The chance for ‘success’ means Liverpool fans will boast short memories

It comes down to how each club measures success. Liverpool could win the Premier League title and it would be an undoubted victory for all concerned at the club. But further climbing the Premier League ladder and making some real noise in the battle for fourth place is the realistic target this season. Even if only Europa League football is secured, it’s still a big step forward from where the club were prior to Brendan Rodgers’ appointment.

So on the Luis Suarez front, Liverpool fans will accept the player back into the fold because it’s in their best interest to do so: no player is bigger than the club, and the major steps that could be taken this season is of far greater importance than any personal hatred towards the forward.

You have to ask whether the player’s actions over the summer were of such unspeakable treachery that it would be a mark against the club to welcome him back into the team, even if it’s only a matter of accepting him for his talents rather than him as a person.

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But the fact is Suarez isn’t the first footballer to speak of the greener grass on the other side of the wall. Yes, it can burn bridges and in some cases make a player’s position ‘untenable.’ But in this instance, Liverpool are gaining (or regaining) one of the best players in the Premier League, and any issue that may have been brought up during the transfer period should be put to bed until next year.

It was always admirable for the club to stand strong in the face of both Suarez and the fleeting interest from Real Madrid. At the time, it made far more sense to move the player on, not only because of his public declarations of unhappiness, but also because he has been a liability in the past and could be once again in the future. For all his talents, is it worth jeopardising the greater project?

But that is the situation the club are faced with now. On some level, Liverpool’s hierarchy should have an idea of what they’re in for with Suarez now. There must have been some assurances that, despite his intentions during the summer, he is willing to offer 100 per cent on the pitch in a Liverpool shirt. Fortunately for the club, that is an aspect of Suarez that can never be questioned.

For all those who may be irate following his actions, it’s difficult to imagine many Liverpool fans staying grounded and firmly silent if and certainly when Suarez scores for the club. What if this past summer is countered or balanced by Suarez scoring the winner against Manchester United and in turn helping to secure fourth place in the league? There can be few that see Suarez and Liverpool remaining side by side beyond next summer, but for now, their individual interests can be perfectly married to have a far more respectful and dignified break up next year.

There are many football fans who have rightly abandoned the hero worship of players; it simply doesn’t apply in the modern game. It is no longer a matter of loyalty, but rather a case of an employer and employee; it just so happens that the reality of it was far better disguised in the past, to such an extent that the bonds between players and fans were harder to break.

For now, however, and in spite of the bitterness that came to the fore in the past, the working relationship between Suarez and Liverpool can still exist. It doesn’t have to be about loving or even liking one another, but there are grounds for this season to be a success, no matter how that success is measured.

Should fans welcome back Suarez for the good of the club?

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