Last night, a group of Liverpool fans connected with the Spirit of Shankly Supporters Union went to Stanley Park wearing high-visibility orange workmen’s jackets and carrying spades. Their aim was to heap more pressure on Tom Hicks, the club’s co-owner, whose promise to break ground on Liverpool’s new stadium within 60 days had missed its appointed date by almost a year.

There is plenty of dirt still to be dug in the power struggle but one man has come up smelling of roses: Rafael Benítez. The man who was almost sacked in December as the regime of Hicks and George Gillett Jr, his co-owner, began to fracture, is now the most secure man at Anfield.

Hicks, who was the most vehement advocate of Benítez’s dismissal during the winter, has realised that his only hope of survival was to form an alliance with the manager. Gillett, who courted Jürgen Klinsmann to replace Benítez, will walk away in late May with Dubai International Capital’s (DIC) money in his pocket. Rick Parry, who made an enemy of the manager, is also on borrowed time, after Hicks decided that the chief executive was the easiest target in the tussle for power.

Even DIC, which had kept an open mind on the future of the manager’s chair at Anfield in the event of it buying control, have been won over by Benítez. While canvassing opinion, DIC representatives told people that they wanted the best manager available to run any club owned by the company. Now DIC is convinced that it has its man

And the change in Benítez is marked. He has taken to smiling on the touchline, his body language is jaunty and at press conferences he is happy to talk — indeed, he’s hard to stop. Now some fans are even calling him the “Spanish Shankly”, which is taking adulation too far — after all, some sang “Are you Shankly in disguise?” to Gérard Houllier

But in all the political manoeuvring at Anfield — and the corridors of power there are more like a maze — Benítez has become the one stable force, the one man to be relied on. Because while the talk has been of credit crunches, refinancing and buyout, the Spaniard has produced the only currency that really matters in football — results.

This run to the Champions League semi-final has cemented his reputation that should not have needed reinforcement. Trophies are the gold standard of the game and with a European Cup and an FA Cup in the bank, — plus a Champions League final last year — Benítez’s first three seasons at Anfield have been a success on any terms.

As recently as six weeks ago, the Liverpool manager seemed weighed down and troubled. Privately, he talked of walking away from the club. Now he is planning for next season. He knows that in this marriage of convenience with Hicks there will not be a lot of money but there is enough to bring an England international in to bolster his midfield.

So while the world spins crazily about him, Benítez has held firm and increased his control of the club. His critics on the terraces and in the media have been forced to back down, his adversaries at Anfield have been rendered powerless, the present ownership cannot afford to lose him while the owners-in-waiting would like him to be part of the fixtures and fittings on the day they move in. He has been the big winner from all the madness.

What more could Benítez possibly want? To beat Chelsea and proceed to Moscow. After all, he knows how quickly events and reputations can turn about-face in football. And the only thing he really cares about is winning.

Tony Evans is the author of Far Foreign Land: Pride and Passion the Liverpool Way.

Scouse style guide

Winning is not enough. It’s winning with style that’s important. We asked the authors of BOSSmag, the Liverpool fanzine and guide to Scouse sophistication, what to wear and listen to.

Attitude Style and music have always gone hand in hand with following Liverpool and it’s as relevant now as it was in the 80s

Clothes The brands most lads will be seen in are Adidas Trefoil T-shirts, 80’s Casuals T-shirts, the Lacoste Polo, with the more fashion conscious choosing Stone Island, Fjallraven and Hugo Boss. If the weather is grimmer than a Tom Hicks interview, wear a Barbour Liddesdale quilted jacket

Jeans Dark denim straight-leg Levi’s

Footwear The most important part of the rig-out for us are the trabs (trainers). Always Adidas

Colours The only LFC related item will be a tiny gold Liverbird badge pinned directly over the heart

Soundtrack The Maybes?, The Pedantics, The Great Northwestern Hoboes, John Power and more established acts such as Shack, The Real People and The La’s.

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