my liverpool fc

ANYONE who has travelled from Merseyside to Fratton Park will agree it sometimes feels like a 6,012-mile journey.

It’s no secret that Rafael Benitez was not exactly overly enthusiastic at the prospect of making such a lengthy trip to ultimately face Portsmouth in Hong Kong last week.

And while the Liverpool manager probably won’t ever be fully convinced by the merits of the tour, the club can take plenty of encouragement, both short and long-term, from their seven-day stop in the Far East.

The warmth, fanaticism and hysteria with which Liverpool are received in Asia never fails to surprise.

In Hong Kong, where the Anfield side last visited four years ago, the players were feted from the moment they stepped into the airport last Sunday, a section of hardcore fans setting up base camp outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel for the duration of the squad’s stay.

Portsmouth and Fulham may have also travelled to take part in the Barclays Asia Trophy, but Liverpool were the real draw for the public.

The accusation that clubs visiting Asia are often only there for a quick buck and give nothing back in return cannot be levelled at Liverpool.

From coaching sessions with local children to addressing supporters’ clubs, unveiling the new European away kit and numerous other engagements, the players immersed themselves in the Hong Kong community and will have strengthened the bond with fans in the area, even if the likes of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard saw precious little actual playing time.

Liverpool, in terms of both business and stature, are now a global brand and their new American connection means visits Stateside could well become a more regular occurrence.

However, the need to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea to ensure a prominent standing in the lucrative Asian market mean the Far East remains high on the Anfield pre-season agenda. The inevitable long-term effect of their trip makes it difficult to gauge exactly how much the tour will be worth to Liverpool.

But chief executive Rick Parry admits: “It is the third time we have been out to Asia and it’s one of the most important markets.

“We have tens of millions of fans there and it is a market that we are conscious of and one that we will continue to be aware of, that’s for sure.

“Like United’s support base in Asia, ours goes back at least a couple of generations.

“You have two different types of market in Asia. There is the traditional market who support the club, and then there are those who follow the players individually and they are more fickle.

“We got a big uplift of support when we won the Champions League in 2005, and some of the surveys went through the roof. But it went down a bit over the next two years, so that shows that such surveys aren’t reliable as a long-term guide.

“You have to sustain your support by coming out to the fans. You need to have exposure, and that’s part of the reason why we’ve looked to the television channel. You have to keep contact all year round, and the supporters in Asia are very knowledgeable.

“But much of what you do in Asia stems from success on the pitch and by signing good players and winning things.”