There’s no point in talking about media bias; we should be used to it by now. We’re guests in our own home, here to make up the numbers. There’s not much point in knowing that any controversial decisions will go their way. Again, you know they will and you know the officials know that if they make a mistake in our favour there’ll be an outburst of fury you could hear on Jupiter and the next time they officiate round here will be on Moor Lane playing fields. They also know that if they do something that helps Liverpool not a single word will be said.

Our opponents are, sadly, running away with the league with the aid of a manager who, like his predecessor, started out looking like a decent bloke but soon got caught up in the sense of entitlement that pervades their entire club. He’s got the air of someone who began his working life at Anfield offering to look after yer car mister before graduating to the buyin’ an’ sellin’ of any spares. We’ll be looking outside for any likely looking candidates to sit on the bench, a role that has all the scope for possible advancement and likely injury as being a drummer boy during the Napoleonic wars. .

Last season’s match against these was one of the great nights, with Moussa Diaby laying on one of Jhon Duran’s late goals before Douglas Luiz had a penalty claim turned down. They’ve all gone now; not because they particularly wanted to leave or because we were skint, but because we had to comply with the rules. That’s what we’re up against on Wednesday night, and in every match this season.