Well over 3,000 fans packed out the Bishan Stadium last night as Gerard Houllier and Sammy Lee put their players through a reigerous training session in the Singapore heat.

Earlier in the day over 6,000 fans had queued outside the team's hotel in order to have their picture taken with the three cups on display and armed police had to control crowds as fans waited outside for a brief glimpse of their heroes boarding the team coach before departing for the stadium.

It might have only been a training session, but judging from the reaction from the stands, you'd think the Liverpool fans were watching a cup final. Heaven knows what the atmosphere it likely to be like tonight in the national stadium.

As Sammy Lee worked his players non-stop, sprinting sessions were met with wild clapping, clever passes and nice touches were cheered and every time a player scored - even from five yards out - fans jumped out of their seats to cheer. When Dietmar Hamann, looking very impressive indeed, scored from the halfway line, the noise was unbelievable.

And although every player was admired, it was clear to see who the crowd loved most every time Redknapp, Owen and Fowler as much as touched the ball. Redknapp, in particular, has proved himself a major hit with the fans in Singapore since arriving on Saturday and if he starts the game tonight, there'll certainly be a lot of happy faces within the crowd.

Talking afterwards, Gerard Houllier admitted that the traning session the crowd had just witnessed was a very serious affair. "It was a hard session," he insisted, "but we are still building our fitness and it will certainly not affect our match performance."