a player not be fully committed to us??

We, as fans, also often forget that many of our former heroes were homegrown talents, LFC through and through. But does a say, Spanish or South American player have that same link? Is their sole dream to play in front of the Kop? Sure, it may tick a career goal for them, but it would be foolish to expect them to commit to the club as we do.

So, Torres, Suarez, Coutihno all leaving under a heavy cloud, which has only really partially lifted for Coutinho in recent weeks, is a sad thing to see.

These players have been among the most entertaining players I've ever seen in the flesh. Flare players I could only dream of when we were languishing mid-table for much of the early Premier League years. Can I fault Suarez and Coutinho for going for their dream club in Barcelona? In Suarez' case he won medals he was never going to win at Liverpool. In Coutinho's case, perhaps his lack of faith in Klopp's plan was naive, but lets not forget what his wrangling for a move brought us. An inflated fee which funded the arrival of not one, but two world class players in Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson Becker. I'm not complaining.

So, what's the point I'm trying to make?

Well, our behaviour towards former players in recent years is a far cry from the days of applauding returning ex-players at Anfield. Elements of our support can be as bitter as that lot over the park at times and are happy to sing YNWA while vilifying ex-players.

Can I see it all happening again? It already is. Sadio Mane looks set to leave this summer and some fans are already on his back. This is a guy who has won everything in the red of Liverpool, given the peak years of his career to this club, never rocked the boat or sought extortionate wages. He just enjoys football. Sometimes the pressure at the top detracts from that enjoyment. If that's the case and a move to the Bundesliga or La Liga, where the game is slower and he can run rings around the oppostion week in week out without breaking sweat, is what he needs, well, good luck to him. I just hope the LFC faithful can appreciate it.

Should he decide to go this summer, I certainly won't forget what he's done for the club and can honestly say "YNWA, Sadio".