Source: Liverpool_Echo
DOMINIC KING: Togetherness on and off the pitch will be key to any Liverpool FC revival
TWO shows of support, one meaningless, the other from the heart; while Rafa Benitez's relationship with George Gillett stays strained, his bond with the Kop has been strengthened.[LNB]While it would be wrong to get carried away after one impressive victory over Tottenham Hotspur, there is a feeling Liverpool's chaotic season took a significant change for the better on Wednesday evening.[LNB]Gillett, of course, had earlier in the day emerged from the shadows once again to spout some PR guff through his favoured vehicle, a radio station in Canada, declaring that Benitez 'is one of the top five managers in the world' and this season had been 'a blip'.[LNB]If it was designed to curry favour with supporters or send out a message of reassurance, it did neither; Gillett saying positive things about Liverpool carries all the sincerity of Tiger Woods' wedding vows.[LNB]Benitez, not surprisingly, never elaborated on Gillett's musings when asked about them after seeing his patched-up side send Tottenham packing, simply saying that 'clearly it was positive' for everyone at the club to be working together.[LNB]But one thing he was evidently taken aback by was the level of support he and his players received as they made their way to the ground before that crucial game; Anfield Road has not witnessed such scenes in years.[LNB] Myriad banners were held up, flags, big and small, were waved and songs of support and defiance were sung; had you descended into the scene unaware of Liverpool's position in the table, you would have thought this was to mark the coronation of champions.[LNB]When the squad had disembarked from their luxury coach, to make their way to the changing rooms, it was clear the short episode had had a profound effect; one player confided in a club official that it had moved him close to tears.
