IT’S not known whether Mahatma Gandhi was a Liverpool fan, but he would not have felt out of place in the streets around Anfield last Wednesday night.

The effectiveness of peaceful resistance as a means of making your point and mobilising the masses was there for all to see as Reds fans demonstrated their support for our manager without so much as a dirty look cast in the direction of our American owners.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in fearing that the planned conspicuous show of the esteem in which Rafa is held would degenerate into an anti-American protest the likes of which are more commonly seen in Grosvenor Square.

Such an error of judgement could have easily backfired, convincing Messrs Hicks and Gillett that Benitez had deliberately stoked up the fans’ ire in order to strengthen his hand against them.

As it turned out, the watching Foster Gillett cannot have been anything but impressed as the chants and banners outside and inside Anfield proclaimed our strong belief that Rafa, while not perfect, is the man to lead us back to where we belong, while tacitly acknowledging the role that our co-chairmen have to play in realising that cherished dream by refusing to point the finger of blame for the unseemly spat in their direction.

Despite the media’s attempts to fan the flames of disagreement into a major conflagration, with Benitez’s departure mooted as an inevitable outcome, the commonsense of the Liverpool supporters provided the perfect fire blanket to provide both sides with an incentive to settle their differences.

Regardless of who started the fire, the fans doused it. Given the subsequent words of reconciliation from both parties, it appears the key message has not been lost on them, and it’s this: whatever your personal views, we expect you to work together to deliver our ambitions. So get on with it.

Thankfully, the disruption off the pitch has had precious little impact upon performances on it. Quite the reverse, in fact.

Five wins, 21 goals scored, still unbeaten, one victory away from the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

More importantly, we’re playing some genuinely attractive stuff, and mounting periods of pressure when it seems the next goal is inevitable rather than something which might happen if we just try hard enough.

Much of the credit for this must of course go to the returning Torres, who is just sensational. But perhaps most revealing is that seven players have shared those 21 goals between them, with 13 of them from outside of our recognised four strikers.

The promising Babel, though inconsistent, is proving adept against tiring defences, and Benayoun is far more threatening than Pennant, anxious to get into scoring positions inside the box as opposed to waiting just outside for poor clearances.

Harry Kewell’s return also provides Benitez with options either from the start of the game or from the bench. The proportion of naturally attacking players in the side is increasing, and we’re starting to see the benefits.

Only problem is, with all these players to accommodate, maybe Rafa should start thinking about rotating some to keep them all fresh!

HOW satisfying to see Jack Hobbs distinguish himself when coming on for Jamie Carragher against Bolton.

He didn’t look out of place one bit, maintaining an assured presence and completely unfazed by the threat of Anelka.

Until Daniel Agger returns, couldn’t he be used to give Sami Hyypia a well-deserved breather?

Perhaps Tom Hicks had Jack in mind when he queried the need for Kaka Kaladze?