Liverpool players thank fans after visit to Dublin

Liverpool stars Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez have thanked the huge turnout who welcomed them on their flying trip to Dublin.

The trio flew in for the official launch of the new Liverpool Football Club adidas away kit at Lifestyle Sports, Mary street, Dublin.

Ardent fans queued for hours outside the store to get a glimpse of the Premier League stars in the wake of news that Anfield favourite Kenny Dalglish was installed as the clubs permanent manager.

Gerrard says expectations will now be sky high following the appointment.

The event took place in Lifestyle Sports in Mary Street where the players met a number of lucky prize-winners.

Fans eager to catch a glimpse of their heroes gathered in the Henry and Mary Street area of the capital, which was transformed into Anfield for the day, with iconic pieces including a replica of the famous Shankly Gates, a dugout and road signs in place for Irish Liverpool fans to really feel at home.

The adidas home away from home event was a pioneering move by adidas, who are the first brand to celebrate Liverpool FC's huge support in Ireland by bringing the players to the fans.

"It is great to come to Ireland and meet the fans," Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said. "Liverpool has always had a huge number of Irish supporters and I know thousands come over to Anfield for every game, which in terms of time and the costs involved, is a big sacrifice. As with all of our fans, we appreciate their support and the club is lucky to have the best supporters in the world."

"The links between the city of Liverpool and Ireland go back through history and the Scousers and the Irish are very similar - every second Liverpudlian seems to have some Irish ancestry.

"There is a strong connection in my family as my cousin, Anthony Gerrard, has played underage for Ireland and is hoping to break through to the senior side after a good season at Hull.

"They have a lot of good players and one of the most successful managers in football (Giovanni Trapattoni)."

"The club has also been lucky enough to have had some great Irish players over the years. You can go back recently to Steve Finnan, and then before that there would have been the likes of John Aldridge, Steve Staunton, Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton and Steve Heighway, to name a few."

Gerrard also expressed his delight at the news of Kenny Dalglish's new three-year deal with the club, which ensures he will take charge of the team until the end of the 2013-2014 season.

"Clearly, we are delighted with the news. Since both Kenny and Steve (Clarke) arrived in January our results have transformed. Kenny has a long association with the club and he is a fantastic man manager to play under."

"The team is doing really well at the moment and the performance on Monday against Fulham was excellent. It's an achievement in itself to even be talking about European football now. Personally, it's disappointing not to have been involved due to injury but I just need to focus on getting back fit and looking forward to next season."

Uruguayan star Luis Suarez, who has had a huge impact since he signed for the club earlier this year, was delighted to visit Ireland after missing his national side's trip to Dublin to face Giovanni Trapattoni's side in March.

"It is great to visit Ireland. I was due to come here in March with Uruguay but I was injured so could not travel. It was a very exciting game with both teams playing good football and Ireland looked to have a lot of good young players." Suarez said.

"I have been very happy with how I have settled in the Premier League. We had a good win on Monday night against Fulham and the team played well.

"Working with Kenny Dalglish has been brilliant because he is a great manager who has won titles before as a player and a coach with the club. With him as our manager next year, I am sure we will be challenging for the league once again."

Completing the trio of stars brought to Ireland by adidas was Dirk Kuyt, who was on the score sheet for the Reds once again last Monday in their 5-2 victory against Fulham.