I’ve been reading a bit about this whole Dubai takeover debacle today. I couldn’t force myself to get involved when it surfaced yesterday, because I had really not got my thoughts together about how I would feel if it went through. It certainly looks that way now.

Honestly, I’m sh*t scared about where this will take us.

The reaction we as a collective gave to Chelsea’s takeover will come right back and bite us in the arse now. We know it and they know it, and we also know it’ll be totally justified.

Whichever way we try and justify it to ourselves, we will only be doing what the Chelsea fans did, claim that the club’s soul will not be lost and that we’re not just a rich man’s plaything. Whether this

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Maktoum lad is in it to make money or not, we will be under his control, and frankly, I don’t like it.

The self justification process has already begun. We’re not the same, because we’re built upon success and tradition” or Cockneys are arrogant, we’re not”. We’ll be hearing those arguments - and others in the same mould a lot in the coming weeks.

I don’t really care about us being hated by our rivals, that’s only a natural part of the game. I do, however care about the relationship between myself and my club. If we become a rich man’s plaything, I can’t see it being improved let alone maintained.

Personally, I think I’ll be coming to a crossroads. If we go down the Chelsea route, I can easily see myself continuing a trend of becoming more and more disillusioned with us. We would no longer be what I started out supporting, what I fell in love with and what has made me so proudand so happy on so many occasions in the past.

How would I be able to relate to us as a club when one of the last things to relate to - a lifetime fan as chairman - is effectively gone. I fear we would no longer be Liverpool Football Club, but DIC Football Franchise. I don’t like it.

We’re already seeing a much-discussed trend of football becoming more and more of a commercial thing than a game, and deep down I don’t think any of us romantics have liked it one bit. We may have liked the warm half time chocolate and the fact we can now watch every game on tv, but one day it will have been a step too far.

Should we become the new Chelsea, then that time would be as good as any to consider jacking the whole thing in. Call me a stupid old romantic, who’s just being a drama queen, but how could I be proud of such a company? How would I be able to justify to myself the £32 (and probably rising) outlay every other week when perhaps Iwouldn’t feel the same pride?

With a new stadium also firmly in the pipeline, what would be left of my club?

I am very afraid.

by ‘DT’ (Peter Schulz)