The sense of deflation I experienced surprised even this most devoted of Reds fans. That he was retiring was no great shock in itself; the realisation that his exit belied a potentially greater psychological blow to those of us clinging to the disappearing era of one-club man football struck a far deeper chord.
Although today is undoubtedly a step forward in what, for more than 23 years, has been a largely fruitless pursuit of justice, it does not - and should not - mark the end of the process... I know of relatives of the Hillsborough victims whose lives have also ended without gaining resolution and justice. One man - from a family well-known to my own -committed suicide because of a sense of guilt that he had survived the crush while his brother had not. For him, his brother and many in similar circumstances, may today be a step towards their finally being able to rest in peace.
There's something inscrutable about Dalglish. He takes straight-talking to Clint Eastwood levels. I like that. No bullshit. There's also a dryness to his humour. That's an understatement, by the way. Dust is damper. And so he decided what his position was on Suarez, his star striker, and stuck to it.