It feels like a thousand years ago, but Liverpool are actually 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
It’s a far cry from where the club was when Ian Ayre left as managing director. A figure synonymous with the early FSG years, he was here when Jürgen Klopp was appointed and left just before things really got going.
He now works at Nashville SC in Major League Soccer, but his view on Liverpool remains glowing.
“I’ve been a Liverpool fan for 50 years and I’ve always said to people that we never do things the easy way,” The Mirror report Ayre as saying.
“Look at Istanbul, the League Cup final of 2012, Barcelona last year. It’s the Liverpool way, to some degree.
“They’ll either get it sorted and win it this year or they won’t, but, whatever happens, they’ll bounce back.
“If it’s not this year, then it will be next year. Jurgen and everybody would say, ‘Bring it on’, if they have to wait.
“When FSG bought Liverpool, one of the things John Henry said, right at the start, was that he wanted to build this team to win and to keep winning.
“He’s a very smart guy, I’ve got huge respect for him and what he says is completely right.
“Look at last year, we got so close to the title and won the Champions League.
“Then we’ve gone on to win the Super Cup and the World Club Championship and the club are on course to win the league. You don’t achieve that without having a solid team and a really solid foundation.
“That doesn’t go away overnight. This Liverpool team is very young in comparison to a lot of squads and they won’t have many players rotating out through age or contracts this summer.
“Whether they’re rightly allowed to win the league this year, what will be will be. But I’ve no doubt that, if it doesn’t happen this season, it will happen next season.”
Ian Ayre is confident success is coming once football comes back. We all should be.