Where there's a hope, there's a way

In FourFourTwo this month, Jamie Carragher says that the 'stadium isn't too far away now'.

This is certainly news to me and thousands of other Liverpool fans who have waited so long to hear of new investment and the next 5 year plan. In a way it's a good thing that we don't know - finally Liverpool are operating behind closed doors again, staying one step ahead of the opposition by completing their business prior to any press conference. Who knows, tomorrow I might find out that Mourinho is taking over in June, and we're signing Eto'o, David Silva & a top left-back, and Hyypia's coming back as a coach. But I doubt that.

This season has been a tough one, on the pitch and most days when I walk into my Manchester office. I said at the start of 2008/09 that it was our last chance for a few years to win the title before Man City's money took over, and unfortunately I'm being proven right. We punched above our weight last year with 7 wins and a draw being gained in the last 10 minutes of games, through the sheer blood, guts and hunger of the players involved - a fantastic effort but not a scenario you want to find yourself in. This season has seen nothing of the sort.

As a tear-stained Liverpool supporter, and a football fan as a whole I have decided that the most important thing in the game is hope. Hope that you could win the Cup Final, hope that the flamboyant winger everyone wants is coming to your club, and hope that next season you can go one better. I lost that hope at the end of Houllier's generally successful reign and believed he had to go, and yes I've reached that point again under Benitez.

But Liverpool face a far bigger challenge and must paint a far bigger new picture than the change of a face in the dugout. I need hope that - instead of being top of the second tier in the Premier League - we can make a permanent step into the Top Four. I need hope that we can pay the wages to rival Chelsea and Man Utd, have a stadium better than Arsenal's and be the first choice for upcoming players. I need hope that John Barnes and Steve McManaman of yesteryear will rejoin the club and the Board will offer me the job as manager.

Okay so some things are less likely than others.

The current picture doesn't seem too bad - apparently we are more profitable than we ever have been. We have certainly signed more top price (15m+) players than ever before, and the nucleus of our team is more than capable of winning things. We are also exploiting commercial opportunities in the way that used to make us sick.

Only fools try and rush the future. But right now I need to hear that we are moving forward with the stadium and the squad. I need to hear Jamie Carragher telling me that he has hope for the next few years.