As the December temperatures threaten to plummet into the minus realm on Merseyside, the sun is beating down on the Dubai desert and Liverpool fans, unmistakably, are in town.
The ECHO is in the United Arab Emirates with a handful of supporters who have flown over from the North West for the Reds' mid-season friendlies with Lyon and AC Milan in a competition dubbed the Dubai Super Cup.
"I did a jigsaw to pass the time on my flight here," says Barry Fay, a lifelong Liverpool fan from St Helens who has been travelling home and away for decades. "It took me five hours in total."
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"Yeah!" comes the instant, razor-sharp put-down from his pal Paul Little at the back of the Uber. "And it was only a four-piece!"
It's Sunday afternoon and a few hours before kick-off as we prepare to meet the Official Liverpool Supporters Club of Dubai, who have gathered for the game for some pre-match beers at McCafferty's Wafi, just a short drive from the Al Maktoum Stadium.
The OLSC Dubai usually congregate at McGettigan's, in Jumeirah Lake Towers, but with the opportunity to get a rare sight of the Reds in the flesh, the meeting point is changed to nearer the ground this Sunday afternoon.
As the ECHO and its cohort of local-based followers meet the supporters club, the conversation turns to some of the pressing issues and concerns that would not be out of place in the Twelfth Man, the Arkles or any other pre-and post-match boozers of choice for Anfield regulars.
Fenway Sports Group's ownership uncertainty, transfer interest in Jude Bellingham and just who might replace Jurgen Klopp in years to come are just some of the topics touched upon prior to the match.
Some share their concerns over just what type of prospective owners the news of FSG's willingness to explore an exit strategy may bring, while others dismiss the worries in favour of more rudimentary concerns over transfer kitties and ability to spend big when the window is open.
Supporting the Reds from over 4,000 miles away from Anfield inevitably brings its challenges. For example, Champions League nights don't kick-off until midnight in Dubai. Occasionally, for particularly big games, that slot lends itself to some electric atmospheres, courtesy of the members being sufficiently well-oiled by the time the matches eventually get underway.
But for the more mundane group-stage meetings and domestic cup games in midweek, it can be a difficult balancing act showing sufficient support while also ensuring the working day the following morning does not suffer too much as a result.
Liverpool being in this region is a big deal. The club took the decision to use the Nad al Sheba Complex to train due, in part, to its top-class facilities. The likes of Adam Lallana, Daniel Sturridge and Virgil van Dijk have all previously spent time there rehabbing injuries, but the fact that Dubai is about an hour's flight from where the World Cup is being held in Qatar was the biggest factor behind the call to spend the best part of two weeks here.
Wes Morrisey, an Irish expat out in Dubai, is one of the OLSC Dubai members and he tells the ECHO how he spent most of his working day last week not in his home office but instead at Liverpool's team hotel in an effort to catch a glimpse of his heroes up close and personal.
"The security was strict and they told me that the hotel is the players' turf for relaxation, if you like, which was fair enough," he says. "But I just wanted to see a few of them, you know? I saw Bobby Firmino, Thiago and a few others. It wasn't a bad day at 'the office'!"
This branch of the Official Liverpool Supporters Club was established back in 2006. Its head, Neil Briody, has been in the area for the best part of two decades and plays an important role in like-minded supporters getting settled in the area should they get in touch upon their move to Dubai.
One such fan is Dan Watson who has taken the effort to organise a boat trip for their visiting comrades on Monday evening, beginning at the Dubai Marina before drifting further down the harbour.
Again, the ECHO is along for the ride as the handful of supporters gather for the journey. Liverpool-themed flags that have been flown out from the outskirts of Merseyside are proudly fastened onto the side of the vessel and we set sail at around 5pm.
The playlist on board inevitably has an LFC theme to it, with songs from the Beautiful South, Peter Gabriel and Bob Marley all being blasted around the Arabian Gulf as the darkness descends and the stunning skyline begins to light up.
The soundtrack becomes dominated by Jamie Webster as the talk turns to the adventures of following Liverpool abroad.
Hairy tales of Istanbul and St Petersburg are retold in comical detail as Dan reveals how, despite living in Dubai for around a decade, he is still - thanks largely to a work schedule that sees him travel to Europe frequently - remarkably able to boast a proud record of attending as many as 19 games in the 2018/19 campaign when Liverpool ended their campaign as Champions League winners.
"We've been everywhere with Liverpool. Everywhere," says Phil Roose. Or, as he affectionately referred to, 'Phil Rhyl'. "This is what it's all about, going to places, meeting different people and the supporters club here have been great with us. First class."
"It's not a patch on Seaforth!" jokes Barry as the boat continues to float downstream towards the spectacular Burj Al Arab, which was once the world's only seven-star hotel.
Liverpool's visit here has seen membership numbers soar for the OLSC but a scheduled meet-and-greet with a handful of players on Tuesday only has room for a select number of fans, who are given the chance to get some selfies with those they travel thousands of miles across countries and continents to cheer on.
The chatter turns to just who they might get to meet at the club's hotel on Tuesday with Paul optimistically hopeful of one man in particular. "I think I'll melt if I ever get to meet Jurgen!" he says. "What he's done for this club...he's up there with them all. And we've seen plenty of them over the years. We're not minted or anything, we just love this club."
As the boat prepares to dock, the conversation has moved on to some of the most famous nights of all time at Anfield and there's one in particular that seems to have won this contest: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona.
"I went with my son," says Neil. "And it was only a last-minute thing! I was coming over to England that week but changed my flight to an earlier one when the chance of a ticket came up. I was weighing it up at first; we were 3-0 down and I was unsure if it would be worth it. I made the right call."
Paul says: "Once in a lifetime that! An unbelievable night." "It's what Liverpool are about that," adds Kevin Hill. "And we did it without Mo Salah and Bobby too!"
The evening comes to a close around three hours later to the slightly surreal contrast of Jamie Webster's Fields of Anfield Road clashing against the almost unimaginable luxury of downtown Dubai.
Harvey Elliott, Caoimhin Kellher and Nat Phillips await the fan club the following day. Liverpool have not been undertaking many commercial activities for this particular trip but a meeting has been arranged as a courtesy to the OLSC. Andy Robertson also makes a belated entrance shortly after he has chatted to the ECHO for an exclusive interview.
It caps off a couple of memorable days for the supporters of the OLSC in Dubai and their guests but it has come at a cost to some within the travelling party.
After overindulging in the plush Bla Bla bar on Monday evening, Reds fan Andrew Boles has ended up suffering a stress fracture of his ankle. That, though, is not nearly enough to dampen the spirits. "If you see me at the Etihad next week, come and say hello!" he says. "I'll be the one waving the crutches!"
For anyone looking to join the OLSC Dubai, visit www.dubaireds.com
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